Should We Even Be Writing Books At All?

It makes you wonder, doesn't it?

I've mentioned Elle Griffin before (she's the one who wrote a novel and offered it to her Substack subscribers, one chapter at a time, for a monthly fee). When I read her latest newsletter (Do I Even Want to Write Another Book? Or Should I Write Something that Actually Gets Read Instead?) I felt sad because her question is a valid one. Four thousand people, Elle says, tune in to her weekly email newsletter, while a measly 46 have read the novel she slaved over for years.

It's makes you wonder, doesn't it? Yes, we're all writing our novels for the love of it... but don't we also want people to read what we've created? It's incredibly hard to get a book deal these days, and even when you do, book sales are sluggish, except for the few authors at the very top. Should novels still be the thing we're all working towards? Or should writers shift to other ways of getting our thoughts and stories out there?

I explore similar questions in my blog post Writing Novels: The Fear, the Shame, & the Paradox. For me, I can't seem to give up the novel-writing, crazy-making as it may be. I'm at work on another one right now. But I've been looking into other creative outlets as well: salsa dancing, starting a youtube channel, trying my hand at writing picture books (P.S. waaay harder than you think!) And, of course, writing blog posts and email newsletters like this. Although, like Elle, I don't really think of these as "real" writing (why is that??)

I don't have any answers, but I am curious: what are your thoughts on all of this? 

Writing News: 
#1  If writing a novel is, like Elle Griffin thinks, a form of insanity, pitching it on Twitter might be as well. Still, as I always say: Twitter pitch contests are free, and they're a great way to connect with other people in the #WritingCommunity. With that in mind, #SFFPit for Sci-fi and fantasy pitches is this Thursday. Let me know if you're participating, and I'll be happy to comment on your tweets. And be sure to check out my newly-updated blog post: 13 Things to Know About Twitter Pitch Events.

#2 Mark your calendars: WriteOnCon, the wonderful, inexpensive kid lit conference for writers at all stages working on Picture Books through Young Adult novels has changed dates. Instead of happening in the spring, it will now be held (virtually) July 15-17. 

Reading News: 
Don't worry, I'm still reading one new debut novel a month. For January: Unsettled by Reem Faruqi, a short-and-sweet middle grade novel-in-verse about a girl who moves from Pakistan to Peachtree, Georgia. And for February: Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko, a spooky middle grade novel about a girl who finds out she can communicate with ghosts.

I liked both the debuts, but I'll tell you what I REALLY enjoyed recently was The Woman Who Came Back to Life by Beth Miller. Not a debut, but it is new (released in January 2022). The book is about a woman who has been estranged from her father for the past thirty years, after he left their family for another woman and cut all communication with her and her two brothers. When he dies, he leaves her his stack of diaries from the past thirty years... diaries written in a secret code only she can decipher. It has a great premise, strong characters, and the doling out of family secrets at the perfect pace. Plus, it's only $3.99 on Kindle right now!

So see, there's at least one person who is still reading novels: me. Guess it makes sense why I want to write them.

That's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well. I'd love to know what you're reading and writing... and your thoughts on Elle Griffin's post. 

Sincerely,
Eva

www.evalangston.com