For me the biggest challenge is getting enough exercise.
Sitting at the computer all day is not healthy, but it’s easy to do. Fortunately, my dogs demand attention and distract me, making me get up and move around. Still, I do suffer from frequent back pain, the best remedy for which is exercise.
I try to do yard work when weather and time permit. It is good exercise and is also relaxing, as I really enjoy weeding and planting.
Dealing with Promotion and Rejection
Promotion is frustratingly time-consuming and too often keeps me from writing. Rejection is discouraging, and I’ve gotten plenty of it, but I refuse to let it depress me. I’ve sent out over 100 queries in search of an agent and received rejections from all.
I simply refuse to give up. If I’m thwarted in my attempt to be published, I go another route. I am now setting up my own publishing business, largely to publish my own books, but I will be able to publish other books as well, if things work out as I hope.
I’m learning new skills, and always I try to improve my craft. I do have friends I rely on for help and encouragement, but mostly I just keep plugging away.
The Darkest Moment: Without a Publisher and Without an Agent
I was fortunate to get an agent and have my books picked up by Tor, a major publisher. Tor published my first three books, and I felt like I was on top of the world.
I planned to continue the series (the Arucadi series), and submitted the fourth book. The editor liked it, but it was rejected because sales of the third book weren’t strong enough. I tried, and my agent tried, to find a publisher for that book and for other unrelated books. It was a very discouraging period.
To get back on track, I attended the Pen to Press Writers Retreat in New Orleans. I had the opportunity to pitch the book I had just written (a stand-alone adult fantasy novel) to a New York agent with a large agency. I severed my ties with the agent I had, who had been unsuccessful at placing my books, and signed a contract with the new agent.
Unfortunately, the contract was for a one-year duration, and when the book had not sold in that time, the agent dropped me. So I was without a publisher and an agent.
That was a very dark time, but I refused to give up. The book the agent had failed to place was later published by WiDo Publishing, a small but very professional press. The fourth book in the Arucadi series, titled Bryte’s Ascent, I self-published.
The One Thing That Has Kept You On Your Path: Stubbornness
I’d say stubbornness—the refusal to give up. But I have to add that I can’t not write. I have an abundance of ideas, I love writing, and I’m miserable if I’m not writing.
Advice for a Young Writer: Believe In Yourself
I’d say that the hardest thing is learning to cope with rejection. The beginning writer must learn that when their work is rejected, it is not a rejection of the writer.
There are many reasons for rejection, and rejection should not be taken personally. Of course, one should always strive to improve his or her work, to learn better techniques, and to learn presentation and promotion.
But what a writer should not do is compare his work with that of other authors or imitate a favorite author. Every writer needs to develop a distinct voice.
I tell beginning writers, “Believe in yourself and believe in your work. Do the best you can, always strive to improve your work, never stop learning. Don’t give up.”
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E. Rose Sabin lives with her two dogs, Juliet and Pixie, in Pinellas County, Florida, where for many years she taught Spanish, first in middle school and later on the junior college level. She now devotes her time to writing fantasy and science fiction, has had many short stories published, and has won several awards, including, in 1992, Andre Norton’s Gryphon Award for the unpublished manuscript of A School for Sorcery, a novel inspired in part by her teaching career.
Ms. Sabin’s books and stories draw material from dreams, myths, and current events, vary widely in theme and type of content, and while some are aimed toward young people, others are designed for adult readers.
Find more information at E. Rose Sabin’s website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon author pages.
Mistress of the Wind: Windspeaker Kyla Cren gathers news from the wind about mindstealers, creatures that rob human minds, leaving their victims insensible and helpless. Because Kyla’s parents were victims of mindstealers, the need for revenge consumes her. She attacks two mindstealers and rescues their victim—a powerful mage who thrusts upon her the care of Claid. He’s not a child, the mage declares, and challenges her to discover what Claid really is. That challenge takes her into the wider world beyond her isolated valley, a world in which machines have replaced magic. Harrowing experiences eventually bring her back to Mage Alair, whom she joins in a scheme to destroy the mindstealers. Available on Amazon.
Bringers of Magic: Ed Robbins, known to the townsfolk as Simple Eddie, discovers he is magically gifted, and his life is transformed. Abigail Dormer, respected headmistress of the Dormer Primary School for Young Ladies, is convinced that Kyla and Marta are charlatans until Abigail’s own magic abilities reveal themselves. Jerome Esterville, rebellious son of a pious mother, also discovers a gift, but if not restrained, it will turn him to terrible evil. Councilor Hardwick, head of the Carey City Council, hopes to receive power and, when that gift is denied him, sets the council and most of the town against the “wonder workers.” Devastation looms for the town, and Kyla and Marta face death. Ed’s magical gifts may provide a solution, but only if Kyla and Marta can train him before disaster overtakes them all. Available on Amazon.
A Mix of Magics: Marta and Ed Robbins, long childless, are thrilled when their friend Kyla Cren tells them of an orphaned infant in need of parents. The Gifted Community gathers to celebrate the baby’s Naming-Day, but the joyous occasion ends in disaster when an old enemy kidnaps and threatens to kill the child. Marta, Ed, and Kyla have all encountered Jerome Esterville previously and know what a dangerous foe he is. Still, if they pool their magical powers, they believe they can easily overcome a solitary foe. They soon learn that Jerome has greater strength than their small community was prepared for. Egos clash, powers collide, tempers flare, and buried fears surface to paralyze their power. Kyla’s leadership falters, and Marta and Veronica must step into the gap. Jerome is determined to destroy them all. Available at Amazon.
Hi E. Rose!
I love your tenacity and appreciate the advice to keep going. Though I wouldn’t say I’m a “young” writer, I am new to investing in a writing career. Calling myself a writer is a little like calling myself a mother. I conceived and bore a child, therefore biologically speaking I am a mother. But doing the work to parent my child is a different story all together. As I write, giving life to a story, I am a writer. But doing the work to launch my writing to an audience is what differentiates a writer by nature and a writer by choice. I’m so glad to read that you are both!