Writing a Novel Really is Like Winning the World Series or Super Bowl

I know you’re probably thinking, “Two blog posts from Isabella in six days?” Well, you’re right!

If you follow sports, then you probably know that tonight is the first game of the World Series. For the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals will be playing the American League Champions, the Boston Red Sox. (For those of you that know me, you know how hard it was to write the words, American League Champions and Red Sox, right?)

Non-sports fans, I will stop boring you now…

Practice: If you’re a writer, you know that it’s best to write every single day. Whether it’s 100 or 1,000 words, it’s important to just get something down. This is especially important if you’re on a deadline. Practice, practice, practice = write, write, write! (Blogger note: After “The Right Design” is published in January, I need to learn to take my own advice to write each day!)

The Game: Yay! You’ve written a book! Sit back and relax! Take a week off (at the most, two), but be prepared to come back to your novel, knowing the hard part is just beginning! “The hard part?” you ask me. “YES!” Playing the game, is the hard part! If this weren’t true, being a writer would be easy, but it’s not. It’s the part where you look back over your MS, and even dabble in the thought of sending it out to beta-readers (I loved mine) and to anyone else who you think would like to read it over. The most important part of this process is picking people who will give you honest and helpful feedback.

Championship Games: If you’ve revised your book and are happy with it, now it’s time to play the game. Since you have coaches (um, I mean, editors), then you should feel in safe hands with them as they guide you down the field (or, in this case, page by page). Every whistle they blow (comment they make), time out they call (email they send you to cheer you on or answer a question you had), they’re there for you. If you have talented people to help you along the way, then you’re bound to learn to play the game the right way, and I’m sure you’ll learn a few things in the process.

World Series or Super Bowl: Congratulations! You’ve made it to the World Series or Super Bowl! How do you feel to have your manuscript completed? Now that it’s gone live for the world to see (meaning you’ve pressed “PUBLISH”), it’s time to be welcomed out onto the field. Whether you’re the starting pitcher or quarterback (a well-known author) or you’ll be playing in the outfield or wide receiver (a debut author, who’s being welcomed into the world of publishing), it’s time to start gathering your fanbase. While it’s nice to have your friends and family support you, it’s also important for others to do so, too. Using social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter are the two places I highly recommend. Create Facebook and Twitter pages and enjoy receiving “Likes” and “Follows” along the way. **Blogger tip: When using Facebook, do not create a page using your book’s name, use your author name. This will be easier for when you playing in the World Series or Super Bowl again and your fans know what you’re up to.

The most important step in playing this game is to know that you won’t win each game. Sometimes, you’ll just come to play (publish a book and just having it just do okay). Don’t worry, there will be next games (books you’ll write), and you might even win the World Series or Super Bowl. When you do, it’s important for you to take time to enjoy being in the spotlight. Tell yourself, “I can do this! I’m an author!” (It might take even weeks for it to hit you that you’ve written an Amazon or B&N top ten list).

My question for you is, “Are you ready to go to Disneyland?” If so, start practicing! 🙂