The Trouble With Being A Writer

Everyone is a blogger.  I'm guilty, here I am.

Real writers are egotistical, narcissistic, and sensitive.

Guilty.

I finished my first manuscript ten years ago (on the old 3" hard/floppy disk).  My mother, a voracious reader, loved it.  Now first let me say she didn't love it because she's my mother.  She returned it full of red ink!

Sent it out to every publisher and agent I could find.  Lots of reject letters:  Thank you, not looking for new writers.  Thank you, not for us.  (my favorite) Poor dialogue grammar (that was on purpose, idiot).

Anyway, one day I get this letter touting my writing.  "Couldn't put it down, shared it with everyone.  Want to sign you..."

I was elated, I literally floated the letter to everyone I knew.  Then the phone call came, I was so excited I thought I would throw up.  "We just need $$ for minor expenses, mailing letters out, etc."

Well, I'm sensitive, but I'm not stupid.  Then I get a letter from a state prosecutor investing the scam artists and they had my book.  My only hard copy of it was with them and all the new computers didn't fit the old disks.

I was devastated, humiliated, and beaten.

A few years later I started a children's series that everyone loved, but that never went anywhere either.  Started my second manuscript, but just sort of gave up.

I finally got my book back last year.  And I stare at it every day.  Every Tom, Dick, and untalented Harry out there has a book published and I'm too afraid to try again.  Sure I could self-publish just to have it in print, but it's not the same, it's not the dream.

I'm better than that.

But I guess it's the wave of the future and I'm going to have to bite the bullet eventually...