Posts in Series for HelenKay Dimon
- Make Me Believe
- What’s Your Definition Of Lucky?
- It’s A Dog’s Life
When it comes to my writing life, I’m a lurker. Call it fear. Call it an introvert issue. Whatever it is, it means I usually blend into the background and listen. Of course, every now and then I overhear something that makes my head pop off my shoulders. What follows is a semi-actual conversation I overheard at a writer’s conference. Yeah, I left my house to meet with other writers. It was a shock to me too. The statements aren’t exact quotes but are darn close. And, really, I showed up because Kate Duffy was there and anyone who knows me knows I’ve made it my life’s mission to stalk (in a non-violent way) this poor woman until she BUYS something I’ve written.
There were two published authors – we’ll call them Anne (because that’s not her real name) and Sue (because I’ve tried to wipe her real name from my memory), and two unpubbeds who we’ll call unpubbed #1 and unpubbed #2 ( I have no idea if they even have names). The conversation went something like this:
SUE: I really miss being unpubbed, don’t you? Everything was so easy back then.
ANNE: Absolutely. That was the life.
UNPUBBED #1: Huh?
UNPUBBED #2: < frown >
SUE: You guys are so lucky. You don’t really know how lucky.
ANNE: Definitely. Very lucky. I miss those days.
UNPUBBED #1: But…
UNPUBBED #2: < scowling >
Now, don’t send 106 emails about how getting published doesn’t solve all your problems. I get that. I honestly do. Getting published is not a ticket to the Promised Land. Everyone has issues. The insecurities and pressures of writing life don’t disappear overnight just because someone is under contract with a publisher. That all makes sense. The above conversation doesn’t. My point – you are published. You’ve conquered that step. Don’t underestimate that accomplishment. But, don’t underestimate how annoying it is as an unpubbed to hear a pubbed yearn for the old days. Do published folks really miss the unending wait for a response? The wondering if anyone will ever find you good enough for THE CALL? The endless parade of contests and rejections? The not knowing?
Yeah, that’s the life. Very lucky.
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I sort of get the meaning, but . . . if I ever say anything like that in front of any unpubbed, the unpubbed — whether she knows me or not — is allowed to thump me longside the head. Seriously.
Well said, HelenKay! I’m ready and willing to trade one set of problems for another. Immediately.
Not that I’m impatient or anything.:wink:
Great post Helen! Frankly, if I were one of those unpubbed authors, I’d be offended. It comes off very diva-ish and condescending (or I’m taking it totally out of context).
(and I”m not saying being published makes it not fun anymore–this is what I get for blog hopping at 4 AM 
) but like everyone else has said each level brings it’s own set of issues to deal with, whether you’re just starting out, on the cusp of selling or a NY Times bestselling author.
Larissa I love your analogy! Unfortunately I don’t think you have to be published to lose that fun feeling