The Lonely Writer’s Companion

Borders in Chapter 11. Celebrity “authors” getting the majority of book deals. Blog numbers declining. So why, you ask yourself, should you bother writing at all?

I’d be lying if I said that the above developments didn’t depress me as much as they depress you. There are times I’d even argue it’s harder for me, a so-called midlist writer with two novels and a dozen nonfiction books published over the past fifteen years. At last count, I have six novels in my closet—and two more in progress—without a publisher nibble in sight. There are plenty of mornings when I sit down here and ask myself why I bother—just like you.

But, while I’ve commiserated about the sorry state of publishing with writer friends, non-writer friends, students, and even Doris, the CEO of Authorlink, I’ve never been much good at wallowing in self-pity. My preferred approach to a roadblock is to send it over to right brain until a solution comes back, usually something unexpected and wonderful.

Thus the idea to write a column for all of us latter day lonely writers, a column to give us heart in the face of all those daily depressing statistics, all those form rejections (and, still worse, all those “loved it, but can’t buy it” ones), all those Facebook updates without a single “like.” How can I help you keep the faith? How can I help you keep going even though the going isn’t merely tough, it’s a slog through a quagmire?

For starters, let me ask you why you write.

I’d love to have your comments. Send them to Doris Booth’s Facebook. On the 15th of each month, I’ll compile the results and give you my thoughts. So be sure to check back at www.authorlink.com to see how many people share your reasons for writing.

Check in here every month to join a new conversation so you don’t have to be a lonely writer.