How much help have you really gotten from other writers?

Well, actually, I'm NOT kidding. If you are looking for a mentor, you should understand that (when it works) it is a form of dynamic, functional symbiotic relationship - the one where both sides involved, the "student" AND the mentor, gain benefits in form of mutual growth, transfer of creative energies, ideas and emotions. A good mentor learns from the one s/he mentors. And it's a relationship. It should involve both parties. And both should be ready and willing to participate. A mentor will seek you - and it's not Yoda speaking here

What you might look for is a partner, to put it more down to earth - not a Great Big Acclaimed Author who will take you under his wing and make you one of the selected few, based on your magnificent talent. As you said yourself, it's the 21st century, not 19th! We moved far from the age of Geniuses...

 

I suspect that you're fairly drastically overestimating the writing income of famous writers. I doubt that most of them even have a secretary. The ones famous enough to have one are probably famous enough to get so much mail and have so much other business that they'd have to hire a dedicated secretary purely for the cause of finding new writers. A secretary with some literary talent, given that it's her job to identify such talent. So this won't be a high school student working for minimum wage .

So, wages, benefits, workman's comp, Social Security, office space, all for the purpose of recognizing new writers so that the successful can...

Do what for them? Offer an encouraging word? I still don't see what the successful writer can do for you, even if he were willing to spend a large percentage of his writing income-- in fact, quite possibly all of that income plus more-- in order to identify the people that he wants to do it for.

Now, if you feel that it's important for this work to be done, perhaps you could volunteer to do it-- to work as an unpaid "reader" for a famous writer. Then the effort would only cost the writer the insurance, office space, etc.

If you're not willing to make that sacrifice, accept that loss of income and writing time, why should the writer?

Edited to add: In addition to the encouraging word, a writer could give you advice, but it's pretty clear that you're not open to advice. You rejected the facts about how difficult your writing field is, the advice about how few copies you're likely to sell. If you just wanted someone to lie to you about the likely rewards of essay writing, you wouldn't need a famous writer for that; anyone can lie to you. These famous writers are telling you the truth, and you are rejecting it.

I understand that you don't want a lie; you want the truth to be something different. But these writers, no matter how famous, can't change the truth.

 

At the end of the day, the purpose of this thread is for someone that thinks that their writing is God's gift to the earth can complain that they can't just hand their writing over to someone, get praise, and have it sent directly to someone that can publish it for them, without the typical troubles of writing out a query and hunting down agents that are interested in representing their work. They're too good to go through all that trouble. And you know what? It's fine - because, at the end of the day, all that means is that they're not going to get published.

Spend all your time waiting for someone to give you handouts and nothing gets done. It's your own decision to waste your time writing to people who have no business trying to get a stranger's work published. You can make the option to send your work through the right system. If that system isn't working for you...well, maybe that's not the system's fault. Maybe your work isn't as "exceptional" as you like to think that it is.

I don't care if you're the next James Baldwin. You don't get through life waiting for other people to do the work for you, and the publishing world is no different. Instead of spending hours writing responses to people that are just telling you the honest-to-god truth, why not sit down and write an EXCEPTIONAL query letter for your EXCEPTIONAL writing to attract an EXCEPTIONAL agent?

 

Let me clarify things a bit. I never expected anyone to help me. I just gave them the opportunity to do so if they made that choice. Why not reach out to new writers? Maybe, just maybe, we could even be helpful to those who have already made it. Learning is a lifelong process, and even famous people should be willing and eager to learn from others, including beginners such as myself.
How do you know what I wrote to these people? It wasn't fan mail by any means. I must also say that my goal was to eventually sell ten thousand copies of a book. I might have to work up to that level if I don't strike it big right away.

 

Hmm... Interesting question.

Perhaps because, for ever 10 established authors/writers out there, there are 1,000 new writers? Perhaps because, if the authors took the time to respond to every writer that wrote to them in the hopes of receiving some grand advice or a push in the right direction, they would have absolutely no time for their own writing? Or, here's a thought: perhaps because there are already people out there that fill the position of analyzing the work of new writers and determining whether or not they're worthy of publication.

