Have you been Ozed? Convinced that someone else’s judgment is vastly superior to yours when it comes to your own work? As a native Kansas with a flaming state loyalty, I know how powerful myths can be and writers’ overwhelming yearning for the powerful Wizard who will help us go home—show us how to get published.
But beware of the Wicked Witch of the West who makes you feel like the Scarecrow; your work isn’t smart enough, literary and “lacks depth.” Her approach can be lofty, academic, and extremely judgmental. You will never, never make the grade. You haven’t the brains, my dear.
Under another guise, the Witch might appear as a free-spirited bohemian who admires total spontaneity. She has total disdain for your preoccupation with craft. She makes you feel like the Tinman; if you must toil, learn the craft, if you weren’t born with the inherent talent, then it’s false. You either have it or you don’t. You will never, never make the grade. You haven’t the heart, my dear.
Then there’s the ultra practical witch. She’ll make you feel like the Cowardly Lion; have you heard the statistics on number of writers who actually get a mystery published? It’s dismal. Not for the likes of you. It’s all a matter of connections. You have to know someone in the business or you don’t have a chance. Getting an agent is even worse. Besides, you’ve never been very successful at anything you’ve tried, now have you? Doesn’t take much to make you quit, and publishing a book is tough. Very, very tough. You will never, never make the grade. You haven’t the courage, my dear.
I wish I could warn all newcomers about the pitfalls. I’ve sat in on writing groups and heard comments that were just plain mean. Worse, they were wrong. I’ve listened to persons with a suffering artist approach who never finish a piece of work. I’ve heard a plethora of reasons as to why it’s impossible to get published from people who have never sent in a manuscript. Here’s a rule of thumb; whenever a person, a group, a situation makes you feel like not writing, get out. You don’t have to understand it, just do it. You’re being Ozed.
Oh there’s lions and tigers and bears along the yellow brick road all right. And at the end the wizard is a sham. He can’t help you get home. There’s no magic for learning to write. It’s a process, and a long one at that. The magic is in the wonder of work so engrossing that you feel transported into another time and place and encounter characters simultaneously strangers and part of your own soul.
Flee from all the Wicked Witches of the West. Don’t ever let anyone take your ruby slippers from you. They’re yours. They’re magic. Just click them three times and you’ll be back home where you belong. In your own head, writing books the books you want to write, and developing your own special talent.
