Be a Sponge

Be ready. Be willing. Be able.

A long time ago, I read these three sentences on an agent blog (sorry, I can't remember the author). I thought they were terrific guideposts for writers.


I'd like to add a fourth. Be a sponge.

Many aspiring writers are ready and willing. It's the able that gets them. That's why we need to be a sponge.

Let's look at a fictional aspiring writer, Susie. Susie wrote her first manuscript last year during NaNoWriMo. She spent the bitter winter months revising and editing it, and she attended her first writer's conference in June where she pitched to an editor and an agent. Both requested a partial.

Susie is pumped. She knows she's got what it takes and certain it will be a short wait until her big dream comes true. Of course, if her future publisher has suggestions, she'll take them, but as far as she's concerned, she'll land a contract, and soon.

What Susie finds out eight weeks later from both the agent and the editor is that her story shows promise but she needs to work on her craft. They decline her project.

Her craft? Rejected? What??

Susie takes a few days to rant, cry, and eat brownie batter. Slowly, she returns to life. She remembers how that guy from the fiction workshop self-published his book. He made it sound easy. Maybe the agent and editor don't know everything. A hidden part of her protests, though, since both pointed out the same problem.

She doesn't rule self-publishing out, but decides she'd better investigate writing techniques and make her book as polished as possible before making any publishing decisions.

She starts paying attention to the blogs she's read that talk about point of view, info dumps, and backstory. Even though she doesn't quite believe she's doing any of those things, she checks out a few recommended books on the writing craft. As she reads, she has many breakthrough moments. Once more, she gets excited about writing.

Now she knows what she needs to do. As she writes book two, she knows she's writing much better than her last book. She queries agents and gets a few requests. This time she gets a rejection based on pacing.

Pacing? She heads back to the blogs, checks out more books. And so the process goes.

While she's learning about writing, she's also picking up advice about self-publishing, e-publishers, and traditional print publishers. She now knows the genre she writes, let's say urban fantasy, sells really well as an e-book and she decides to query a respected e-publisher. She not only gets a request, she gets a contract.

Susie was smart. Sure, she had big dreams for her first book, who doesn't? Some writers actually get their first book published--why not her? But when her book one got rejected, she took the advice given and worked on improving. She kept studying, kept her ears perked for advice, and picked up every tip she could.

Now when Susie writes, she's creating better books, and she's building an audience. Her confidence is based on a solid foundation. She knows she'll always be soaking in writer advice. And because she was willing to be a sponge, she is able.

Be ready. Be willing. Be able. Be a sponge.

Are you always on the lookout for tips to improve your writing? Do you have anything to add to the mantra?

Have a wonderful Monday!

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