With session 6 on its way to Miranda I thought I’d take a moment out to consider another favourite topic. It’s a tough gig, this writing game. You labour on a novel for years and, at least for me, I’m the back of my mind is the evil little voice saying ‘what’s the point? A handful of agents might read the first page, some of them might even read all three chapters, but is anyone ever going to see more than that?’ There are days when I think what I’ve written is fantastic, that it’s going to set the horror genre alight. There are as many days when I think it’s terrible and I should throw the whole thing in the bin. I suspect an objective truth is somewhere between those two extremes.
So, how do you keep going? How do I keep going? Short stories help, and they come with the added benefit that they usually supply a double high: you get the rush when you receive a positive response to a submission and learn it’s been accepted, and then a second bite of the cherry when you actually hold the magazine in your hand. I had a good 2010… partly due to steadfast submissions last year before I started editing Bloodie Bones in earnest, but I’ve also picked up a few more acceptances later.
That keeps me going to a point, and certainly helps when things look bleak. But even short stories come at a cost: there are always more rejections than acceptances. I suppose the main thing that keeps me writing is that I have to write. If someone told me I would never have my book published and advised me to give up, would I take their advice? (Harlan Ellison take note). I couldn’t. I may wind up thoroughly disturbed but I wouldn’t be able to stop writing.
So, with that in mind, I suppose all I can do at this stage is pick up my pen and carry on, as Stephen King once said, there are always more stories…
