Turning a Writer's Worst Fear into an Opportunity for Connection

Scarcity vs. Collaboration and Mutual Support

I don’t remember when my editor told me about the two wildfire memoirs coming out this spring and summer, but I do remember predicting this would happen. It was around this time two years ago that I told my agent that someone else was going to get here first. “No,” he said. But I knew I was right. I’d been working on my forthcoming book for several years. Back in 2019, when I sold it on proposal, the concept and ideas were so fresh that several editors rejected them. I was writing about subjects that were barely bubbling to the surface of our culture, but as the revision and publication process extended I watched many of my fresh ideas surface and become mainstream.

I can’t speak for all writers, but for me, there’s always been a strong sense of urgency surrounding my work. A need to get it out there. Back when I was a baby writer (to be clear, this was in my late twenties), this resulted in me submitting my stories and poems before they were finished. I didn’t revise my work, or know…