Cintia
asked
Jacqueline Diamond:
I'm an aspiring writer, but I'm dealing with two things: I get discouraged every single day because 96% of manuscripts are rejected, and I haven't had an idea for years, literally. There's too many people wanting to be writers, and knowing there's so much competition just kills me a little every day. When I get motivated, immediatly something appears about the industry that kills it. Any tips on how to deal with this?
Jacqueline Diamond
Cintia, you're allowing generalities about the profession of writing to overwhelm you. Everything you cite here is about the industry, other people, etc. Neither you nor anyone else (including me) has any control over these things. We simply have to let them go or, like the caterpillar who couldn't keep track of how many legs he had, we'll fall over and lie in a ditch.
Please focus on the following:
1) That you write because you love to and/or feel driven to. That's part of you. Never mind anyone else.
2) That your job is to keep moving forward one page at a time, whether it's a page of plotting, or character sketches or of actual writing.
3) That none of us can control the future (will we find love? Have a successful marriage? Have children and raise them well?), only the effort we put into getting there.
4) That becoming a writer is a process. Articles, blogs, etc. focus on the outcome, but for us as writers, the key is our growth, development, craft and daily/weekly writing efforts and schedule.
5) Do your best to surround yourself with positive people and influences, and weed out the rest.
6) As for ideas, jot things down. An item in the news, a plot twist in a TV show, a remark by a friend, etc. Play with these. Think in terms of "what if" or "what next."
7) Give yourself permission to fail. As many times as necessary. And for me, that was a lot.
8) Make friends with other writers. Network. Turn the competition into a support group (for them as well as you).
9) The bottom line is, how much do you want to write? If it isn't important to you, go do something else that's fun and life-affirming. If it's vital to you, remember that life is what happens while you're making other plans, and just keep at it.
Please focus on the following:
1) That you write because you love to and/or feel driven to. That's part of you. Never mind anyone else.
2) That your job is to keep moving forward one page at a time, whether it's a page of plotting, or character sketches or of actual writing.
3) That none of us can control the future (will we find love? Have a successful marriage? Have children and raise them well?), only the effort we put into getting there.
4) That becoming a writer is a process. Articles, blogs, etc. focus on the outcome, but for us as writers, the key is our growth, development, craft and daily/weekly writing efforts and schedule.
5) Do your best to surround yourself with positive people and influences, and weed out the rest.
6) As for ideas, jot things down. An item in the news, a plot twist in a TV show, a remark by a friend, etc. Play with these. Think in terms of "what if" or "what next."
7) Give yourself permission to fail. As many times as necessary. And for me, that was a lot.
8) Make friends with other writers. Network. Turn the competition into a support group (for them as well as you).
9) The bottom line is, how much do you want to write? If it isn't important to you, go do something else that's fun and life-affirming. If it's vital to you, remember that life is what happens while you're making other plans, and just keep at it.
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