Publishing is slow, so don't wait to write ⏳
Today's guest is author Bellamy Rose.
Publishing is a waiting game, but finishing your novel doesn’t have to be.
Publishing a book often involves a lot of waiting. Waiting to hear back from agents. Waiting for publishers to weigh in. Waiting to see if your book takes off.
But when it comes to the writing itself? Don’t wait. Don’t wait for inspiration to strike, for the perfect conditions, or for your story to arrive fully formed.
If you keep waiting, you’ll have no story to share.
You’ve heard it before: you can’t edit a blank page. Even if the first draft is messy, even if you’re unsure it’s working, getting it down is the most important step. Because once it’s there, you can mold it, strengthen it—and maybe even discover it’s better than you imagined.
In today’s interview, author Bellamy Rose talks early-morning writing routines, surviving book flops, and what keeps her going when she’s tempted to give up.
OUR SPECIAL GUEST TODAY IS…
Bellamy Rose
Author
Bellamy’s latest novel, Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder is available now!
What is the most memorable writing tip or technique that you have heard, and how did it influence your process?
"You can't edit a blank page," which I believe is from Jodi Picoult. Every time I want to stop working on something because I think it's bad, I remind myself of this, because I can edit it once it's on the page and make it better, but it needs to be on the page first.
What’s one thing about the publishing process no one tells you, but should?
How much waiting there is! There are points in the process after edits leading up to publication where everything is quiet and you'll be convinced everybody's forgotten about your book. It's not true. There are things going on behind the scenes. Don't panic.
What’s been the toughest moment in your publishing journey, and how did you get through it?
There have been a couple times when my books flopped and I was sure my career was over: after my second YA book in 2016, and my third MG book in 2022. I kept pivoting to new age groups and new genres to get my foot back in the door, and it was finally my third adult book (Love You a Latke, as Amanda Elliot) that took off.
Ready for feedback that takes your story to the next level?
“With Alyssa's input, I see what needs to be revised in my draft, what works, and what does not. I am encouraged to keep going after Alyssa's professional assessment.”
—S.A. Mulholland, fiction author
When life gets busy, how do you protect your time to write?
I wake up early. Do I ever really want to wake up at five in the morning? God, no. But sometimes it's the only way to fit writing and exercise and parenting and basic human functions all in one day.
What part of the writing process brings you the most joy?
Whatever part of the process I'm not currently in! Whenever I'm drafting, I dream about revising, and whenever I'm revising, I dream about drafting, and I never dream about copyedits or pass pages because they are the devil. Maybe the daydreaming part is my favorite - the parts where I'm out walking and thinking about my characters and what they're going to do next.
ICYMI…this week on YouTube, I’m talking about the WORST writing advice on the internet:
I liked this advice, it was like understanding that there is a yield sign at the publishing point. I will take her advice. My contribution to my fellow unpub'd writers is that I find music on YouTube that suits the mood or urgency of what I write and I play that music over and over again as I write and edit.
"You can't edit a blank page" is my battle cry when I get stuck or find myself struggling with perfectionism to the point that I can't move forward in the story. The first draft doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to exist. Only then will I be able to edit it and make it better!
That's also such an important point that pivoting is a valid option to deal with flops. I've been warned by people who seem to not want me to traditionally publish (why it's their business I don't know...) that if your book fails, no one will ever pick you up as an author again, but I keep seeing that disproven by multiple authors who simply refused to give up. I would love to see more people talk about how they moved forward from failure! The bookish world loves a success story, but we need to know the stories of how people overcome obstacles just as much!