Is it because you’ve got your work “out there”?
No! The real writer is a prize fighter
Against rejections and those who don’t care
About your work, struggles or even you.
You have to write, no matter what you do.
You’d write even if you couldn’t be paid.
You never let your writing become staid.
I guess that can be summed up as “don’t give up”! It certainly does mean taking rejections on the chin, expecting to get them and where there are comments seeing what you can learn from them. And the more you write the quicker you learn. It can be a case of putting in the work at the old typeface! The more you write the quicker you will get to prose that flows because you’ve already practised writing it.
Give the writing competitions a try
But make sure they’re reputable ones so
A shortlisting or a win then earned by
Your story can boost your CV and show
All agents and publishers you can write
Well, to a theme, to a deadline and tight.
It’s always cheering to be able to put a list of writing successes down for a letter to an agent and/or publisher. A lot of the competitions will also give feedback for what is usually a small additional fee. And practicing writing to order is always a good idea. I’ve found it’s sharpened my writing skills.