There are so many things I’ve learned about the world of writing over the past few years, it will take more than one blog post to cover the most important ones. I continue to learn and push myself as a writer, because I never want to become complacent. The learning process can be a difficult one, full of growing pains, but the payoff far exceeds the pain.
Being a writer is kind of like being on a crazy carnival ride. There some beautiful and exhilarating moments: finishing your first novel, scenes that seem to write themselves, characters who write their dialogue for you. Hopefully the beautiful moments will far outweigh everything else. A good review, a positive critique, or a friend who tells you they love your novel - those are the things that will fuel you and keep you going.
Then there are the terrifying, yet exciting moments: going to your first critique group, giving your first novel to a beta reader, sending a query to the agent of your dreams.
Finally, there are the moments when you want to stop the ride and jump off: getting a harsh critique or a bad review, getting rejection letters from agents and editors, getting rejection letters (yes, I said it twice), or the days when every word you write is a struggle. But these painful moments help me remember how much I love to write. And these painful moments sometimes produce the most growth.
So, even when I want to stop the ride, I know I can't. This is who I am and it's what I love to do. Besides, I have too many characters banging around in my head who want their stories told. I think they would eventually drive me crazy if I didn't write for them.
Being a writer is kind of like being on a crazy carnival ride. There some beautiful and exhilarating moments: finishing your first novel, scenes that seem to write themselves, characters who write their dialogue for you. Hopefully the beautiful moments will far outweigh everything else. A good review, a positive critique, or a friend who tells you they love your novel - those are the things that will fuel you and keep you going.
Then there are the terrifying, yet exciting moments: going to your first critique group, giving your first novel to a beta reader, sending a query to the agent of your dreams.
Finally, there are the moments when you want to stop the ride and jump off: getting a harsh critique or a bad review, getting rejection letters from agents and editors, getting rejection letters (yes, I said it twice), or the days when every word you write is a struggle. But these painful moments help me remember how much I love to write. And these painful moments sometimes produce the most growth.
So, even when I want to stop the ride, I know I can't. This is who I am and it's what I love to do. Besides, I have too many characters banging around in my head who want their stories told. I think they would eventually drive me crazy if I didn't write for them.