Congrats on the book! That's a huge accomplishment in itself.
What always brings me back to writing is the writing itself. I've said for forever that you can't write thinking you'll be the next Stephen King or George R.R. Martin or whoever. For one, the chances are astronomical. For another, it's actually counterproductive, trying to live up to those standards. Besides, even Stephen King was lucky to become Stephen King -- there are many great writers who didn't have the right combination of luck, perseverance, and connections to get to where he is today.
So, the secret I think is to write for yourself. I mean, always keep the reader in mind of course. But don't write for fame and fortune. That isn't good for the already-delicate writer's soul.
Write for fun and keep at it, and let the rest work itself out. That's my approach, anyway.
Thank you, Graham, that's very good of you. I've only recently discovered your Substack but I was immediately drawn to your message because it's all about the joy of storytelling. And it IS joyful when we can get all that other noise out the way! But it's far from easy, because there's only so much time, and a living to be made, and right from the moment we went to school we've had it drummed into us that it's the RESULTS that matter. But on a deeper level it has nothing to do with results at all. It's all about that kid in his bedroom, reading his comics in awe. In any case, it's great to connect with another writer on the same page. I think there are lots of us who feel this way!
That's absolutely true about "a living to be made". I find it difficult some days after writing all day for work to go down and work on my novel or whatever. It's not laziness, it's simply that the creative well is drained.
When it comes to results, I find it's helpful to redefine what "results" mean. If it means bestseller, then you may be in for a rough ride! But if it means enjoying the process, completing a book or poem or article or shorty story, and sending it off to the world come what may, then that's easier to control. In fact, it's the only part of the writing process you can control. Publishers and success and awards are beyond your control. But if they do come, it's gravy.
I agree with you too -- great to connect with a writer with the same mindset! I just signed up to your Substack too -- looking forward to more posts like this.
Exactly. When I see my children sit down to write stories - to them it's all a game! There's no surprise if that gets a bit buried under the strains of adulthood, but essentially it's that kind of playfulness we need to rediscover. I think that's what I'm getting at when I talk about my old comics and roleplaying books - just looking at them can help take me back to that mindset. But it's an ongoing challenge! A pleasure, Graham, thank you
So useful. I need voices like yours in my life to ground me when I focus on "getting somewhere." Every time I slip into working for results that are outside of my control, I lose motivation. And, I lose access to the creative part of my brain that makes the writing possible in the first place. Writing with the end-goal in mind is, as you said, counterproductive.
Still, for me, part of the goal is to write work that readers can connect with. Otherwise, why am I not content simply writing in my journal? So there's this tension, for me, between writing because I enjoy it and enjoying it, in part at least, because of the hope that it could connect with readers in a meaningful way.
Thank you, Meg. I'm glad this came at a good time for you. I think you make a good point about not just writing in our journals. To quote a Devine Comedy song: "The writer writes for himself, not for you. A song is not a song until it's listened to." That's the paradox we need to work with. Very best of luck with your efforts!
"Of course the why is complex. There are all sorts of egotistical reasons that might have led me down this path. The desire for applause and riches can never be discounted.
But I’m fairly sure, when I get right down to it, that the true driving force behind my becoming a writer was my love of stories."
Wow did I need this today! Between all the feelings I've encountered in the wide world this week, and my own personal fears, sense of rejection, and failure, I've been grappling with these exact questions: Should I keep going? If yes, why and how?
You've brought me so much clarity. Like you, I also can't remember a time in my life when I didn't LOVE stories. Thinking back to my childhood, I realize that what I've especially loved most is how a good story could make me feel more. More alive, more connected, more significant, more inspired, more creative, more, more, more.
For me, this is what makes a story GOOD. And so, whether it's egotistical or not, this is what makes it worthwhile to keep writing. And if the only person who feels anything when they read my work is me, well, that just means I have more work to do.
I don’t write books, I write songs (and then I write Substack posts about the songs). Some people sometimes listen to them, but not in any number. I keep doing it because of the pleasure it gives me. It’s exercising a craft, developing and improving skills, continuing to learn. In short, I do it for myself, and that keeps me going.
