(Music) LOGO.
Hellooo everybody! Today I'm delivering a much-needed kick in the ass,
but I'm doing it because I care. Consider it a love tap! I've been seeing a lot of excuses
floating around the writing community and I gotta say, I'm not impressed. Excuses aren't gonna get
your book written and delusions of grandeur aren’t gonna promote your platform. Sounds like some of
you need a reality check about the industry, and I'm happy to deliver! I'm breaking down the hard
truths of being a writer that'll make your heart sink and your butthole pucker. First
things first, today's video is sponsored by my all-time favorite learning platform, Skillshare,
and you guys know what that means! We've gotta give them some love. Skillshare is an online
learning platform for creators featuring thousands of classes in creative writing,
drawing, graphic design, marketing, and a bunch of other stuff! Butters,
are you okay? Oh! You’re sinking! You’re sinking! I'm particularly fond of their business classes.
I've also enjoyed their mailing list and blogging classes. Every class is super digestible and
easily fits into your schedule, because they are broken down into bite-size chunks. It's
perfect for someone who wants to learn a new skill while they're going to school, managing a family,
or managing a career. I've also got two classes available on Skillshare. One is all about how to
build a successful author platform. The other is about how to successfully release a novel. You
should DEFINITELY check ‘em out! Skillshare has some goodies for you! I will give you the scoop
at the end of this video. First, I'm dishing out the tough love and hitting you with the ten hard
truths of being a writer. Note, this video–like MOST of my videos–is not geared toward hobbyists.
This is for people who want to make writing a career. Time to slap some sense into you real
quick. It'll hurt, but in a good way. Number One (1): People are gonna read your writing. The fact
that I even need to say this pains me to my core. The point of writing a book is for people to read
it. How did you even think you could avoid this? And no, you do not get to wait until publication
for someone to FINALLY read your book. I mean, you can, but everyone's gonna think it's shit.
You NEED to have people read your book before it's published. That means beta readers, critique
partners, editors, proof readers. And guess what? They're going to tell you what you're doing wrong,
and it's gonna hurt your feelings. Awww. But this is the only way you're going to write anything
of quality, so might as well accept this now. Put on your thickest skin suit and buckle up,
‘cause shit's gonna get messy! Number Two (2): This ISN’T the hardest job in the world. Any time
an author declares that writing is the hardest job in the world, the Hellmouth opens up and Satan
laughs and laughs and laughs. Yes, writing a book is hard, but you know what's harder? Working in a
sweatshop. How about crop picking 14 hours a day, seven days a week, for pennies? Bricklaying during
the summer. Caring for people in hospice. Working in retail for minimum wage. There are so many jobs
that are harder than writing, because writing is a job we choose out of love. Nobody loves laying
bricks, I promise. Yes, we labor over our books, we put in ridiculous hours, we work our asses off,
but we do it because we're passionate about the story. That right there is a PRIVILEGE. Not many
people get to do what they love. It's fine to lament the bumps in the road, but a little bit of
gratitude will make the hard times a lot easier. Number Three (3): Procrastination isn't cute. You
know those super relatable procrastination memes? Have you paid attention to who's sharing them?
They’re unpublished, aren't they? “But Jenna, they're just memes! They're supposed to be fun!”
I agree! Unless you're using them as validation to keep being a lazy sack of shit. Whenever I
see these memes, they are covered in comments like, “I feel so attacked!” Or, “This meme is
about me and I don't like it.” Or even, “I'm literally doing this right now.” Stop dicking
around online and write the fucking book. Number Four (4): Your characters aren't real. “But Jenna,
they feel real to me!” FEELING real and BEING real are two very different things. “I didn't get my
word count in today. It's because my characters weren't behaving!” That might be writer's block,
impostor syndrome, or sheer laziness, but I assure you, your characters didn't do anything...because
they’re not real. “I wanted to follow my outline, but my characters refused to stick to it! They had
their own story to tell.” Sounds like you just wrote a crap outline without having a full grasp
of your character’s psyche. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but this kind of talk is
embarrassing because people can see right through it. I know you think it's quirky and charming,
but blaming your imaginary friends for your mistakes stopped being endearing when we
were toddlers. Number Five (5): Your first book will be your worst book. That doesn't
mean it'll be bad. Lots of debuts are fantastic! But it'll probably be your worst, and honestly,
that's something you should hope for. Writers grow as they write. They gain knowledge and experience,
which means in theory, each book SHOULD be better than the last. Does this always happen? No. But
have you noticed what does happen when an author releases a shitty book after a string of awesome
ones? They get ridiculed! This is not to say that you should publish a debut knowing it's garbage,
but you should be hoping to learn and improve as time goes on, because that's how creation works.
