Blog: Jillian Burns-Never Give Up! Never Surrender!

Never Give up! Never Surrender!

That quote from the movie Galaxy Quest has always stuck with me.

Like most people, I’ve had some adversities in my life to overcome. An abusive boyfriend, the loss of a baby, teenagers… (hey, don’t underestimate the heartache they can cause)

My mother used to say “Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.” That quote, from a popular song when she was a child, was her generation’s version of “Never Give up, Never Surrender.”

And sometimes we all have to choose, when we’ve been beaten down by life, whether we’re going to pick ourselves up and start over, or whether we will surrender.

Being a writer puts that choice to the test almost daily. Whether you’re published or pre-published, challenges are ready to knock us down. It could be a scathing rejection (or any rejection) from an editor or agent. It might be a scene you’re working on that’s just not coming out right, or it could just be life interfering with your writing time.

Because I sold the first book I ever wrote, I had only received 2 rejections before becoming a published author, and some might ask, what do I know of rejection?  But becoming published doesn’t stop the rejections. It took me 3 years to sell my first book. It took me another 3 years to sell again. 3 long years of rejections. Rejections where I really got my hopes up. Where I was completely shocked because my editor had asked for revisions and told me she loved the story, but ultimately it just didn’t work for the senior editor. I had to pull the knife out of my heart on that one. Curl up and cry and eat lots of chocolate.

But eventually, we have to un-curl ourselves from the fetal position and get back to the keyboard. That’s the only way to make it in this business. Almost every writer friend I know has done so, as well. From putting a beloved manuscript under the bed and starting over with a fresh story, or completely reinventing themselves with a different publisher after their house closed a line.

The publishing industry is going through a huge change right now. In the past eighteen months, self-publishing has gained respect. It no longer carries the stigma of unprofessionalism it once did and many authors --even bestselling authors-are finding it a viable and truly profitable option. And there are many new publishers emerging that publish mostly e-books. Authors have many options above and beyond selling to the traditional New York publishing houses. But so many choices can be paralyzing. There are still so many unknowns. It’s scary. A few authors are making hundreds of thousands of dollars self-publishing. But it’s a big risk. One could sink hundreds of dollars into hiring a cover artist and an editor, all with no guarantee of ever making a dime. And that can be even more difficult to try if one already has a contract with a publisher that pays an advance, even if the royalties are much lower. It can take a lot of courage not to be overwhelmed. To try new things.

One of my all-time favorite authors, the grand dame of gothic romance, Phyllis Whitney, died recently at 104. I remember the excitement of going back to the library for her next book, and curling up to read every book I could find of hers in the summers of my youth.

         When I received an email with a link:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/09/books/09whitney.html?_r=3&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
to an article about Phyllis Whitney’s life and legacy, memories washed over me and I realized she was part of the reason I became a writer. Then I read the last paragraph of the article and it seemed like Phyllis was speaking to me.

 “Ms. Whitney ascribed her success as a writer to persistence and an abiding faith in her abilities. “Never mind the rejections, the discouragement, the voices of ridicule (there can be those too),” she wrote in “Guide to Fiction Writing.” “Work and wait and learn, and that train will come by. If you give up, you’ll never have a chance to climb aboard.”

Ok, Phyllis, I’m listening. Never give up! Never Surrender!

Jillian Burns likes to think her emotional nature—sometimes referred to as moodiness by those closest to her—has found the perfect outlet in writing stories filled with passion and romance. Her newest Harlequin Blaze, RELENTLESS SEDUCTION will be out in January 2013. For more information and excerpts you can visit her at: http://www.jillianburns.com