Tuesday, 17 November 2009 05:45 pm
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deckardcanineBefore this month began, I got a burst of incentive from Robert Heinlein's five rules for writers and Robert Sawyer's sixth rule: (1) Write (2) to the end, (3) then stop, pending editors' orders for rewriting; (4) submit the work for publication (5) until it succeeds; and (6) go back to 1 -- better yet, take this step between 4 and 5. By Sawyer's reckoning, about 1 in 64 aspiring writers repeatedly get published. I want to resume my childhood dream of it.
At this point in my current story, I'm not too worried that I won't get in 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo (I've done it before), and I'm taking Sawyer's word that a publisher will accept it eventually. I'm also trusting myself to stay motivated enough to make the changes the editor wants.
The question is, do I have a good reason to get it published? That may sound silly to you, but consider James Blish's understandable contention that more than half of sci-fi writers are wasting our time. Or consider Sturgeon's Law, which theoretically applies to published works as well as unpublished. I don't want to do this just for money or attention; I want to leave a positive impact on readers. And as it is, I don't see this story accomplishing anything that an existing book couldn't do better.
On the other hand, maybe the real arrogance is in treating myself as the ultimate authority on the value of my own work, regardless of how I feel about it. Some works that do nothing for me have done plenty for others, and not just in terms of entertainment. Some popular classics were not highly esteemed by their makers, like The Nutcracker.
With this in mind, I'll press on. In fact, just to reinforce my resolve, I promise you, LJ readers, that when I have finished my current story, I will submit it for publication as many times as necessary. I may rewrite it once to trim down the NaNoWriMo padding, but that'll be it until I hear back from an editor.
As for following the sixth rule, well... I'll see when inspiration hits me next.
At this point in my current story, I'm not too worried that I won't get in 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo (I've done it before), and I'm taking Sawyer's word that a publisher will accept it eventually. I'm also trusting myself to stay motivated enough to make the changes the editor wants.
The question is, do I have a good reason to get it published? That may sound silly to you, but consider James Blish's understandable contention that more than half of sci-fi writers are wasting our time. Or consider Sturgeon's Law, which theoretically applies to published works as well as unpublished. I don't want to do this just for money or attention; I want to leave a positive impact on readers. And as it is, I don't see this story accomplishing anything that an existing book couldn't do better.
On the other hand, maybe the real arrogance is in treating myself as the ultimate authority on the value of my own work, regardless of how I feel about it. Some works that do nothing for me have done plenty for others, and not just in terms of entertainment. Some popular classics were not highly esteemed by their makers, like The Nutcracker.
With this in mind, I'll press on. In fact, just to reinforce my resolve, I promise you, LJ readers, that when I have finished my current story, I will submit it for publication as many times as necessary. I may rewrite it once to trim down the NaNoWriMo padding, but that'll be it until I hear back from an editor.
As for following the sixth rule, well... I'll see when inspiration hits me next.
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Re: Sturgeon's law
Re: Sturgeon's law