Today is the last blog tour day with Erica Vetsch.
CJ: What has been the reaction when people ask what you do for a living?
Erica: The reactions have been as varied as the people who ask. One lady asked me if I was a millionaire now. Um...no! Some people are excited, some are disinterested, and some give the impression of sour grapes. By and large, the response has been positive. A lot of folks say they've always wanted to write a novel. I say, "Go for it!"
Today is the last day to leave a comment to have your name entered in a drawing for Erica's debut novel The Bartered Bride. The winner will be announced at noon EDT on 31. October 2009
A big thank you to Erica for including The Pony Express in her blog tour. I enjoyed chatting with you and also having a week's worth of blog posts! (-;
Question for Erica. You say if I want to write, to "go for it". So, all I have to do is belt out my novel and then just send it to a publisher? It's that easy?
ReplyDeleteErica, I for one, am glad that you do what you do.
ReplyDeleteCJ, um, no, that's not all there is to it. However, if you never 'belt out [a] novel' you never will get published. I recently read somewhere that 81% of the American population thinks they have at least one novel in them, and they'd write it if they had time.
ReplyDelete81%?
Yet, how many actually sit down and start a novel, and of that percentage, how many finish one?
And statistics show that getting the first novel you ever wrote published is so rare as to be urban myth.
If you want to write a novel, then the first step is to sit down and start. Then finish it. Then write another one, and another one, and another one. Keep learning about this artform called the Novel. And you learn by doing.
Most people don't say "I have always wanted to paint a masterpiece, and I would, if I just had the time." They recognized the hours and years of study that go into learning to paint on a masterpiece level. Somehow though, people get the impression that writing a novel and getting it published 'just happens' when the reality is, hours and years and money and time and emotion goes into learning how to craft a decent novel. And even then, that's no guarantee of publication.
Sorry to bust anyone's bubble there, but them's the facts. The beautiful thing is, nothing is stopping you from writing that first novel (and the next) except you. If it's something you really want to do, then again, I say "go for it." Just don't expect it to be easy.
It's been fun following your interview series, CJ, and getting to know more about Erica and her new book. I'll be watching my bookstore for it. Best of luck to her with it!
ReplyDeleteSour grapes? Really? Some people are sad. It's jealousy. Dream following is pure joy. Congrats!
ReplyDelete