Ceara Comeau's Blog: Lessons From A Struggling Writer - Posts Tagged "encourage"
Power of Positivity
Over the last few weeks, almost every conversation with friends and family has started with variations of this one phrase, “Man, you’re really getting out there with your books!”
I find a lot of humor in this comment because the truth is. I’m not. At least, I don’t see it that way. Sure, I’ve been keeping people updated on the latest news and such and I sound like I’m really successful. But the truth of the matter is that over the past month I have faced trial after trial. Between marketing strategies falling apart, events not going as planned, and book sales not being where they should be, I find some days are really hard to keep going. I often find myself wondering, is this really the path I should be following? Should I just write as a hobby? Some days I honestly find these trials are debilitating and my motivation for writing is just non-existent.
With my confession out of the way, I’m sure you have a lot of questions. For example, why am I only posting positive things? Why not express my downfalls and struggles? Am I just telling the good parts of my writing career to sound like I’m successful?
Simple answer. No. By no means am I trying to deceive anyone. As writers, we are almost all in the same boat. We are screaming for our voices to be heard because we truly believe our work is worth everyone’s time. I am part of many online writing groups and have noticed that many writers use these groups to vent about their struggles. Yes, it’s nice to get advice from seasoned authors about the best way to resolve issues, but the more posts I read, the more I saw people wanting to give up on their work.
That’s why you’ll never see me complain about my struggles. There’s enough negativity in the world than for me to add more to the mix about my own problems. I want to encourage people, whether it be other writers, or people trying to pursue their dreams to find the positivity in every situation they face. Sometimes the problems we face are so bad that it does take a while to find that ‘silver lining’, but by focusing on the things that went right, it changes our minds to focus on what’s good. And sometimes when we see the positivity, it can actually help us see how we can still make a situation work. Truly, the power of positivity is the closest thing I can imagine to magic.
I find a lot of humor in this comment because the truth is. I’m not. At least, I don’t see it that way. Sure, I’ve been keeping people updated on the latest news and such and I sound like I’m really successful. But the truth of the matter is that over the past month I have faced trial after trial. Between marketing strategies falling apart, events not going as planned, and book sales not being where they should be, I find some days are really hard to keep going. I often find myself wondering, is this really the path I should be following? Should I just write as a hobby? Some days I honestly find these trials are debilitating and my motivation for writing is just non-existent.
With my confession out of the way, I’m sure you have a lot of questions. For example, why am I only posting positive things? Why not express my downfalls and struggles? Am I just telling the good parts of my writing career to sound like I’m successful?
Simple answer. No. By no means am I trying to deceive anyone. As writers, we are almost all in the same boat. We are screaming for our voices to be heard because we truly believe our work is worth everyone’s time. I am part of many online writing groups and have noticed that many writers use these groups to vent about their struggles. Yes, it’s nice to get advice from seasoned authors about the best way to resolve issues, but the more posts I read, the more I saw people wanting to give up on their work.
That’s why you’ll never see me complain about my struggles. There’s enough negativity in the world than for me to add more to the mix about my own problems. I want to encourage people, whether it be other writers, or people trying to pursue their dreams to find the positivity in every situation they face. Sometimes the problems we face are so bad that it does take a while to find that ‘silver lining’, but by focusing on the things that went right, it changes our minds to focus on what’s good. And sometimes when we see the positivity, it can actually help us see how we can still make a situation work. Truly, the power of positivity is the closest thing I can imagine to magic.
Artists of Tomorrow
Attention all writers! I have an amazing experience to share with you. And if you’re not a writer, don’t tune me out just yet. This post is really for anyone in the realm of the arts.
Within the last several weeks, I’ve been given the honor of conducting a writer’s workshop for a charter school in my area. And as each week goes by, I can’t help but be inspired by these students and their creativity! One student is working on a magical fantasy world, another student is learning the ropes of the horror genre, another student is developing her spy novel, and there’s even one working on an amazing historical fantasy! But, there’s one student, in particular, who absolutely amazed me. This past week, he finally welcomed me into his amazing science fiction world that blew me away! He showed me dozens of scrolls which had family trees and decrees written out on them. He had countless binders filled with ideas for his world and he’s got fifteen languages going! These ideas span throughout over ninety books! But the most amazing part was, he JUST started formulating these ideas only a year ago.
“Okay, Ceara, you’re bragging now.”
