I heard every word that you wrote. Although I started actually writing last year, it took many procrastinating years to actually sit down and start. Now that I have started, kinda wish I hadn't :)
A wonderful read, Elnora. I'm so happy to hear of your success with the workshop and so pleased that you've written about it.
Did you make a decision on the September course? As you say, at least you have the notes (along with this post) to reassure you about what was working and where you can go from here.
"If I post the pieces of this yet-unfinished story here to Substack, what happens if I am not able to finish it?" -- personally, I would be totally OK with this because I would have gotten to read and enjoy whatever it is you put out on this platform. Plus, I'd have every confidence that you *would* be able to finish it.
I wish I had the answers about publishing and marketing etc, but I feel as much in the same boat as you, so I will read with eagerness anything you post about this in the future. I was going to like the Counter Craft article, but then saw you had already included it :)
Aug 20, 2023·edited Aug 20, 2023Liked by Elnora Fareman
Hello Elnora, my appreciation for your explorations of these concerns. It's not enough that we writers work to develop our ability to express, work to learn the craft, labor to at the ability to entice and devise lovely sentences, no we must THEN contend with Gate keepers, corporations, competition, and the challenge of getting published, and so much of that is daunting - yes indeed.
One frankly brilliant person who I take inspiration from and who is not known for writing is Simone Giertz. Simone says that her success came about because she choose a very specialized field and then worked hard at it. So we'll add determination and enthusiasm to her recipe for success and recognition.
Yes, there are many people writing but no one will write exactly like you. You have a particular voice and particular things to say. You have specific insights, concerns, obsessions. expressions. Yes, it's easy to be daunted, and yes if the existing models of publishing don't work for us - we may have to make new ones - or participate in newer emerging models which offer us more hope.
To address your writing class and the uncertainty of whether to continue, I'll share a recent realization about writing that I had for myself. There is no limit to Art. By this I mean that as I learn more about writing, I improve and yet I discover there is always more to learn. It's like swimming out into the ocean and finding that the depths and richness continue to grow - as does the challenge. My preference here is to keep learning.
If I were to speak of Science, in Science the knowledge gained and the new technologies devised enable more discoveries - but the discoveries lead ever to new mysteries which tantalize with what we don't understand, comprehend and can only theorize about. So at present - the quest for discovery in Science seems as infinite as the quest for expression inherent in Art.
How you get your stories into the world remains a good question. Each of us will have to find that balance for ourselves. Having crafted a story we want to launch to readers - just which mode could be the best one to reach our audience ? Cheers for your efforts !
Holy cow you're in my brain. I've been writing for more than 40 years. Not full time, here and there. I have been a journalist. I have written 3 novels, 1 biography, published 3. I live with the pain of not being famous and a kajillionnaire. But I simply don't write that kind of fiction. And that's ok. I've also learned recently, on Substack actually, that the kinds of books that sell feature a very traditional 3-act structure and heroes journey and I don't even read things like that (this is not a judgement on anyone who does). Why would I want to write them? That means that I have had to make money in other ways, and I don't need to get too overwhelmed with perfecting the story. That's the beauty of only having 5 readers. You can write whatever you want and screw the rules. Nietzsche says (1880) that even poets have put constraints around their creativity with all their rules of rhyme and meter. Why do we do that? Perhaps if we really really want to make money and be famous from writing we will need to compromise. If we're unwilling to compromise, then get a job and enjoy writing for the joy of it, of seeing a printed book with your name on it (yes, from Amazon). I tell you, it's a thrill.
I feel this deeply. And I am awful at marketing and sales. I’m a creative without a heart for the business side. At my age, I don’t want to try it. So, I’ll write here and maybe a few people will read what I have to say. Maybe no one will. But that dream of 45 years that I will have a writing career? I have to let it go. And that has to be okay.
I heard every word that you wrote. Although I started actually writing last year, it took many procrastinating years to actually sit down and start. Now that I have started, kinda wish I hadn't :)
A wonderful read, Elnora. I'm so happy to hear of your success with the workshop and so pleased that you've written about it.
Did you make a decision on the September course? As you say, at least you have the notes (along with this post) to reassure you about what was working and where you can go from here.
"If I post the pieces of this yet-unfinished story here to Substack, what happens if I am not able to finish it?" -- personally, I would be totally OK with this because I would have gotten to read and enjoy whatever it is you put out on this platform. Plus, I'd have every confidence that you *would* be able to finish it.
I wish I had the answers about publishing and marketing etc, but I feel as much in the same boat as you, so I will read with eagerness anything you post about this in the future. I was going to like the Counter Craft article, but then saw you had already included it :)
Hello Elnora, my appreciation for your explorations of these concerns. It's not enough that we writers work to develop our ability to express, work to learn the craft, labor to at the ability to entice and devise lovely sentences, no we must THEN contend with Gate keepers, corporations, competition, and the challenge of getting published, and so much of that is daunting - yes indeed.
One frankly brilliant person who I take inspiration from and who is not known for writing is Simone Giertz. Simone says that her success came about because she choose a very specialized field and then worked hard at it. So we'll add determination and enthusiasm to her recipe for success and recognition.
Yes, there are many people writing but no one will write exactly like you. You have a particular voice and particular things to say. You have specific insights, concerns, obsessions. expressions. Yes, it's easy to be daunted, and yes if the existing models of publishing don't work for us - we may have to make new ones - or participate in newer emerging models which offer us more hope.
To address your writing class and the uncertainty of whether to continue, I'll share a recent realization about writing that I had for myself. There is no limit to Art. By this I mean that as I learn more about writing, I improve and yet I discover there is always more to learn. It's like swimming out into the ocean and finding that the depths and richness continue to grow - as does the challenge. My preference here is to keep learning.
If I were to speak of Science, in Science the knowledge gained and the new technologies devised enable more discoveries - but the discoveries lead ever to new mysteries which tantalize with what we don't understand, comprehend and can only theorize about. So at present - the quest for discovery in Science seems as infinite as the quest for expression inherent in Art.
How you get your stories into the world remains a good question. Each of us will have to find that balance for ourselves. Having crafted a story we want to launch to readers - just which mode could be the best one to reach our audience ? Cheers for your efforts !
This thread has been so encouraging!
Holy cow you're in my brain. I've been writing for more than 40 years. Not full time, here and there. I have been a journalist. I have written 3 novels, 1 biography, published 3. I live with the pain of not being famous and a kajillionnaire. But I simply don't write that kind of fiction. And that's ok. I've also learned recently, on Substack actually, that the kinds of books that sell feature a very traditional 3-act structure and heroes journey and I don't even read things like that (this is not a judgement on anyone who does). Why would I want to write them? That means that I have had to make money in other ways, and I don't need to get too overwhelmed with perfecting the story. That's the beauty of only having 5 readers. You can write whatever you want and screw the rules. Nietzsche says (1880) that even poets have put constraints around their creativity with all their rules of rhyme and meter. Why do we do that? Perhaps if we really really want to make money and be famous from writing we will need to compromise. If we're unwilling to compromise, then get a job and enjoy writing for the joy of it, of seeing a printed book with your name on it (yes, from Amazon). I tell you, it's a thrill.
I feel this deeply. And I am awful at marketing and sales. I’m a creative without a heart for the business side. At my age, I don’t want to try it. So, I’ll write here and maybe a few people will read what I have to say. Maybe no one will. But that dream of 45 years that I will have a writing career? I have to let it go. And that has to be okay.