# The Most Important Thing...



## Kyle R (Sep 8, 2013)

The Most Important Thing an Aspiring Author Needs to Know
by Jim Butcher
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I've been giving a lot of advice on technique in this journal, an introduction to the craft and science aspects of writing a solid story. Now I'm going to briefly venture off into new territory. I thought I'd start by telling you the most important thing you need to know if you want to be a professional author: TANFL.


There Ain't No Free Lunch.


Nothing worth doing is easy. Nothing worth having comes free. That's as true in life as it is in your prospective writing career, but I think it's important enough that it needs to be said.


Writing is a LOT of work. Breaking into the industry is a torment worthy of the fifth or sixth circle of Hell. Face that. Expect it. Deal with it. It's going to be difficult.


It's difficult from the get go: you've got to work your tail off and give yourself carpal tunnel just to make it to the front of the rope-line outside Club Author. There's no guarantee that you'll ever get in. There probably aren't going to be very many people who are actively supporting your efforts. You'll probably have more than one person say or do something that crushes your heart like an empty Coke can. You'll probably, at some point, want to quit rather than keep facing that uncertainty


In fact, the vast majority of aspiring authors (somewhere over 99 percent) self-terminate their dream. They quit. Think about this for a minute, because it's important:


THEY KILL THEIR OWN DREAM. 


And a lot of you who read this are going to do it too. Doesn't mean you're a bad person. It's just human nature. It takes a lot of motivation to make yourself keep going when it feels like no one wants to read your stuff, no one will ever want to read your stuff, and you've wasted your time creating all this stuff. That feeling of hopelessness is part of the process. Practically everyone gets it at one time or another. Most can't handle it.


But here's the secret:


YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD WHO CAN KILL YOUR DREAM. *NO ONE* can make you quit. *NO ONE* can take your dream away. 


No one but you.


If you want it, you have to get it. You. An author can't help you. An editor can't help you. An agent can't help you. If you want to climb that hill, the only way to do it is to make yourself do it, one foot in front of another, one word after another. It will probably be the greatest challenge most of you have ever faced.


And here's the kicker: THAT IS A VERY GOOD THING.


If you stay the course and break in, you are going to acquire a ton of absolutely necessary skills. You have to learn to motivate yourself to write even when you don't feel like it: Discipline. You're going to have to learn the ropes of the business, and how to work with an editor: Professionalism. You're going to face what might be years of adversity, facing a monumentally difficult task and you're going to overcome it: Confidence. You're going to do it with very little active support, and when you look back at this time in the future, you're going to know that it was something YOU did all by yourself: Strength.


TANFL, guys.


Breaking into the business is a daunting challenge. But you aren't going to BEAT that challenge. You're going to transcend it. The very nature of the adversity is going to give you the strength and skill you need to overcome and succeed.


You want in? Here's what you do:


1) Make up your mind that you are going to protect your own dream. If you've got its back, your dream is invincible.


2) Cultivate patience. Prepare for the long haul. Building your skills to a professional level can take years. So can building your professional character.


3) Put your Butt In the Chair and start writing. Period. No excuses. There is no substitute for BIC time. It's part of the price you pay.


4) When you get done with a word, write another word. 


5) Repeat steps 4 and 5 until your dream comes true.


Secret number 2-- THE PAIN IS WORTH IT. If it had taken me TWENTY years instead of nine, IT STILL WOULD BE WORTH IT.


Cause here's what you get: ding.


When it's all done and you're holding your first novel in your hand, you're going to look back at your breaking-in period and wonder what all the drama was about. All the things that wrenched you inside out during the torment will suddenly seem small and unimportant. Know why? Because much like Scott Pilgrim, you have leveled up. Ding.


You're going to look back at that time with pride, having overcome seemingly impossible odds against succeeding. You're going to look at upcoming challenges as if they were a bottle of champagne to be savored and then gleefully smashed.


The true reward of breaking into the industry against all the odds isn't money. It isn't fame. It it isn't respect.


It's you.


