: Re: Stop thinking own work is stupid Servus, I once again started wondering what might be the problem that keeps me from finishing most of my novels. To compare, there are two novels about 400

@Samaraweera193

Vote Up Vote Down

Sometimes work that is hugely flawed in one respect can have some other aspect strong enough to make up the difference. Conversely, a work that seemingly makes all the right choices can still fail to be worth the reader's time. And, of course, readers vary greatly in tastes and tolerances.

An artist is often not the best judge of his or her own work. The fact that even one person made it all the way through your first book and loved it speaks well for it --400 pages is a serious commitment of time and attention. If the work is complete, you might as well go ahead and try to sell it. If it sells, then you know it was "good enough" to get published. If not, you're no worse off than you are now, and you might possibly get some good feedback along the way.

Although many talented authors with brilliant books never get them published, there are --as you have discovered --any number of books that are "huge messes" that make it into print. Some even find a devoted audience. At this point, the one confirmed difference between the authors of those books and you is that they didn't let doubts about the quality of their work stop them from pushing forward. To quote Robert Heinlein's famous 5 Rules For Writing:

You must write.
You must finish what you write.
You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
You must put the work on the market.
You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.

(0)

Login to post a comment!