Reflections from one writer

This made me sad.

I_Shrugged said:

I'm sorry. That was never my intention. It was written as a way to reach out, to let other writers--especially newbies--know that there are people going through the same things, and that as long as you are striving toward improving your craft, you have already won.

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Subliminal Inspiration

Good post. Yes - if you're writing, you're winning.

Jack Canfield, one of the co-authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books, says that becoming a millionaire is a worthwhile goal, not so much for the million, but because of the person you become in the process of becoming a millionaire.

I think the same applies to any worthwhile goal, any goal that stretches you. And finishing a novel is a huge achievement, all by itself, and as you so well say, should be celebrated. Many people don't even achieve that.

And overcomign your fears to send the novel out, is a huge achievement. Even more so, sending it out AGAIN when it's rejected the first time, is a major achievement. Shows guts and determination and all sorts of good things.

And sitting down to write the next novel - that is the first step to another major achievement.

Go for it.

Shrugged - I was really impressed with what you wrote. I thought it was actually beautiful and written very well.

I hope you dont mind but I posted about it in my blog, Cobwebs Of The Mind in the Post entitled:

Worth Reading..Worth Remembering

It's as though y ou had read my mind. That's exactly the same thought I wrote in my journal this morning. It doesn't matter how humbled or humiliated you feel as a writer the important thing is that you keep doing it, do the best you can, improve yourself. Do it for yourself if for nobody else. That's what I'm doing. The years of rejections really don't matter as long as I know I am progressing as a writer. That alone is satisfaction in itself. There is a peace of mind which comes with this. You make me feel as though I'm not alone. Thank you for your words of understanding and encouragement.

t was never my intention. It was written as a way to reach out, to let other writers--especially newbies--know that there are people going through the same things, and that as long as you are striving toward improving your craft, you have already won.

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Everytime I start a new script I feel that I am inviting in failure as well as success and more likely that I am setting myself up to fail. I used to think that getting my first commssion would change my attitude and when I got this or that, I would feel more 'settled' about writing and my own dubious status as a writer.

It hasn't. None of it has really made a difference to my confidence in fact I probably have less confidence then before I started writing full time. The further up the ladder I go, (often sideways and down a rung or two) the higher are the chances of failing, the better the competition is, the higher the stakes, the greater the quality demand and the more chance I have of falling short. It doesn't get easier but what else am I going to do with myself?

God that sounds depressing and a bit ungrateful. It's just that I am plucking up confidence to start a new project while three more, all at different stages are out of my hands, waiting for decisions. At this point I always, always doubt my ability to pull it and myself together, to start again and summon the positive approach you need when creating a new world and story.

One of the hardest things is the feeling of isolation when a slump in confidence hits you. AW means that however you are feeling as a writer from the highs to the lows - you are not alone! Wherever we are on the journey nobody is immune to self doubt and fear and without that we would be unable to evaluate and improve our work and move on.

John61480 said:

This made me sad.

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No kidding.

I_Shrugged said:

You suck. Now you're cursing the day you were born.

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I think this is all I got out of the post.

I_Shrugged said:

Because NOT writing would be like not breathing.

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Actually, no. Breathing I can do without thinking about. It just happens. Writing, as your post indicated, takes work, training, patience, perseverence, a thick skin, all of that.

Now I'm depressed.

On a positive note I would like to add that there are days when I feel fantastic about writing and full of confidence, when I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

Yesterday my husband commented that how I deal/respond to my writing was like a cycle of manic depression.

Then I thought about how horrible it must be living with a writer, much more horrible than being a writer. At least I get to inflict my self induced wallowing on others followed by egotistical bursts of confidence and productivity.

This thought cheered me up no end and I started my new project - hurrah!

I_Shrugged said:

But your confidence is toast. When you started out the last time, you knew without a doubt that you could write. There was nothing to it, and the words flowed out of your fingers like a dam had burst somewhere along the Colorado River. Now, it’s like Death Valley.

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I hear from a lot of aspiring writers, and I often notice that there's an inverse relationship between blind self-confidence and the ability to, for instance, write and spell correctly.

In other words, a little doubt is a good thing.

- Victoria

Thamks, Shrug. Very well written, indeed!

victoriastrauss said:

In other words, a little doubt is a good thing.

- Victoria

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That's the most fun I've read in a year, easy. Sad, and yet horrifically truthful.

I think it was beautifully worded and made me glad to know someone else feels the same way I do sometimes. Thank you.

Maprilynne

Great post, I like "You never quit. Because NOT writing would be like not breathing."

Very true.

It takes a few years of writing to be able to separate writing from all the stuff that's not writing - that is, marketing your work.

It takes some writing maturity to be able to do this. However, when you realize that WRITING is separate from all the other stuff, it's a relief. You can write, and not be depressed by what happens to any particular piece of writing, because that's totally out of your control.

You just control the writing, and that's more than enough.

Cheers

Angela

Thanks so much, Shrugged, for your excellent and heartfelt post. I'm right there with ya.

A very inspirational, yet pensive post, Shrugged. Excellent. I loved it.

a little doubt is a good thing This reminds me of the American Idol try- outs.

Excellent essay, Shrug. Lord knows I've done my time in Death Valley!

Good post, Shrugged. On the outside, it might seem a bit depressing, but looking deeper into it I can see the point you're trying to make. Just the reflections of one writer's experience. I like it.

And I think your post reflects fairly accurately, the woes that many writers face every day. It's good to see the writing life from a writer's viewpoint, and not just from the viewpoint of a person looking in from the outside. Too many people, I personally think, are victims of the idea that writing is all glamor and fame. It really is difficult for some people, I think, to see writing for what it is: hard work that can sap a lot of energy out of a person. In my own case, I think your essay reminds me that the struggles I have faced in the last quarter-century, are shared by a great many others.

Good job. Thank you for the encouraging words of the OP.

That was great, thanks!