I’ve been thinking about perseverance a lot lately and what it means in the context of publishing a novel. Since starting out on my writing journey I looked at perseverance in the same way I approached and thought about persistence. They are so similar it’s hard to find fault with that logic, but there is a difference – a big one.
Let me explain.
In writing my first book I was persistent. It took years to write and even more years to edit. Yes, you read that right. Years. And I thought I was doing it slowly, but the right way. One must keep whacking away at a story, fixing it until the day it’s correct and good enough for publication. I was persistent. I was also blinded by the idea that I could make it wonderful if I kept going. I wasn’t yet a mature enough writer to realize that this might be perseverance in every sense of the word, but it wasn’t the right perseverance for getting a book published.
Here’s what you need to know.
Perseverance in pursuit of publication is:
- Knowing when to move on
You still have to finish your projects though. I’m not advocating for dropping a project when it gets hard.
- Knowing you will get other ideas for stories
Ideas aren’t the hard part. A good story is all about execution anyway. The blandest idea can be crafted brilliantly if written in the right way. And the longer you do this you begin to recognize an okay idea from a good idea from a great idea.
- Still writing through rejection and hardship
Rejection is hard, but if you have gotten a lot of it (like I have) look back at the project. Maybe it just needs more polish. Or maybe you can take what you have learned and start something new.
- Dedicating yourself to improvement and building your craft
You see my first book was flawed. The basic pitch, the structure, the plot all had glaring errors I can now see clearly. There were some good things sure, but it wasn’t good enough for publication. It also was a book I thought up when I was fourteen. But I was so stuck in thinking this is how writers write (through editing and rewriting) that I never considered giving up on it. I took the advice to persevere and keep working on it. Now, I know my true perseverance was being brave enough to let that story go and start something new. That book taught me how to write a book. Sometimes that’s the only way to learn.
Above all, this is what I have learned: you have not failed by writing a bad book. In fact that’s natural. You only fail if you stop pursuing your dream.
Parting note:
Know that moving on to another project is not quitting. You have not failed if a book you queried was rejected a thousand times. You have not failed if you find yourself shelving a book. Don’t give up, but don’t get stuck on one idea. You’re a writer. Find your next adventure, build your voice and keep writing.
I wish you all the best of luck.
Happy Writing!