Experience breeds education. Aspire toward writing a great debut, then aspire toward writing a second
book that tops it. Number Six (6): You're not gonna get a movie deal. A fraction of a
percent of authors get movie deals, and there are MILLIONS of us out there. If this happens to you,
then you're the exception. Wonderful! Good for you! But if you are basing your success
as an author on getting a movie deal, you are setting yourself up for failure. “But Jenna,
all writers dream of a movie deal!” I don't! Literally every author in my circle doesn't. We
dream of writing books. That's why we write BOOKS. It's totally fine to fantasize about what it would
be like to see your book adapted, but I have lost count of the number of writers who have told me,
“I won't feel like I've made it until I see my book on the big screen.” Get ready to
never feel like you made it, then, because you just gave yourself a nearly impossible
goal! On a similar note, Number Seven (7): You'll probably never be famous, either,
and that's PERFECTLY fine. You don't need to be famous in order to be successful. There are
plenty of authors who are NOT household names and NOT New York Times bestselling authors, and yet
they are STILL making six-figure incomes. And you know, being famous ain't that great. Zero privacy,
random people approaching you at the grocery store, gossip columns, and press events? Who's
got time for that? If you aspire to write quality content as opposed to aspiring to be famous,
I guarantee you will be much happier in this line of work and you might even find success along the
way. Number Eight (8): No one is REQUIRED to support you. “What kind of bullshit is
this? No one is reblogging my writing prompt!” Maybe your writing prompt sucks, ever thought
of that? “My parents don't care about my book. They roll their eyes whenever I talk about it.”
That's probably because they wanted you to be an engineer, or a doctor, or pretty much anything
other than a person who writes fairy erotica. It sucks when people don't support your dreams,
especially when those people are friends or family. But pretty much everyone in every
creative field has experienced this. This is not unique to you. It's also not important. You don't
need your family to support you in order to become a successful writer. Would it be nice? Absolutely!
An ego booster? Definitely! But you DON’T need it. And it's not a good look to post content
on the Internet, then complain when no one is supporting it. They're not supporting it ‘cause
they don't like it, you dummy! Strangers owe you NOTHING. If you want an audience, then figure out
what you're doing wrong and do it BETTER. Instead of wasting time stewing over the lack of support,
improve your writing, grow your platform, and release a book or ten. Number Nine (9): A lot
of us don't make money, which is probably why your family isn't all that supportive of this decision.
I know you're envisioning yourself as JK Rowling or Stephen King, but they are two authors...out of
MILLIONS. Take it down a notch. But here's a thing to keep in mind that no one ever seems to
talk about: a lot of writers don't make money because they have absolutely NO idea how to
promote their work. Just because a lot of writers struggle doesn't mean poverty is guaranteed. It's
possible to make a good living as a writer if you grow your business. Just be realistic about the
fact that it's going to take a lot of time and a lot of work, and even then, nothing is guaranteed.
Which brings us to our final point, Number Ten (10): Yes, writing is a business. “But Jenna,
writing is cathartic! It's my self-expression. It's art!” Writing can be all of those things,
but if you create a product and exchange it for money, that's a business. And I hate to break it
to you, but plenty of artists are business people. You see, they sell their art for money. Funny how
that works! I know you want to see yourself as a true creator, a maestro of the craft,
and mixing business into it would just cheapen the overall effect. But you're a pretentious
asshole! It's not selling out to pay your bills, or buy groceries, or pay your rent. If you plan to
publish or make any kind of income off your books, it's time to drop the creative arrogance. You're a
business person, get used to it. So that's all I got for you today! A HUGE thank you to Skillshare
for always supporting me! If you're interested in learning more about the writing industry,
or if you want to take my awesome classes, I DEFINITELY recommend Skillshare! An annual
premium membership to Skillshare is less than $10 bucks a month. However,
you can get two months of Skillshare premium for FREE by clicking the link below! That's two months
of access to thousands of classes, including my classes, for zero dollars! All you have to
do is click the link! Do it! Get on it! You'll be glad ya did! Don't forget to subscribe to
my channel! I post new videos on Wednesdays, and if you want to be alerted as SOON as they upload,
ring that bell! The Savior's Champion is available in eBook, paperback, hardback, signed hardback, as
well as audiobook! If you are new to audiobooks, you can listen to TSC on Audible for free! I have
all of the information listed below! And be sure to follow me on social media! I'm on Instagram,
Tumblr, Facebook–and of course, you can tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!
(Older Male Voice) This is Wembleton. If you haven't subscribed to Jenna's channel, then by all means,
go for it! The people will love you for it! Go on, press the button, ding that bell! See you soon!