Nicki Porter
"Success is something that must be defined on your terms. Let no one else define it for you."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | artist integrity, the successful artist, Nicki Porter
"You write because you need to. Period. But you publish because you want people to read your work."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | writing, writer-reader relationship, publishing, Nicki Porter
"Perhaps you feel the urge to be your own boss, to promote your own works, and you'd rather not have someone else earn royalties on your hard-won promotional efforts. So you self-publish. And you are delighted with that decision."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | reaching your audience, publishing, Nicki Porter
"The traditional [book publishing] market can be impossible, it can be icy, it can be illogical and downright cruel. I have seen it knock down oodles of talented writers."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | creating isn't easy, writing, publishing, Nicki Porter
"The more you read, the more nuggets you file away, the more gold in your stores, the richer your writing will be."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | reading, writing, value the art, Nicki Porter, never stop LEARNING
"To pretend self-publishing is never the right option, and that all writers who self-publish are talentless hacks who slap a book together and call it art? Friends, that is dangerously close-minded thinking."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | publishing, feedback/criticism/rejection, Nicki Porter
"I believe every story leaves some small impact on the reader. Perhaps it's as small as a turn of phrase you unconsciously file away, a new word you hadn't heard before. But something, some thread of it sneaks its way into your cranial blueprint and fiddles with the math a bit. You may look the same, act the same, seem the same, but some microscopic part of your makeup is different."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | reading, storytelling, value the art, Nicki Porter
"I am so very tired of all this snobbery surrounding how one chooses to publish their work. It is now possible to make a lucrative career as a self-published author—sometimes, in fact, more lucrative than being a traditionally published author, especially in genre or other niche markets."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | create for YOURSELF, writing, publishing, genre, Nicki Porter, TAKE RISKS
"What I consider to be the 'real' life of a modern-day novelist: There will be high points, there will be harsh blows, and you will probably have to teach, consult, or edit to make ends meet. All you can do is return to the writing, day after day—and never, ever give up."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | creating isn't easy, novel writing, writing, KEEP CREATING, the creative life, Nicki Porter
"We give a lot of advice to young writers: Read a lot. Study the classics. Write about what you know. Show, don't tell. But danger lies in teaching too much and warning too little. Rarely do we tell the would-be wordsmith: This is a hard road you're taking. Are you sure it is the one for you? Is there anything else, anything at all, you'd also enjoy doing? If so, go and do it. The world is wide open to you. Spare yourself the agony, young one."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | creating isn't easy, write what you know, writing, Nicki Porter
"Perhaps you keep your drafts folder to yourself, for your eyes only. You have never submitted. You're too busy, you say; you'll start another day. You write for you. And you secretly fear hearing what an editor has to say. I urge you: Put yourself out there."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | create for YOURSELF, creative fear, writing, Nicki Porter
"Writing is a subjective sport, I'm afraid. Strap on your helmet and flash your skinned knees with pride. After all, only those with the courage to submit can be rejected."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | creating isn't easy, artist integrity, writing, publishing, feedback/criticism/rejection, Nicki Porter
"Your work will be rejected. Often, always, and forever. Good work. Quality work. Publishable work. Work you've born your soul into. You will be turned down not only for logic and for reason, but for the silliest of subjectivities: The editor's cat has just died, and your work is too sad. The agent is moving in a darker publishing direction; your work is too light. Your poems are too short. Your essays are too long. We've seen this before. We've never seen this before and wouldn't know how to market it. It's good, but it won't sell. It's good, but it's just not right for us. You do understand, don't you?"
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | creating isn't easy, writing, publishing, editors, feedback/criticism/rejection, Nicki Porter
"No matter what we write or how well we write it, we must all eventually make peace with the constant sting of rejection."
— Nicki Porter
for Creatives | writing, feedback/criticism/rejection, Nicki Porter
"Summer, like a well-crafted short story, ends much too soon."
— Nicki Porter
"Short fiction creeps up on you like that. Shakes you up, spins you around, ties on a blindfold and turns you loose on the world with a bat."
— Nicki Porter
"I exit a good short story feeling like someone's just punched me in the gut. I'm hunched, doubled over; the story lingers in my thoughts for days."
— Nicki Porter (art by Scott Morse)
for Creatives | reading, art, artists, short stories, Nicki Porter, Scott Morse
"A novel is a war, but a short story is a landmine."
— Nicki Porter