What I have learned late that I recommend all writers learn early….
Join a writing group — or start one of your own with people you can trust. The feedback and camaraderie of people who ‘get’ what you are going through when you write are invaluable. So are the snacks and the chance to get out of the house.
It is up to you to make things happen — and YOU CAN! We all feel helpless, especially when we are at the mercy of fickle readers, unreachable publishers, and people who don’t think what we do is work. But you have the power to change your situation. Keep after that agent or publisher. Try querying another magazine. Then Sit and Stay — as the latest meme says – in your chair until you finish that project; market it; start the next one. The more you do, the more opportunity you will have. What you write won’t be published from your hard drive. Well, blogs excepted, of course.
Feedback is good, but not all feedback is accurate. Think about what people say about your work. If you are positive they are wrong (and I am Not talking to the People who Assume that Everything they write is Golden; no one is that good), if you are normally humble about your work but you are positive this criticism is wrong no matter how thoroughly you consider it, ignore it and let it go. Other people’s egos, preferences, and ignorances (word?) get in the way. They can be wrong.
If you write well, people a) won’t know how old you are and b) won’t care. So, write your very best every time.
And do it every day. Yup. Every day. A little something. A lot of something. But write.
Yes, you can have more than one project going at a time — so long as you don’t use one as an excuse for not completing another. There are plenty of times we aren’t up to working on a particular project. Barring the demands of deadlines (for which writers should be truly grateful), you can work on anything you damn well please. So, can’t stand the thought of yet another alien chef murdering their 6-legged sous chef with a solar skillet? Set that one aside and work on your sonnet that would be just perfect for the poetry anthology you heard about. Or your how-to-knit-sweaters-for-your-nine-kids-and-three-dachshunds-in-under-a-month article for Busy Bee Needlework Magazine. On the other hand, if you are writing that article because you can actually do that, you don’t need my advice on perseverance and multi-tasking.
Remember to live life. It’s the best research you’ll ever have. And it has other benefits, too.
I’m all for working for long periods of time at one sitting. Focus is great, and you should capture all those moments when they appear. However, offset the sedentariness of the occupation by getting on your feet and getting out. It’s good for you AND your creativity.
When it seems you’ve used everything up, switch to another creative activity. It can be amazing how it will rejuvenate you.
Finally, and this is especially true when you have loved ones that understand your writerly affliction, remember to love those around you. Don’t let them think you don’t care. Not a story in the world is worth that.
It is up to you to make things happen — and YOU CAN! We all feel helpless, especially when we are at the mercy of fickle readers, unreachable publishers, and people who don’t think what we do is work. But you have the power to change your situation. Keep after that agent or publisher. Try querying another magazine. Then Sit and Stay — as the latest meme says – in your chair until you finish that project; market it; start the next one. The more you do, the more opportunity you will have. What you write won’t be published from your hard drive. Well, blogs excepted, of course.
Feedback is good, but not all feedback is accurate. Think about what people say about your work. If you are positive they are wrong (and I am Not talking to the People who Assume that Everything they write is Golden; no one is that good), if you are normally humble about your work but you are positive this criticism is wrong no matter how thoroughly you consider it, ignore it and let it go. Other people’s egos, preferences, and ignorances (word?) get in the way. They can be wrong.
If you write well, people a) won’t know how old you are and b) won’t care. So, write your very best every time.
And do it every day. Yup. Every day. A little something. A lot of something. But write.
Yes, you can have more than one project going at a time — so long as you don’t use one as an excuse for not completing another. There are plenty of times we aren’t up to working on a particular project. Barring the demands of deadlines (for which writers should be truly grateful), you can work on anything you damn well please. So, can’t stand the thought of yet another alien chef murdering their 6-legged sous chef with a solar skillet? Set that one aside and work on your sonnet that would be just perfect for the poetry anthology you heard about. Or your how-to-knit-sweaters-for-your-nine-kids-and-three-dachshunds-in-under-a-month article for Busy Bee Needlework Magazine. On the other hand, if you are writing that article because you can actually do that, you don’t need my advice on perseverance and multi-tasking.
Remember to live life. It’s the best research you’ll ever have. And it has other benefits, too.
I’m all for working for long periods of time at one sitting. Focus is great, and you should capture all those moments when they appear. However, offset the sedentariness of the occupation by getting on your feet and getting out. It’s good for you AND your creativity.
When it seems you’ve used everything up, switch to another creative activity. It can be amazing how it will rejuvenate you.
Finally, and this is especially true when you have loved ones that understand your writerly affliction, remember to love those around you. Don’t let them think you don’t care. Not a story in the world is worth that.
some of Those I Love – December 2013
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