Tayari's Blog: Tough Love From Tayari
Posted by TayariJones on May 23, 2010 08:36 AM
Filed under
Writing
Picture the scene. A table full of writers who are working on their first books. They have been working for a couple of years, or maybe just talking about the books for a couple years. Well, they get together and start dishing about the publishing industry. The book they can't stop talking about is Twilight. They can't believe that people read that crap! They can't believe that publishers will give so much money for that crap! And did you hear that Paris Hilton has a book deal? She's not even a writer; she's a model! And there was an article about a #@!$% sixteen year old who has a book coming out! Sixteen years old? What could she possibly have to say!! Next thing you know, Beyonce is going to have a bestseller! And so on, and so on, and so on.
I listened and sipped my caipirinha, but I didn't join in. Granted, I am no fan of Twilight, but this conversation really wasn't about vampires. It was about jealousy, or penvy, if you will..
We all get marked up with the green pen from time to time. There's no crime in that. I am not saying that your are not allowed to criticize other writers or this crazy industry. Yet, there's is a problem when you become overly concerned with(and angry about)the success of others. This is a warning sign that you are headed down a slippery slope into paralysing bitterness.
How to pull yourself together varies depending on where you are in your career. My rule-- and my students will attest to this-- is that you are not allowed to claim any other writer is a hack if you have not finished your book. Say what you will about Stephanie Myers, but she finished her book. Have you finished yours? If not, shut up and get to work. It's really that harsh and it's really that simple.
If you have completed a manuscript and you can't get it published although you have done your best, it's a harder thing to take. I know how painful it is to have given the project your all, but the rejections keep rolling in. (Let me tell you. For about eighteen months, I was bitter as a lemon peel.) If you really feel that you are done all the work you can do on this particular book, all you can do is start writing something else.
When you are working, you feel better about yourself. After all, writing is what makes you a writer. And when you feel like a writer, you are less worried about the latest celebrity book deal. Your mind is on your characters, on your poetry, on your art.
And look at it this way--- writing the next book is always the next step. If your manuscript had been picked up by your dream publisher, they would tell you get to work on a new project. It's never a good idea to stop moving forward. So get to work.
And remember, you started writing because you love to write. When I say get to work, I am not telling you to pick up a hammer and start breaking rocks. When I say get to work, I'm saying get back to you. Get back to where you started from when you said you wanted to be a writer, when you didn't know anything about the business.
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There are 6 comments on "Tough Love From Tayari". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.
Comment #1, by Tammee ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
Wow, I was just thinking this. I read a bunch of blogs and many are pissed because Tyra just got a deal. My thinking is similar to yours: don't worry about other people's stuff, finish your own, and be happy that there are projects, good or bad, that can keep the industry going so that one day there will be an industry for your own project.
May 23, 2010 02:26 PM
Comment #2, by Bethany
Girl, if you wanna talk crappy books and ridiculous celebrity "novels", I will gladly raise my eyebrow in disdain. However, I will also conclude that it's got nothing to do with my work. I look forward to telling my future agent, "I already wrote 'the next book'. And the three after that." Writers keep writing.
May 23, 2010 03:53 PM
Comment #3, by tayari
Fine line, Bethany. Be careful. When you start enjoying rolling your eyes at anyone... it's dangerous. I mean that celebrity wanted to write a book. Whatever. Good for him, for her. It's the first step to losing your grounding. I love what you said about having the next book already done. That's what I like to hear!
May 23, 2010 04:04 PM
Comment #4, by christine
THANK YOU for having the courage to SAY this, Tayari! So inspiring and so uplifting, and a good kick in our pants. It's what I needed to hear this week (I myself am trying to recover from penvy--It was so awful and I hated myself for it, so much so that I've taken the week off to DETOX and pamper myself). The reality is that every genre has value. Junot once told us to go read genre, because they are the great examples of how to plot. Also--writers like Tyra--they are the ones who will make it possible for the publishing houses to make money and thus take more risks with literary novels, no? Anyway. Your positive energy is amazing; I've made a conscious decision to BE inspired and TO inspire this week, so thank you.
May 23, 2010 09:28 PM
Comment #5, by olivia
I am very pleased with the thought and don’t feel like adding
anything in it. It a perfect answer.
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Business Colony
May 24, 2010 04:11 AM
Comment #6, by Gina Hiatt
This such a well-written blog post, I can see that you're a great writer! I could pull out many quotes (and I did tweet one), but my favorite is "When I say get to work, I am not telling you to pick up a hammer and start breaking rocks. When I say get to work, I'm saying get back to you." Brava on a post well worth reading.
May 29, 2010 06:18 PM