- Joined
- Jan 17, 2013
- Messages
- 8,522
- Reaction score
- 8,317
- Location
- The Seattle suburbs
- Website
- www.reneedominick.com
Because the stuff I've written just for fun hasn't got me anywhere. And I suspect that even the one I hold out as my personal best has fallen short because it just wasn't good enough. The only other possible reason I can think of is the subject matter. You ready? A historical boxing novel, hahaha, did your eyes glaze over?
I think the age of publishing we live in is another factor. Publishers are more and more risk averse. Even in my genre, the "billion-dollar romance industry," publishers are pulling back hard. "Readers don't want..." is a constant refrain, and when you put all the "do not wants" on a list, it comes up to pretty much "every subgenre there is." Which obviously isn't true, but it's enough of an excuse on a case-by-case basis when the industry is in flux.
I've learned my writing is good enough to make it past a gatekeeping level, but that my psychological profile might not be good enough for more than that. More and more I think this industry is for the IDGAF people, and my problem is IG2manyFs to stay laser focused.