I got thinking about this today as I scanned over my social media accounts to see what people were up to as we all hunker down. One of my author friends started painting. Another friend decided to take up piano...
and then I panicked.
Stuck at home with nothing to do, I predict there will be a ton of "authors" (yes, I am putting this in quotes for a reason) will now write that novel they have been working on for the last who knows how many years. Some will just start it.
And I am worried.
As those of you know who have been writing for a long period of time, or those of you who have published, writing is not a matter of just typing words on a page.
It takes time.
It takes education.
It takes a commitment to the craft.
So I ask those of you who do write and who have been at this for a while to step up and help out. Stop the insanity. Guide these people toward quality resources. Tell them the honest truth about their writing even if it is terrible. And, more than anything thing, stop them from submitting that manuscript immediately to every publisher and agent they find on the Internet. Even more important, stop them before they dive into "self-publishing" and spend money on a product that may very well be awful.
OK, let me add here that there may be some good writers, and we do not want to hamper someone wanting to start writing as a hobby. I just want to insure they are not hurt along the way from this single moment of weakness.
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