The Challenge Of Being An Author

[Lazola Pambo]

Many people take for granted the immense amount of work that authors undertake in order
to write a book, be it fiction or a memoir.
One may bump into a book reviewers column and find the unconstructive criticism behind an
amateur journalist or so called literary critic.

The majority of these people have the nerve to state comments such as "a boring book" or
"a book lacking exceptionality". It is true that people who have never written before or fail to
understand the extra hard put in by authors to complete a book-can never appreciate the
aesthetic beauty and discipline which results the end product.

Many book reviewers are quick to criticize-but the question one should ask-is whether are
they fit enough to also sit on their behinds and write a book.
Of course not-they would flee from the task at first sight.

The challenge of being an author is no walk in the park. So many loose canons think
that the trade itself is nothing but a hobby.
Wrong Again. Writers are innovators of which the world is eager to forsake-all because their
creativity is not an academic brag of rights-but rather it comes as the natural green forest, a
Spiritual gift that fellow human beings envy.

Lazola Pambo

[BooksNJoy]

The point people have to keep in mind is : Everybody can write but everybody isn't published.

I don't really think there're usuer manuals you have to follow step by step to be a good author. For me writing is much more like a feeling. True you have to wonder: who would read your book? What does people would like to read? In a way a writer shouldn't be selfish to succeed.

Hence an author isn't only someone with good ideas. If you take for instance David Gibbins, he has a plus because he was educated at university, was taught to dive and is a Member of the Royal Geographical Society. When you read one of his books you don't have the impression that he finds all the elements on the internet. You just admitt he is mastering his topic.

Every writers write on what they know because it's easier but also because it's relevant. When you become someone public people would know who you are, what you did before, whether your book is worthwhile reading it.

[Sherelle]

Being an author is like choosing any other career; you should always research and improve your craft, be professional, have integrity, and produce the best you can. In many cases however, the arts might not pay as well or as quickly as many other professions, but it has it's rewards in so many other ways. If it's something that you're passionate about, and committed to, a day on the job could be the joy of your life. And as with any other career, we authors might often have to defend our work!

[DATo]

All art is subjective. What appeals to one person may not appeal to another. The sad thing is that critics are paid to guide and help us select worthy reading material, but I can't tell you how many times I have disagreed with a critic. I do not think a critic, despite his or her documented credentials, can separate, objectively, their personal tastes from their professional responsibility ... frankly, I don't know how anyone can.

This is a good argument for the existence of websites such as this one. Here we can get recommendations from readers like ourselves rather than overpaid pundits who are too often out of touch with mainstream readers. I would much more willingly respond to the opinion of any poster to these boards, and take their opinions more seriously than I would a professional critic.

[Mazza WA]

"The majority of these people have the nerve to state comments such as "a boring book" or
"a book lacking exceptionality". It is true that people who have never written before or fail to
understand the extra hard put in by authors to complete a book-can never appreciate the
aesthetic beauty and discipline which results the end product."
I'm not sure what you are trying to say here Lazola. Some people will like a book, and some people won't. Nobody has to like every book that is written. I've read plenty of books that I think are boring, and that is not to say that other people will feel the same way - I've read books given a five star rating by others, and wondered if we were reading the same book! Also, not every book is an example of "aesthtic beauty", no matter how much work and discipline went into it.

I like Charles Dickens books, but I certainly don't like everything he wrote - it's a personal choice, and nothing to do with how "good" or "bad" the book is - sometimes a book just does not resonate on a personal level. And I don't need to know how to write to be a critic of what I read, any more than I need to be a mechanic to know that sometimes my car gets a better service than at others. Being creative and putting a book out there is a courageous thing to do, and it also means taking a chance that some people won't like it. As a reader, I reserve my right to be bored, to judge each book I read on what it means to me. Sorry if this upsets some people, but there it is.

[Schnappi]

As an author, you must know almost everything we met, and let the roman credible for other people

[FNAWrite]

A couple of points: "The point people have to keep in mind is : Everybody can write but everybody isn't published."

This is nonsense. No everybody can't write and this includes many who think they can.

The fact that the act of writing can be an act of "aesthetic beauty and discipline" does not exclude that writing can be bad - boring, unpleasing to some or all. The OP seems to dispute that some writing is indeed un-exceptional, asserting that all writing is an exceptional work of art simoply because the author mnay have worked hard to produce it.

Again - nonsense

[Kimpaluch]

Well...you've made a portion of my point. Nearly everyone can write. Maybe not well, but they write. think in terms of write versus Write. One is personal, the other more an art form.

I do agree with FNAWrite. Not everyone who wants to write is able to write well. It may be lack of education or other lack, but there are books that are badly written, and a lot of them seem to get published.

That said, I hate critiques that are not specific in any criticism but claim the whole book is bad. I also hate critiques that say almost anything bad because I want to write well, to be published, and to not be the 'bad book writer' in anyone's opinion..

Kim

[BooksNJoy]

To FNAWrite, Thanks form telling I'm infering nonsense. I appreciate you disagree my point of view yet, the printing industry is an industry. Therefore wrinting (and publishing) a book includes protitability. I'm not inventing it, that's just the way industries work.

They want to publish best sellers. But when you knock on the door of one of those editors if you haven't been published anywhere before, if you're not popular, if what your give them to publish is not what the readers would pay for. They would never answer your request.
Yes you can be self-published, everyone can. But would you pay for a book that have never been review to get rid of the mistakes, or for a book that all the pages will come off in a short run ? Needless to say being selfpublished is a way to control your own profitability and many of those books are way too expensive.

[SarahBGoode]

It is a worrying thought - how qualified are these critiques to write their reviews? One review, be it really good or really bad, can make such a difference to book sales for self-published authors, who don't have a big publishing house behind them to handle their marketing. It is a worrying thought.

[Casey_Harvell]

I feel some people almost treat it as a fad. If you're dedicated, it's awfully insulting.

[novel ninja]

the challenge of being an author is not so much inspiration rather than criticism and actually getting your work out there

[Maud Fitch]

After reading and agreeing with the comments, I would like to add that the word 'challenge' is only part of it.
From interviews I have read, to writers I have spoken to, the key words appear to be 'doggedness' and 'persistence'.
If writers genuinely love writing, they don't give up in the face of adversity.

[hillarybeth]

I've found it quite fun to hear the reactions of different people when I said it took me almost 2 years to get my book ready and would have taken much longer if I hadn't had 90% of the material already when I decided to compile it all. Some people have no idea what kind of editing goes on, even before you have someone else go through your work, or about the research and decisions and permissions that often have to be taken under consideration.

[jazmen23]

I have been writing for my entire life 20plus yrs. i am steadily looking for publication or ppl to ghost write for or anything. this is such a big field an everyone has an opinion its a lil nrrve racking to b in ths field but love an determination will get me through.