I wonder if there is ever a perfect time to WRITE. I used to find the time, but lately, nothing seems to motivate me. Perhaps if I was getting PAID to write the stimulus would appear as if by magic. I know some people who rent cottages in some remote locale, and lock themselves in, until the “spirit” moves them. Other people seem to just spontaneously pour forth stuff on the page, or in most cases, input the words into a computer. I like a typewriter. It seems to be a more user-friendly device. No ads, no distractions and no crashes or glitches…
Some authors have to get roaring drunk or high, in order to write. I find that writing should be fun, and if you have to get altered in some way first, you should pick another interest. It isn’t worth pickling your liver over. I don’t know any writers personally. So I can’t ask for their personal opinions on the subject. However, many writers seem to be introverted to some extent. I mean, you have to be, in order to lock yourself in a room and do NOTHING but write. Now, I have to clarify something. I am referring to people who write 300 to 400 pages and have a literary agent. The writers who get paid, are a rare breed and I don’t know any. I’m just a PRETENDER, who wants to be a writer.
I did write a complete book, but I could not get any publishers interested in the material. Oh, I did have a group of people who wanted me to put it out as an e-book on-line, but they wanted money. Why would I take months out of my life, to write, and have to pay someone to publish it for me? I thought I’d be getting paid. The big frustration for any writer is knowing people are looking for something entertaining to read, but can’t get a thing published. (And yes I have even published a pamphlet at my expense, but the most I made was $3. (Yes, only 3 dollars…it was called “Sensible Weight Loss Guide”) It sold for the unbelievably cheap price of 3 U.S. dollars, and I sold ONE… To my sister! (Pathetic I know) The ad I put in the paper cost me $15.oo, so I lost money. If you are really “sensible”, you probably should not bother thinking about a career in writing unless you are FAMOUS. Un-known authors almost always go unrecognized, and sink into gloomy depressions. Not because of lack of skill or talent, but because they can’t get a break.
Okay, I have had ENOUGH of that creeping self-doubt. I have been rejected by the best… HBO, assorted publishers, literary agents, newspapers, magazines, periodicals…. It should not matter what anyone else thinks, if I can amuse myself, then I have “Got Something”. No one is great, the first time at bat. (I threw in the “Sports Analogy” for the guys.) Sometimes it takes years to get to be mediocre. If nothing else, I know I have hit mediocre and am aiming for what’s beyond…
Zand's Wacky World 