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You’re A Better Writer Than You Think

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your humble host

I know you are.

I see the contest entries. I see the talent. First timers going against people who’ve been doing it for years.

What’s the difference between a published author and a non-published one?

The published author swallowed hard and said okay and held their breath and did it. Pushed “PUBLISH” or clicked SEND to submit one more query letter.

That one small act that’s so huge in its significance happened because they went ahead and did it – and they did it because they believed.

You have to believe.

I understand the doubts. You have them. We all do, even me.

But let me tell you, you have the talent.

The mere fact that you question whether you do means you are aware of the quality required. Well, that means you have an eye for quality – and no one is a harsher judge of your work than you are.

You’re a good writer.

You’ll become a better writer. Maybe a great one.

Do not deny the world of your story any longer.

19 replies on “You’re A Better Writer Than You Think”

It’s still nerve racking after you hit the button. I received 60 copies of my book right after I went on Christmas break (I’m a teacher). I got lots of orders from family and friends. I just went back to school this past week and started handing out the copies that were ordered. My husband is handing out ten today at his school. I wonder what people will think of me after they have read something that has come from inside of me. A stranger reading it is one thing. But someone you know is another. Like I said above, it’s nerve racking.

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Well you only have to worry about that on the first book. The “friends and family“ sales drastically drop on book 2.

Seriously, when they read Ruby Slips they will think you wrote an amazing and fun story that they enjoyed. They will say things like, “I always knew you could do something like this!”

By the way, it’s not like you wrote torrid sex scenes that you have to be embarrassed to walk into church after publishing. Your friends will hold you in a little different regard, though. A little higher status because 80 percent of them wanted to do what you did – and you did it!

A few will become cheerleaders and most of the rest will be regular readers who enjoy the book and are happy for you. But because Barnes & Noble‘s has a few hundred categories of books they are selling, you will find that the majority of your friends prefer mysteries and 1/3 like romance – 1/3 will admit it – and they will go in those directions.

But the handful of new cheerleader fans you created, like me, will read all your books and tell everyone how great the stories are!

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my entire small town community has read my shit. Or pieces of it at least. I work in a coffee shop and my boss jokes to new employees that you have to read my book as a rite of passage to work here.

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We’re all timid about sharing what we write, at first, even when we yearn for approval. For myself, sharing it never was the point, at first. Just the wonderful world of being able to put words on paper and tell a story was enough. And, truly, it still is, but getting a first commercial publication last year in Dan’s “The Box Under the Bed” anthology led to applause from my family, and that was very, very special ! Awards and approval do push you to become a better writer, and pushing that button is the beginning of those. But believing in yourself as a writer is the start of production. “I can do this”, is a nice phrase, and “I enjoy doing this”, is even better!

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