As you may know, I went to Worldcon last year and had an incredible time. One of the people who made that possible was Jenn, who helped me organise my membership when I had left it rather late indeed. Jenn is another wonderful person who I have been fortunate enough to meet through the Brotherhood Without Banners. As well as being extremely generous of spirit, she is also very modest, she gave me no hint of what a talented writer she is. So, I was surprised and delighted to discover that she had a book coming out, Insomnia, which has received some awesome feedback already!
Here, Jenn talks about the ultimate truth of being a writer – write!
The Universal Rule
One question I get quite a lot is, “What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to aspiring authors?” This always struck me as odd. First, I’m only just beginning my own career. Second, every journey in publishing is vastly different. One writer will write twelve books, get an agent, and sell to a big publisher. Another will write three and achieve the same results. Yet another will go with a small publisher, and still more will go the self-publishing route. We all have different paths. How could I possibly know the most important thing to tell another writer to help them with their own unique journey? But there is one piece of advice that applies to every path.
Every writer, no matter which path they take, no matter where they are on that path—every one of us will encounter obstacles. We suffer heartbreak, disappointment and rejection on a daily basis. Being a writer isn’t easy, nor should it be. We channel that pain into our work and it comes out better for it. But no matter the struggles we face, there is one rule that should apply to all of us:
Keep writing.
I prefer to add something else to that statement.
Keep writing—no matter what.
This means exactly what it sounds like.
Get rejected by 10 agents, 50 agents, 100 agents? Keep writing—no matter what.
Go out on submission and get scathing, or—sometimes even worse—bored, rejection letters from every editor on your dream list?
Keep writing—no matter what.
Pay good money for a professional editor and gorgeous cover for the book you’ve spent years making, and then only five people buy it on Amazon, and three copies went to your Nana?
Keep writing—no matter what.
There is one truth I hold onto that gets me through the hard times:
Being a writer isn’t what I do. Being a writer is who I am. Writing is the way I hold my life in place. It reminds me who I am, what I love, what I’ve lost.
I don’t believe I’m the only writer that feels this way.
Following this one universal rule keeps me steady when the rough waves roll in. It helps me improve and hone my craft. It keeps my focus on the things I control instead of the things that are far beyond my reach. This rule makes everything possible. And when it can do all that, there’s only one thing left to say…
Keep writing—no matter what.
J.R. JOHANSSON is a young adult thriller author published with Flux & FSG/Macmillan. Her debut, INSOMNIA is coming June 2013. She has a B.S. degree in public relations and a background in marketing. She credits her abnormal psychology minor with inspiring many of her characters. When she’s not writing, she loves reading, playing board games, and sitting in her hot tub. Her dream is that someday she can do all three at the same time. She has two young sons and a wonderful husband. In fact, other than her cat, Cleo, she’s nearly drowning in testosterone.
Jenn’s Links –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JennJohansson
Blog: http://www.jennjohansson.blogspot.com/
Site: http://www.jrjohansson.com
Tumblr: http://jrjohansson.tumblr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenn.johansson
J.R. Johansson on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5100095.J_R_Johansson
INSOMNIA on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12260608-insomnia