Yes it was said with sarcasm. My point being that is how most writers feel at times over many years, asking themselves if it is all worth it.
And regardless, yes. We keep plugging away because we cannot be anything other than we are.
Feeling like its useless
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Yes it was said with sarcasm. My point being that is how most writers feel at times over many years, asking themselves if it is all worth it.
And regardless, yes. We keep plugging away because we cannot be anything other than we are.
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du'oh
I'll send my sarcasm meter out for repair asap.
Thanks for the clarification.
Agree x 1000
I'm going to be direct and to the point.
I'm not trying to be harsh here. I'm trying to make you understand that you're only worth as much as you think you are. Nothing comes for free in this life. You're only going to get back as much as you put in, and for this job you need to put in your all. If you want to be a writer, get used to all of it.
Writing isn't easy. It's probably one of the top ten hardest jobs out there.
Sleepless nights, writer's block, people saying how badly you suck, people saying that your book is just a copy of X and not as good as Y.
Because you know what? That moment when you go to Barnes and Noble or Borders or browse Amazon and see your novel/book of poems on that site...you'll know that your hard work paid off.
I'm not trying to be harsh here. I'm trying to make you understand that you're only worth as much as you think you are. Nothing comes for free in this life. You're only going to get back as much as you put in, and for this job you need to put in your all. If you want to be a writer, get used to all of it.
Writing isn't easy. It's probably one of the top ten hardest jobs out there.
Sleepless nights, writer's block, people saying how badly you suck, people saying that your book is just a copy of X and not as good as Y.
Because you know what? That moment when you go to Barnes and Noble or Borders or browse Amazon and see your novel/book of poems on that site...you'll know that your hard work paid off.
Keep in mind that feedback helps make you a better writer. It is not the sole path to improvement, nor even the best for some people.
The more you write and the more that you stretch yourself, the better you're going to become at writing. Reading will also help a lot. You can have no feedback on your work for three years, but as long as you kept writing and reading you'll have definitely improved. Probably improved a lot, in fact.
Think of feedback more as a puzzle piece rather than a linchpin. It's necessary, but it's not the only thing helping you improve. Focus on other things while you wait for feedback.
The more you write and the more that you stretch yourself, the better you're going to become at writing. Reading will also help a lot. You can have no feedback on your work for three years, but as long as you kept writing and reading you'll have definitely improved. Probably improved a lot, in fact.
Think of feedback more as a puzzle piece rather than a linchpin. It's necessary, but it's not the only thing helping you improve. Focus on other things while you wait for feedback.
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See above, please.
And here's a little extra. Unless you think you really stink, then you shouldn't give up. Everyone has these problems of self-confidence, lack of feedback, writer's block, etc. at one point or another. It happens, and you have to deal with it.
In my situation, I'm very lucky as my older sister is a terrific beta reader and editor, and she is brutally honest. You may think having a family member read your stuff is not a good idea, and most times it isn't, as they'll say what you want to hear, not what needs to be said.
With my sister, she's read all my novels, ripped the living shit out of them when necessary, and suggested changes. She does not believe in mollycoddling me, and even though her criticism stings, it's worth it, as it has made me a better writer.
You can find someone, and all it takes is a little research. The big thing is self-belief. I would not call myself the most articulate person on the face of this planet nor would I call myself the creator of great prose. I got to where I got--and I've still got a long way to go, regardless of the books I've had published--by sticking to it. Someone once told me the writers who've made it are the ones who didn't give up, and she was right.
However, I can't force you to accept that. I can only suggest you keep doing what you're doing, do the best you can, search for those beta readers, pay for a service if necessary, and do whatever it takes to keep going. I'm not the smartest person around, but I'm a persistent bastard, and if I have an idea and I think it will make a good story, then I run with it.
So should you.
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Jeepers, I always thought that writing was supposed to be fun … something to do when you're done with your "chores."
Mind you, writing is what I do for a living, but I still enjoy it. If I were approached by someone who was tearing his hair out and agonizing over whether he was good enough to be a writer, I tell him to relax, find his niche, and get to it.
