Early success is supposed to be motivating. A first publication. A contest win. A personal note from an editor you admire. These moments feel like proof: I can do this. And often, they are. But sometimes , that early success becomes a strange kind of sticking point. The work slows. Submissions become cautious. Drafts pileContinueContinue reading “Why Some Writers Stall After Early Success”
Category Archives: mindset
Preparing for a Convention Panel (Without Losing Your Mind)
Being invited onto a convention panel can be flattering—and surprisingly stressful. You want to sound smart. You want to contribute. You don’t want to freeze or ramble or realize halfway through that you have nothing useful to say. One of the best ways to reduce that stress is to reframe the panel. You’re not beingContinueContinue reading “Preparing for a Convention Panel (Without Losing Your Mind)”
The Quiet Grief of the Story That Almost Worked
Last year I had 10 ‘Holds’ from magazines for short stories – but only one turned into an acceptance in the end. This taught me that there’s a particular kind of disappointment that doesn’t get talked about much in writing circles: the story that almost worked. Not the obvious failure. Not the piece that wasContinueContinue reading “The Quiet Grief of the Story That Almost Worked”
Are There Really “Stages” to a Writer?
People love labels. In writing circles we talk casually about beginners, emerging writers, mid-career authors, established voices. These terms get used as shorthand, but rarely do we stop to ask: what do they actually mean? For many people outside the writing world, the litmus test is simple: Have you written a novel? If the answerContinueContinue reading “Are There Really “Stages” to a Writer?”
Why “Write What You Love” Is Only Half the Advice
“Write what you love” is some of the best writing advice you’ll ever hear—and also some of the most incomplete. And with Valentine’s day coming, it seemed an apropos theme for today. On its own, the advice is freeing. It gives permission. It pushes back against trend-chasing and imitation. It reminds you that the emotionalContinueContinue reading “Why “Write What You Love” Is Only Half the Advice”
Voice Isn’t Something You “Find”—It’s Something That Survives Revision
Writers talk about voice the way people talk about buried treasure. As if it’s something hidden inside you, waiting to be uncovered if you just dig deeply enough. Find your voice. Trust your voice. Don’t lose your voice. That framing sounds romantic—but it’s also deeply misleading. In practice, voice isn’t something you discover fully formed.ContinueContinue reading “Voice Isn’t Something You “Find”—It’s Something That Survives Revision”
Your Approach to Rejection Matters Less Than That you Risk it
It’s often said that moving is one of life’s top stressors—right up there with divorce and death. Having endured a move earlier this year (complete with nightmare movers and chaos in cardboard), I can confirm that’s no exaggeration. But whoever came up with that list clearly wasn’t a writer. Because if they were, “literary rejection”ContinueContinue reading “Your Approach to Rejection Matters Less Than That you Risk it”
When an Acceptance Turns Sour
One of the most thrilling moments in a writer’s life is receiving that long-awaited yes—an acceptance letter after dozens, maybe hundreds, of rejections. It’s the kind of moment that’s meant to be savored, a bright spark of validation in a career often defined by perseverance and uncertainty. But sometimes, even that joy can curdle. Recently,ContinueContinue reading “When an Acceptance Turns Sour”
Why Rejection Doesn’t Mean Your Story Is Bad
As a slush reader for various speculative fiction magazines, I’ve learned one fundamental truth: taste is messy. It’s subjective, inconsistent, and often deeply personal. If you’ve ever submitted a story and been rejected in the first round, you’re in good company—and you might be surprised to know how many of those rejections have less toContinueContinue reading “Why Rejection Doesn’t Mean Your Story Is Bad”
The Myth of the ‘One Piece of Advice’
To be succesful at writing, I’ve come to believe that its more your ability to juggle, than anything else that will help you. But there’s a peculiar myth that runs through popular culture—the idea that success boils down to one secret, one golden rule, one repeatable habit that will unlock greatness. Ask a Hollywood starContinueContinue reading “The Myth of the ‘One Piece of Advice’”
Gideon P. Smith 