Your Scariest Writing Future and How to Avoid It

If you were to write a story about a writer’s worst nightmare, what would it be like?

You’ve probably already imagined it. When you were slaving away on your novel, worried that you’d never find a publisher, you thought of it then: What will happen if this story never sees the light of day?

Or maybe you imagined self-publishing with minimal sales.

In fact, you’ve probably thought about a lot of the worst-case scenarios, so let’s take a moment to face them all head-on. Below are five of the scariest possible futures for a writer, and some tips on how you can best avoid them.

5 of the Worst Nightmares for Writers

The following scenarios are scary enough to get any writer shaking in his or her slippers. Admit you’re afraid, very afraid, and then tackle that fear head-on with the suggested tips.

1. There is no publisher anywhere in the universe that will publish your book.

This was one of my worst nightmares early on in my career. I wrote several novels, and some I relegated to the bottom of the desk drawer, certain they were best seen as practice novels, but one I continued to believe in year after year, yet I struggled to find a publisher for it.

During that time, I remember thinking that I could spend years and years chasing this dream, and never catch it. After all, there are no guarantees that just because you write a book, you’ll eventually get it published…unless you want to publish it yourself.

I, like many writers, wanted the validation of being published with a real publisher. I kept trying, but I have to admit there were many times I worried I would never succeed, and that I was simply wasting a lot of time writing words that would never be read.

Tips to help:

Though ultimately, you can’t control whether or not you’ll ever get a publishing contract, you can vastly increase your odds by following these tips:

• Submit frequently and often. This was my mistake—I didn’t do it often enough. Make researching publishers and submitting to them part of your writing routine. The more you do it, the more you’ll realize how many publishers are out there (particularly indie publishers) that are potential markets for your work.
• Keep improving your writing. Hire editors, get feedback, and invest in your own education.
• Don’t cling to one novel. When one is finished, move on and write another. Most successful writers aren’t published until they’ve “practiced” on 4-5 novels that never see the light of day.
• Get help writing query letters, cover letters, and synopses. There is an art to these—the better you get at doing them, the more likely your work will be noticed.

2. Your book is deemed bad, very bad, by readers.

In the nightmare version, you either get that publishing contract or you self-publish, you’re all excited, your book shows up on Amazon, and within a week, you’ve got a smattering of negative reviews. The reviews are embarrassing, humiliating, and painful, to the point that you wish you could just take the book off the market immediately.

These reviews are not only difficult to swallow, they make you question everything you’ve been doing. You figure you’ve were mistaken when you thought you could write. Who were you kidding? You obviously didn’t know what you were doing.

Author William Kenower talked about this sort of fear on Jane Friedman’s blog:

“If I am an author, it is quite natural to want—indeed, even to need—the validation of others. If I have any aspirations toward making a living at this, I certainly require other people to like it. I need an agent, an editor, and a publisher to like it. I would prefer if a few critics like it; and I certainly need readers to like it. If no one likes it, then I might as well be writing in my diary.”

Indeed, if readers don’t like your book, it can seem like the end of the world to a writer.

Tips to help:

Remember you can’t control what readers think of your story. Once you release it, your work is done (except for marketing, of course). If you’re facing some negative reviews, try these tips:

• Remember that all art is subjective. Everyone comes to the table with their own opinions and biases.
• Before the book is released, do everything you can to make sure it’s your best work. Get it professionally edited and proofread, and never rush to publication.
• Ask yourself: Am I willing to allow others to determine my writing future? There are countless stories of famous authors whose works were poorly reviewed when they first came out. (The same happened with many famous composers, too.) A writer is much more than just one book. This is about your life’s work, so be sure to take everything you’ve done—and all the comments you’ve received—together before making any decisions on your writing ability.
• Go back and ask yourself “why” you’re writing. Was it simply to have others praise your work, or was there a deeper reason? We all want readers to like what we produce, but if you dig deep, you may realize that you’re writing because you feel compelled to write, which has nothing to do with others’ opinions. Once you realize that, you may want to decide that you will write anyway, no matter what other people think.

3. You write all your life and end up a discouraged and poor person.

Poet and painter William Blake died a poor man. Moby Dick author Herman Melville died “a forgotten man” according to a New York Times article in the day, supported by his wife’s brother and father. In his later years, he became so disillusioned that he quit writing novels altogether.

Oscar Wilde died in poverty, as did Edgar Allen Poe. Sylvia Plath committed suicide long before she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Poet John Keats died at the young age of 25, his death hastened, his friend Perce Shelley said, by poor reviews of his work.

There are few writers who have slaved away for years without wondering, “Will that happen to me? Will I end up in my old age poor, discouraged, and with little to show for all my work?” It doesn’t help that advances have been cut, and that it’s getting harder and harder to make a living writing books.

At the core of this nightmare is one primary fear: that no one will give a darn about what we do. Author Dan Blank has talked to other writers about this:

“This seemed to be the number-one fear among writers: That no one will care, no one will read their books, no one will feel any sense of enthusiasm about this thing they created….the reality is that the WORSE [sic] thing is that you create and share something, and no one even notices.”

Tips to help:

One thing that writing doesn’t guarantee is prosperity and notoriety. Writing can give you a lot of other things—a sense of creative fulfillment, a unique form of expression, a sense of healing—but no matter how much time and energy you pour into it, there is no guarantee that you will gain the fame and fortune you may dream about.

