Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Splendor in the Grass

About a week ago, Harmonic Feedback author Tara Kelly wrote an excellent post about what it's like to be a debut author, looking back nostalgically to the days before her project sold, when everything was still ahead of her, and anything was possible.

She theorizes that if you don't find satisfaction in writing anonymously, you certainly won't find it in being published. Writing for the pure love of it has to be what drives you. At least, that's what I took from the post.

In the past month I've read about publishing deals falling through, imprints closing, and the frustration of never-ending revisions. I empathize with writers who've made it through the submission process only to discover it wasn't quite what they expected. Of course, I'd love to join their ranks, but it's interesting to hear that the grass isn't always greener.

The end of the year is a good time to reflect on why we became writers in the first place.

Don't forget to celebrate every accomplishment, whether it's getting helpful feedback from an agent or editor, finishing a particularly challenging rewrite, brainstorming a new idea, or simply carving out the time -- day by day, week by week -- to tell your story.

3 comments:

  1. Great stuff.

    Lately, I've been so swamped with work-work, and email, and networking, and Facebook, and Twitter, and my website, and my other website, and my other blog that I've barely had time to think about my writing. And that's a good thing - sometimes it's necessary to take a break.

    But with all these distractions, I'm going to have a hard time concentrating when I'm ready to start writing again seriously.

    I remember the days when I'd dash home from work and rush to start writing, and I still want to rush to do that, but publishing doesn't only mean writing.

    Publishing is a job. A world that must be navigated. It's a lot of work.

    I doubt I'd be into it if I didn't LOVE WRITING.

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  2. Thanks Sarah!

    My life has been crazy and writing has hit the bottom of my list. Which makes me crazier. When I don't write I feel like I'm not really me. This post helped me realize I need to breathe in deep, step over the toys, the laundry, the unwrapped Christmas presents and the unsent cards and refuel my mental batteries with writing, just for fun. Because I love it. Because even if the whole publishing world falls apart tomorrow, writing keeps me sane even if no one reads a word of it.

    Hugs for the motivation to keep moving.

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  3. Miranda, I think you're doing an amazing job of balancing your networking and your creativity. No wonder you've been feeling swamped lately -- you've got a lot going on! Don't forget to take a breather before the new year. You have so much to be proud of.

    Jennifer, I'm glad my post struck a chord with you :) Here's hoping you can steal a moment from the chaos over the holidays and do some writing just for yourself. I'm rooting for you!

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