The Elements of Mystery Fiction: Writing the Modern Whodunit (25 page)

A few weeks later when Ethan’s turn came around again, our group would listen to the beginning of yet another new novel.

Ethan refused to revise. Whenever one of his scenes was critiqued and suggestions were offered, he gave up on it and started a new story, thinking maybe this time he’d get it right.

Rather than persist in honing what he’d written, much of which was wonderful, he abandoned it.

Ethan never did get anything published. Last I heard, he had quit writing. Such a waste of talent.

Finish the last word on the last page. Then dig in. Revise and edit. Hone those words, make those cuts, discard that character, shift that scene.

Writing a first draft is a monumental accomplishment. Editing it until it sings is even bigger.

999

You’re going to get rejected. And rejected again. And again. By agents. By editors. By publishers.

Remember: It’s not YOU that’s being rejected. It’s your work.

999

Nowadays you need an agent to sell your novel. You must submit your chapters to countless agents. They have the privilege of being your first rejectors.

So now you’ve got stacks of agent rejections. You must stink. It’s time to quit. What’s the point? Why bother? It’s too much work, heartbreak, and frustration.

A lot of people quit. What we know for certain about quitters is: They will never be published.

So persist.

Have faith in yourself and your work. Go back to it and sweat and write and edit some more.

Stick to the recipe.

And, finally, maybe you’ll get a nibble from an agent. Then a bite.

999

Persistence is just
doing it
. Not thinking about doing it or worrying about doing it. Doing it.

Keep writing.

Keep improving.

Keep getting feedback.

Keep submitting.

Submit only your very best work. Agents and editors don’t want to see half-baked or half-finished material. They’re not interested in potential. They want something to publish.

999

I meet Susie Editor at a writers conference. She loves my pitch, so at her request, I send her three chapters and a synopsis.

I’m thrilled. I send it.

She has a long list of suggested changes. Most of them make good sense to me.

I make them all and send them to Suzie.

Two months pass. No word from Suzie Editor. I call her and get her voice mail. I leave a message.

Another two weeks go by. I call again.

Molly Editor answers. I’m afraid, she says, Susie’s no longer with us. I’d be happy to look at your manuscript? Send me three chapters.

But wait. Susie has the whole novel. She said you guys wanted to buy it.

Sorry, Molly says. Never heard of it. Just send the chapters and a synopsis, please.

So I send Molly Editor the revised three chapters and a synopsis.

She doesn’t like my heroine. Nor does she like the plot. Or the setting. In fact, there’s nothing she does like about my novel.

Sorry, says Molly Editor. No sale.

I’m depressed for a week.

Then I pull out the recipe. And I write, write, write.

999

Why bother?

All
writers at one time or another have asked themselves: Why bother? Everyone experiences that frustration. I sure have. Four unpublished novels hide under my bed. At one point, after asking myself Why Bother for the millionth time, I took up gardening. Others writers I know have taken up sushi making, scuba diving, needlepoint. Most passions are less stressful than writing.

Many writers get discouraged and quit. That’s the end of any possible career.

Everyone who’s been published has gone back to writing.

If you return to writing, you stand a chance of getting published. If you don’t, you have no chance at all.

999

If it’s in you, you will, and if it’s not, you won’t. But be aware that others have walked this same path you’re walking now. Most successful writers faced a lot of early rejection and discouragement. They persisted.

Persistence isn’t all about fighting battles. There will also be admiration for your doggedness, for the fact that you’ve actually finished a novel. Others will care that you’re writing, and they’ll pull for you.

You should take pride in persisting. Persistence is admirable.

If you persist, you will reward not only yourself, but also your friends and your loved ones, when, finally, you see your book in print.

It feels swell. I know.

After twelve years of writing novels, of submitting manuscripts, of opening rejection letters, of landing an agent, of getting more rejections…I finally received an enthusiastic acceptance from a publisher.

My first novel is in print. Twelve years.…

Now I’ve gone back to the recipe. I’m writing a new novel, and I know I’ll have to persist all over again.

Believe, me, the second time is easier.

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