Thursday, January 5, 2012

Competitive Writing

Some of the blogs I visit have a little yellow block on them that contains writing advice. In general I agree with most of the tips that show up but the one today had me scratching my head. "Every writing project competes in the marketplace. It's important to know your competition."

As a short story writer it's hard enough to figure out what an editor wants without having to worry about what other writers are writing to fill one of those vacant slots. The truth is, I don't write like Patti Abbott, or Michael Bracken, or Stephen Rogers, or Keith Rawson, or any one of a thousand other writers out there.

I'm me, and I'm my only competition. All I can do is write the best story I know how and submit it. The rest is up to the editor. If a hundred stories show up for one slot in a magazine, chances are I won't be the one filling it. That doesn't mean my story wasn't wonderful, it just means the editor preferred someone else's story. And the reasons can range from the subject matter I chose to write about to the fact that he spilled hot coffee in his lap while reading it.

When you submit, study your market, see what the editor has published in the past, try to get a handle on the market's target audience. Then sit down and write and rewrite until you have a polished story that you're proud of. The rest, well, that's up to the luck of the drawn.

Our best chance of getting published is to keep learning, to keep improving our writing skills, and to keep writing and submitting. Worrying about what the other guy is writing? Well, that will just drive you crazy.

13 comments:

Rick said...

You are so right, Sandra- you just write the best story you can. We get so many submissions at our online White Cat Magazine, and so many of them are well written that it's kind of hard to choose!

Katherine Tomlinson said...

We're all in this together. I think the Clarity of Night fiction challenges, or any of Patti Abbott's are a good example of just how different we all are as writers. Taking the same prompt and writing WILDLY different tales.

Chris Rhatigan said...

Cheers to that. We live in such an overly competitive society that people like to make everything about sticking to the other guy/gal.

Warren Bull said...

Trying to worry about what others are writing is like trying to follow your ratings on Amazon. It'll drive you nuts and there are no advantages to trying.

sandra seamans said...

That's the only control any writer has, Rick, to write their best.

I agree Katherine. It continually surprises me how many different stories come out of those challenges. And the talent displayed is simply amazing.

And that's what i love about the mystery community online, Chris - we are always cheering for the other writers and wishing them success.

Exactly, Warren!

Chris Rhatigan said...

I agree, Sandra, that is what I like about the online crime writing community as well.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I am so glad we don't write like each other. How boring that would be.

sandra seamans said...

Boring, indeed, Patti. And that's the biggest joy of reading shorts, the variety that each writer brings to a story even if the theme is the same.

Rick said...

Mystery is one genre short story I wish we got more submissions for at White Cat Magazine, Sandra

Al Tucher said...

Spot on, Sandra. We don't need any additional pressure to make us crazy.

Ben said...

I like to think about the writing market as a "the more, the merrier" type of situation. I mean, I'm a pretty voracious reader, but I found money for Lawrence Block, Jonathan Franzen, Heath Lowrance, Keith Rawson, Jack Kerouac...a reader's a reader. If you write good, you will be read.

I understand your feeling Sandra. Because it drives me fucking nuts too. I try to get in that zen state where only the work matters, but it's not easy in the information age.

Thomas Pluck said...

Reading other writers is important, but not as a competitive exercise. A writer is like a runner- you can compete with yourself, just fine. Run a marathon with a thousand others if you feel like it, but if you were alone with a stopwatch you could do the same thing.

sandra seamans said...

You're right, Al, we put enough pressure on ourselves without any outside help.

Yes, Ben, only the work should matter, but the marketing people tend towards what they know sells and hate to upset their little money-making apple cart.

Reading others writers is so important, Thomas. I've learned more from reading, both good and bad, than from all the books on writing sitting on my shelves. And the race should be about making each new story our personal best.