My latest news is that I am a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. That means my book was chosen out of 5,000 novels to be in the next round. That means the book is (so far) in the top 20%. I'm pretty happy about that. It's the first time Amazon is holding the contest, so there are some glitches to be ironed out, unquestionably. But I think it's a great opportunity to get my work out there. Amazon has posted all the semi-finalist's excerpts and is calling for readers to write reviews. If you are so inclined, please write some (my book, The Unforgotten, is in the General Fiction category, on page 11, if you're interested). The biggest problem with the contest, though, as I see it, is the all too human propensity to complain. Even the chosen ones are posting complaining comments on the website. I think this is not only crass and undignified, but also just plain bad ju-ju. Do they think that by directing so much negative energy toward the contest, they are increasing their chances of winning? Probably not.
So, my writing tip for the day is: be thankful for every scrap of attention and press and exposure your writing gets. Don't complain if it isn't exactly what you expected or desired. Be grateful and happy. Envision making your acceptance speech, or meeting with your wonderful new agent or editor, plan what you will wear to read your work at the Boston Public Library, or your appearance on Ellen DeGeneres's show. Get a little dog that you can bring in a Chanel bag and show off to the audience, like Amy Tan. Whatever gets you revved about the success of your writing. That will always get you further than constant complaining and ingratitude. Even if it doesn't seem to at first, you will be cultivating a positive, gracious persona, which is worth something. Remember, top editors and agents don't want to work with crabby people.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment