Thursday
Nov192009
Because It Has To
Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 12:33PM
True story. I went to an author's event at the local middle school with Anthony Horowitz, who I've long idolized as a really awesome writer who is writing some of the most exciting and dynamic books for young adults (in theory, young boys, but whatevs) on the market today. Akin to Meg Cabot, his stuff is just exciting. Forget technical excellence, great creativity, and dollars made, at the end of the day great authors just thrill you.
That aside, I went to hear him speak and maybe--just maybe!--get a chance to talk to him and geek out a bit. I've loved the Alex Rider series all the time I was in Scotland, and I waited in line (okay, so I waited to be LAST in line so I could have a second) to tell him just that. I told him I had been studying writing and was an aspiring novelist. And he looked up at me and was totally earnest and told me that the only difference between the published authors and the unpublished ones was that the published ones never quit.
Okay, I've heard that before. Not earth shattering news.
But then he looked me straight in the eye and told me that if I stick with it, never quit, it will happen. "Because it has to."
I kid you not, I teared up a little, thanked him for his time and walked away, clutching my signed copies. Because that easily, that simply, he reminded me that writing seems like this crazy game where agents and publishers are tugging on the strings of your life like a cat's cradle and you have absolutely no control, but it's not about that. It was never about that.
Writing is about writing, about passion, about believing in yourself and helping other people believe in their own passions. Being published isn't the end game. It isn't even part of the game; it's a symptom of this greater, wild disease, but it's not the heart of the infection.
When did I lose sight of that? Of course I want to be published, but to be honest, I'm living my dream. I'm writing every day and challenging myself every day, and I'm lying to myself if I think that working a crappy job or too many hours is some how restricting that. Seriously? I write 10-15 thousand words a month in my novels. This is the dream. And the rest will work out--because it has to.
That aside, I went to hear him speak and maybe--just maybe!--get a chance to talk to him and geek out a bit. I've loved the Alex Rider series all the time I was in Scotland, and I waited in line (okay, so I waited to be LAST in line so I could have a second) to tell him just that. I told him I had been studying writing and was an aspiring novelist. And he looked up at me and was totally earnest and told me that the only difference between the published authors and the unpublished ones was that the published ones never quit.
Okay, I've heard that before. Not earth shattering news.
But then he looked me straight in the eye and told me that if I stick with it, never quit, it will happen. "Because it has to."
I kid you not, I teared up a little, thanked him for his time and walked away, clutching my signed copies. Because that easily, that simply, he reminded me that writing seems like this crazy game where agents and publishers are tugging on the strings of your life like a cat's cradle and you have absolutely no control, but it's not about that. It was never about that.
Writing is about writing, about passion, about believing in yourself and helping other people believe in their own passions. Being published isn't the end game. It isn't even part of the game; it's a symptom of this greater, wild disease, but it's not the heart of the infection.
When did I lose sight of that? Of course I want to be published, but to be honest, I'm living my dream. I'm writing every day and challenging myself every day, and I'm lying to myself if I think that working a crappy job or too many hours is some how restricting that. Seriously? I write 10-15 thousand words a month in my novels. This is the dream. And the rest will work out--because it has to.
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