American Idol and Finding
Success as a Writer
by Sally Herigstad

I can't stop watching American Idol. The plot may be predictable, but I seldom miss a night. By the time it's down to 12 contestants, I'm pulling for every one. I know their stories and their personalities, and I find I've bought into the idea that the only thing between them and happily ever after is being "discovered"—winning Idol and vaulting from obscurity to fame.

But when the going gets tough—when a 17-year-old with a wonderful God-given voice is told by judge Simon that he's "weird," or when a sweet-faced girl is told that she can't sing, I wonder if trying to take the fast track to success was such a great idea. Can trying to get ahead too fast actually hurt a promising career? Perhaps instead of auditioning for Idol, these young singers should have sung at weddings and local events for a few years, while they learned from their mistakes and got comfortable performing. Instead of being thrust onto a stage for which they were ill prepared, and being cut down by the judges, they could have built their success slowly. Rather than going for one big win or loss, and they could rack up a series of smaller wins (with a few losses) that lead to well-earned success.

As a writer, I can identify with the Idol contestants. No, I don't want to sing onstage. (My kids can breathe easy!) But writers' dreams are not so different from those of Idol contestants. We want to write something that will win the American Idol of writing—be published in a national magazine or become a bestseller. We'd like it to be the first thing we wrote. If only it worked that way.

I wanted to be a writer when I was in high school. I was smart enough not to bank on the little poems I wrote with multi-colored felt pens, however, so I majored in accounting. When my kids were little, I again got the urge to write. I didn't know much about the publishing business—like many people, I thought writers submitted books and then sat back and watched them become bestsellers. I tried to write things I wasn't ready for, or that I didn't have time to finish. I started whole books, and was disappointed when I couldn't pull them together. I could say that I had American Idol syndrome—I wanted to write my life work and have it be discovered now.

When the kids were older, I went back to public accounting. I still felt pulled toward writing, however, and when I saw an opening for a technical writer on personal finance software, I applied for and got the job.

I thought I was a good writer already—I got As in English—but my boss warned me that my first edits might be discouraging. He said to expect my first work to come back covered in red ink. He was right. My editor was kinder than Idol's Simon, but he was more specific. And he didn't just tell me what was wrong and send me off until next week; he made me fix it. It was as if the judge didn't just say "That was pitchy," but made the contestant stand there and do it over and over until it was in key. There was no giving up.

Whenever I wrote something really incomprehensible, my editor sat by my desk and we fixed it together, one sentence at a time. I was tempted to think, "What does he know? I like my writing as well as his." But I paid close attention to every edit, every comment. I was being paid to learn to write!

One day my editor looked at something I'd written, leaned back and sighed, and said, "It's like a song." He didn't change a word. I'd never had a better compliment.

Eight years after I started writing full time, my first book, "Help! I Can't Pay My Bills," was released by a major publisher. I write for various publications, and I have even been interviewed on TV and radio. I've learned a lot since the days when I wanted to become a writer but had no idea what that even meant, or how much work it would take.

If you feel called to be a writer, these steps can help you build your career the slow, steady way:

• Immediately start showing people your work. We sometimes think we write best when no one sees our work, but the reverse is true. We do our best work when we know someone will read it. It can be your spouse, a supportive friend, or members of a writers' group, but show almost everything you write to someone.
   
• Remember, you need three things as a writer: Feedback, feedback, and feedback. Take a class (online or locally), or pay a professional editor. You might want to get a technical writing job, or a position that requires writing.

  Don't believe all the feedback you receive, but listen to it carefully. Especially pay attention if someone says they don't "get" what you're saying. In software, we were told that if the user doesn't get it, it's our fault. It's our job to write clearly so that they do get it.

• Take small, easy projects that keep you writing. Volunteer to do the church bulletin, or the home school association newsletter. (I had an article I wrote for a local home school group newsletter picked up by a national magazine.) The more you write, the easier it gets.
   
• Create deadlines. If I hadn't taken a class called, "How To Write a Book Proposal," I'd still be meaning to write a book proposal. The class gave me feedback and confidence, but more importantly, it gave me deadlines. I'd still be thinking about writing the actual book if I hadn't signed a contract (and cashed and spent the advance check). I know my weakness—the best way for me to finish things is to create outside deadlines. If you have more willpower than I do, you can hold yourself accountable to your own deadlines. Otherwise, find a class, an editor, or some other outside source of accountability.
   
• Submit your work! Young singers are wise to start singing locally and work their way up as their confidence and resume builds. Writers should do the same. Submit letters to the editor; write for your homeowner's association paper. Build from there—submit articles to local papers and trade publications. Eventually, you'll be submitting ideas to national magazines or proposing a book.

American Idol is great entertainment. In the real world, however, it's better to start small and get experience and feedback as you go along. Don't rush it. You may not have instant success, but if you build your writing career slowly, one step at a time, you may be surprised how far you can go.