Writers like to moan a lot. We moan about the hardships of being a writer. Hardship makes for good a story and we like good stories.

But we also moan because our job is hard, or it can be hard. We work alone so sometimes we get lonely. We write what in our heart so when our writing is returned to us, unwanted, our hearts get broken. But we don’t know how to stop and so with scarred hearts we continue. Sometimes we have successes. And sometimes we have long periods of setbacks which we face alone, as we write alone; sustained by belief that one day it will be worth it. And even if it’s not, not worth it, we can’t stop; we don’t know how.

To begin with my life as a writer didn’t have a very good story. I had nothing to moan about. The first submission I ever mailed contained the first manuscript I had ever written. I simultaneously sent my story to about six Australian publishers and within a few weeks I had an editor on the phone and a contract on the way. Hey presto. A book was born.

It’s not always that easy.

Next week I’ll post the story of my fourth book. It’s a longer story with more room for moaning. But it has a happy ending.

Picture Books and Publication – Part 1 © Katrina Germein 2010

Have you had a similar experience?

Read Part 2.

Tags: Big Rain Coming, Getting Published, Hardship, Picture books, Rejection, writing