Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.
Emily Cavanagh has a really great post at Writers In The Storm, about how you see yourself as a writer that affects who are you as a writer. She even has some great lessons learned that she wished she did earlier in her career. Check it out and let us know what you think.
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Taking Yourself Seriously as a Writer—Before Anyone Else Does
By For the past ten years, I have written steadily and quietly. While my friends, family, and colleagues all knew I wrote, only a few close writer friends knew the extent of my writing life. Only a handful of people knew that I had written four unpublished novels. When I would somehow let this slip in conversation, I would receive looks of marvel, looks that made me inwardly cringe. What others viewed as a major accomplishment, I viewed with embarrassment. After all, I’d been trying unsuccessfully to get an agent for years. Telling people that I kept writing despite anyone recognizing my work felt like admitting publicly to my failure as a writer. Without the external approval of an agent or publisher, I couldn’t take myself seriously as a writer, beyond a narrow circle of writing colleagues. (This need for approval speaks to many things in my life, but let’s just stick to writing, shall we?)
When I finally signed with my agent in November 2015, everything changed. Not just because I was suddenly on the path to publication after all this time, but because signing that contract allowed me to change the way I viewed myself. With my agent as my ally, I could finally take myself seriously as a writer. I sprang into action and in a matter of months set about creating the outward appearance of a writer. However, looking back, I realize that my own unwillingness to take myself seriously may have impacted my slow journey to publication. If I could go back and do it again, here are a few things I would do earlier:
As an author, you already know the importance of being active on social media to help sell books and build a fanbase, so I didn’t list tips for beginners. I have a few ideas to help you market yourself—and your book—better on social media. These are tips and tricks I often share with my authors and use for myself.