I believe every draft is a success, even unfinished stories. Each time I sit down and write, I learn a little more about the craft. I may only have one gem sentence in 500 words, or one interesting character out of a cast of five, but that sentence or character is worthy of success.
My current WiP is my "starter novel." I've said from the get-go that my goal is to finish it, learning the process along the way. I believe I'll one day write a novel worthy of publication, but it's probably not this one. I'm struck by both comfort and stress in this statement. Comfort because it gives me the freedom to just write, but stress because writing a novel takes a lot of time and energy. Sometimes I ask myself, am I wasting my time?
I read an interesting article on Writer's Digest.com by John Smolens that answered that question for me. In "There's No Such Thing as a Failed Story," Smolens says, "For every five completed rough drafts, you’re lucky if you find one that you can develop into a finished short story, one that you feel is as good as it can be, one that you feel is ready to be sent out to editors."
Not only did this article reassure me about my current project, it provided a couple a-ha moments about writing in general. Smolens talked about his mentor, the late Andre Dubois: "Most fiction writers, [Dubois] believed, are .200 hitters, meaning they hit successfully twice out of every 10 at-bats...For every five stories you send out, you’re lucky if one of them is accepted for publication." (Quote taken from same article.) Having penned thirty-two short stories in the past two years, I can say with certainty that although I'm pleased with most of my work, there is only about twenty percent I would consider great stories. And of those six, I've only had one accepted for print publication (and two more submitted that I'm waiting to hear back on).
From this article, I now realize I don't have to polish my current WiP, once the first draft is complete. If, at that time, I don't feel the story is strong enough to peddle to agents, then I will move on to the next project with confidence that I'm not short-changing myself in any way. I'm simply moving forward in my craft.
Published authors: Have you written significantly more stories than you have sold? Aspiring authors: Does it encourage or discourage you to hear a successful writer say the majority of work by all fiction writers is unpublishable ?
41 comments:
Hmmm, I loved that article too. :0) I find it encouraging...and also a reminder of how hard we must work at this wonderful dream
I'm going to finish my fourth book in the next few months: the fourth one that I'll shop around to agents. (The others I've turned into ebooks and one I'm getting published by an indie company)
I've written about 20 short stories, and none of them have made it to the pro markets. Four got into anthologies, and the rest made it to smaller ezines.
So yes, you have to create more stories/novels than will actually make it or hit it big. You have a great perspective on things!
I recently received my first contract on my third novel. I don't think anyone will ever read my first, but I may try to rewrite the second. We'll see.
I find it encouraging, and like you, I think those early ones are good practice. I have two completed novels under my bed - and that will never see the light of day. However, I'm hopeful that one of the two I'm working on now will see light. Otherwise, I'll just keep going until I find the one :)
Aspiring writer here. No, it's doesn't bother me to hear published authors say that, because I think it's a true statement. I mean, I've picked up some garbage this past year that's nothing more than word vomit. It makes me sad and angry more than anything. That we try so hard and then come across less that stellar books that have somehow made it through.
I digress...it only makes me want it that much more because I KNOW my story is better than some (but most certainly not all)
~JD
I wrote five novels, and only my sixth is going to be published. But you're so right - every time you write something, you get better, so nothing is a waste. It all moves you forward!
I have a number of stories in my market tracker file that I eventually simply retired for one reason or another ... but it's anywhere close to the 5:1 ratio (yet *grin*). I tend to be bullheaded, though: I will only retire a story if a) I've exhausted places where I might want it to appear; b) an editor comments on an unfixable part of the piece and I agree; c) several editors comment on the same facet that I don't agree is a problem (but it seems I may be the only one ;-)).
NOT anywhere, even. Grrrr.
Great attitude. Can't even begin to count how many unfinished stories I've got on record.
I'm both encouraged and discouraged. It's good to know I'm not alone but it's sad to know that I'm not alone. Although, the thought does push us to strive for that one piece of fiction that's good enough for publication.
I measure success by people's encouraging feedback and finishing. When I finish this book I'll feel like a writer that can go the distance. This is my first novel I've ever written and I'm learning the writing process as I go. I love my story. I think it's an awesome story, but I'm afraid I don't have the writing ability to do it justice right now. When I finish I may set it aside for awhile and come back to it when I feel I can really give it what it deserves.
I have thinking about this topic a lot lately - and you know what...I think every draft of every story is a form of success! Thanks for reminding me of this.
As an aspiring author, that actually DOES make me feel a lot better. Because, see, I began 2 novels, got 1/4 of the way through one and 5/6 of the way through the other, gave up on both, wrote 2 more WITH revision that I THOUGHT were ready to be sent out to agents (they weren't) and now I'm on my next one, which I honestly think is it. That makes it number five, which makes it one of my two out of ten hits, which gives me hope. Also, I'd heard of all these authors who published their FIRST ever novel/attempt at writing, and I thought "well crap, they must be so much better than me, because I have to write hundreds of thousands of words of crap before I get a good story." And now I realize those first attempts were just luckier, and I'm more practiced having messed up so many times before. Great post!
Most of the time I ignore people who talk about how publishing is so impossible and so few people get published and the chances of ever being successful are so slight.
For me, fear is failure. To want to write but to not do so because I'm afraid - that's failure.
Jai
I thank you for writing the above, and the research involved. Your words are reassuring. I have many stories in different phases of the writing process. It's nice to know the time wasn't really wasted, just part of the process.
I do find it encouraging to think that no story is a failure as long as you grow in your craft.
