You Just Can't Write

I am thinking about pitching a new TV reality show for wannabe writers.  Imagine Simon Cowell sifting through pages of people's best work and dramatically setting it alight before casually tossing it into the trash can and announcing 'I don't know how I can put this more clearly - you...can't...write.'

This may be just the beginning of a barrage of abuse,  there may be tears and protests from the poor soul who's dream has just been crushed,  and perhaps a comforting mother figure on the judging panel would try to offer some words of consolation. 'You could always keep a journal?  That way you could still write but no one would ever have to read it.'

Although humiliating and devastating for the candidate, it would ensure that there was one less writer out there whose work serves no purpose other than to clutter up the desks of tired and frustrated editors and agents.

When I watch shows like American Idol,  and cringe as some delusional, tone deaf dreamer limps through a barely recognizable version of a popular song, I always wonder one thing:  why did no one stop him?  Why did his friends and family encourage this waste of time and effort,  and set the stage for repeated failure?   Why didn't they just let him be the star of his own private show singing inthe shower?

We all have dreams.  Some of us may even have talents.  But very few of us will be able to use those talents to earn a full time living.  The hardest part is often facing up to the fact that even our best is just not good enough.  God knows it took me years of humiliating, leg warmer clad auditions to realize that I was never going to be the next cast member of Fame!

Writing,  like any other skill takes a minimum of two things:  raw talent and hard work.

You can not expect to enter center stage and type away in the spotlight, spinning out best selling novels and national publications without years of graft.   For writers, as with singers, 'making it' is not just a matter of 'being discovered'.  If your work is consistently being rejected by publishers you need to take a cold hard look at it and ask yourself why.

Harsh?  Perhaps.  But true, nonetheless.

Deb wrote this post recently on Freelance Writing Gigs about the illusion that many people have of being able to earn hundreds of dollars by writing from home with no experience and little effort.  As a successful writer she (and the many other people who commented on the article) was understandably upset that writing could be perceived in this way.   Unfortunately,  writers are as guilty as non-writers of harboring this belief.

I have encountered many writers who produce mediocre work and expect to get paid big bucks for it.  Writers who couldn't tell you what the APA is or how to use it.  Writers who have never found themselves writing the same word too many times and turned to a thesaurus to try to find a more interesting way to vary their writing.  Writers who are vain enough to believe that each word they type is perfect from the moment it appears on the screen and are not willing or open to editing.  Writers who are unable to create a focus or direction for their work and instead ramble off into the distance, dragging the poor bemused reader along before dumping them abruptly in a remote place feeling lost and unsatisfied.

I say again, writing takes talent and hard work.  If you are interested in making a career from your writing, then it is vital that you are invest the time and effort into making sure your work is the highest standard it can possibly be.  Without that dedication, you can expect to see many more rejection letters, but unfortunately, editors and agents rarely have the luxury of being as blunt as to tell you 'You can't write!'