YW, Mary. And thanks for your addition to the conversation!

YW, Kirtida!

Should everyone publish a book? No, of course not. But having the tools and the energy and the patience to write a book will go a long way. Also,
there are so many people who tell you what they think about EVERYBODY in the world. And not everyone is out there writing.

You are a writer if your best work is writing; if you love the feeling of creating and seeing to completion your book. Read lots of books. Write every day. You are your very own critic… don’t allow anyone else to make decisions about how you spend your golden coins.

Thanks for the clear advice. Best wishes, Mary Latela

Thanks, Chris, glad it resonated with you. I think the whole process is so personal, so specific to each of our experiences and proclivities, I generally dismiss any of those “THIS is how you should do it” mandates!

Except for approaching the “business” of publishing with a non-negotiable standard of excellence and a willingness to take all the necessary steps to get it there. Sounds like you’ve got a handle on that one!

Best of luck to you in your publishing journey…it IS quite the adventure, isn’t it?

Thank you, Deborah, for sharing the piece and taking time to leave a comment. I love your concluding sentence and so share the sentiment.

Personally, I think it’s great for so many to have the dream of publishing, but feel, as you do, that the creative urge to WRITE, to express thoughts and feelings, put plots, narratives, and inspirations into words, should be the true impelling force. I would never dissuade anyone from pursuing a dream, but even dreams have to be built on solid foundation.

I’m sometimes reminded of when my son was six and I introduced him to a friend who happened to be a black-belt karate master. My son shook this man’s hand and said, after having taken one beginners karate class, “I’m a black-belt too.” My friend smiled and very gently said, “Well, you may be one day, but the only way you get there is to study hard, practice a lot, and take your hits along the way until you really understand what it takes to be a master.” Somehow that advice seems transferrable, doesn’t it? 🙂

Thanks, E.L….I appreciate that. I hate people that overdo the CAPS thing and I kinda went a little overboard there! 🙂

Someone asked me the other day if the indie industry could set up their own filtering system in hopes of raising the quality and production standards of the market, but, like you, I think the entrenchment of less stringent attitudes IS deep. I’ve had people bristle at my insistence that it takes more than just dreaming, wishing, and hoping to be a quality writer. And it wouldn’t matter if just any level of work got published, except that the glut of lesser work has created stigmas, stereotypes, and negative branding that impacts us all. I’d like to see that change, and that can only happen if the quality of the work, overall, demands it. I hope that happens.

Thanks again for being part of the conversation!

Thanks for the comment AND for sharing the article, Diana! I appreciate it. I’m probably being redundant at this point, but I really believe we each have our own “personal best” to live up to, regardless of what else is happening in the traditional publishing industry, or even our own…the self-publishing world. There’s good and bad in both, but without the gatekeepers writers rely on in the traditional world, we indies are each responsible for producing and delivering the very best work we can. I’m happy to see more and more writers not only discussing this, but living up to it!