As all of you can see, my current read is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I'm usually not one who re-reads books, but this is my second time this one. So, why am I reading it again? It is a very good book, but I'm not going through it again for enjoyment. You see, it took Rothfuss four years to write and DAW to publish it. In his acknowledgments, Rothfuss thanks his dad for teaching him that anything worth doing takes time. But four years? Come on. I appreciate taking the time to get things right, but when you have fans eagerly awaiting your next book, a little bit of urgency is expected.
So, here I sit re-reading the first book because after starting the second in the series, I realized I forgot a lot of the little details from the first. I thought about plowing through the second and hoping they all come back to me, I decided to take the time to re-read the first.
Lesson Learned #1. Writing is an entertainment based career. If you become published, you do have to think about your "fans". Over the past few years, I'd read how Rothfuss was asked over and over, "When is the new book coming out?" Was an answer ever given? No, not really. It's really hard now-a-days to be the brooding writer who disappears for years at a time just to re-emerge with a masterpiece that you think of as barely exceptable for publishing. People's attentions are short. Movie stars who don't make movies for awhile run the risk of being forgotten about. Same for musicians who don't make new music for awhile. Sure they'll have fans who will see whatever movie they make or buy whatever album they make. But, those are the hardcore fans. Going that long between producing a book, or movie, or cd could possibly lose you readers, watchers, or listeners.
In other words, write write write. Keep writing. Write something you're proud of, but keep in mind if you want to be a writer, you have to have readers. Think of them, too.
See you next time with Lessons Learned #2.
