Forget Everyone Else

Me: "I don't know. Anytime I think I'm writing something that's going to cause a stir, it doesn't."

Husband: "And then you write about unicorns and you get slammed."

Ain't that the truth.

When writing, we don't know what everyone else is going to say about the book. We don't really know what agents will think or offer on or what editors will buy or reject, so stop worrying about them. Stop worrying about the elusive agents and editors. Write what you want to write, learn the guidelines, hone your voice, understand the market, and then write. The minute you start worrying about what's going to cause a stir or what's not going to cause a stir, the minute you start writing something simply because you think that's what those "others" want to see, you start to edit yourself for everyone else and not for the good of the book. And you lose.

Jessica