Into the Fire

What’s it worth?

From the moment you make the decision to write a novel to the time you work through each page of the story, chances are you’ve entertained some psychological exercises ranging from huge dreams to fear of failure and everything in between. At some point during the process, you are forced to decide what it’s all worth to you and exactly what you hope to achieve by delving into writing a novel.

Those of us who are innately drama queens – and kings – envision fame and fortune, our novels made into blockbuster films, and our names or books claiming a residence in most homes. Those of us who are recluses imagine the goal of being the mysterious and unidentified author of bestselling literary novels or hotly pursued (pun intended) romance novels. Our imaginations gone wild can produce all kinds of fabricated success stories before “The End” is typed on a final page.

Although success stories for novelists vary as much as our prospective ponderings, what happens to our finished work is unpredictable. It’s been said more than once by different professionals in publishing – from authors to editors – that perseverance and persistence outweigh talent in this industry. In fact we’ve all read books that attest to this.

So what’s it worth to you to get that traditional publishing contract? Will you jump through every hoop presented to you? If that means changing the heart of your story to satisfy an editor, will you do it? How long will you persist until an agent or an editor takes an interest in your work? How many conferences will you attend to gain connections? How many dollars will you invest to promote your story?

The reality of writing and finishing a novel comes down to questions and answers that aren’t always easy to assess until you’re in the middle of the journey. The question will eventually present itself to you: What’s it worth to you?