Glenn Cooper | Five Things No One Ever Told Me About Being a Writer
July 31, 2014
I wanted to be a published writer for as long as I can remember but I didn’t
actually get it done until I was older than I’d care to say. In the run-up to
crossing the proverbial threshold I was reasonably prepared for rejection and
got a good workout on that score, to wit, sixty-six literary agents told me to
pound sand before one said, yeah, I’ll give you a shot. But I was frankly
unprepared or even aware of a number of other things which turn out to be fairly
important to the life and times of a working writer, or at least this working
writer. Here are the top-five things I didn’t know in advance. And by the way, even if I
had known them it wouldn’t have changed my mind one bit about aspiring to the
writer’s life. 1. A good third of everything I do is geared to the business of being a
writer as opposed to writing. I had no idea! Maybe I’m less efficient
than other writers or maybe it’s a function of the fact that I chose not to
single worldwide deals for my books or even single English-language deals. I
have separate contracts for each of ten written and planed books in thirty
translations, none of them synchronized or coordinated, which means that in any
given year, I have different books coming out all the time in different
territories. So I always seem to need to be supporting book launches. That
translates into a fair bit of social media time, posting on FB and Twitter,
answering fan postings or direct messages or e-mails to my website, doing
written interviews and blog posts and, of course, real-life launch tours in
larger markets. Then there’s the matter of responding to notes and comments on
“finished” books from my agents and editors in different countries. Add to that
contracts management and commercial correspondence and you get the idea. It’s a
relief to get back to writing. 2. I had no idea I’d get so drawn into statistics. Okay, call
me shallow and vacuous but I happen to care about how many books I sell. You
write in a vacuum for months/years and then your book gets thrust into the
world. Of course writers write for themselves, but they also write for the
public and I’m interested to know how many eyeballs get engaged. So I check my
stats often. I could have substituted several adverbs for often. Religiously.
Compulsively. Aggressively. Before I was published I was vaguely aware of Amazon
rankings. Who knew that they were updated every HOUR? And do you have any idea
how many physical and e-book rankings there are in almost every major European
country, not to mention how many frequently updated bestseller are floating
around the world? It’s exhausting. 3. I had little appreciation for how much reviews would affect
me. I thought I was thick-skinned but when it comes to something as
personal as writing I found out I wasn’t. Now, I’ve been fortunate that my books
are generally reviewed well and in most forums which use a 5-star system I tend
to cluster around 4 stars on average. But here’s the maddening thing I’ve found
about my personality (I can’t speak for other writers): Good reviews are like a
nice piece of chocolate—they give pleasure for a short while and then they’re
gone. Bad reviews are like a case of food poisoning. They linger and leave a bad
taste for a long time. Unless they’re ridiculously off the mark I really take
bad reviews seriously and internalize them. I know, I should make the time to
see a shrink. 4. I didn’t know that plots and characters never leave you alone.
My books are complicated and densely plotted so I do a lot of advance
work outlining before I begin writing, but I don’t try to solve every twist and
turn beforehand. And I usually let the characters evolve as the writing
progresses. That means I’m constantly doing problem-solving and the characters
are always pestering me even when I’ve snapped the laptop shut for the day. I’ll
be having dinner, or chatting with my family, or watching TV, or trying to sleep
and the work-in-progress keeps bubbling up. Effectively, there’s no off time, or
at least, I haven’t found the off switch. 5. Finally, no one ever told me that I would absolutely hate finishing a
book and staring into an abyss. By that I mean I’m not comfortable
unless I have a rudimentary story idea for my next project before the current
one is finished. So far I’ve never had writer’s block or idea block, but it’s
something I’d very much like to avoid. So I always try to come up with the
concept for my next project when I’m no more than midway through my
work-in-progress. On reflection, it strikes me that I’ve come across here as rather neurotic, but
hey, if the shoe fits… But let me be clear: notwithstanding the ebbs and flows,
ups and downs, a writer’s life is a very good life and I wouldn’t trade it for
all the 5-star reviews in China. Find out more about Glenn and his books on his website, Wikipedia,
Facebook,
Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram. Comment for a chance to win your own copy of THE TENTH
CHAMBER.
Comments
19 comments posted.
Re: Glenn Cooper | Five Things No One Ever Told Me About Being a Writer
This book sounds really interesting. Looking forward to reading it. (Patricia Solla 1:39am July 31, 2014)
What a great message. On the book, you had me at "medieval script".
This is why I like and read about the authors on freshfiction, I find neww authors, to me, to read. (Leona Olson 9:25am July 31, 2014)
Congratulations on your book!! I'm sure that as time goes on, your skin is going to get a little bit tougher, although even though you put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into each book, having to read something a bit hateful about something you've worked so hard on has to be hard. I suppose that's why I haven't had the guts to write the book that I've had inside of me all these years. It takes a bit of a cast iron stomach, and I just can't go through the rejections that go along with it right now. There is too much going on in my own life. For now, I'll just sit back and enjoy reading these wonderful pieces of work that you talented Artists put out. Congratulations again, and may you have a long career ahead of you!! (Peggy Roberson 10:28am July 31, 2014)
A very interesting and interview and captivating novel. Nothing in life is easy to achieve and accomplish. We have to persevere and then hopefully succeed. Best wishes and much success and happiness. (Sharon Berger 12:17pm July 31, 2014)
If you didn't care you would not be as good a writer. (MaryEllen Hanneman 3:00pm July 31, 2014)
So true, the grit and grunge work involved with writing has a lot of prep time to get you lined up and ready for the words to flow. (Alyson Widen 5:35pm July 31, 2014)
The books looks great and thanks for the list. I am almost finished with my first book. It looks like I have a lot to learn. I already know that you are so right about #4. (Amy Kincade 6:18pm July 31, 2014)
I agree, those pesky characters never let you rest! And bad reviews are hard to get over, definitely. It takes a lot more good reviews and praise from the masses to get the taste out of your mouth, but you never forget it. (Jennivie Wirries 8:49pm July 31, 2014)
Sounds like writing has been a huge learning experience for you. I like that you are so self aware. (Diane McDaniel 8:59pm July 31, 2014)
I don't think most writers would be aware of everything that goes into writing a book. Item #4 is a sign of a great writer, in my opinion. (Lisa Carr 10:52pm July 31, 2014)
Thank you for the opportunity to win in august too! (Diane McDaniel 2:00pm August 1, 2014)
What a great plot for a book! A map to a treasure hidden in a cave! I'll have to read this one. (Sandy Fielder 3:49pm August 1, 2014)
A chance to win a copy of TENTH CHAMBER is a great way to start a new month. The more I read about the plot, the more I wanted to read it. (Anna Speed 4:03pm August 1, 2014)
goody nice contest (Kent Cook 4:50pm August 1, 2014)
Thank you for the insight into the life of a writer. The book sounds great! (Denise Austin 5:26pm August 1, 2014)
I love thrillers, and I love archeology. Sounds like a terrific read! (Kathleen Gardiner 11:27pm August 1, 2014)
This book sounds like it's right up my alley! I adore what I call 'medical thrillers' - Kathy Reichs is my favorite author :-) Couple that with archeology, and what's not to like? (Karen Arrowood 11:47pm August 1, 2014)
Thanks you for your insight of being a writer and writing. It gives me a better perspective of what goes into writing a book. (Kai Wong 12:01pm August 2, 2014)
I would like to see High Schools offer classes on writing because there are many great writer that don't realize they are. Classes like this might just light a spark for some of those and start a great career. (John Zeiger 3:47pm August 2, 2014)
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