Thanks, Ben. Yes, that's another really useful aspect to zero in on - the learning. When I remember to treat each day as practice, and can notice incremental improvement, then I don't need to obsess over the bigger picture. Now songwriting is a real craft! I hope it continues to bring you joy
It is hard to contend with the bottomless silence that sometimes happens after you publish something you're very proud of. In writing my newsletter for the last three years, I've realised that the pieces I think are going to get a big reception usually pass with barely a whisper, while something I rattled off without much thought gets a strong response. It's impossible to predict!
As Graham says in another comment, the only safe way to go about it is to write for yourself and not worry too much about outside factors. I've always tried to go for the 'one reader' mentality, where if I have just one reader who is waiting for the next chapter, that's enough.
I mean, it's not enough to make a living from, but we're talking about fiction here, so we have to be realistic. :D
Also, nice mention of Transformers. The 1980s Transformers run by Simon Furman was a formative text for me!
Yes, that's it - and often the pride spike is a warning that I'm taking it all too personally! Over the years I've trained myself to focus on the process not the results, but I don't think anyone can be so zen as to completely ignore the way something lands. But I'll say one thing: Substack has been great for meeting like-minded people with similar experience; it makes the whole thing feel less lonely! And I like the 'one reader' advice, I might try to enact that in future.
Yes, Transformers and Mask were a bit deal for me as a boy. The brilliant 1986 film was the first I ever saw in the cinema. I recently took my eight-year-old daughter to see Transformers One and it was pretty nostalgic/poignant!
Ha, MASK! I thought I was the only person who remembered that.
I was arguably more into MASK than I was Transformers back in the 80s, although it's Transformers which stuck with me into adulthood. I remember rainy days at my primary school, where we were allowed to stay in the classrooms during break, and I discovered a cabinet at the back of the room that was piled high with stacks of MASK comics. Bliss.
Transformers One is great! Took my 11-year old son and a friend to see it and we all loved it. It's such a pleasant feeling to have a Transformers movie that is suitable for kids, AND animated, AND genuinely very, very good.
Have you been reading Daniel Warren Johnson's run on the new Transformers comics? It's really quite something. I think there is a trade out of the first storyline now. Recommended!
Fiction is so interwoven with my childhood, it's no wonder that it's remained a big part of my adult life.
I was talking to another friend about MASK last night. We were trying to remember the acronyms. Mobile Armoured Strike Command. If you can remember what VENOM stood for then you win eternal respect! It is interesting how deeply these stories resonated with us as children, and how they ripple through our lives to this day. Thanks for the tip about the new Transformers comics, I will definitely take a look!
Cor, that's a challenge. I recall the 'M' being 'Mayhem', which conveniently was also Miles Mayhem's surname. I guess he was destined for that leadership position.
Very Evil Notions of Mayhem?
*looks it up*
Aha! 'Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem'. I was on the right lines. They were a bit on the nose with that one. Not really hedging their bets with the mission statement. Actually, that's a clearer mission statement than a lot of arts organisations I've worked with.
Did you know that the early seasons of the cartoon were obviously a fight against terrorism, but the later seasons were ordered to lower the tension and violence, which is why they ended up being a series of weird (still violent) races?
Wow, they were really committed to those acronyms! I didn't know that about the violence in MASK, but now it makes sense. The comics too became softer and more jokey. No wonder it got prematurely cancelled.
I think a similar thing must have happened to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the 80s. I remember loving it at first, but then the turtles stopped using their weapons and started drenching the bad guys from hosepipes and generally being passive aggressive!
Seems like the Simon Furman Transformers comics somehow managed to escape all of that, and get increasingly hard-edged as they went along (which I found absolutely thrilling at the time!).
Congratulations on your book! That's talent, creativity, persistence and courage, right there.
