This week: Authoritus Edited by: Howl-fyn  
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"The man of courage is not the man who did not face adversity. The man of courage is the man who faced adversity and spoke to it. The man of courage tells adversity, ‘You’re trespassing, and I give you no authority to steal my joy, my faith or my hope.’” ~~Kiese Laymon, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America
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Your book is either out or about to be. That book you've dreamed over, slaved over, given up sleep over: That 'book' which has taken over your life for who knows how long is finally, finally, FINALLY done. All the edits and re-edits, all the revision, all the proofreading--all of that is now behind you. It is out there.
And then, for many a writer, it hits. It is like running full tilt into an extremely hard brick wall. The 'What ifs' raise their gloomy heads. What if no one likes it? What if no one even reads it? (Aside from the besties who basically have to or your parents who also basically have to.) What if?
Although now is not the time to consider your audience, this is when many folks do. WHO WILL read it? Will it sell a gazillion copies? (Probably not--let's just start there.) Audience is huge, but then, so are your expectations. Better to manage them realistically and then, maybe, be happily surprised.
Do you have readership in place? That's a great start. But is this book like your other books or quite dissimilar?
Who can you expect will be dashing to get your book? Die-hard fans. Helpful. People who like what is normal for the author and their genre? Depends on the book.
The REVIEWS. Whether on Amazon or Facebook, I've seen writers flying high or --dissolving in tears. 'Someone wrote that they hated the book! OMG!!! What do I do now? Everyone will hate it!'
No different, really, than reviews here on WDC. Reviews are independent, personalized reactions. Some folks think a piece is great. Others don't get it. Some might not want to put the 'reading' into what is actually being 'said' because they don't know how to read for levels, or how to dig into the overall point of the writing. Some are just lazy or, to be honest, mean. Or jealous. One review, good or bad will not make or break a book!
Do 'bad' reviews hurt? They can, if you let them. Are they constructive criticism you don't like or agree with or are they just thoughtless keystrokes taking up cyberspace? One thing I've learned along the way . . . you have to grow a thick hide in this business. There are writers I know who never look at reviews. At all. Ever. Honestly, doesn't seem to be hurting them any. But, then, there are those of us who crave a good review. And if we are going to crave the good one, we have to be prepared to deal with the 'not-so-good' ones. Can't please everybody all the time is a cliche for a reason! :)
Typically, writers are not writing the GAN - the 'Great American Novel.' A quick scan of Amazon shows that there are an immense number of what some friends and I refer to as 'Fluffy Bunny Books.' Light, quick reads ala a Hallmark movie--easy read/watch with just enough angst, romance and perhaps, a bit of mystery, and a guaranteed happy ending. Nothing wrong with either the idea or the end result. Often one of a series. That's what the friend in tears writes. They aren't deep. They are light and fun. There's a reason she has ten books and counting under her belt!
The other person I refered to about audience is worried about who will read it. It's about his mom, a maga-best-selling romance author who recently passed away. I've interviewed her for a couple of my newsletters. It's got a story about what she went through on her road to becoming the Queen of historical romance novels. Her relentless determination to be one of the best is inspiring for fellow writers as well as a fun behind-the-scenes look for her readers. It even has a short novella included that is excellent, but not her 'typical' subject matter and it is based on a writer. (Partially real life, partially fiction.)
Her die-hard readers will gobble it up. At least I expect they will. Readers being the fickle beings we are, there's no guarantee. But then, that's true for most of us.
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Tangled in Ghostly Witch-Webs  writes: Oh, my, Fyn.This Newsletter brought me back to so many defining moments. In your Intro, you also mention "Challenger." I clearly remember the day, when I lived close to the Space Center in Texas. They were moving the Challenger by piggybacking on top of a 747. I actually saw the Challenger from outside my door. What a memory! Then Months later I saw it blow up after liftoff on TV. It jogged my memory back to the time I saw it above my yard, being moved on that 747 and how excited I was to actually see it.
Great Newsletter! Thank you for highlighting my 9-11 story, "Memories of 9-11"
~WW
Thanking you!
dispiritwriter says: In light of the sad ( yet hopeful) topics you wrote so passionate about. I wish you a happy blessed Super moon.
Excuse me for not knowing your name yet, but it's obvious where your heart, head and sense about life is! I get what you spoke about. I also was 9 when the news of dear President Kennedy was shot. Sitting in my seat in a Brooklyn public school with the crackling speaker telling us to go home.
I walked home that chilly November day and cried. Hoping he would be ok. I only knew him from TV but he seemed like a good person. The news showed the funeral for 3 days (my mother was mad because she thought kids should be able to watch cartoons. After all we were kids)
911 My sister had a day off and we usually didn't watch daytime TV but she called me in to see if it was real or a movie. I looked at the ticker and my blood froze. It was real and a plane hit the building I had watched being built, growing up... Can't tell how many words I have left but thank you. Hope to hear back. I may write on this because of you. Bless you.
Do write it...it's bursting out of you! :)
Nobody’s Home  writes: Beautiful article on Befores and Afters. Suggest you make this valuable article available as an item in your port so it's reviewable and findable for readers in the future. I don't think interested readers will be able to locate it easily in the "For Authors" Newsletter.
Good idea--thank you and done!
Mummified_Mike  comments: As sobering a Newsletter as I've ever read. One can only hope the young conspiracy theorist was merely trying to provoke a reaction, and it's truly sad that many view the events of that day as only vaguely worth remembering.
Yes.
rhytrr  says: Hi,
I appreciated your letter about how 9/11 impacted you, and the challenges in keeping it relevant to young people today. It was precisely those thoughts and feelings that prompted me to join writing.com on 9/10/02, just before the 1st anniversary. I believe the more people who will share their thoughts and feelings about that time, the more history will come alive to those who perhaps were not around during those days, or too young to comprehend. It that vein, I would suggest that you check out my story "A Final Thought (no one was screaming) #518068, written almost exactly one year after the events of 9/11, and incorporating some of the latest findings (of the time 2002). I still believe that much is being withheld unnecessarily from the public, and that these stories might help prompt more of the truth to be disclosed.
My compliments to you and the editorial staff on how well writing.com has held up, it has aged beautifully!
rhytrr
WDC is THE BEST!!!
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For Authors: October 09, 2024 Issue [#12783]
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