Welcome back to Taylor Talks!
I received a good amount of positive feedback after publishing yesterday's blog post. It really made me feel good to know that others stood behind me as I stood up for my beliefs.
I received a good amount of positive feedback after publishing yesterday's blog post. It really made me feel good to know that others stood behind me as I stood up for my beliefs.
In the future, whether it be months from now or next week, making the decision to stick up for my writing may not seem like such a big deal anymore. I know that there will be bigger and more difficult decisions to make in the future; the whole world doesn't revolve around whether or not I let some blogger put up half of my writing. But in the moment, making that decision was huge for me.
I'm not going to lie... getting some exposure is really important to me. As a writer who hopes to become a published author someday, I know that I need a following in order to catch the eye of any literary agent or publishing company. Unfortunately in today's society, you almost need to be a celebrity before being able to do anything worthwhile. You hear about all sorts of people publishing books nowadays; sports players, actors, reality stars. What about the small town girl who just have a voice she'd like to share with the world? Do I need to post thousands of videos on YouTube in hopes of attracting the media's attention before anyone will take me seriously? Why can't my writing just speak for itself? Yet that's exactly the way the world works; I need to be able to show that I have people reading my writing before anyone will publish writing that will attract lots of readers.
It's kind of like the mindset that college kids and recent graduates are in a lot of the time: always wondering what in the world is going on right now. You need a college degree to get a good job but you need a good job to pay for the college. You need a car to get to work, but you need work in order to get a car. You need experience to get that position, but you need the position in order to gain experience. The whole world is so backwards sometimes!
When I lay in bed at night and dream about the future, I can see my published book so clearly that I can almost feel it in my hands. I know that I'm going to be a published author someday. But I also know that I need to gain as much exposure as possible before that happens so that I'll be taken seriously as a writer. I'm always looking for writing opportunities and chances to grow my following. Every 'like' on my author page brings a smile to my face. Every new page view on my blog has me feeling like I've accomplished something. Someone writes about becoming a foster parent on Facebook? I'm there with a link to my blog. Another adoptive family blogger needs a guest post? Sign me up! I'm always looking to expand my audience and share my thoughts with the world.
Yesterday showed me that no matter how much I want to be recognized for my writing, no matter how willing anyone is to do something in order to be acknowledged for their hard work, there is always going to be a line where you stop and realize what's truly important to you. For me, I learned how important it was to stand up for my writing and not let others push me around. This blogger actually compared the situation to me trying to become an author. I had adhered to the guidelines this blogger set forth, and I had never been informed that my writing would be edited before being posted on that blog. Yet the blogger said that I had to learn to deal with people editing my work, that I had to have a thick skin because editors would be changing my books left and right when I tried to get novels published. Well guess what? When I'm trying to get a book published, I'll be going into the process knowing that there are people more experienced than me who will be helping to make my book the best it can be. I'll go into the process knowing and understanding that people are going to have suggestions for me, and that I'll be able to choose whether to accept those suggestions or walk away from the deal. I know that my novel won't be perfect until it's been looked at by someone experienced in the field of publishing, and it's been edited and revised numerous times. But that's completely different than being asked to write a guest post for which you follow certain guidelines and then end up being told a completely different story afterward based on the blogger's current mood.
I learned that I'm not willing to do anything to get my writing seen and recognized. I realized that I'm always going to stick to my beliefs and I'll wait for whatever the future holds for me. It's kind of like my dad taught me when he used to take me fishing when I was little... you just have to be patient and eventually your attention and concentration will pay off. You'll eventually catch the biggest fish for your age group at the fishing tournament (yeah, I was a pretty cool kid ha ha) or you'll eventually get your novel published. You just have to believe in yourself and do what you know to be right.
Thank you so much for your continued support! I look forward to sharing more stories about my experience with foster care, and hopefully hearing from readers who have questions or similar stories to share. I'm always willing to answer questions and hear about other experiences! Please don't forget to like and share my Facebook author page as well!
