5 Reasons for Publishing Your Writing

Posted by David Duhr in ABCs of Writing      50 comments

Mar
13

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Discussion questions: What are some of the factors that motivate you toward publishing your writing?

In a new piece about process vs. product over at Writers Helping Writers I mention that I often ask new coaching clients two questions: Why do you want to write and why do you want to publish. (If you have some spare time today, head over there and let ’em see how WriteByNighters dig deep in our discussions!)

Most of what I write about in this space involves process, because I’ve never been terribly interested in publishing my writing but I *love*, and am fascinated with, the writing process.

But publication has been on my mind lately, and I know it’s a constant consideration for many of you. So this week, I want to take a look at a few common reasons writers give for publishing their writing; I’ll explore how I feel about those reasons, but mostly I want to know how *you* feel about them.

1. “I want to hold tangible evidence of all the hard work I’ve done.”

I can get behind this one for sure. Just last night I was talking to a writer about the pros and cons of publishing your writing in print versus online. I mentioned that some of my earliest publication credits came from Pleiades, a lit journal in Missouri. I wrote five or six book reviews for them ten or so years ago, but no evidence exists online. It’s *almost* as if it never happened.

But! On my bookshelf are these fat, beautiful bound journals with my name inside. I can touch them, flip through them. I can see my byline in print, on paper. I can hold them to my nose and smell my words.

The last time I tried that with my computer I got some strange looks on the subway.

Though publishing online offers fulfilling evidence, too. It’s just more like “I want to see tangible evidence of all the hard work I’ve done.” In general, online writing is easier to find, is more widely available, and has longer staying power.

Either way, print or online, we writers can draw great validation from having our work available for others to read.

Your turn: Is holding or seeing tangible evidence of your writing process a motivating factor for you? How do you feel when you hold a copy of a book with your name on the cover or a publication with your byline inside, or when you click a link to a webpage showing your work to the world?

2. “My story will help people.”

Helping readers can be an excellent motivator. I’m almost always working in coaching with at least one writer whose goal is to impart some kind of wisdom, or to help the reader through a difficult time by detailing how he or she got through a similar difficult time.

Many “My story will help people” writers work directly in self-help, while many others are writing a memoir. Like I was. And helping people is what kept me going through some difficult phases of the project. It wasn’t enough to carry me through all the way to the end, but it got me much further than I would’ve gotten otherwise.

Your turn: Is helping the reader a motivating factor for you? In what way(s) do you want to help people with your writing? Has a writer ever helped you in any significant way with his/her words?

3. “I want to make money, quit my day job, become a full-time writer.”

I remember my first writing paychecks. The first came from the Iowa Review for a review, and the second came two days later from Gulf Coast for another review. I took photos of the checks, showed those photos to lots of people who cared not a whit. The total amount was just enough for a tame night on the town, but the feeling stays with me. Someone valued my words not just enough to publish them but to give me money for them too! I felt like a real writer. Validated.

Most of us are aware that quitting our day job and becoming full-time writers is something of a longshot. But longshots can win races. Otherwise they’d be called no-shots. The goal of making money and being a full-time writer is the very thing that has led many writers to make money and become full-time writers.

Your turn: Is financial compensation and the idea of a career change a motivating factor for you? Do you recall how you felt the first time you were paid for your words? If that hasn’t happened yet, how will you celebrate when it does?

4. “I want a sense of accomplishment, to have achieved my goal, nailed my personal challenge.”

Some writers want to publish a book just to prove to themselves that they can. It’s similar to the reason someone might give for climbing a mountain (“Because it’s there”) or completing a marathon (“Just to see if I can do it”). All three require mental and physical stamina.

And sometimes that determination, and the unwillingness to let your own self down, is enough to guide us through the rough spots. Some writers (and people) thrive on being accountable to others; some thrive on being accountable only to themselves.

Your turn: Are you driven by proving to yourself that you can publish your writing? Where do you think that personal challenge comes from? How does it keep you going through the dark times?

5. “I want the acclaim of good reviews/ratings, awards, etc.; I want to be invited to read my work at bookstores and festivals, and sign copies of my book for my fans afterwards.”

Ah, external validation. So many of us crave it so hard. I still feel a tingle whenever someone says, “Hey, I liked that thing you wrote.” Outwardly, of course, I wave it off and say, “Oh, that old thing?”

Sure, we want people to read the writing we poured so much of ourselves into, but more than that, we want people to like it.

Your turn: How much does the idea of external validation drive you? To hear from readers that they like your work; to read your positive reviews, to revel in five-star ratings? Let’s talk about it below!

WriteByNight writing coach and co-founder David Duhr is fiction editor at the Texas Observer and co-host of the Yak Babies podcast, and has written about books for the Dallas Morning News, Electric Literature, Publishing Perspectives, and others.