Heck yes, I’m bragging! Want to know why? Because these students are the future. Crazy thought, right? Well, not really. See, writers and artists of today aren’t going to live forever, sad to say, but it’s true. And we don’t often think about that. But maybe we should start.
If you’re a writer or really deal with any art form, might I encourage you to go into the schools near you and talk to students? Teachers are always looking for new workshops that their students might enjoy and they don’t know that you’re out there unless you introduce yourselves.
“I’m not a teacher, I can’t talk to the students!”
(Teachers, please skip over what I’m about to say).
YOU. DON’T. HAVE. TO. BE! Think I said that loud enough 😉 I’m not a teacher, not by a long shot, nor do I intend to go on out and get a degree in teaching. It’s simply not necessary. Experience is sometimes the best “teaching degree”. And, you want to know a secret that many people miss? Most, if not all, times students will listen more to people who AREN’T teachers.
“Well, okay, so I don’t have to be a teacher. But what if I don’t want to teach kids? I’ve got to focus on my (fill in art form here)!”
Sure, that’s totally your prerogative. Consider this, though. Your art form, whatever it may be, could potentially die out. *GASP* Yes, I just said that. It might seem dramatic, I understand, but Baby Boomers and Generation X are in their 50-70s. And the youngest Millennials have reached (approximately) the age of 20! Generation Z is our future, people.
I’ve heard it time and time again of the older generations complaining about kids. “They’re too lazy”, “They’re ungrateful”, “They’re too impatient”, “They’re (fill in the blank)”. We can change that, in fact, we’re the only ones who can!
Let me be real with you. Whether you’re an actor, digital artist, painter, cartoonist, writer, poet, musician, or any other medium of art. We ALL have an obligation to encourage the youth. Educate them in their field of interest. Show them they’re not alone and that we have their backs. Because the children of today will become the artists of tomorrow.
Within the last several weeks, I’ve been given the honor of conducting a writer’s workshop for a charter school in my area. And as each week goes by, I can’t help but be inspired by these students and their creativity! One student is working on a magical fantasy world, another student is learning the ropes of the horror genre, another student is developing her spy novel, and there’s even one working on an amazing historical fantasy! But, there’s one student, in particular, who absolutely amazed me. This past week, he finally welcomed me into his amazing science fiction world that blew me away! He showed me dozens of scrolls which had family trees and decrees written out on them. He had countless binders filled with ideas for his world and he’s got fifteen languages going! These ideas span throughout over ninety books! But the most amazing part was, he JUST started formulating these ideas only a year ago.
“Okay, Ceara, you’re bragging now.”
Heck yes, I’m bragging! Want to know why? Because these students are the future. Crazy thought, right? Well, not really. See, writers and artists of today aren’t going to live forever, sad to say, but it’s true. And we don’t often think about that. But maybe we should start.
If you’re a writer or really deal with any art form, might I encourage you to go into the schools near you and talk to students? Teachers are always looking for new workshops that their students might enjoy and they don’t know that you’re out there unless you introduce yourselves.
“I’m not a teacher, I can’t talk to the students!”
(Teachers, please skip over what I’m about to say).
YOU. DON’T. HAVE. TO. BE! Think I said that loud enough 😉 I’m not a teacher, not by a long shot, nor do I intend to go on out and get a degree in teaching. It’s simply not necessary. Experience is sometimes the best “teaching degree”. And, you want to know a secret that many people miss? Most, if not all, times students will listen more to people who AREN’T teachers.
“Well, okay, so I don’t have to be a teacher. But what if I don’t want to teach kids? I’ve got to focus on my (fill in art form here)!”
Sure, that’s totally your prerogative. Consider this, though. Your art form, whatever it may be, could potentially die out. *GASP* Yes, I just said that. It might seem dramatic, I understand, but Baby Boomers and Generation X are in their 50-70s. And the youngest Millennials have reached (approximately) the age of 20! Generation Z is our future, people.
I’ve heard it time and time again of the older generations complaining about kids. “They’re too lazy”, “They’re ungrateful”, “They’re too impatient”, “They’re (fill in the blank)”. We can change that, in fact, we’re the only ones who can!
Let me be real with you. Whether you’re an actor, digital artist, painter, cartoonist, writer, poet, musician, or any other medium of art. We ALL have an obligation to encourage the youth. Educate them in their field of interest. Show them they’re not alone and that we have their backs. Because the children of today will become the artists of tomorrow.
