Curses

by Charlotte Hinger

Writers are a superstitious lot. Curses that people put on our ability to write hold us back. Here are a few that "everyone" knows about writing.

1.  You will never write another novel as fresh as the first one. 

    This one nearly did me in. I heard it from my best friend. Since I started so high on the totem pole and then had trouble selling my second book, it was easy to believe this. The truth was that my first book was deeply flawed. Most of us become better writers as we go along. The craft of writing is learnable, teachable, and acquired through practice.

2.  Writers peak out in middle age.

    I can't remember where I read this. Truth is a lot of writers don't start until middle age. Some of the most successful, prolific writers I know started writing after they retired. Yet, I've noticed that folks who hope to write when they "have the time" will never find it. There's a lifetime of experimentation and learning the craft that late-comers miss out on. 

3.  It's not what you know. It's who you know. 

Oh please! I'm from Hoxie, Kansas. Not only did I not know anyone, I didn't know anything either. When you finish a book--hopefully in a genre, you're familiar with--then start reading and researching marketing advice. I believe that writer's conferences with time allotted for hearing pitches is an excellent way to start. 

In short, don't let preconceptions stop you.