THE Anthologist

Hello, my name is Dale Eldon, and I'm an anthologist.

I haven't always been one, aspiring anthologist perhaps (back when I used "aspiring" to describe myself as an author), but not official. This time last year I already had my first rejection letter. I was under a lot of stress when I wrote the story, and rushed it. Which is a bad idea, by the way. If it comes to that, you really should decide not to send. But being my first, it actually got me some good feedback.

I continued to try, even though I continued to fail. People still don't understand why I just don't give up. Writing is a tough gig, even for those who are semi-famous. I know writers who have a very nice size audience, and yet they have to take on extra jobs just to pay the bills. Me? I'm trying to get out of my job so I can write full time. I'm fighting up hill, I'm a noob. Who am I kidding... right?

Wrong. Life sucks big time for me. And it's always sucking more and more. At every corner things are getting tougher. If I didn't know any better, I would swear I'm a character in one of my stories, since I'm very cruel to my characters. But, writing is what I do. I can't stop. I get distracted a lot, and time blurs, mostly because working overnights screws with my time keeping. I don't sleep well, and the onslaught of idiots continue to strip my nerves (those buggers just keep breeding). I know the road ahead is a long, Tolkienian journey ahead. But you know what? It sucks working fast food, dealing with the scourge of the world doing the most demeaning work next to scrubbing toilets. Actually, there are worse jobs, but still, it's the bane of my life. I know a few bucks here and there from an accepted story that I poured my time into won't get me out, but what will?

When I sat out to become a published author, I did so thinking I would break in with my novel, and in between pimping it, I would write on the sequel. Those stories still sit on the back-burner (in a computer file labeled, Backburner). I haven't got those stories published, but I have managed in a year's time to get four short stories published (one in the first publisher I tried the year before), and a novella. Though at this point only one story is out for sale, the others will be out shortly.

A nobody like me, the guy who to this day is verbally spat on, treated like I have no business breathing, is doing what was once impossible. I'm getting work published. This won't stop rejection letters. They come to all writers, even those who have made it and always have new stories hitting the stands. What this means is that I'm doing what my enemies have told me I couldn't do. Myself included. I use to call myself an aspiring author instead of just saying I'm a writer. If you write, you're a writer. And if you keep writing, and honing your craft, you'll become a published author.

Writing short stories (which was suggested to me by a couple of other authors back in my novel or nothing days) is a good way to not only hone your craft, but get you published. You won't hit the big time, and a lot of the times the only pay you may get is a copy of the book (which is my min fee for any submission, but most of the times I shoot for money paying gigs). I do suggest though, to keep trying at the money gigs, because you're a writer, and writers get paid. Even if you're a noob, you should always take yourself serious (to a point) and your work.

Becoming an anthologist not only helps with your craft, but boosts your self-esteem. Which is something that's always taking blows regardless of how many books or shorts you have out, but it does help. All you have to do, is think back to the good old days when you couldn't publish a blurb. Look at your contributor copies, your framed copied checks, contracts, book cover pics on the PC, all the badges of honor you have earned as a published author.

Becoming an anthologist gives you a chance to learn more from others, to get your name out there, and a chance at publishing those novels. You can try to go for novelist only, but that is how so many authors fail. They try to eat the elephant in one setting, instead of one piece at a time. Being a writer isn't like the Green Lantern movie, where Ryan Reynolds receives next to no training and suddenly has all the training he needs to save the world. It's more like trying to be a Navy Seal. More times than not, the writer rings the bell before finishing the training. This isn't a career for the soft-headed. If you're not stubborn, you won't make it.

You have to keep at it. Life is going to suck, and nothing will ever change that. Life is not a book, you can't count on a happy ending. All you can do is your best to make it as a writer. Then at least, life can start being fun. Writing is fun, hanging out with writers is fun. Life sucks, but lets try to soften it up a little. And no one has it easy, and yet there are many pushing against the odds.

Keep writing and I hope to share the covers with you someday in an anthology.