"I returned, and saw
under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to
the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of
understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to
them all." Ecclesiastes 9-11
So there I was, over at the
Strictly Writing blog, inspired to pen
something after a brace of rejections. And yes, I went through the familiar
cycle of scratching my head, reviewing my submissions and tearing out my hair
(and believe me, given what little there is to start with, that's definitely a
counter-intuitive move) while wondering what else I can do to get an agent.
And then I swapped some
emails with Chloe Banks, who reminded me of the other side
to writing. Yes, it's a way of life to those who either write professionally,
or aspire to. And yes it's a way of organising and unjumbling the wheelbarrow
of ideas we carry around with us. But...it's a choice we make. Hard as it is to
admit, no one forces us to write. Indeed, I know of one or two very talented
writers who expend a great deal of energy in order not to
write.
I can remember the rush of
exhilaration when I first completed written version of Covenant (then called The
promise of a Rainbow). There was no rush to find an agent or a publisher
back then (which, for a first written draft, was frankly a good thing). No, I
was thrilled to have a completed story - because that was how I thought of it -
in my hands. Something a friend or other interested party could read. Sometimes
it's good to recapture that inner goal.
However, I digress. What
Chloe and I actually talked about, in part, was the importance of kindness.
It's a word that fell out of fashion and is now making a comeback. You see, as
a writer, I know what other writers go through, at whatever stage of the
process they're at. The highs, lows and bewilderments don't end just because we
have a contract in our hands or when we see something of ours in print.
Arguably, once you've hit pay-dirt once it all cranks up a notch for the next
cycle. Can you do it again? Will people like it as much? Will someone now step
in and say, "It's all a fraud and they can't really write!"? (Or, as
most people know it these days, Amazon reviews...)
So what does kindness have
to do with being a writer? A great deal, I think. Because kindness is about
consideration to others, and not just on the printed page.
Here are some of the ways
we can show kindness to writers and readers:
- If you have the time and
space, offer your fellow writers honest and constructive feedback. As much as
writers might want to hear 'good things' about their work, anyone who plans on
developing as a writer benefits hugely from the truth and some signposts.
- Consider retweeting other
writers trying to promote their work. I sometimes select people at random, as
well as those I interact with regularly. A little goes a long way.
- How about posting a link
to someone's blog on your Facebook page? Fifteen seconds of your time might get
a writer a new follower and maybe lead the follower into reading from a
completely different genre.
- If you have bought a
person's work, leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. If you want to be really
kind, contact the author first so they know that something's coming.
- Support local bookshops
where and when you can. Everyone's circumstances are different, but remember that
a local bookshop might be in a better position to support and promote local
authors. And every writer is local to somewhere.
- Attend readings when you
can. Booksignings too. I remember co-signing books when we had four people in
as many hours. And one of those people picked up The Little Book of Cynics
(hey, it's out of print so it's not like I'm plugging it for personal gain),
sniffed derisively, and said, "I could probably put something together
like this myself." And then walked out empty handed. Nice.
- As a writer, only deliver
your best work. And, when you add links, consider adding links to any writing
that's available for free. Don't just go for the hard sell. (See Me for
Free, coming soon at this blog!
- Consider helping other
writers with advice, reference material or agents / publishers that they might
want to consider submitting material to. Yes, the writing world can be
competitive, but one person's success doesn't necessarily mean another person's
failure. Strive to be bigger than that limited world view.
And finally: Let your
writing and your reading be an extension of your highest values. There's a lot
of mealiness out there with regards to books. Lots of people are quick to
condemn bestsellers as sell-outs, and derive more pleasure from picking holes
in other people's work than in producing their own.
Kindness doesn't guarantee
anything. But you may just make a positive difference to someone else's day, or perhaps just boost their confidence a little.
And, when you think about it, that's a pretty amazing thing.
My thanks to Chloe for the
initial prompt.
