The biggest emotional challenge of being a writer occurred when I was shopping an older draft of my first Skylar Robbins mystery, Skylar Robbins: Secret Agent.
It took weeks, even months to hear back from prospective agents, and they hated it when an author submitted simultaneously to more than one. Waiting for responses—one at a time, week after week—was grueling.
Rejections, after all that waiting, were torturous. But I never let them derail my writing goals.
My mother, Sylvia Cross, was president of the Women’s National Book Association, and she was always a huge inspiration to me. My mom had Calvin Coolidge’s motto hanging above her desk; it included this phrase, which became my motto: “Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
And I did finally land an agent.
How I Coped with Rejection by Reading
I coped with the emotional challenge of dealing with rejection by reading many, many books in my middle grade/teen genre.
Reading is the best escape in my opinion, especially for aspiring authors. I took copious notes, detailing how authors I admired crafted their plots and characters, created suspense, and led up to their exciting climaxes.
Getting lost in a great novel is an excellent way to forget about your own challenges and learn how to improve your craft at the same time.
Regular Date Nights Helped Me Cope with Writer Exhaustion
While I was trying to get an agent, I also had a full-time job, as well as running my own side business, selling women’s clothing and lingerie wholesale to stores. I worked 24-7, literally, between my day job, my business, and writing. I was exhausted.
I coped with that by having regular date nights with my husband, where we would go out for sushi or to dinner at a nice restaurant, and not talk about work during the entire meal. Even a short escape works wonders!
I also work out regularly, even if it means postponing my writing. I do a 30-minute Jillian Michaels workout twice weekly, and spend at least 15 minutes doing sit-ups or twisting on my Fit-Board several times a week.
The Best Thing an Aspiring Author Can Do Is Read
One of the keys to my creativity is reading the works of my favorite authors. I studied the techniques Lee Child used to create suspense, and took notes: He introduces confusing elements that become explained later…but they keep the reader turning the pages to find out what the heck happened.
I pore over the works of authors like Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Megan Abbot, loving how they develop characters, lead the reader from one chapter to the next, and introduce plot twists while building to a climax. The best thing an aspiring author can do is read.
Editing stomps on creativity. Writing is right brain, editing is left. Once a writer starts editing, the creative process is stifled. So, no matter how badly I want to go back over a chapter, page, or paragraph I have just written, I force myself to keep churning out the words.
I promise, I will go back and edit them later.
Don’t Submit Your Manuscript Until It’s 100% the Best It Can Be!
My darkest moment was when my New York agent (who shall remain nameless) told me he had submitted an early version of my first Skylar Robbins book to several publishing houses and they had all passed.
Even after I promised to revise, he thought it was too late, and decided he no longer wanted to represent me.
Looking back at that first draft of The Mystery of Shadow Hills, then entitled, Skylar Robbins: Secret Agent, I realize how unpolished it was, and am surprised I landed an agent at all.
Lesson learned, and advice to aspiring authors: Don’t submit until your manuscript is 100% the best it can possibly be.
I Can’t Stop Living in My Character’s Head
My greatest triumph as a writer occurred when several groups of kids formed their own detective agencies after reading my first book, and were inspired to search for clues and solve mysteries.
Even boys got interested in finding clues and looking for something mysterious—and I thought at first my novels would just appeal to girls.
What keeps me going is that I can’t stop living inside Skylar Robbins’s head, looking for the next mystery to solve, wondering what clue might be hiding in a new unexpected place.
Advice for a Young Writer: Write Because You Love It
Enjoy the journey. Never give up. But don’t do it for the money–if it comes, good for you. But trying to make a living as a novelist is like a musician trying to become a rock star: A tiny percent of a tiny percent of us actually earn a living writing.
Write because you love to write, and don’t quit your day job. Until you become one of the lucky ones and those royalties start pouring in.
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Carrie Cross is an avid reader who fell in love with books as a little girl after reading Goodnight Moon. She wrote her first “book” at age four: Blackie the Little Black Dog and the Flying Washing Machine. Carrie discovered her passion for mysteries reading Nancy Drew books and The Happy Hollisters series, and after writing The Mystery of Shadow Hills, she continues to look for clues in unexpected places to this day.
In addition to writing Skylar Robbins mysteries and reading, Carrie loves to cook, hike at the beach, go boating, and travel.
For more information on Carrie and her work, please see her website, or follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of the Hidden Jewels: A deserted mansion perches on a steep hillside, overlooking a rocky canyon. Tattered curtains hang behind broken windows, and a turret stretches toward the sky. Three years ago the wealthy owner disappeared suddenly, leaving behind a house full of secrets: A mysterious note, tantalizing clues, a hidden floor, one piece of a treasure map, and a missing fortune in diamonds.
Thirteen-year-old sleuth Skylar Robbins moves into the mansion with her parents and embarks on a new and dangerous mission. Armed with her detective kit, and with the support of her BFF Alexa and a team of secret agents, Skylar sets out to decipher the clues and find the diamonds. Can she outwit a gang of nasty construction workers and find the hidden jewels before they do? Or will the perils of middle school–like battling ruthless bully Emelyn Peters for the attention of class hottie Dustin Coles–get in her way?
Available at Amazon.
Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills: Thirteen-year-old sleuth Skylar Robbins plans to become a private detective like her grandfather. Stuck at her bullying cousin Gwendolyn’s Malibu estate for the summer, Skylar brings her fingerprinting kit, portable spy tools, and her journal for taking notes in secret code. She had no idea how dangerous the next eight weeks would prove to be.
As soon as Skylar gets to Malibu, mysterious things begin to happen. She discovers a hidden garden behind a rusted gate in Gwendolyn’s huge back yard. Her new friend Kat, who claims to be a witch, recognizes magical elements throughout the garden and declares it the perfect place to perform spells.
“We are going to grow gems.”
“Grow what?” There was no way I heard her right.
Kat’s eyes gleamed. “Gems. You know, rubies, emeralds, sapphires? Gems!”
Ignoring the rising tide, they sneak down to the beach at midnight and search three caves for magic seeds to plant in the abandoned garden. Practical Skylar didn’t believe in magic. Until their spells begin to work.
Available at Amazon.