See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. #9: Once I publish my novel, I’ll finally be someone people notice. Oh, this is a sad, sad way to live—to be a slave of others’ approval. When I was a child, I wrote stories simply because I enjoyed writing them. As I grew older and became more self-conscious, I realized that writing could be more than fun and games. I could actually get published and “be somebody” (as if I wasn’t somebody already). Someone important. Someone people would notice. Who knows? Maybe I’d even write best-selling books, and then people would know who I am, and I’d be famous. The Trap (Do you hear the pride ringing in those statements? Perhaps the pride of life described in 1 John 2:16?) In my opinion, the most genuine famous people I’ve ever met are the ones who never sought attention.…
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See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7. #8: Once I publish my novel, I’ll have arrived in the literary world. Can you believe it? I actually thought this once. I thought my novel was that good. Very prideful of me. At the time, it seemed like a simple and logical conclusion. Publish a novel=be a published novelist=enjoy literary acclaim. Right? Well, no. That’s sort of like saying, “If I win a race, I’ll have won the men’s marathon at the Olympics.” When it comes to literary status, publishing a novel isn’t reaching the top of Everest. It’s cresting one of its tiny foothills. Being “Somebody” Becoming recognized as “somebody” in the literary world isn’t as simple as we’ve been led to believe. Think about movies or TV shows you’ve seen about struggling writers who persevere and overcome tremendous odds, only to achieve a big contract, fame, and…
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See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6. #7: Once I publish my novel, I’ll just be able to keep cranking them out. Oh, if only it were that simple, especially in today’s economic climate. The fact is, publishing a well-crafted novel is no guarantee of future publication. Oh, if only novels could be published based on their own merits. Stepping into publication, I had a lot to learn. I naively thought getting my first novel published basically guaranteed long-term publication. After all, if my first novel was good enough to be accepted, why not future books? Being a Salesperson What I learned is that getting a novel published is only a small part of the equation. The other part is the almighty dollar. Publishers take a big financial risk on first-time novelists. They spend a lot of money on editing, graphic design, and printing. They put their necks…
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This is an excellent article, and I agree with Mark. What do you think? http://thoughtsofasojourner.blogspot.com/2012/03/christian-books-and-cursing.html
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