And here you probably thought I was going to tell you about places to find work, eh? Where you look for jobs depends upon what you want to write and how. So, for me to cover that in a single post, well… It’s very possible I’d give you incorrect or not-as-useful advice.

So why am I talking about mistakes? Because this is very rarely addressed, but it happens often. You WILL screw up. You WILL piss somebody off, miss a deadline, bail on an anthology, go off the rails at a fan, sign a bad deal, work for less than you’re worth, and talk shit or complain to the wrong person. It’s just going to happen. Why? Because you’re a human being, not a pre-programmed cyber-author who does what you’re supposed to at all times. The only way you’ll learn what works for you, where the boundaries of what you will and won’t do, can and can’t do — is to do it. Not read about it. Not buy a book. But to actually do it.

Have I screwed up? Oh, hell yes! These moments stand out to me (like they would to you). But, they’re not a reflection of all the things I did right.

Now, your flavor of self-worth is going to vary based on your experiences and your personality. I will tell you, that I advise against dumping every, single part of you into your career as a writer with the expectation that you will “make it” some day. As I stated before: that success is not a guarantee. I would strongly encourage you to have a support network who’s not connected to the industry and engage in hobbies that are off the computer. I understand that conventions are part and parcel to being a professional writer, but throwing every aspect of your life into this will backfire on you and skew your perspective, much like being on the internet all day does as well.

Is it difficult to address grievances? Yes. They often don’t get resolved overnight and your issue may never get sorted with certain people. I’ve worked with a lot of people from all corners of multiple industries and there are folks who remember slights from twenty years ago. Twenty.

I don’t want to be that writer. It’s exhausting and I’m more interested in finding readers, doing the work involved, and building a support network than dealing with negativity. There are people I find it difficult to work with because I don’t believe in the pecking order and I have zero tolerance for plagiarism. (The perceived pecking order can cause people to do and say really stupid shit.) I have learned through trial-and-error to ask questions up front before deciding whether or not to have a vested interest in a potential partnership or engagement. And, it’s worked. For the most part, it has worked and I’m very glad the issues I had were early on in my career.

The thing is, the more problems you encounter, the more time it takes away from your core competency, and the more money you lose. Knowing you’ve screwed up and addressing those issues quickly are crucial to moving on quickly to something else. That’s the secret, folks. I’ve found that if you address what pops up in a timely manner, your workflow will remain healthy.

That’s all the time I have for this week. I’m off to a convention and my attention is being pulled away toward other things. If you have questions about anything I said, post ’em below!