What is the magic bullet? Haven’t you heard? It’s the super-secret way all successful authors use to get published. You learn about the magic bullet the same day the SAC teaches you the secret handshake. What’s the SAC? Well, it’s the Secret Authors Coalition, of course. If you don’t know about the secret handshake or the magic bullet, you are obviously not a successful author.
Yes, I’m kidding. Don’t go Googling ‘magic bullet’ and ‘SAC.' I cannot promise what search results will come back if you do.
It would be nice if there were a SAC and a magic bullet, wouldn’t it? If everybody had that knowledge, then every author out there would be successful, racking up publishing credits and becoming a best-selling author, right?
Right.
The only problem is that there is no magic bullet, super-secret handshake, or SAC. Kinda stinks, doesn't it?
But hold on. There is still hope. Don’t go running off to cry in the corner.
If you are a new author finally ready to begin submitting work and hoping to get that precious first publishing credit, you might feel like navigating a dark warehouse with just your cell phone for a flashlight. It doesn’t illuminate much, and your progress is slow. You keep bumping into things you can’t see and getting frustrated.
It is a learning experience, and there is no instruction manual to go with it.
The good news is that even without a guidebook, anyone can be successful as a writer. Every writer has a different concept of success. Some merely want to finish a story or their first book, while others want their story published online or in print. For some, success is selling their first short story and getting their first royalty check. And still, other writers want to make a living putting words down on paper. The writer needs to define their version of success.
When writers get brave enough--and you will, fellow scribe--to start submitting their work, all the anxiety they’ve kept in check while shaping the story and preparing it for publication escapes. Is my writing good enough to be published? Will anyone want to read my story?
All of those are valid questions.
Writers can spend hours upon hours poring over their work, trying to make it perfect before sending it out. Well, I have news for you; it will never be perfect. There are always improvements that can be made. I know some writers who struggle so much with making it perfect that they choke the life out of the piece. Sometimes, it is better to give it legs before they get chopped off during editing.
There are no perfect drafts; there are merely finished drafts with hope.
So, I have a confession to make. I lied when I said there is no magic bullet.
What is it?
You’re probably not going to like the answer. The magic bullet is simply hard work coupled with never giving up. Keep writing. Keep improving. Keep submitting. You will learn as you go, and the lessons you learn will guide you. The cell phone flashlight grows stronger, and the darkness of the warehouse slowly dissipates. The publishing doors will open eventually; when they do, you can feel the joy of having a first publishing credit.
And then the second.
And the third.
You get the idea.
Don’t get discouraged.
We are all in this together.
So, stop reading this stupid blog post and get back to writing.
And always remember to write ON!
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