Getting is right almost always starts with
getting it wrong. Unless we put ourselves
or someone else into danger, the only bad thing about making mistakes is
failing to try again. And again. And again.
And as many times as it takes to get it right.
That process, of trying it over and over
until it works, has been my mantra in life, and in writing. How many times have we said, or heard, ‘we
learn from our mistakes,’ or perhaps, if we’re lucky, ‘we learn from the
mistakes of others.’
As a writer, I often read, to see what
others are writing. I read what is
selling and I read what is getting good reviews. I also read what is new, or does not have good
reviews, or what might not be selling, yet. I read what appeals to me. This is how I learn from others’ mistakes,
and successes.
As I writer, I look at my own work. I put my work out there. I see which of my books sell, and which of
them earn good reviews. This is how I
learn from my own mistakes, and possibly, from my own successes.
Getting it right, as an author, can be a
long process. It almost certainly very
unlikely that the first novel we write is going to be a great
success. Almost any author will tell you
that they did a lot of writing before they ended up with a work that they were
happy with, or that sold well, or that got good reviews. But, the key is to keep trying. That means to keep writing.
In my case, I write because I want to
write. I write what I want to
write. I write for my own pleasure. I share my writing in the hope that some will
like it, and perhaps, the hope that I might somehow tell a story that will have an impact.
But, most importantly, I realize that it’s okay
to get it wrong, if I keep trying to get it right.
Wil
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