THE CAREER NOVELIST
I am grateful that people seek out my business skills, of course,
but frankly it is strange to hear such capable, highly intelligent peo-
ple acting dumb. What is going on? The answer, I think, is threefold:
(1) new novelists are genuinely in need of information and guid-
ance; (2) these successful people may, in part, be hoping to escape
stress; and (3) as in any intense personal interaction, dependency
can encroach upon publishing relationships. Just as it is natural to
seek mothering or fathering in marriage, so it is with publishing. We
all seek to fill our unmet needs.
The trouble is, alas, that a publishing company is not a family
and an agent is not exactly a psychotherapist—though, believe me,
there are many days when I feel like one! A novel-writing career is a
career. The novelist goes into business, and all business sooner or
later involves interacting with other people, solving problems, and
managing stress.
It is a good idea to think carefully about what you want out of
novel writing. If escape is a primary benefit, then the business
aspects of a novelist's career are sure to be a disappointment. If
acclaim outweighs other motives, beware of publication. Seeing
your first novel in print is a big thrill, but after that there can be a
large letdown if fame, sales, rave reviews, and peer respect do not
automatically follow.
The happiest beginners will be the ones who love the work for its
own sake. They will have comfort—and they will need it. The jour-
ney is exciting, but also long and exacting.
GETTING STARTED: THE INFLUENCE OF ANXIETY
Oh, the happy writer who is beginning a first book! What a thrill!
Sitting down at last to fulfill one's dream! How delicious is the sen-
sation, "I am really doing it! I am writing a novel!" Endless hours in
the dream state... this, truly, is paradise.
Needless to say, the bliss of beginning does not last forever.
Sooner or later the pursuit of the dream rubs up against reality.
Often that first encounter involves one's family. They worry. For one
thing, the writer is spending large amounts of time away from them.
That is threatening. For another thing, they can know—often better
than the writer—how high is the risk of failure. They are afraid. They