• Take all the potential outside rewards—like money and notoriety—out of the picture, then ask yourself: If my writing brings me only personal satisfaction, is that enough? If it’s not, maybe you should consider doing something else. Try it. Can you leave writing behind? If so, maybe it will be best. If not, try to make peace with the fact that writing is a part of your life, no matter what happens with it.
• Expand your thinking. Today’s writers have more opportunities than ever before to create careers for themselves. Might you be able to earn money freelance writing or teaching? Can you create online courses, or do some public speaking? Can you edit for other writers, or provide publishing services? By examining your options, you can increase your odds of enjoying a prosperous future.
• Don’t quit your day job. Most writers today must make money in other ways. Continue to develop your other skills so that your life is full and happy. Anything else you learn to do can always be used to enhance your writing!
• Educate yourself on creating an author platform. Realize that it’s your responsibility to draw readers to you. The more you can expand your audience, the more control you’ll have over your future.

4. You have a flaming writing success, after which you cannot create again.

I spoke to a writer at a conference a few months ago who was worried about this very thing. She had experienced what she called an “easy success.” Her first novel was picked up by an agent and then a large publisher, and went on to become a bestseller. The author felt as if it was all a fluke—that she was a fraud. She was scared to try again, for fear she would be discovered.

Early success can be just as scary as early failure, sometimes even more so. “We can all name brilliant writers whose brilliance evaporated right after they became rich and famous,” says author Mohsin Hamid.

Writers may fear they won’t be able to produce another work that will be received as well as the first. It’s such a common fear, in fact, that it’s called the “second novel syndrome.” In addition to the fear, there’s also the issue of time. Successful writers end up having to do more appearances, readings, and other activities to support the first novel, and often get so wrapped up in that life that it becomes more and more difficult to return to the isolation of facing the blank page.

Tips to help:

• Try to remember that success and failure are two sides of the same coin, and both are fleeting. Enjoy your success, but realize that it won’t last forever.
• When getting back into your writing, your fears of “will this book be as good as the first one?” are likely to crop up. Remember that you are only creating a draft of your next book—you’re not creating the finished copy. You’re just practicing. Keep telling yourself that “it’s just a draft” so you can get your internal editor out of the way.
• Once you’ve experienced a publishing success, it can be harder to make time for your writing. After things have settled down a little, look over your schedule and find where you can fit creativity in. It doesn’t even have to be writing at first. Maybe you spend some time in art galleries, listening to music, painting, or journaling. Just allow yourself to fall back in love with creating.
• If you can’t shake off the ghost of your last book, try a different genre, or tell your next story in an entirely different way. Switch points of view. If your last book centered on one character, try including more than one. Get out of your comfort zone, and your brain will rise to the challenge, helping you forget about that last story.

5. You write, publish, and earn money, but no one takes you seriously.

I know some genre writers, in particular, that worry about this sort of nightmarish existence. They publish regularly, their books sell well, and they earn at least a part-time income from their work, but they feel as if no one really takes them seriously. “She just writes formulaic romance stories,” some may say, or “it’s that childish fantasy stuff.”

“Romance is a form of literature beloved by readers and loathed by literary critics,” says author Jennie Crusie. “This didn’t used to bother me; I just accepted the given that all romance fiction was hackwork. It wasn’t until I started to study the genre that I realized how intellectually dishonest this was.”

Writer Marissa Secreto agrees: “There is a certain flavor of snobbery within the literary world regarding genre fiction—the umbrella term that includes science fiction, fantasy, young adult, and romance, among others. Books in these genres are often looked down upon as inferior to works of realistic fiction, even though they may have the same (or even better) quality of writing, relatable characters, and compelling plots.”

It can be even worse when friends and family members are part of the group that considers these genres to contain mostly low-quality writing. “When someone who is supposed to love you doesn’t support your writing,” says writer Maya Spikes, “it seems to confirm your deepest doubts and fears.”

Tips to help:

Anyone who reads widely knows that prejudices against certain genres are silly. Still, you’re likely to come up against them.

• Realize you’re not alone—writers have long had to deal with comments about what “types” of writing are considered quality and which aren’t.
• People’s opinions are just that—opinions. Try not to let them get you down.
• Interact with other writers in your genre. Trading stories can help you feel better.
• In the end, the reader’s opinion matters most. If your readers love your work, do you really care what other people think?

What’s your scariest writing future?

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Sources
Blank, D. (2014, July 2). Writers: What Are You Afraid Of? Retrieved from https://writerunboxed.com/2014/06/27/writers-what-are-your-afraid-of/

Calilhanna, A. (2017, March 23). Famous Authors Who Died Before They Were Famous | BookBaby Blog. Retrieved from http://blog.bookbaby.com/2017/03/famous-authors-infographic/

Crusie, J. (n.d.). Defeating the Critics: What We Can Do About the Anti-Romance Bias – Jennifer Crusie. Retrieved from http://jennycrusie.com/non-fiction/defeating-the-critics-what-we-can-do-about-the-anti-romance-bias/

Hamid, M. (2017, December 20). What Are the Draws and Drawbacks of Success for Writers? Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/books/review/what-are-the-draws-and-drawbacks-of-success-for-writers.html

Kenower, W. (2017, May 14). A Writer’s Worst Fear | Jane Friedman. Retrieved from https://www.janefriedman.com/writers-worst-fear/

Perry, K. (n.d.). 11 Geniuses Who Went Broke And Died. Retrieved from https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-figures-who-died-broke/kellen-perry

Portman, G. (2013, June 20). Famous Authors Who Died Destitute. Retrieved from http://guyportman.com/2013/06/07/famous-authors-who-died-destitute/

Secreto, M. (2018, April 2). Why Isn’t Genre Fiction Taken Seriously? – Emertainment Monthly. Retrieved from http://emertainmentmonthly.com/index.php/genre-fiction-taken-seriously/

Spikes, M. (2018, March 3). 4 Tips for Writers Dealing with Unsupportive Family and Friends. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@mayaspikes/how-should-writers-deal-with-unsupportive-family-and-friends-61721b488d17