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Pros
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Cons
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People are impressed when you say you’ve written multiple books.
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People aren’t impressed when you say you’ve written multiple books but still aren’t published. (Don’t people know the average published author writes six books before they “make it”? People don’t? Oh.)
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You can waste time with Twitter, Facebook and Blogging and call it “networking”. (I’m totally working RIGHT NOW).
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You can waste time with Twitter, Facebook and Blogging and call it “networking”, but everyone else knows better.
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You will (hopefully) find one agent and publisher who likes your work. One day …
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You will find many, many, many more agents and publishers who do not like your work. And you’ll believe them instead of the praise you receive. Someone will inevitably ask, “What could be so hard about it? My fourteen year old niece just signed a book deal.”
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You will read some published books and
know your work is better (it’s only a matter of time until you’re published, right? Right? … Hello?) |
You will read lots of published books and know that your work will never ever be that good. (Stupid self-esteem, who needs it anyway?)
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People will read and comment on your
blog, and you’ll feel famous and special. |
People won’t comment on your blog, and you will feel neither famous nor special. (Does this sound like a pathetic beg for approval or comments? It’s not. I pinky promise.)
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To your face, people will say “Wow! You’re
so determined!” and it will make you swell with pride. |
Behind your back, people will think “Wow! You’re so delusional!” and you will have a sneaky suspicion they’re right.
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People will ask you if you know such-and-such author, and sometimes you can say yes.
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People will ask you if you know such-and-such author, and usually it makes you feel pathetic and sometimes bitter. You will have to pay the dentist a lot of money because you have developed a habit of grinding your teeth.
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You can daydream for hours and call it work.
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You can daydream for hours and have absolutely nothing to show for it. Even your mother will begin to doubt your sanity. |
Have anything to add? What have I missed?
Laura Pauling says
March 21, 2011 at 11:32 amSo true! The life of a writer is a double edged sword!
Erinn says
March 21, 2011 at 12:56 pmWow! That is perfect. I blow TONS of time on Twitter and I have NOTHING to show for it.
I am CONSTANTLY feeling like my work will NEVER been good enough to get published.
Love the post today.
Candice says
March 21, 2011 at 3:12 pmThis is why writers have situational schizophrenia!
tianasmith says
March 21, 2011 at 3:16 pmLaura – True, maybe one day I'll see the other side of it 🙂 (the published side).
Erinn – I've tried to cut back on Twitter, but it always sucks me back in.
Candice – Ha ha, I guess the stereotype of a "crazy writer" is true!
L.T. Elliot says
March 21, 2011 at 3:30 pmBoy, did you nail this one on the head. 😉 I think the reading one is the clincher for me. Sometimes I read a really great book and say, "That's it. I'm out." And then I read a not-so-great one and say, "Wha?" Of course, the daydreaming thing? Sucks me back in. Almost against my will.
Kristin Rae says
March 21, 2011 at 3:53 pmVery very true. I definitely relate to the last one… a little too much on the con side. haha.
Emy Shin says
March 21, 2011 at 4:03 pmAll so very true. Especially #4 — sometimes, you feel both on the same day.
tianasmith says
March 21, 2011 at 4:07 pmLaura – Sometimes it's nice to bury our heads in the sand, huh?
Kristin – You're not alone …
Emy – True, it's a roller coaster ride. Especially when you're querying. (Or on submission, I would guess). Ugh.
Lydia K says
March 21, 2011 at 5:19 pmThis is just brilliant. How did you get inside my head like that? Oh yeah. All us writers are like this, LOL!
Stina Lindenblatt says
March 21, 2011 at 5:55 pmI'm linking this on my blog Friday with a warning not to eat or drink while reading it. Fortunately I did eventually stopped choking after laughing so hard at the same time as I was eating my lunch and reading this.
My favorite is when people ask me if they've read my books. Even if I was published, how would I know what they've read????
Solvang Sherrie says
March 21, 2011 at 5:59 pmHa! This is hilarious 🙂 Here's another one:
Pro: You get to work in your pajamas.
Con: You spend so much time in your pajamas that people are shocked when they see you in real clothes.
Jamie Burch says
March 21, 2011 at 8:41 pmWow…are you a mind reader? I struggle with most of these. Sometimes all at once!
Great post, Tiana!
tianasmith says
March 21, 2011 at 8:45 pmLydia – It's a disease, and all writers are susceptible!
Stina – I love it when you link to my blog 🙂 And I agree, that actually happens to me all the time! We should just start saying "Could you provide me with a complete list of all books you've ever read?" lol.
Sherrie – LOVE IT! I don't think my husband can remember what I look like with makeup …
Jamie – It takes one to know one 🙂
Mary Campbell says
March 22, 2011 at 1:37 pmShe's delusional – that's the one I keep imagining in people's minds no matter how much support they give me.
These are funny and so true.