I’d greatly appreciate it if you would share this blog with friends and family through your favorite social media sites. If you’re sharing on Twitter, don’t forget to tag me (@TayTayK02) and use the hashtag #TaylorTalks.
Thanks!
Taylor
I'm not going to lie... getting some exposure is really important to me. As a writer who hopes to become a published author someday, I know that I need a following in order to catch the eye of any literary agent or publishing company. Unfortunately in today's society, you almost need to be a celebrity before being able to do anything worthwhile. You hear about all sorts of people publishing books nowadays; sports players, actors, reality stars. What about the small town girl who just have a voice she'd like to share with the world? Do I need to post thousands of videos on YouTube in hopes of attracting the media's attention before anyone will take me seriously? Why can't my writing just speak for itself? Yet that's exactly the way the world works; I need to be able to show that I have people reading my writing before anyone will publish writing that will attract lots of readers.
It's kind of like the mindset that college kids and recent graduates are in a lot of the time: always wondering what in the world is going on right now. You need a college degree to get a good job but you need a good job to pay for the college. You need a car to get to work, but you need work in order to get a car. You need experience to get that position, but you need the position in order to gain experience. The whole world is so backwards sometimes!
When I lay in bed at night and dream about the future, I can see my published book so clearly that I can almost feel it in my hands. I know that I'm going to be a published author someday. But I also know that I need to gain as much exposure as possible before that happens so that I'll be taken seriously as a writer. I'm always looking for writing opportunities and chances to grow my following. Every 'like' on my author page brings a smile to my face. Every new page view on my blog has me feeling like I've accomplished something. Someone writes about becoming a foster parent on Facebook? I'm there with a link to my blog. Another adoptive family blogger needs a guest post? Sign me up! I'm always looking to expand my audience and share my thoughts with the world.
Yesterday showed me that no matter how much I want to be recognized for my writing, no matter how willing anyone is to do something in order to be acknowledged for their hard work, there is always going to be a line where you stop and realize what's truly important to you. For me, I learned how important it was to stand up for my writing and not let others push me around. This blogger actually compared the situation to me trying to become an author. I had adhered to the guidelines this blogger set forth, and I had never been informed that my writing would be edited before being posted on that blog. Yet the blogger said that I had to learn to deal with people editing my work, that I had to have a thick skin because editors would be changing my books left and right when I tried to get novels published. Well guess what? When I'm trying to get a book published, I'll be going into the process knowing that there are people more experienced than me who will be helping to make my book the best it can be. I'll go into the process knowing and understanding that people are going to have suggestions for me, and that I'll be able to choose whether to accept those suggestions or walk away from the deal. I know that my novel won't be perfect until it's been looked at by someone experienced in the field of publishing, and it's been edited and revised numerous times. But that's completely different than being asked to write a guest post for which you follow certain guidelines and then end up being told a completely different story afterward based on the blogger's current mood.
I learned that I'm not willing to do anything to get my writing seen and recognized. I realized that I'm always going to stick to my beliefs and I'll wait for whatever the future holds for me. It's kind of like my dad taught me when he used to take me fishing when I was little... you just have to be patient and eventually your attention and concentration will pay off. You'll eventually catch the biggest fish for your age group at the fishing tournament (yeah, I was a pretty cool kid ha ha) or you'll eventually get your novel published. You just have to believe in yourself and do what you know to be right.
Thank you so much for your continued support! I look forward to sharing more stories about my experience with foster care, and hopefully hearing from readers who have questions or similar stories to share. I'm always willing to answer questions and hear about other experiences! Please don't forget to like and share my Facebook author page as well!
I’d greatly appreciate it if you would share this blog with friends and family through your favorite social media sites. If you’re sharing on Twitter, don’t forget to tag me (@TayTayK02) and use the hashtag #TaylorTalks.
Thanks!
Taylor
RSS Feed