One good thing to do is to recognize your weaknesses and deal with your strengths. For example, I feel that my sister is a much more creative, fun, clever writer. I've always been a plainer, more straightforward type of writer. I'd love to have her crazy imagination, but instead of trying to write fiction and drive myself bonkers I decided to become a journalist.
My readers appreciate my sensible approach to community issues, I love my job, and I'm at peace with my writing. The book I'm working on is a plain-spoken self-help book, and I'm having fun.
Find out what you're really good at, in terms of writing, and go for it. Then you won't have so much self-doubt.
Mind you, writing is what I do for a living, but I still enjoy it. If I were approached by someone who was tearing his hair out and agonizing over whether he was good enough to be a writer, I tell him to relax, find his niche, and get to it.
One good thing to do is to recognize your weaknesses and deal with your strengths. For example, I feel that my sister is a much more creative, fun, clever writer. I've always been a plainer, more straightforward type of writer. I'd love to have her crazy imagination, but instead of trying to write fiction and drive myself bonkers I decided to become a journalist.
My readers appreciate my sensible approach to community issues, I love my job, and I'm at peace with my writing. The book I'm working on is a plain-spoken self-help book, and I'm having fun.
Find out what you're really good at, in terms of writing, and go for it. Then you won't have so much self-doubt.
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Dominicus, the last thing you posted was on Feb. 17, that was what, nine days ago? No, eleven. Your last post on AW was in response to something I wrote and posted on SYW, and I really appreciated it. You can't know sometimes what significance your comments or suggestions might hold for somebody. I hope you continue to post on SYW or any of the other forums-- genre, roundtable, doesn't matter. I hope you do that, it'll get you to that 50-mark, you'll be learning the ropes here, getting a feel for some of the posters, helping people. . .
Hoping you'll be back on this thread or elsewhere, and hoping all is well with you.
One of the best pieces of advice I've read was this, although I'm paraphrasing. "Just keep writing. Don't rely on what other people think of it, don't worry about bad reviews. There is no magic formula for becoming a good writer. The way to get there is long hard hours
tapping away at the keys."
It's hard, I know. I've written a lot of short stories to get me to the halfway decent state I'm at now. I've had good reviews, bad reviews, and a couple of downright mean ones. But you can't let what others say, or what you say to yourself keep you from going back to the keyboard again.
If you're still around, and reach 50, pm me and I'll take a look at what you've got.
tapping away at the keys."
It's hard, I know. I've written a lot of short stories to get me to the halfway decent state I'm at now. I've had good reviews, bad reviews, and a couple of downright mean ones. But you can't let what others say, or what you say to yourself keep you from going back to the keyboard again.
If you're still around, and reach 50, pm me and I'll take a look at what you've got.
Please don't beat yourself up. Just calm down and be patient. And I totally agree on the point about family members not making good beta readers
I have something to say.
You know Stephen King, right? Do you know how many rejections, his first novel, Carrie got? I can't tell you off the top of my head, but it was a lot. Do you know how many rejections his subsequent novels got? Lots, too. Yet he still found somebody to submit his works to, that liked it. My point is, maybe your family and friends don't support your decision to become a writer, and they're not telling you, they're showing you. In that case, try to reach your 50 posts in AW and post your proposal in the beta reader's forum. You can post a sample of your work, up to 1500 words, and you'll get honest crits. We are more supportive of you, and since you don't know us, you won't expect dishonest but positive critiques, so give us a try. You won't be disappointed. Password is vista. We'll be looking forward to reading your work.
You know Stephen King, right? Do you know how many rejections, his first novel, Carrie got? I can't tell you off the top of my head, but it was a lot. Do you know how many rejections his subsequent novels got? Lots, too. Yet he still found somebody to submit his works to, that liked it. My point is, maybe your family and friends don't support your decision to become a writer, and they're not telling you, they're showing you. In that case, try to reach your 50 posts in AW and post your proposal in the beta reader's forum. You can post a sample of your work, up to 1500 words, and you'll get honest crits. We are more supportive of you, and since you don't know us, you won't expect dishonest but positive critiques, so give us a try. You won't be disappointed. Password is vista. We'll be looking forward to reading your work.
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