 

I appreciate your feedback. I must say, however, that you have clearly misinterpreted the reasons why I have taken the time to write emails of a few thousand words to leading authors and commentators. I introduced myself, mentioned my sincere admiration for their work, and then told them some about myself and my interest in writing. If they had any information or advice to offer, that would be appreciated, but it's not as if I went up to them and directly asked for their help. Crass, unseemly, pestering - you seem to have a rather low regard for me or, more accurately, for the merely average type person you apparently think I am. In fact, I am an intensely special person and any well known author should feel honored to know me. Ever heard of Intertel? It's an organization that only accepts as members who are in the top 1% of the population in intelligence. Having a high IQ doesn't mean that one is a good writer or anything else for that matter, although it surely means that one should never be slotted into the mere average category. I will be joining Intertel next month. I am very special and should be treated as such. I don't care if some well known author receives a thousand letters and emails a week. He should have taken the time to read my long email. They should be the ones criticized for their actions and certainly not me.

 

Writing takes up a lot of time, and any writer wishing to help new writers would teach a creative writing course. That brings me to my next point. If you want to interact with famous writers, take a creative writing class taught by one of them. That's probably the easiest way to get their attention. As a bonus, they'll be reading and critiquing your work.

I seriously hope you're joking.

 

It's rather disappointing to see how negatively the people here view my motives and overall character. Why do you say that I am not open to advice? I understand how difficult it is to be a writer but so what if the odds seem to be against me. Should I listen to the standard advice, be "realistic" and then just give up? So what if 99.9% of writers don't succeed. Does that mean that you believe that beginners should just quit? You haven't given up your dreams so don't expect me or others to do so. How do you or anyone know how many copes I will sell? The average may be only a hundred, but I am far from average so it wouldn't surprise if I do much better than everyone else on this forum. Is that an arrogant statement? Perhaps, but it could very well be the truth. All of the advice you and others have given, no matter how well meaning, is geared to those average writers who quite frankly don't have what it takes. I am very special, so the standard advice doesn't apply to me.

 

He must be because I certainly am not taking him seriously anymore. If this is how he's expressing himself to the authors he's been writing...not even fan mail by his own admission but an ego trip he wants them to stroke even further...I'm surprised he's had any replies at all. Aberdeen, you're never going to get anywhere on the track you're on so change your approach or stop complaining. It's really as simple as that and if you are still not understanding what we have all been respectfully and genuinely saying and offering to you from one writer to another, the supposed Intertel boast is completely thrown into question.

 

@thirdwind - do the super-intelligent, extra-special set allow themselves to joke? I mean, about things other than taking the cube root of 1 in base tau...

To paraphrase that great philosopher - Popeye - the bigger they think they are, the harder they fall. Wish I could be a fly on the wall the first time he gets a rejection notice. If he ever actually submits anything, that is.

 

Here we go again. So much negativity directed my way! I never expected a handout or to be strung along by some famous writer. If they don't want to get to know me, then it's ultimately their loss and not mine

 

Because you come off as being closed-minded and arrogant.

No one's telling you to quit. We're telling you to stop complaining that famous writers won't respond to your letters/emails.

James Joyce was well above average as far as writing went, and his first book, Dubliners, didn't sell many copies. The number of copies you sell has nothing to do with your writing ability.

If you're too good for our advice, why are you even here?

 

You don't know how to listen so from this point out, I'm done. No one has been negative, no one said give up on your dreams, no one said you won't be successful. Do all Intertel inductees struggle with twisting words and basic comprehension? All that has simply been advised by every person in your same position here, whether you believe we're not on same level on the playing field, has been to stop whining that no established author wants to help you, stop throwing them under the bus calling them arrogant and selfish, and step up to the plate with your professed talents and prove yourself like everyone else. It's a hard road for everyone so best of luck in your endeavors.

 

I do believe that I have exceptional talent and deserve some help along the way. It's becoming increasingly apparent that I will have to suck it up, go it alone, and just prove myself. All of your negative feedback would be appropriate in the vast majority of cases. I don't fit the standard mold, however, and really do deserve special attention. I probably won't ever get it, however, so I may just have to go down the traditional route and pull myself up from the bootstraps. It's unlikely that anyone on this forum is famous, so I may have to look elsewhere for the answers I seek.

 

What happens if a beginning writer has extraordinary talent? By that, I mean the one in a million kind. Do they deserve special attention or not? Should they be treated like everyone else? So just because an author doesn't have the time to respond to everyone, then the truly deserving don't get what they need. Is that what you are saying?

 

...

Everyone, please ignore this post if you don't want to be offended by my language here. What you are about to see is my Hyde. My Darth Vader. Me if I chose the Dark Side, as it were:

OK, I'm done being nice. You wanna meet me at my worst? And I mean me being the nastiest, meanest son of a bitch anyone has ever seen? OK.

No one is fucking saying you should give up, got it? No one. Not one goddamned person on this goddamned thread is saying you should give up!! Why is this so hard for you to get?

