{"id":638,"date":"2014-08-06T00:14:20","date_gmt":"2014-08-06T00:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sepiastories.wordpress.com\/2014\/08\/06\/climbing-the-tree-or-maybe-ill-just-drink-like-john-cheever\/"},"modified":"2014-08-06T00:14:20","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T00:14:20","slug":"climbing-the-tree-or-maybe-ill-just-drink-like-john-cheever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lainigiles.com\/?p=638","title":{"rendered":"Climbing the Tree (or, maybe I\u2019ll just drink like John Cheever\u2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is the piece I originally wrote for a compilation our writers group did for the Edmonton Public Library. Unfortunately, my piece was a bit too adult for the age group they were going for. I like my title. Didn’t feel like changing it. Because sometimes, a Bailey’s on the Rocks makes the sting hurt not quite so bad.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s always something, isn\u2019t it? If it\u2019s not those insistent little voices in your head screaming to get their stories out, it\u2019s the darker ones that tell you you\u2019re no good and you should just quit while you\u2019re ahead.
\nBut there\u2019s nothing quite like having the last laugh on the voices\u2014for the first bunch, developing their personalities and making them come alive. For the second, proving them wrong.<\/p>\n

 
\nYou can, you know. Anybody can say they want to be a writer, or that they have a great idea for a book. Distinguish yourself by saying it and meaning it. Harlan Ellison once said, \u201cAnybody can be a writer. The trick is staying a writer.\u201d The only way to do that is with lots and lots of practice.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe early birds like me grab a java before work and get in our 1000 words sipping Starbucks or Second Cup at 6:30 a.m.<\/p>\n

\"starbucks_coffee_1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If I can, I write at lunch as well. Boom. I\u2019m done for the day. Moms can squeeze in a few words while the baby naps. Nights owls and insomniacs stay up until 3 a.m. and rarely feel it the next day. Do whatever works for you. But do it regularly. You want to keep those writing chops in shape. You don\u2019t have any time but lunch at work? Grab something that you can hold in your hand (sandwiches were invented for just this purpose\u2026), and write for your half an hour, forty-five minutes, or an hour. Keep a notebook with you. Start scribbling.<\/p>\n

 
\nYes, people may laugh or joke, or call you eccentric. But when you can pay your electric bill from a royalty check (or face it, order a Tim\u2019s double-double, it\u2019s far more realistic), you stop being a joke and start becoming an inspiration.<\/p>\n

 
\nI once heard the struggle for publication compared to climbing a tree. The low-hanging branches are the ones everyone can access. We all start there, simply trying to finish something. Once you\u2019ve gotten that far, pat yourself on the back and climb up a limb. Statistically, you\u2019re an oddball. Few people who say they\u2019re going to write a book ever do.<\/p>\n

 
\nBut first drafts are crap, right? So then, the real fun begins\u2014rewrites. I\u2019m one of those people who love rewrites. I\u2019m actually a better RE-writer than I am a writer. Last book? Twenty-five of them. And I\u2019m still not convinced that\u2019s enough. Done with your rewrite? It\u2019s up another branch for you.<\/p>\n

 
\nOnce you think you\u2019re ready, you have to do what writers equate to having their fingernails pulled out, slowly, one by one\u2014the dreaded query letter. You\u2019ve got approximately three or four paragraphs to make an agent fall in love with what you\u2019re selling, whether it\u2019s sparkly vampires or boarding school wizards, or something even cooler\u2014you.
\n\u201cWhy do I need an agent?\u201d you ask. \u201cIsn\u2019t print dead?\u201d
\nThe answer isn\u2019t a simple one. Print is still around, and bookstores are still around. We don\u2019t know for how long, but the truth remains\u2014as long as they are and you (like me), want to walk into a bookstore and see your baby on the \u201cNew Releases\u201d table, an agent can be your best friend at offering well-intended suggestions and criticisms, and getting you the best deal for your money. But obtaining one is a long hard slog. You\u2019ll send out queries. LOTS of queries. E-queries. Paper queries. Or you might even summon enough gumption to pitch your idea to an agent at a conference. Climb another branch.
\nBut if you do finally find the person who actually gets you, and what you\u2019re trying to bring to the world? Who understands what you want to say and wants to help you spread it to that wider audience? That person is worth their weight in some sort of precious metal. If you find one, climb up another limb. And this time, buy yourself a drink to celebrate. That is a milestone, my friend.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The rejections\u2014from agents, from publishers, or from just about anyone who reads you and decides to rate your writing as sub-par will mess you up. It\u2019s no exaggeration, so prepare yourself. Imagine holding up your beautiful new baby, and some wiseacre saying, \u201cThat\u2019s the ugliest baby I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d This is exactly what it feels like. Imagine no one ever saying anything nice about your precious creation. Imagine them asking if your kid has a lazy eye or Down\u2019s syndrome. They\u2019ll never say, \u201cThat kid\u2019ll grow up to be president!\u201d However, they will be sure to point out his numerous flaws.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing. Melville, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, Margaret Atwood, even Stephen King have all felt the nasty sting of rejection, and look where they are\u2014the upper echelon. You all wear the badge of honor. Climb another branch. You\u2019re in good company.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While all this is going on? Learn about the art of writing. Master your craft. We all have weaknesses, so it helps to figure out what yours are. Join a writing group and get critiques of your baby. Not family, because they can\u2019t be impartial. They\u2019ll always tell you your baby is beautiful, even if it has three heads. Get beta readers to check out your stuff. Don\u2019t know any? Join a website like www.absolutewrite.com and hang out in the forums. If you socialize and make friends, you can find betas to give you tips on what\u2019s working, and what\u2019s staler than 10-day old Bundt cake.<\/p>\n

 
\nIt\u2019s hard. Really hard. But someone once said that a professional is just an amateur who didn\u2019t quit. It\u2019s corny, but true. Hang in there. Keep getting better and keep reading a lot in the genre you want to write (and every other genre too). You want to be able to recognize the good stuff so you can aspire to it, and know the bad stuff so you don\u2019t imitate it. Pretty soon, you\u2019ll be hanging in those top branches with the best of \u2018em. Maybe I\u2019ll see you there.<\/p>\n

\"cats\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here is the piece I originally wrote for a compilation our writers group did for the Edmonton Public Library. Unfortunately, my piece was a bit too adult for the age group they were going for. I like my title. Didn’t feel like changing it. Because sometimes, a Bailey’s on the Rocks makes the sting hurt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6vISe-ai","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lainigiles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lainigiles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lainigiles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lainigiles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lainigiles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lainigiles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lainigiles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lainigiles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lainigiles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}