Why You Are Not Getting Any Attention For Your Writing Work

Most writers aim to get their writing noticed. Of course, there is still much to be said for writing purely for pleasure, but, let’s face it, the majority of us want that acknowledgement, that feeling that we have ‘made it’ in the writing world.

So you have your dreams firmly in place, you want an audience, a readership, you want to get published, you want to get paid for your writing work, and yet, you seem to be getting nowhere.

Sometimes it can feel like a constant uphill struggle, and, while we all know that writing for a living isn’t easy, does it really have to be all that hard?

The answer is both yes and no. If you actually want to get your writing noticed, the best thing to do is ask yourself the following:

Can you say it out loud?

If you actually want attention, why are you so afraid to say so? So many writers when asked what their goals are, prefer to smile shyly, shrug their shoulders and mutter something like ‘I don’t know, I just hope I finish my novel one day, that would be enough.’

Why do we do this when inside we’re raging ‘I WANT TO BE A BESTSELLER, I WANT THE WHOLE WORLD TO HEAR ME ROAR!!’?

OK so this might not be the most appropriate response, but you get what I mean.

Writers often seem ashamed that they want to be published, that they want to be successful. It seems arrogant almost that they would even let the idea of becoming even a modest success enter their pretty little heads.

This needs to change - admitting to yourself you want attention is the first important step.

Are you going to put the time in?

Years of handwork go into making someone an overnight success! If you aren’t willing to put in the hard graft, take the rejections, keep on writing even when you don’t feel like it, then you can’t expect to reap the rewards.

Writers get rejected, they write second, third, fourth novels without ever being acknowledged for them, they write for years, they make sacrifices, they put themselves out there, they don’t make much money, they market themselves tirelessly, shamelessly, and they work and work and work.

If you aren’t willing to put the time in, you have to be realistic. Success very rarely just falls into people's laps. You might be incredibly talented, but that doesn’t make you special. What sets one author apart from the crowd is that they will work relentlessly, tirelessly and they won’t give up until they have achieved everything they want to achieve.

Do you know who you are?

Understanding your motivation for writing and being clear about what you want to say to the world is how you make it unique and exciting.

If you are wavering and uncertain, if you are full of doubt, if you are not willing to take a stand and shout about it, then your voice will simply get lost in the crowd.

You need to know who you are and find your way of sharing that with others, but be aware that you can’t just make it all about you. You may think you are super interesting, but lots of people won’t. Always think about what your audience wants and how you can be of use to them. If you are not writing with your audience constantly in mind, then you cannot expect them to listen to you.

Can you take the pain?

If you are holding back because you are afraid of rejection, then you can’t expect to get any attention for your work. Don’t let your fears hold you back.

If you put yourself out there, you are bound to get both positive and negative attention, but that’s OK. Don’t hide from your critics and don’t let them stop you writing what is in your heart. If you shy away from what you want to say, if you tone it down or make it more ‘normal’ to try to please everyone, you’ll end up losing what is unique and special about you in the first place.

Getting attention for your writing work is hard, and it takes confidence, practice and determination to get there. But if you are determined and willing to put the time in you can build up your audience and start to get noticed, and it will feel really pretty good too!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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