I've written 19 short stories so far (one in 2005, one in 2006, and the rest since 2009). Of those 19 stories, 8 have been published or will be published. Two for anthologies, two ebooks, and the rest for smaller ezines/magazines, except the one story that'll be published with the Virginia English Bulletin because I won third place in their writing contest. Of the 11 unpublished stories, I have two on Raven and the Writing Desk blog and 6 that are out in submissions world. I'm waiting to hear back from them.
Unfortunately, most of my current short stories haven't had much luck than my old short stories, even though I feel that the current short stories I've written were better than the old ones. I'm not sure why that is, though. *shrugs*
I do have two first drafts of novels complete, but they aren't anywhere ready to be sent to agents/publishers yet.
I think the best thing you can do as a writer is to plug along. Some stories will work. Some won't, but it's the experience that counts. Keep writing, and the bigger successes will come. :)
It doesn't bother me a bit. In fact, it gives me justification for all the unfinished bits and pieces I have floating along out there... :-)
I find that very encouraging. Sometimes I find it hard to just write for the sake of learning as I go. I feel like I must be justified in my writing, hence I must be writing something that will one day be published.
i'm working on that mindset.:)
Hearing the truth actually encourages me. I'd feel like a failure if I was told that most published authors get it right on the first try. I'm still rewriting and revising my first baby, but I'm completely prepared to keep writing if it doesn't get published.
I agree that any writing provides seeds for future growth. It may not be used but it's contributing to those 10,000 hours toward mastery?
As an aspiring author I have to say I'm encouraged that more published authors have unpublished works, it only makes sense. We as writers have some many ideas that pop in our heads, with each one we share to our notepads, it's one step closer to the greatest story we've ever written (slight overexaggeration but you get my point!)
I think as writers we weren't meant to publish every piece of work, just like painting, it takes practice, your first draft isn't as good as your 18th, that doesn't mean that everyone wasn't worth painting, each time you learned something new!
I had to come to an understanding with myself that success was in the creation. That's it. Whatever else happens with any number of words that I string together must be guided by a higher power. My calling is simply to create.
As an aspiring author, it's encouraging. *adjusting expectations* AND *having fun writing* Thanks for this post - especially the links to encouraging info. :)
Nicole, thanks for stopping by my blog! This is a great post!
The odds of becoming published do not discourage me. I know that it will happen because I know that I will not give up. Persistence is a key ingredient and I am in final revisions of my third novel. With each manuscript, I learn and improve so every attempt is worth it! Besides if it were easy, it wouldn't be near as exciting!!
Nicole, thanks for the honest post. I don't think that everything that we write is meant for publication. There's a learning curve and practice novels and there's nothing wrong with that.
Absolutely 100% true this post is. (Ha -- Yoda talk!)
I've written 11 books. 2 of them are good. The rest are practice novels. And that's okay.
Rather scary that only 20% is worthwhile. Guess I better start churning out some junk!
I completely agree. I believe our successes are in our actions, our movement toward our dreams. It's in the doing, not the result. Being published is the result of courage and perseverence, but it is also the result of practicing, practicing, and practicing more. Love this post.
I've totally appreciated my "practice novels". I include my WIP because I rewrote it so completely it felt like writing a new novel altogether. Practice novels shouldn't be published, though..and maybe some have?
I hear you on this one, Nicole. I've written quite a few flash fiction pieces, and four or five short stories, but I consider only a very few to be good pieces. Two of them I got accepted at online literary magazines, and one is currently out on submission to every high-end market I could think of. We'll see.
I still like and believe in the other stories, but there's a feeling you get when it all comes together properly, like you *know* this one's really good. Ray Bradbury said in Zen and the Art of Writing that he actually cried the day he wrote something he *knew* was good. And he'd been writing a story a day or something for years.
Now that's some encouragement for those of us just starting out, isn't it?
Thanks for this post and the quotes. Yes, the act of writing is how you really learn to write fiction.
I'm an aspiring writer and I am extremely discouraged about the odds of publication. Although I try to remind myself that publication isn't as important as completed my 'wips' for my own satisfaction. I do love to write and I try to keep that in mind. Publication will come if it is deserved.
You're absolutely right...and I do find it encouraging. Some painter once said (sorry, I cannot remember who it was) that every artist has 100 bad paintings he has to get out before he will have his first great one--so you have to really buckle down to get the bad ones over and done with!
And, really, all writing is success in that the very process is forcing us to grow as human beings.
I've always enjoyed writing. It's something I just do. The thought of attempting to publish anything didn't cross my mind until about a year ago. I try to just focus on the doing the next thing.
I've started more novels than I care to count. I've finished 2. One is pretty good, the other is TERRIBLE. I think it's all about practice, as it is with any creative endeavor.
I'd written about 6 or 7 books before I sold one. Each book taught me something. And now that I'm published I'm going back and fixing the old stories. I'm hopeful that they, too, will be published someday. So don't throw away your stories. Each one is a learning experience.
That's why it seems weird when you hear about some great work being discovered by some dead author or composer. Maybe they hid it away for a reason, and didn't want the world to see it.
I agree! No writing is ever wasted, not even the work that winds up in the drawer. Maybe especially that--those are the stories that teach us craft.
Great post! I agree. I have several practice pieces rambling around in my computer files. I love them, and you're right, they are accomplishments. But they're not publishable. And there are some pieces I don't have the passion to fix. It's OK to let those rest quietly. Perhaps they'll spark another story someday (on that is publishable!)
I love the comment left by Alex J. Cavanaugh, "Rather scary that only 20% is worthwhile. Guess I better start churning out some junk!"
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