You think for one goddamned instant that we want to piss on anyone else's dream? That we want to tell all new writers here to take their dreams and shove it up their rectum?

By Jesus' hairy chin NO! NO! We're only stating the reality of the publishing world. And that is that they, as well as famous authors, quite simply, have no damned time for you! They don't! If I emailed Stephen King right now, and I mean right the goddamned now, I would not be surprised if he never read it. Why? BECAUSE HIS JOB IS WRITING, THAT'S WHY! His entire job is to write things for the world to see. That's what I want for him to do! I would rather he ignore messages sent to him and publish his work, than take the time to look through them and ignore his work.

Point is, you, me, and every goddamned new writer on this miserable little planet we call Earth ARE TREATED ALL THE SAME!! We have to EARN our respect within the writing world. EARN it. Nothing is given to us, we must EARN it!

Look, I'm half-blind and half-deaf. By YOUR logic, I should be treated like Queen Elizabeth II herself! Guess what, bro, I don't wanna be treated like her. I want to be treated like any other would-be writer. I yearn for my first rejection letter. I yearn for the day someone, anyone, tells me they're not interested in my work. I desire that. Because that means someone looked at it.

No one is special. They are only respected if they prove they can be respected.

<takes a deep breath>

Y'know what, forget it. I'm done. I'm frickin' done. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go write my story and go through the same process and ass-beating that every single author on this pale blue dot has had to go through.

~*~*~*~
Again, sorry for my language. You can delete if it's too vulgar.

 

Out of sheer curiosity.... what makes you believe you have exceptional talent?

 

You know, something isn't adding up here. According to his profile, he's 57. But the tone of his posts is painfully naïve. He claims to be super-intelligent, and such people are very often socially-inappropriate, but over time they generally figure it out and adapt (or at least keep the arrogance at a minimum).

So, either he's having us all on or he has some very serious issues. Either way, time to disengage.

 

Yes. Yes, they should be treated exactly like everyone else. Because if you truly ARE exceptional, you'll make it through all the hoops with great ease - you'll have no trouble taking advantage of the options that are available to every other author, and you'll be able to stand up and rub it all our faces that you go published.

You really think you're exceptional? My request to that is - prove it.

 

Sorry, dude, but this approach will get you nowhere. I've passed the Mensa tests but am not a member, because I've known several members and they don't impress me. I've known a couple of Mensa guys who dropped out because the organization was laughable to them - a bunch of people getting together every once in a while to compare IQs. I know that many other members of this site could easily pass the tests as well, but either haven't bothered trying, or are too embarrassed to admit they tried. We're writers; most of us are pretty smart.

Your IQ does not make you special. What you do with the talents you have does. Many people have had IQs higher than what some estimate Einstein's to have been, but he changed the world and they didn't.

So far, you have been all about your own personal entitlement. People should treat you like a prince because you call yourself a prince. "I am very special and should be treated as such," you say. Bollocks. Even princes have to earn respect. Claiming greatness before you've achieved anything won't get you anywhere.

Everyone else in this thread is right. Get into the trenches and slog with the rest of us. If you really are the genius you think you are, you'll rise to the top soon enough. You can't expect to be elevated to literary royalty just because you think you deserve it.

 

Why didn't you ask to see the emails I sent to these leading authors? Instead of misinterpreting my motives and character, you could have spent the fifteen minutes (tops) to read for yourself what I had to say. Why didn't you do so? Yes, I am quite disappointed in the responses of people here to my sincere efforts to seek the attention of those in the writing field who might be of some assistance to me. It looks as if I will just have to go out, prove myself over and over and over again, become famous, and then the world will take notice of me. Isn't there an easier way?

 

@EdFromNY

Totally agree. I'm getting that vibe every parent knows, that angsty- teenaged expression that they believe the world owes them something. Time and experience usually sort that one out.

You'd think by 57... oh nevermind.

 

Actually, I'm more worried about getting banned now, considering the rant I just posted.

You have all seen my Darth Vader, my Hyde, and I'm now scared that I just showed it to you all. )= That was me if I decided to not be a nice person.

That darkness, that side of me. I never want to show the world. Never!! But somehow, it was therapeutic for me. I do not understand this! D:

 

@Link the Writer - pay no attention to the villagers gathering outside your door with the torches and pitchforks.

 

<in his best Vegeta voice>

DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE ME! LINK...THE WRITER!?! ERRAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHH!!! <powers up to Super Saiyan 2>