Guest Blog Post on the Ups and Downs of Writing by Debra Ledford
Today I received a guest blog post from writer Debra Ledford on the ups and downs of being a writer. I think we have al experienced feelings like this, so I'm pleased to share the post with you.
Ups and Downs of WritingI’ve been writing professionally for ten years. During the first six years I also worked a full time job. Recently, I realized over the years, my time spent writing has waxed and waned. While at times it was due to the famous “writer’s block,” more often it was a result of other reasons: fear, illness, competing projects, overwhelmed, and a myriad of other excuses.When I first began writing, a friend advised me, “Just write.” While writing Oregon Brew Tour, this useful advice gave me the push I needed for several of the write-ups in the book. Though the needed information was all there, finding an angle, arrangement, where the stress should be placed, how to make it distinctly mine, yet uniquely theirs, were all problems which endeavored to impede progress. However, once the writing began, it seemed to take on a life of its own. The words came. Did I need to edit? Oh, yes. But many times when the writing took over, it became one of the better chapters.Fear has overwhelmed me more times than I would like to say. Oddly enough, during the writing of our first book, Fructose Malabsorption: The Survival Guide, fear didn’t enter into the writing process. I really had no expectations. I remember telling my husband, Bob, I would be happy if the book helped just one person and would be truly excited if we recouped our investment. At the time there really was nothing else available that addressed the malady, leaving the newly diagnosed frustrated and confused. The lack of expectations combined with the intense desire to help others seemed to have deleted the fear factor.Imagine my surprise to have the book sell on five continents in at least thirteen countries. Even better have been the e-mails, letters, and phone calls we have received thanking us for the book. As I completed my first novel, Gabrielle, book one of the Out of Time series, I discovered a new kind of fear. Rejection. Thinking about attempting the traditional publishing route with my fiction writing meant looking for an agent. With only a few pages left to complete, I found every excuse imaginable not to work on it. After a bit of self-analysis, I realized it was fear that had me blocked. What if I’m unable to procure an agent? What if I sign with the wrong agent? What if no publisher wants the book? What if I can’t handle the re-writes? When I spoke with Bob about these fears, he said, “So what? You don’t know if you don’t try.” My husband is so wise. I so needed to get over myself.In the end, I decided stick with what I know, self-publishing. In this hectic, time-crunched era, it can be difficult to carve out writing moments. I used to think I needed at least a couple of hours at minimum to write. Experience has taught me otherwise. Some of my best writing has been done during short intervals. Yes, it’s fun to sequester yourself all day, writing like a person possessed, forgetting to eat, and realizing at the end of a sixteen hour stretch that you forgot to brush your hair that morning. But, twenty minutes can also produce a blot of brilliance. It may even be what’s needed to pass that hurdle which has been impeding progress.Remember, just write.Many thanks to this writer for the interesting piece on the ups and downs of writing. Have you experienced any of these things when writing? What advice would you give to others? Send in your blog posts and creative pieces and I'll share them here on my blog!
Ups and Downs of WritingI’ve been writing professionally for ten years. During the first six years I also worked a full time job. Recently, I realized over the years, my time spent writing has waxed and waned. While at times it was due to the famous “writer’s block,” more often it was a result of other reasons: fear, illness, competing projects, overwhelmed, and a myriad of other excuses.When I first began writing, a friend advised me, “Just write.” While writing Oregon Brew Tour, this useful advice gave me the push I needed for several of the write-ups in the book. Though the needed information was all there, finding an angle, arrangement, where the stress should be placed, how to make it distinctly mine, yet uniquely theirs, were all problems which endeavored to impede progress. However, once the writing began, it seemed to take on a life of its own. The words came. Did I need to edit? Oh, yes. But many times when the writing took over, it became one of the better chapters.Fear has overwhelmed me more times than I would like to say. Oddly enough, during the writing of our first book, Fructose Malabsorption: The Survival Guide, fear didn’t enter into the writing process. I really had no expectations. I remember telling my husband, Bob, I would be happy if the book helped just one person and would be truly excited if we recouped our investment. At the time there really was nothing else available that addressed the malady, leaving the newly diagnosed frustrated and confused. The lack of expectations combined with the intense desire to help others seemed to have deleted the fear factor.Imagine my surprise to have the book sell on five continents in at least thirteen countries. Even better have been the e-mails, letters, and phone calls we have received thanking us for the book. As I completed my first novel, Gabrielle, book one of the Out of Time series, I discovered a new kind of fear. Rejection. Thinking about attempting the traditional publishing route with my fiction writing meant looking for an agent. With only a few pages left to complete, I found every excuse imaginable not to work on it. After a bit of self-analysis, I realized it was fear that had me blocked. What if I’m unable to procure an agent? What if I sign with the wrong agent? What if no publisher wants the book? What if I can’t handle the re-writes? When I spoke with Bob about these fears, he said, “So what? You don’t know if you don’t try.” My husband is so wise. I so needed to get over myself.In the end, I decided stick with what I know, self-publishing. In this hectic, time-crunched era, it can be difficult to carve out writing moments. I used to think I needed at least a couple of hours at minimum to write. Experience has taught me otherwise. Some of my best writing has been done during short intervals. Yes, it’s fun to sequester yourself all day, writing like a person possessed, forgetting to eat, and realizing at the end of a sixteen hour stretch that you forgot to brush your hair that morning. But, twenty minutes can also produce a blot of brilliance. It may even be what’s needed to pass that hurdle which has been impeding progress.Remember, just write.Many thanks to this writer for the interesting piece on the ups and downs of writing. Have you experienced any of these things when writing? What advice would you give to others? Send in your blog posts and creative pieces and I'll share them here on my blog!
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