Notes to Self about Writing Life
Originally posted by cathschaffstump at Notes to Self about Writing Life
1. Just be yourself. Don't schmooze, don't obssess, don't get weird, don't get all theater. It's served you well, being yourself all this time. Stick with it.
2. Just write. Keep at it steadily, keep at it carefully. Do it conscientiously, do it to the best of your ability.
3. See number one again, especially when you feel insecure about number 2.
4. Believe you have a story to tell. Then don't put it off. Tell it.
5. Accept that some people will like your work, some people will not like your work, and that's okay. You write because you have a story to tell. It's nice if someone will read your story, but if they don't, well, not everyone in the world or even the Western hemisphere is going to read your story. And that is okay.
6. Writing can change the world, but is not the most important job anyone will ever have on the planet. You are not telling deep truths about the universe. You are telling a story. Get over yourself.
7. See number one and number three again, just in case you need a reality check. Never believe your own press.
8. Keep doing something you enjoy that keeps you in touch with people and makes you feel that you are making a contribution to the world, because you can turn into a mushroom if you're writing only. A strange, weird, psychologically fungal mushroom, I might add. And then you might drink.
9. Do not pass judgment on the writing of others. Do not compare your writing to the writing of others. You can have opinions about things you read, but unless you are asked, you might want to keep them to yourself, especially where other writers are concerned. Play nice.
10. Expect others to play nice with you. Avoid pseudo intellectuals and non constructive critics. Hell, you don't need them. You have your worst critic, yourself, to contend with already.
11. The industry is not the measure of your success. Attention is not the measure of your success. Of course you want to send your work out, make smart marketing decisions, and try to share. The measure of your success is stories written and sent. You can't convince the world it wants your work, but you certainly can't do anything at all unless you're telling stories.
12. Realize that success in writing, like success in anything, is really more about persistance than anything else. Write, learn to market selectively and well, and then market selectively and well. There will be a learning curve. You will battle obscurity. You will make mistakes and get rejections. BUT eventually you'll have enough circulating and people will know who you are, and you'll learn the tricks, and your writing will line up with someone's taste, and more and more things will be accepted.
13. See 1, 3, and 7 again, especially in moments of personal angst.
14. See 2 and 4 again, especially in moments of procrastination.
15. See 4, 5, 9, and 11 again, especially in moments where you lack faith.
16. See 5, 9, and 10 to remind yourself of grace.
17. See 6, 7 and 10 to remind yourself that you're not curing cancer.
18. See 8 to maintain your balance.
19. See 12 when you feel like giving it up.
20. If you're not satisified anymore, if it's causing you consternation, cease. Walk away. Writing is important. A happy life is much more important than that. Anything must give you joy for you to continue it. Don't settle.
1. Just be yourself. Don't schmooze, don't obssess, don't get weird, don't get all theater. It's served you well, being yourself all this time. Stick with it.
2. Just write. Keep at it steadily, keep at it carefully. Do it conscientiously, do it to the best of your ability.
3. See number one again, especially when you feel insecure about number 2.
4. Believe you have a story to tell. Then don't put it off. Tell it.
5. Accept that some people will like your work, some people will not like your work, and that's okay. You write because you have a story to tell. It's nice if someone will read your story, but if they don't, well, not everyone in the world or even the Western hemisphere is going to read your story. And that is okay.
6. Writing can change the world, but is not the most important job anyone will ever have on the planet. You are not telling deep truths about the universe. You are telling a story. Get over yourself.
7. See number one and number three again, just in case you need a reality check. Never believe your own press.
8. Keep doing something you enjoy that keeps you in touch with people and makes you feel that you are making a contribution to the world, because you can turn into a mushroom if you're writing only. A strange, weird, psychologically fungal mushroom, I might add. And then you might drink.
9. Do not pass judgment on the writing of others. Do not compare your writing to the writing of others. You can have opinions about things you read, but unless you are asked, you might want to keep them to yourself, especially where other writers are concerned. Play nice.
10. Expect others to play nice with you. Avoid pseudo intellectuals and non constructive critics. Hell, you don't need them. You have your worst critic, yourself, to contend with already.
11. The industry is not the measure of your success. Attention is not the measure of your success. Of course you want to send your work out, make smart marketing decisions, and try to share. The measure of your success is stories written and sent. You can't convince the world it wants your work, but you certainly can't do anything at all unless you're telling stories.
12. Realize that success in writing, like success in anything, is really more about persistance than anything else. Write, learn to market selectively and well, and then market selectively and well. There will be a learning curve. You will battle obscurity. You will make mistakes and get rejections. BUT eventually you'll have enough circulating and people will know who you are, and you'll learn the tricks, and your writing will line up with someone's taste, and more and more things will be accepted.
13. See 1, 3, and 7 again, especially in moments of personal angst.
14. See 2 and 4 again, especially in moments of procrastination.
15. See 4, 5, 9, and 11 again, especially in moments where you lack faith.
16. See 5, 9, and 10 to remind yourself of grace.
17. See 6, 7 and 10 to remind yourself that you're not curing cancer.
18. See 8 to maintain your balance.
19. See 12 when you feel like giving it up.
20. If you're not satisified anymore, if it's causing you consternation, cease. Walk away. Writing is important. A happy life is much more important than that. Anything must give you joy for you to continue it. Don't settle.