Books are not a flash in the pan. We don't scold the oak for the decades it takes to grow. Why can't we give ourselves the same grace? A book is backed up by thousands of hours of writing and can be read for years afterwards. Commercial success is fickle (and yes, you have to be lucky), but as long as its out there, it's possible.
As for me, I will happily own I am a praise slut. I enjoy getting a response from my readers and giving them an unexpected ending. Substack is brilliant in that regard; the ability to publish and see results within 48 hours is magical. Over the longer term (yes, again I am thinking years), it all adds up.
Ha, I think we're all 'praise sluts' deep down - that's part of what makes the psychology of writing so challenging. It's all too easy to get thrown around by those winds of praise and blame. We need to stand steady in the centre of it all in order to do work of any worth.
And yes, that's a great reminder about timescale: our culture leads us to believe that the only kind of success is instant success. But stories are like that oak tree and take time to flourish.
I do admire and slightly envy those of you who publish fiction on Substack. The immediacy and the potential for feedback. Perhaps one day I'll give it a try!
Thanks for reading, Natalie, and for your thoughtful comments
Lots of identification here, as you know already. But there's more! I read a lot of comics as a kid too--for me it was the monthly 'Amazing' and then 'Essential X-Men' reprints of American comics in WHSmiths that I devoured. And I never played Fighting Fantasy as a kid, but I do have some that I've since picked up in second hand shops! For me it was Warhammer battles and magazines. Anyway, keep up the good work and keep doing it for the joy!
Hey, thanks a lot for the pingback, a lovely surprise as I got to the end of your excellent article! I can't comment much now as I should be doing the kids' dinner and bedtime routine, suffice to say that I hope to comment more in the future and I also have a couple of other of your other recent newsletters saved as 'marked as unread' in my inbox to read properly and comment on sometime. I guess sometimes 'not being read' is purely about how much time people have!
Thanks, Faenon. I know the feeling - time is in short supply. I actually read that article of yours a little while back and it stuck in my mind. I always did mean to revisit it, and I was glad to get the chance!
Congrats on the book! That's a huge accomplishment in itself.
What always brings me back to writing is the writing itself. I've said for forever that you can't write thinking you'll be the next Stephen King or George R.R. Martin or whoever. For one, the chances are astronomical. For another, it's actually counterproductive, trying to live up to those standards. Besides, even Stephen King was lucky to become Stephen King -- there are many great writers who didn't have the right combination of luck, perseverance, and connections to get to where he is today.
So, the secret I think is to write for yourself. I mean, always keep the reader in mind of course. But don't write for fame and fortune. That isn't good for the already-delicate writer's soul.
Write for fun and keep at it, and let the rest work itself out. That's my approach, anyway.
Thank you, Graham, that's very good of you. I've only recently discovered your Substack but I was immediately drawn to your message because it's all about the joy of storytelling. And it IS joyful when we can get all that other noise out the way! But it's far from easy, because there's only so much time, and a living to be made, and right from the moment we went to school we've had it drummed into us that it's the RESULTS that matter. But on a deeper level it has nothing to do with results at all. It's all about that kid in his bedroom, reading his comics in awe. In any case, it's great to connect with another writer on the same page. I think there are lots of us who feel this way!
That's absolutely true about "a living to be made". I find it difficult some days after writing all day for work to go down and work on my novel or whatever. It's not laziness, it's simply that the creative well is drained.
When it comes to results, I find it's helpful to redefine what "results" mean. If it means bestseller, then you may be in for a rough ride! But if it means enjoying the process, completing a book or poem or article or shorty story, and sending it off to the world come what may, then that's easier to control. In fact, it's the only part of the writing process you can control. Publishers and success and awards are beyond your control. But if they do come, it's gravy.
I agree with you too -- great to connect with a writer with the same mindset! I just signed up to your Substack too -- looking forward to more posts like this.
