From the Archive – Psychotic Persistence

Today’s article is brought to you by the Letter “P”. Jay Lake wrote yesterday in his blog about Psychotic Persistence. And yes, we’re back on that, because it always bears reinforcement. Persistence and perseverance are simply two of the most important elements in publishing.

To most people Jay Lake and writers like him seem to come out of no where the “overnight success”. They seem to blaze across the industry and be everywhere at once. What they didn’t see was the 10 years of writing, submitting, and working to get to that point.

Other writers are the “instant” success by making spectacular pro sales with their first few stories, and then there are years before they’re heard from again. It’s not that they’re not doing the work, but just not selling like they did out of the box. Then they start making the sales again.

And yet another set of writers start with small sales and build on that slowly over the years until they build up their publishing history until they finally break into the “pros” and/or the Big Time. They may make a few sales a year.

What do all these writers have in common? They’re doing it. They’re showing that persistence and determination that every writer needs to have to succeed in the industry. They’re writing. They’re submitting. They’re not giving up. No matter what.

There is also what I consider two different manners of submitting work. The first is the “laser approach”. Writers create a story with a specific market(s) in mind. They craft to those markets and hit them. Then there is what I call the “shotgun approach”. The writer creates a lot of material and hits every market imaginable until something sticks.

I admit to being a “shotgun” writer. I write – sometimes to a themed anthology or a specific anthology, but with – hopefully – a broader appeal. I hit all the markets possible until a story sells. Sometimes that’s only one or two markets. Sometimes it twenty-seven markets, but I don’t give up. I consistently have a dozen or more stories out in submission, and more in the process of being written. It’s Psychotic Persistence. It has to be or no one would survive in this industry.

Now, instead of writing about it, or even reading about it, it’s time to go do it. This is the one tine to apply butt to chair and raise the psycho banner proudly. I’m committed, Are you?

Tags: Archive, Jay Lake, persistence