Shonda
asked
Shannon Messenger:
You're one of my biggest inspirations/role models for writing :) have you ever dealt with people telling you that you can't/shouldn't write? What did you do? Thanks :)
Shannon Messenger
Awww. <3 Thank you! *big smoosh-y hug!*
As for your question--honestly, I've been very lucky. My parents have always been incredibly supportive of every dream I've chased. I also had awesome writing teachers who made me feel like I had the talent to make it.
That being said, there's always negativity out there. Before I found the right critique partners, I had a few who told me they didn't think the book was any good. There were definitely rejections along the road to publication. And even after the books sold and were published for all to read, not everyone who read/reviewed them loved them. Books are subjective, so there will always be some people who don't like what you write.
The trick was to focus on the helpful feedback, not the hurtful feedback, and to believe that even if my writing wasn't as good as I wanted it to be yet, if I just kept practicing, I would get better. I think a lot of people think writing is one of those "you either have it or you don't" kind of skills, and think that if you can't plop yourself down in front of the computer and type out a perfect book on the very first try, you'll never be good enough. But writing takes practice. It takes revision. It takes writing a lot of really not-so-great stuff to get to something good. If you keep going, keep practicing, and don't give up, eventually you'll get there.
As for your question--honestly, I've been very lucky. My parents have always been incredibly supportive of every dream I've chased. I also had awesome writing teachers who made me feel like I had the talent to make it.
That being said, there's always negativity out there. Before I found the right critique partners, I had a few who told me they didn't think the book was any good. There were definitely rejections along the road to publication. And even after the books sold and were published for all to read, not everyone who read/reviewed them loved them. Books are subjective, so there will always be some people who don't like what you write.
The trick was to focus on the helpful feedback, not the hurtful feedback, and to believe that even if my writing wasn't as good as I wanted it to be yet, if I just kept practicing, I would get better. I think a lot of people think writing is one of those "you either have it or you don't" kind of skills, and think that if you can't plop yourself down in front of the computer and type out a perfect book on the very first try, you'll never be good enough. But writing takes practice. It takes revision. It takes writing a lot of really not-so-great stuff to get to something good. If you keep going, keep practicing, and don't give up, eventually you'll get there.
More Answered Questions
Abigail Echeverri
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Shannon Messenger:
if Keefe, Sophie, Fitz, Dex and biana went to hogwarts what house would they be in ?
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