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Magic is a wondrous, wondrous thing. Many writers employ magic in one way or another. I don't care what the genre is, magic is an essential aspect to the story-crafting process. What we writers do could very well be considered magic. In this context, magic is simply the act of creation, weavnig a tale so fascinating and enticing, the reader cannot put it down.
Also, in this context, since the spell components are words and the right combinations must be found in order to ensnare the intrepid reader, magic takes time. Magic comes at a cost. There are plenty of other things we writers can be doing with our time than sitting at a desk with some writing implement in hand and crafting these stories. Yet it's something we choose to do. We balance our great magical acts with the mundane - caring for children or disabled loved ones, the laundry, cooking, keeping the house maintained, work, and so on.
Magic, at some point, will demand release. That's where we authors decide on the next course of action. Do we query an agent? Not all publishing houses accept unagented manuscripts. Do we forgo finding an agent and submit directly to a publishing house? Some publishing houses do accept unagented authors. Do we forgo both of those steps and self-publish? Amazon has certainly made that easy.
Whatever the decision, know that the results will not be instantaneous. Even self-publishing doesn't yield overnight success. In fact, many times, taking the risk will lead to so-so sales and rejection.
It happens.
But you won't know what will happen if you don't take the risk, if you don't even bother to weave that spell of writing, to improve it, to nurture it, to . . . let it take form and fly. You won't know. If it scares you to even take that risk, to either send out that query letter or to self-publish, then I have to say this.
Congratulations. You've just found something worth trying because it scares you. If it doesn't scare you, the magic isn't worth doing.
Don't let your writing, your magic become something comfortable and complacent. Don't tuck it away in a corner, and don't let anyone kill your desire to do something you love, like writing or even drawing. That's your magic. Don't let anyone steal it.
Also, in this context, since the spell components are words and the right combinations must be found in order to ensnare the intrepid reader, magic takes time. Magic comes at a cost. There are plenty of other things we writers can be doing with our time than sitting at a desk with some writing implement in hand and crafting these stories. Yet it's something we choose to do. We balance our great magical acts with the mundane - caring for children or disabled loved ones, the laundry, cooking, keeping the house maintained, work, and so on.
Magic, at some point, will demand release. That's where we authors decide on the next course of action. Do we query an agent? Not all publishing houses accept unagented manuscripts. Do we forgo finding an agent and submit directly to a publishing house? Some publishing houses do accept unagented authors. Do we forgo both of those steps and self-publish? Amazon has certainly made that easy.
Whatever the decision, know that the results will not be instantaneous. Even self-publishing doesn't yield overnight success. In fact, many times, taking the risk will lead to so-so sales and rejection.
It happens.
But you won't know what will happen if you don't take the risk, if you don't even bother to weave that spell of writing, to improve it, to nurture it, to . . . let it take form and fly. You won't know. If it scares you to even take that risk, to either send out that query letter or to self-publish, then I have to say this.
Congratulations. You've just found something worth trying because it scares you. If it doesn't scare you, the magic isn't worth doing.
Don't let your writing, your magic become something comfortable and complacent. Don't tuck it away in a corner, and don't let anyone kill your desire to do something you love, like writing or even drawing. That's your magic. Don't let anyone steal it.
