A couple weeks ago, I advised young writers to have patience—with themselves, with the publishing process, and with their development.
Writer Gabe Herron recently wrote an essay for Glimmer Train that echoes that theme as well. He says:
Time is the main thing.
There never seems to be enough of it, especially once you’ve gone and decided to become a writer, and also not sleep in your car. But at the same time, there is no way to rush craftsmanship, or the development of a craft. You must put time aside at the very moment you realize there isn’t enough, that you have started too late, or from too far behind the start line, or both. You have to forget time because it’s going to take how long it takes, not one minute longer, not one minute less.
Read the full essay at Glimmer Train’s site.
Also this month at Glimmer Train:
- An interview with Carrie Brown on the underdog
- On Ambiguity by Stephanie Soileau
- Enriching the Stew by George Rabasa
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
[…] A couple weeks ago, I advised young writers to have patience—with themselves, with the publishing process, and with their development. Writer Gabe Herron recently wrote an essay for Glimmer Train that echoes that theme as well. He says: Time is the main thing. There never seems to be enough of it, especially once you’ve gone … […]
[…] Source: You Can’t Rush Your Development | Jane Friedman […]
Eloquently stated. I loved this! Thanks for sharing.
Time, serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk has said, is the most important asset an entrepreneur has. In this case, the same applies for writers. And making, building or capturing time for our writing means making the most intentional decisions we can about our lifestyle. It is nothing short of a personal revolution.