Exactly. When I see my children sit down to write stories - to them it's all a game! There's no surprise if that gets a bit buried under the strains of adulthood, but essentially it's that kind of playfulness we need to rediscover. I think that's what I'm getting at when I talk about my old comics and roleplaying books - just looking at them can help take me back to that mindset. But it's an ongoing challenge! A pleasure, Graham, thank you
So useful. I need voices like yours in my life to ground me when I focus on "getting somewhere." Every time I slip into working for results that are outside of my control, I lose motivation. And, I lose access to the creative part of my brain that makes the writing possible in the first place. Writing with the end-goal in mind is, as you said, counterproductive.
Still, for me, part of the goal is to write work that readers can connect with. Otherwise, why am I not content simply writing in my journal? So there's this tension, for me, between writing because I enjoy it and enjoying it, in part at least, because of the hope that it could connect with readers in a meaningful way.
Thank you, Meg. I'm glad this came at a good time for you. I think you make a good point about not just writing in our journals. To quote a Devine Comedy song: "The writer writes for himself, not for you. A song is not a song until it's listened to." That's the paradox we need to work with. Very best of luck with your efforts!
"Of course the why is complex. There are all sorts of egotistical reasons that might have led me down this path. The desire for applause and riches can never be discounted.
But I’m fairly sure, when I get right down to it, that the true driving force behind my becoming a writer was my love of stories."
Wow did I need this today! Between all the feelings I've encountered in the wide world this week, and my own personal fears, sense of rejection, and failure, I've been grappling with these exact questions: Should I keep going? If yes, why and how?
You've brought me so much clarity. Like you, I also can't remember a time in my life when I didn't LOVE stories. Thinking back to my childhood, I realize that what I've especially loved most is how a good story could make me feel more. More alive, more connected, more significant, more inspired, more creative, more, more, more.
For me, this is what makes a story GOOD. And so, whether it's egotistical or not, this is what makes it worthwhile to keep writing. And if the only person who feels anything when they read my work is me, well, that just means I have more work to do.
I don’t write books, I write songs (and then I write Substack posts about the songs). Some people sometimes listen to them, but not in any number. I keep doing it because of the pleasure it gives me. It’s exercising a craft, developing and improving skills, continuing to learn. In short, I do it for myself, and that keeps me going.
(And congratulations on the book!)
Thanks, Ben. Yes, that's another really useful aspect to zero in on - the learning. When I remember to treat each day as practice, and can notice incremental improvement, then I don't need to obsess over the bigger picture. Now songwriting is a real craft! I hope it continues to bring you joy
It is hard to contend with the bottomless silence that sometimes happens after you publish something you're very proud of. In writing my newsletter for the last three years, I've realised that the pieces I think are going to get a big reception usually pass with barely a whisper, while something I rattled off without much thought gets a strong response. It's impossible to predict!
As Graham says in another comment, the only safe way to go about it is to write for yourself and not worry too much about outside factors. I've always tried to go for the 'one reader' mentality, where if I have just one reader who is waiting for the next chapter, that's enough.
I mean, it's not enough to make a living from, but we're talking about fiction here, so we have to be realistic. :D
Also, nice mention of Transformers. The 1980s Transformers run by Simon Furman was a formative text for me!
Yes, that's it - and often the pride spike is a warning that I'm taking it all too personally! Over the years I've trained myself to focus on the process not the results, but I don't think anyone can be so zen as to completely ignore the way something lands. But I'll say one thing: Substack has been great for meeting like-minded people with similar experience; it makes the whole thing feel less lonely! And I like the 'one reader' advice, I might try to enact that in future.
Yes, Transformers and Mask were a bit deal for me as a boy. The brilliant 1986 film was the first I ever saw in the cinema. I recently took my eight-year-old daughter to see Transformers One and it was pretty nostalgic/poignant!
Ha, MASK! I thought I was the only person who remembered that.
I was arguably more into MASK than I was Transformers back in the 80s, although it's Transformers which stuck with me into adulthood. I remember rainy days at my primary school, where we were allowed to stay in the classrooms during break, and I discovered a cabinet at the back of the room that was piled high with stacks of MASK comics. Bliss.
Transformers One is great! Took my 11-year old son and a friend to see it and we all loved it. It's such a pleasant feeling to have a Transformers movie that is suitable for kids, AND animated, AND genuinely very, very good.