Karen Strong says
March 23, 2011 at 1:51 pmI love this list. Especially the cons. People have definitely wondered about my sanity to be doing this type of thing.
The pro about this is that I know it takes a lot of courage to be a writer.
Mary Anne Gruen says
March 23, 2011 at 3:56 pmWriting long books is a pain too. People don't understand why you don't finish quickly. And they assume you start out as a writer by writing short stories and then moving up to longer ones. They don't get it's a different mindset.
tianasmith says
March 23, 2011 at 3:59 pmMary – Me too, for some reason, us writers tend to agree with the negativity.
Karen – I think my family questions my sanity a lot, my friends pretty much forget about it until I mention it again.
Mary Anne – True, people ask me why I would write children's instead of something that would make more money. Well, I'm just not that kind of writer!
Christopher says
March 23, 2011 at 6:25 pmThis made me smile quite a bit! Very well done.
Jen Chandler says
March 23, 2011 at 8:06 pmSo true! Most of the time I feel like I live two lives at once…or maybe that's just the voices. Ah well 😀
Loved this post 😀
~Jen
Julie Dao says
March 24, 2011 at 2:11 pmBefore I comment, I just have to say how much I love your blog – the colors are so cheerful and pretty! Reminds me of a banana split sundae with strawberry and chocolate ice cream 🙂 I agree with all of these pros and cons and admit that many of them have passed through my head before! Focusing on the pros is what we want to do, but it can be tough to do sometimes. Thanks for laying it all out so clearly!
tianasmith says
March 24, 2011 at 2:16 pmChristopher – Thanks 🙂
Jen – It's all in the life of a writer!
Julie – Thank you! Now you've made me hungry, lol.
Miriam S. Forster says
March 26, 2011 at 1:26 amHahahaha! I love it!
I think I like #1 the best. I have those conversations ALL THE TIME.
Medeia Sharif says
March 26, 2011 at 12:45 pmThese are all things I've thought about or experienced.
Have a great weekend.
Margo Berendsen says
March 29, 2011 at 3:18 amI found you from Stina's Cool links. This is so wonderfully true and funny! I'm bookmarking this to laugh over again in the future when I'm in a slump or, conversely, when I'm feeling too big about my writing 😉
Theresa Milstein says
March 29, 2011 at 1:17 pmJust came from Stina's blog. I'm glad I did!
I'd add:
Pro: You'll write "The End" and know this is THE ONE.
Con: You'll look at the same manuscript two weeks later and realize it's not THE ONE. At least not yet. What if it never winds up being THE ONE? (Curl in fetal position.)
tianasmith says
March 29, 2011 at 1:39 pmMiriam – You and me both!
Medeia – You too 🙂
Margo – Thanks for stopping by – Isn't it funny how writing is such a double edged sword?
Theresa – Welcome! And yours is so true! Right now I can't seem to finish this one draft (even though I'm so close) simply because I see so many errors in the rough draft. Argh!
Nisa says
March 29, 2011 at 4:29 pmBut other writers never will doubt your sanity! Cute list! I hope you're doing well! Love the look of your blog, btw!
India Drummond says
March 30, 2011 at 7:14 amLove the list… so perfect!
India Drummond
Carolyn V says
March 30, 2011 at 2:43 pmWow. I feel both happy and sad. But the truth is… it's all true.
tianasmith says
March 30, 2011 at 2:47 pmNisa – Thanks, and congrats on finishing your edits on your MS!
India – Thank you, and thanks for swinging my my neck of the blogosphere.
Carolyn – Ha, I know. After I wrote this, I looked at my current WIP and then thought "Maybe I'll just go take a nap instead …"
Chantele Sedgwick says
April 7, 2011 at 3:06 pmGreat blog you have here! 🙂 I'm a new follower! 😀
Aubrie says
April 23, 2011 at 2:26 pmHow about: You are never alone because you have all your characters talking in your head!
lol
I loved this post.
Thanks for stopping by my blog to say congrats.
Maria Papadopoulou says
May 17, 2011 at 1:57 pmI agree wholeheartedly with everything. I wanted to add one more thing: the fact that many people still do not consider writing to be a real job!
Maria Papadopoulou says
May 17, 2011 at 1:58 pmThe above was one of the cons…apparently.LOL
tianasmith says
May 17, 2011 at 2:33 pmChantele – Welcome 🙂
Aubrie – It's so true, when you're in the middle of a WIP, they never go away!
Maria – Agreed – Most people think of it as a hobby, even if you're published (which I'm not yet, so the prejudice is even worse).
Noelia says
July 10, 2012 at 9:38 pmhey it is true I am 16 years old and I have a blog and some books posted in Fanfiction.com but no one comics and sometime I feel like whats the whole point of blogging every sunday of the week if no one is going to read it DX but just one day someone will comment and i will finally be a writer and the whole world would finally see the true me n.n
Desiree says
February 23, 2018 at 1:30 pmThanks! This gave me lots and lots of good information!