According to the author of 23 books, William Bernhardt, the secret–and he admits this is something he shouldn’t share, that all his writer friends will shun him and editors will deny it and agents will drop him–but the key to getting published is to never give up. They cannot beat you if you never stop, he says.
Books change lives. Books are the light that never dies. Books bring people together. Books say, hey, you thought you were the only one out there, but you’re not.
Writing is not the hardest part, he says. It’s sitting in the chair. Talent is common; what isn’t is perseverance. You may have to give up TV. You may have to give up some friends. Don’t talk about it. Just write it. You’re going to make it. You’re going to write every day. I don’t know how long it will take, but I know this, you need to go home and write. Now. There are going to be some days when you just don’t feel like writing. Write anyway. Treat it like a job. You’re going to need a lot of energy. You need stamina to write. Get out and exercise. Take care of yourself. Get on that treatmill that’s collecting dust. Get rid of bad habits. The drinking. The drugs. Write what you love. Write from your heart. Write something you care about. The more words you write, the better you’ll get at it. If your husband says let’s go see a movie. No. If your bowling friends call. No. If Angelina Jolie calls and says I want you now. No.
Well, no, that would just be stupid.