It's confidence. It's satisfaction. It's well-deserved pride. Suddenly, the other challenges in your life are going to dwindle as well, because you know you'll be able to handle them.


TANFL.


Ding, baby. Ding.


Go write.

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(For those wondering, Jim's blog can be found online through a quick google search)

What do you think of Jim's advice?
:encouragement:


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## egpenny (Sep 8, 2013)

Outstanding!  Love his books, too.


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## Jeko (Sep 8, 2013)

A cross-between between uplifting motivation and a slap across the face. Good stuff. Though I have some different ethics. 

Like the reference to Scott Pilgrim.


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## J Anfinson (Sep 8, 2013)

That man is awesome. Can't wait for the next book, either. I read his blog a while back; he gives a lot of good advice, though it mostly applies to those who outline. I'd recommend everyone take a look.


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## OurJud (Sep 8, 2013)

Don't know the author and I wish I could take some encouragement from his advice, but - and yes, I did read it all - those first few paragraphs just depressed me. They depressed me because he described me perfectly.

I AM that person that snuffs out their own dream - have done in the past, countless times, and will no doubt continue to do so because I'm simply not strong enough. Having that pointed out like this is disheartening beyond belief.

:-({|=


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## Jeko (Sep 8, 2013)

OurJud, he said that:



> And a lot of you who read this are going to do it too.



I have killed parts of my own dream in the past. No-one is 'strong enough' for writing. Writing isn't about being 'enough' of anything. It's about putting thought to paper, seeing how you can do better and learning from the experience. You change. You either decide that you don't want to change and how you are is as far as you're going to go, or you decide that every day you spend writing is a step in the right direction towards your ultimate goal. Be humble. Accept that you've got so much to learn and then stop caring about yourself, and care about all the people who will never read your work if you don't sit down and get to work. 

The main question is: do you want this? If you want this, then you'll do everything in your power to get it. But the most important question may be: do you know what 'this' is?


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## Morkonan (Sep 8, 2013)

KyleColorado said:


> ...What do you think of Jim's advice?
> :encouragement:



I've always enjoyed his novels. I'm also impressed with the versatility he has shown in styles. I think that every writer's path has its differences, but the one thing that they all share is that only they could have taken their path. Becoming an acknowledged writer is an individual accomplishment, no matter the number of very critical mentors and sidekicks that have helped one along the way. In the end, whether or not a Writer breaks out or not is entirely up to the will of the Writer.


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## OurJud (Sep 8, 2013)

Cadence said:


> The main question is: do you want this? If you want this, then you'll do everything in your power to get it. But the most important question may be: do you know what 'this' is?



That's a very profound question, Cadence, and I'm not sure I do know. I suspect that at this stage 'it', is to simply finish a novel.


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## Jeko (Sep 9, 2013)

> I suspect that at this stage 'it', is to simply finish a novel.



I used to have that as my goal, but I realized that I was giving some kind of power to the act of writing 'The End'. I was idolizing that but never reaching it, because I never thought I was good enough for it.

I still don't, I guess, which is why I now focus on simply getting better at the craft, writing stories as I go. I'll either spend 60-odd years never finishing a novel (unlikely!) or the day I do finish a novel, it won't be because I was aiming to do it. It'll be because I have learnt enough - about the craft of writing, and about myself - to get it done. I think Steinbeck once said that you shouldn't keep 'The End' in your head, but just write one page a day and you'll get there. 

I _could_ force myself to get to the end, and that would probably be beneficial. But I have A-levels to get, which are far more important than writing 'The End'. I try to focus on short stories now anyway, since they hone the craft better than working on a novel.

I haven't read Jim Butcher's work, so I might check it out someday.


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## bookmasta (Sep 9, 2013)

I found the beginning to be brutal and blatantly honest, followed by a shred of hope that goes along the way of work your butt off just to have your book published. I've heard numerous people say how hard it is and how much work it is. Interestingly enough, it does make me think. I think the motivation of an aspiring author is the key to success. Are you righting for money? To become published? Or are you just writing for the hell of it? For me its option #3 because I enjoy it. If any of the said success above comes with it, then great! That's just the frosting on top of the cake. I think anyone writing for reasons #1 or #2 will not only find it a lot more difficult of a task, but more or less implausible.


