"Writing a first novel takes so much effort, with such little promise of result or reward, that it must necessarily be a labour of love bordering on madness." ~Steven Saylor
and
"Writing a synopsis is my favorite thing to do.
Said no author, ever." ~ (I have no clue who to credit this to. It's been around a while though)
And it got me to thinking... being an author is hard. I know, I know, this isn't a surprise, but sometimes I do forget. You see, I love my job. LOVE my job. Parts of it are less fun than others though. So let's go through the list of things some author somewhere hates (generally in the order they are done):
- Research
- Drafting
- Revising
- Critique partners
- Synopsis writing
- Querying
- Waiting (at any stage of the game)
- Contract deciphering
- Cover info sheets
- Cover copy writing
- Editorial letters
- More edits
- Line edits
- Copy edits
- Release day
- Promo
- Reviews
- Conventions
- Sequels
Now, there are parts of that list that I love, parts I like, parts I have love-hate relationships with, parts I'm not fond of and parts that make me cry. Best parts for me? Drafting, my crit partners, revising, early stage edits, & conventions. Worst? Research, waiting, contracts, cover copy, & promo.
What about you? If you're published, use the whole list. If you aren't yet, use the list as you see fit (either just what you have experience with or how you think you'll feel about it later)
