December 21st 2007
Are You a REAL Writer Yet?
One of the hardest parts about being a writer is never getting that sense of validation other professions have. For instance, after years of medical school, you’re conferred a doctorate and you get a nice certificate to hang on your office wall. What do writers get? Nada. Well, okay, eventually, you get your name on the spine of a novel and perhaps a SFWA card you can take out and flash people at cocktail parties.
Now, you can also give yourself this: http://www.simner.com/realwriter.html
Go ahead, get yourself one for Christmaskwanzakkah! You know you want one.
–
*Thanks to Janni Lee Simner at Fangs, Fur, & Fey for this tip.
Filed under writing process, For Novelists. You can also use this URL to trackback.
There are 7 comments. Get the RSS feed for comments on this entry.
Have your say:
Author Information
Lyda Morehouse
Lyda Morehouse is the author of the science fiction AngeLINK series. She's won the Shamus and the Philip K. Dick Special Citation for Excellence (aka 2nd place). Her books have also been nominated for the Romantic Times Critics' Choice and preliminary Nebula ballot. She lives in the deep-freeze of Saint Paul, MN with her partner of twenty-odd years, their son, and lots and lots of cats (and fish!) Visit site.
Topics
- announcements
- Blogroll
- Contributors
- featured posts
- For Novelists
- launchpad
- learning to write
- Not Remotely Writing Related
- our authors
- our books
- publicity and promotion
- publishing
- publishing trends
- reading
- sampler
- the business of writing
- Uncategorized
- video
- writing process
Archives
Browse our archives:
Member's Writings
You can browse our authors' books out this month, or check out free samples of their work:
...check out more books by us
1. Jim C. Hines on Dec 21st, 2007 at 11:39 am
Grin. I’ve sold four novels and thirty-some short stories, and I’m still waiting to feel like a *real* writer.
2. Lyda Morehouse on Dec 21st, 2007 at 12:01 pm
I hear ya, bro!
It’s funny how we, as writers, continually set bigger and bigger milestones for ourselves to be “real.” First you have to sell something, anything…. then, it has to qualify for SFWA membership, then the novel, then the bestseller — there’s always something just ahead you need to make yourself feel “real.”
3. Ari B. on Dec 21st, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Unrelated to your post, I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the link angel series and I’m glad you’re still writing.
AB
4. cstross on Dec 22nd, 2007 at 10:55 am
I eventually got over my imposter syndrome by winning a Hugo. Having a two-kilo lump of chromed steel to whack it over the ugly rearing head with is really helpful …
5. Martyn Drake on Dec 24th, 2007 at 8:14 am
I can barely string a coherent sentence together, let alone write a novel! But one is trying next year. When he has the time.
6. Brenda Munday Gifford on Dec 26th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
As with most anyone in any of the arts, self-gratification doesn’t seem to be enough. I find that with this first published novel I too am waiting for outside verification of my status of “real writer”. Perhaps being a writer of speculative fiction I can take solace in imagining that I am only a character in my next book and I can make her a real writer. Happy New Year and Happy New Writing.
7. Peter McLaughlin on Dec 29th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
I suspect that what we have here is a specific example of the generic Human Condition. People who strive/seek/find (and that isn’t everyone) will always look not at what they have done but at what they have not yet done.