12 Step Program For Writers

@KrauseHome (36448)
United States
January 20, 2007 3:48pm CST
1)We admit that we are powerless over publishers, and that our careers have ecome completely unmanageable. 2)We believe that an Agent far greater than Our Last Agent can restore us to publications, sales, and critical acclaim. 3)We have made a decision to turn our lives and our professional careers over completely to our New Agent. God help us. 4)We have made a searching and fearless inventory of every old unsold scrap and fragment of manuscript in the bottoms of our filing cabinets, in hopes of finding something we can sell to somebody, somewhere. 5)We have proclaimed to God, to ourselves, and to anyone else who would listen the exact nature of the many failings of our former editors and publishers. 6)We are entirely ready to let someone else take the blame for the way our last book tanked. 7)We humbly hope our new publisher will not find out what we said about our last publisher. 8)We have made a list of all the persons we have harmed, in fear that one of them may someday become the new editor at Bantam. 9)We have made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except for those talentless yutzes who will clearly never become an important editor or publisher. Oh, but they might become reviewers. 10)We will continue to take inventory of our old unsold stuff, in hopes that something will germinate in the dark and suddenly and spontaneously become a best-seller. 11)We have sought through prayer and the Internet to improve our conscious contact with Our New Editor, praying that she will stay with the publisher long enough to get our latest book out the door. 12)Having had a professional awakening as the result of these steps, we will guard our new knowledge jealously. Why give the up-and-coming competition a break?
4 people like this
8 responses
@suscan (1955)
• United States
21 Jan 07
This is very good. I think it sums up a lot of thoughts we all have. I just found stories I wrote in junior high,I can't believe I saved them all these years.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
23 May 07
That is Cool. I has some Poems published when I was in High School and when I was younger I would Love to have copies of now. But I doubt it will ever happen as it has been over 25 yrs. now.
• Singapore
21 Jan 07
That's great! I couldn't help chuckling the whole time I was reading. Thanks for the laughs.
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
24 May 07
You are Welcome. I felt these were worth sharing since so many of us on here enjoy Writing, and have made some decent $$ while doing so.
@cblackink (969)
• United States
21 Jan 07
That's really funny. Now I understand why so many writers turn to self publishing.
1 person likes this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
21 Jan 07
I believe a moment of reverence is in order here: Blessed by thy policies, may the Great Formula Writer bestow its wondrous schmaltz upon humanity. All hail thy tasteful marketing, dazzling priorities and diligently verbose apathy, as so many have done before. May thy ever fertile spreadsheets ever blaze richly with irrelevance, like unto thy omniscient manuscript submission guidelines, full of promise, yet not compromised by mere substance or crude fact. May no tenuous form of vulgar sentience stain thy noble brows, nor give cause to stray from thy just and wholesome nitpicker's Nirvana. Let only those most facile, chosen only by the purest and most unworldly of readers of manuscripts, approach thy righteous, well-insulated contractual dunghill. Let not a modern concept befoul the high calling of publisher, nor let any form of bureaucracy be lost, in thy most astute of business plans and cost structures sublime. Care not, O sacrosanct paragons of a dying industry, that thy combined IQs contain not a whole number. For thou art destined to a sweet oblivion which thou so rightly deserve.
@SHINE333 (1284)
• India
23 Jan 07
Thanks gor the valuable suggestions Thank you.
@morgandrake (2136)
• United States
23 May 07
"Why give the up and coming competition a break?" Because someday, they may be in the position to give you a break.
• United States
21 Jan 07
That was fantastic. I was chuckling the whole time I read it. It is amazing how truthful it is, in reality we and our precious manuscripts are powerless over the almighty editors and agents. We also have no control over the current market trends. We just write and pray, and write some more...then pray some more. It is a double edged sword. Thanks for sharing this.
• India
22 Jan 07
wow that was a nice wayof putiing our despression.it dipicts all the story of all writers!!