Have you been reading Daniel Warren Johnson's run on the new Transformers comics? It's really quite something. I think there is a trade out of the first storyline now. Recommended!
Fiction is so interwoven with my childhood, it's no wonder that it's remained a big part of my adult life.
I was talking to another friend about MASK last night. We were trying to remember the acronyms. Mobile Armoured Strike Command. If you can remember what VENOM stood for then you win eternal respect! It is interesting how deeply these stories resonated with us as children, and how they ripple through our lives to this day. Thanks for the tip about the new Transformers comics, I will definitely take a look!
Cor, that's a challenge. I recall the 'M' being 'Mayhem', which conveniently was also Miles Mayhem's surname. I guess he was destined for that leadership position.
Very Evil Notions of Mayhem?
*looks it up*
Aha! 'Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem'. I was on the right lines. They were a bit on the nose with that one. Not really hedging their bets with the mission statement. Actually, that's a clearer mission statement than a lot of arts organisations I've worked with.
Did you know that the early seasons of the cartoon were obviously a fight against terrorism, but the later seasons were ordered to lower the tension and violence, which is why they ended up being a series of weird (still violent) races?
Wow, they were really committed to those acronyms! I didn't know that about the violence in MASK, but now it makes sense. The comics too became softer and more jokey. No wonder it got prematurely cancelled.
I think a similar thing must have happened to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the 80s. I remember loving it at first, but then the turtles stopped using their weapons and started drenching the bad guys from hosepipes and generally being passive aggressive!
Seems like the Simon Furman Transformers comics somehow managed to escape all of that, and get increasingly hard-edged as they went along (which I found absolutely thrilling at the time!).
Congratulations on your book! That's talent, creativity, persistence and courage, right there.
Books are not a flash in the pan. We don't scold the oak for the decades it takes to grow. Why can't we give ourselves the same grace? A book is backed up by thousands of hours of writing and can be read for years afterwards. Commercial success is fickle (and yes, you have to be lucky), but as long as its out there, it's possible.
As for me, I will happily own I am a praise slut. I enjoy getting a response from my readers and giving them an unexpected ending. Substack is brilliant in that regard; the ability to publish and see results within 48 hours is magical. Over the longer term (yes, again I am thinking years), it all adds up.
Ha, I think we're all 'praise sluts' deep down - that's part of what makes the psychology of writing so challenging. It's all too easy to get thrown around by those winds of praise and blame. We need to stand steady in the centre of it all in order to do work of any worth.
And yes, that's a great reminder about timescale: our culture leads us to believe that the only kind of success is instant success. But stories are like that oak tree and take time to flourish.
I do admire and slightly envy those of you who publish fiction on Substack. The immediacy and the potential for feedback. Perhaps one day I'll give it a try!
Thanks for reading, Natalie, and for your thoughtful comments
Lots of identification here, as you know already. But there's more! I read a lot of comics as a kid too--for me it was the monthly 'Amazing' and then 'Essential X-Men' reprints of American comics in WHSmiths that I devoured. And I never played Fighting Fantasy as a kid, but I do have some that I've since picked up in second hand shops! For me it was Warhammer battles and magazines. Anyway, keep up the good work and keep doing it for the joy!
Keep going, Tim. The world definitely does need more stories, the more the merrier! 😊
Thanks, Eve, I tend to agree, there are plenty of things we could do without, but not the stories. Thanks for reading!
Hey, thanks a lot for the pingback, a lovely surprise as I got to the end of your excellent article! I can't comment much now as I should be doing the kids' dinner and bedtime routine, suffice to say that I hope to comment more in the future and I also have a couple of other of your other recent newsletters saved as 'marked as unread' in my inbox to read properly and comment on sometime. I guess sometimes 'not being read' is purely about how much time people have!
Thanks, Faenon. I know the feeling - time is in short supply. I actually read that article of yours a little while back and it stuck in my mind. I always did mean to revisit it, and I was glad to get the chance!