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## Jeko (Sep 9, 2013)

> I think anyone writing for reasons #1 or #2 will not only find it a lot more difficult of a task, but more or less implausible.



I disagree. A person writing for money or publication must learn how to make their work sell, but a person writing 'for the hell of it' doesn't.

I see publication as a race, and it's run with two legs: creativity and craftsmanship. Both need to be the legs of world-class athletes to stand a chance in the Olympic world of publication; some people start out with better creativity than others, some start out with greater knowledge of the craft. Either way, you can't run the race on one leg. That's hopping, and if you do that too long you can lose your balance and fall over. 

Wanting to make a profit from your writing encourages you to not only nurture your creativity, but to train in the craft.

That is to say, a person not wanting to be published can still train in the craft because they want their work to read better and they, like all writers, become more and more aware of the issues in their writing. But I disagree that the position is more advantageous than someone whose mind is set on making money from their work. And I completely disagree that writing for money makes the whole thing 'implausible'.

I write for money. To get money I must get a readership. To get a readership I must must write good stories. To write good stories I must learn the craft and keep nurturing the storyteller inside me. If I get to the stage where I am making money, I will not want more money, but more readers. Once I am making a living from what I love, I should take advantage of that to capitalize on the potential I have.

That's my dream mapped out. And I think it is entirely plausible.


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## OurJud (Sep 9, 2013)

bookmasta said:


> I found the beginning to be brutal and blatantly honest, followed by a shred of hope that goes along the way of work your butt off just to have your book published. I've heard numerous people say how hard it is and how much work it is. Interestingly enough, it does make me think. I think the motivation of an aspiring author is the key to success. Are you righting for money? To become published? Or are you just writing for the hell of it? For me its option #3 because I enjoy it. If any of the said success above comes with it, then great! That's just the frosting on top of the cake. I think anyone writing for reasons #1 or #2 will not only find it a lot more difficult of a task, but more or less implausible.



Very true, bookmasta, but for me there's an option #4 - that which says: 'Because I'd go mad if I didn't'.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Sep 9, 2013)

KyleColorado said:


> 3) Put your Butt In the Chair and start writing. Period.



For a writer, he sure takes a lot of words to say the above.


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## J Anfinson (Sep 9, 2013)

Gamer_2k4 said:


> For a writer, he sure takes a lot of words to say the above.



He repeats that sentiment at his blog a lot, but let's face it, that may be the most important part.


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## bookmasta (Sep 9, 2013)

Cadence said:


> I disagree. A person writing for money or publication must learn how to make their work sell, but a person writing 'for the hell of it' doesn't.
> 
> I see publication as a race, and it's run with two legs: creativity and craftsmanship. Both need to be the legs of world-class athletes to stand a chance in the Olympic world of publication; some people start out with better creativity than others, some start out with greater knowledge of the craft. Either way, you can't run the race on one leg. That's hopping, and if you do that too long you can lose your balance and fall over.
> 
> ...


I guess I agree to disagree. There is a saying that it takes 1,000,000 words before anything you write is of publishable quality. If this is true, then it takes quite a lot of writing to become good enough at the craft to be published. I just don't see how anyone could sit down at a computer and start typing such a large amount based on the sole purpose to be published or to make money from it. Now if you're a writer who enjoys what they are doing and that's your goal as you go, then I say its as much possible as you want it to be.


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## Jeko (Sep 9, 2013)

> I just don't see how anyone could sit down at a computer and start typing such a large amount based on the sole purpose to be published or to make money from it



Whoa, I never said _sole _purpose. I want to tell a great story as much as the next guy. 

The fact is, I'm 16: I haven't yet found anything that makes me want to write a novel purely for the beauty of what I'm writing. Maybe someday I will and my connection to my work will be so strong that I don't even _think _about making money from it. I don't know.


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