By Karis Rogerson

Karis Rogerson is a writer and reader who’s been writing novels and trying to get them published for over a decade. In this column, she’ll be taking you along with her, starting at the beginning of her writing journey, as she continues working on new projects in the hopes that someday, you can hold them in your hands!

It’s been nearly 25 years since I was an elementary school student who looked at my teacher and said, with all the ambition and faith in the world, that I was going to be a published author when I grew up. Somehow, I’ve stuck to that dream.

Even though I’m still not a published author, I continue to pursue my ambition, and after signing with my agent in June 2023, I’m closer than I ever was before. There have been a lot of really massive changes in my life from the time I was an 8-year-old in public school until now, at 31. Yet one thing always stayed the same: my passion for writing. My drive to get published. My ambition for the way my life would look if my dreams came true.

Here’s how I managed to stick to that dream, and how I have made it become closer and closer to reality as the years have gone by.

I practiced early, and often

I started writing my own stories in elementary school. At first, they were just handwritten fan fiction — until I learned about plagiarism and the fear of the Plagiarism Police was struck in my heart, and I started creating my own stories. I filled dozens of notebooks with half-baked novels, often inspired by the books I was reading.

I read all the time

From the day I learned how to read on my own, I was a goner for reading books. As a kid, I read the ones that were available to me in our home library: a lot of historical fiction by Christian authors, with a smattering of Amish romance. As a result, that’s what I tried writing. As I grew up and went to boarding school, then college and grad school, my reading expanded, and so did the books I started writing.

I surrounded myself with writing buddies

In college, these friends were in my creative writing major, but you’ll notice I don’t list my degrees in writing as part of what has kept me on this career path. That’s because, while BAs and MFAs in writing are great, they’re not necessary. A writing community, on the other hand, is crucial. When I wasn’t in school, I found these friends on Twitter (now I’d go to Threads for new writing peeps), and I found them in writing discords, both the ones I pay for and the ones that are free to join.

No matter where you go to find your writing community, I’d argue that this is one of the most important things you can do for your writing career. Not just because these are the people who will read your work and critique and compliment it; but also because being surrounded by others who share your passion is intensely motivating.

I kept trying, even when I failed

The first queries I sent out landed in agent inboxes three days before Christmas in 2014. Obviously, that’s a terrible time to query, but what did I know? I was 21 and ready to go. I didn’t land an agent until June 2023, with the fifth book I’d queried, the seventh I’d written.

I got hundreds of rejections from agents; I applied for Pitch Wars and Author Mentor Match multiple times, and never got in; I submitted my book to indie presses; I participated in Twitter pitch events. And every time I failed, I cried about it. But then I put my shoulders back, set my fingers on the keyboard, and started writing again.

I became enmeshed in the industry

I started writing personal essays in late 2015 as a way to make some money and feel like I was putting my journalism degree to use; in mid-2016, I started interviewing authors for my blog so that I could keep my journalistic skills sharp while I took what was supposed to be a semester off from grad school. As of today, I’ve interviewed dozens of authors for sites like We Need Diverse Books, LitReactor, She Reads, and my own newsletter.

I made friends with authors and aspiring writers and became a part of the broader industry community. This didn’t necessarily help me land an agent, but it helped me feel like I was a part of something, kept me connected, and helped keep the dream alive when the rejections started coming.

Ultimately, I held firm to my own belief in myself

This is the part that’s the least tangible, the most woo-woo. I can’t give you concrete advice on how to do this. It’s just that I really, really, really believed in my dream. On the good days, I believed in my stories, in my talent, and in the impact said stories would have. On the bad days, I simply believed in how much I wanted this. At the end of the day, that belief is what helped me hold on over two-plus decades, hundreds of rejections, and a whole lot of disappointment.

If you’re on your own writing and publishing journey, finding ways to stay connected, engage with your dreams, and refill your creativity are crucial to keeping your momentum going until you find success — whatever that means to you.