Cintia asked Julie Berry:

I'm an aspiring writer, but I'm dealing with two things: I get discouraged every single day because 96% of manuscripts are rejected, and I haven't had an idea for years, literally. There's too many people wanting to be writers, and knowing there's so much competition just kills me a little every day. When I get motivated, immediatly something appears about the industry that kills it. Any tips on how to deal with this?

Julie Berry Hi Cintia! I can relate to that feeling of discouragement you describe, and I remember, the first time I attended a writing conference, feeling overwhelmed by the number of people in the room. Surely, with so many people so serious about writing, I didn't have a prayer. But I have since learned that one never really knows what other aspiring writers are doing -- working on their craft? Watching Netflix? -- and in any case it doesn't matter. In a very real sense, there is no competition in this industry because no one else can write the book you would write. The only way to stay sane is to write because you want to, because you love it, because you want to prove to yourself that you can finish it, because you're curious to see how it ends. Paradoxically, it's only when you write a book like you don't care about publication that you actually have a shot at publication. But publication shouldn't really be the goal -- finding your voice and saying something with it, telling a great story, should be the goal. Only when you've begun to do that more or less regularly is publication something you should think about. Don't worry about what other people do. Write for writing's sake, for your own sake. Otherwise you'll always stay in a stalled place, wondering what-if. Best of success to you!

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