Character Building- and not in the Writing Sense

Rejection- it's a thing. Every writer understands rejection. Literary agents don't want you. Publishers don't want you. Readers don't want your books. To say that it's painful some days is a massive understatement. 

When I first got into writing, I didn't know anything. I thought you wrote a fun little story and the world would gobble it up. As I learned, that's not how this works. Over the last few years, I've learned that both the craft of fiction writing and the business of publishing and marketing are wildly different skill sets, with equal opportunity for rejection.

Then I discovered something fascinating. The world of authors is amazing! Most authors, especially those who have made it, are incredibly supportive. I suspect it's because they've experienced the pain and rejection the rest of us have. I've met and spoken with a number of highly successful authors and they all say two things. First- keep at it! Second- keep learning the craft. I suspect the success comes from a combination of the two. I mean, it is sage advice.

Then in December 2022, a tweet went viral that sums it up. A new writer tweeted about how only two people came to her book signing and how devastated she was. Last I saw she had over 25 thousand "likes," and comments from Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, and Stephen King (and more) expressing their support. It's hard to imagine no one going to Stephen King signing, but it happened in his early days. 

So why would they take the time to tweet/comment on some nobody's story? It says everything you need to know about them as people and what being an author means. I hope someday to be able to be that writer. Or that person.