Forum reply from unknown author:
I just recently noticed you replied to my post, so my apologies for the length of time in between. Your response made me smile. The thing is, this hasn’t been an easy road to publication, but it has been an interesting one. I have worked my way through multiple review sites with my manuscript (Book Country, Critique Circle, Scribophile, etc.) before it was ready to be read by another human being, let alone read by a potential publisher. The general public, or at least the members of it willing to read my work, have been the greatest help to me. Everyone noticed something different, good and bad, about my manuscript, and helped me to develop my skills as a writer. Once I determined the critique material was valid, I made my way into doing research on the specific topics, essentially studying until I understood the material, and then moved on to writing and re-writing where needed. I’ve been through everything from proper comma placement to the intricacies of emotional expression in writing, with volumes in between. I go about my writing with no expectations…but as long as I’m writing, I have hope. I write because I love it, because it makes me happy (and frustrated, and sad, and overjoyed). I don’t know if ‘fight’ is the right term for me, but I think if someone wants it, if they want to work toward publication, it involves continual effort to learn and grow as a writer. They must be open to criticism and praise, all while maintaining a solid core of belief in themselves. I’ve been turned down by agents, I’ve been turned down by publishers, and I think much if it had to do with the fact that I simply hadn’t done enough work. Rejections never kept me down very long (at least not for more than a day), because I just dusted myself off and started writing again. I believe editors have a vital role in the success of the author, but the biggest role is played by the author themselves.
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