Got my knuckles rapped today, and I’m watching some of the most talented writers I know struggle with rejection. Some of the most consistent advice I’ve gotten, which applies to most things in life, but especially to writing, is that if what you’re doing isn’t working, try something else. Work with new tropes, new genres, and new ideas. I’m in the process of stretching myself, moving out of my comfort zone. Gail Carriger, one of my personal heroines, tried writing epic fantasy before she moved on to the wondrous mashup of Soulless. Basically, publishing is a lot like playing a Dark Souls game: persistence, learning and strategy win in the end. If not the last book you wrote, then perhaps the next. Here’s a happy song by my newest favorite band, Years and Years (which I write all my kissing scenes to). Listen to this, peel yourself off the mat, and get back in the fight:
Mar182016