There Is No Writer Fairy

The Writer Fairy visited my house yesterday. She waved her wand over the rough draft of a story I'd just written. Her wings fluttered and her emerald eyes sparkled as her wand skipped lightly over my prose. It was an exciting moment. I sat with my hands in my lap as she worked her magic. My story would be a masterpiece and editors would fight to publish it.

If you believe that, you're either a cock-eyed optimist or pretty gullible. But wouldn't it be nice if we had help like this? The sad news is that there is no writer fairy. There's only one person who can work any kind of magic on your stories. You!

The point of all this is to make it totally clear that , as writers, we are the one responsible for the work we produce. It's up to us to write that first draft, then let it sit for a few days and edit and revise. Then do it again. Do it until you can read the piece and feel a sense of satisfaction. That's when it's ready to send to an editor. It still doesn't guarantee publication, but you'll know you gave it your best shot.

If you belong to a critique group, run your final piece through the group and see what further revisions they might suggest. I've seen a few things come through my group when ciritiquers have said, "This is ready to go." But it's only been a very few. Almost all the submissions can be made better. The group can help, but it's still you who must put it into the final, all ready to go, stage.