A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit. - Richard Bach
I have this quote written on a scrap of paper tucked away in my dresser. I take it out when I need encouragement.
That brings me to the topic of this blog. I've read a lot lately about perseverance being key, about how good, hard, BICHOKing is the real secret to success both pre- and post-publication. I even found a website chock full of quotes on the benefits and almost moral righteousness of persevering.
It seems to me though that all this talk of persevering begs the issue. If you're in such a writing funk that you need to remind yourself to persevere, how do you do it? It's fine to virtuously tout the importance of perseverance, but when it comes right down to it, how do you actually make yourself persevere?
I imagine people have different tips and tricks they use. I'd love to hear some.
Mary: I have been gloriously rejected and have the added distinction of zip background support (read: I have not had encouragement as a child/teen/young adult by the very people who brought me into this world). So be it.
ReplyDeleteLittle did I know beating back the negativity of my childhood would prepare me for the NOW.
And make my ears ready for other encouragement when it arrived.
The best way I know to get back into the chair is to encourage others to get back into the chair and beat back the demons.
But tricks to beat the negativity? For me, it's the timer and a schedule. I turn on the microwave timer to 60 minutes and keep on trucking till I am done. Or it is a change of location. If I find myself wandering around the house with no focus, I pack up the laptop and head out. Or, I switch rooms. Change of perspective: it helps.
And imagining the big speeches--I do that a lot. The ones where it feels good to win and prove them all wrong (those before I learned....).
As a child, I had no control over my life, but as an adult, I have the power to rewrite the future everyday by my attitude and approach.
But then, I'm a capricorn/aquarius... so that might explain it all....
Good luck with the writing!
Thanks for sharing, Christine. What a wonderfully positive spin to put on your life. I love this attitude -
ReplyDeleteAs a child, I had no control over my life, but as an adult, I have the power to rewrite the future everyday by my attitude and approach.
I'm a big believer in visualizing the success you want for yourself. By that standard, you've got great things to look forward to! Hopefully someday soon I'll be cheering you on while you make that big speech!
My best way of persevering is belonging to the 100 words per day loop. Id be too ashamed to admit not meeting that goal, but once I sit down I usually get into it and write much more. But if I don't, at least I've got at least 100 words taking the place of a blank page.
Mary: I wish you were more gentle with yourself. Me... I don't know if I'll ever be on the podium at the great elite reception of writers, but I know this: I am an encourager. I can't be less than that... I have encouraged myself in a vacuum, and I've been blessed with my own special hero (albeit older and grumpier now LOL), and I've found amazing people to cheer me on. I hope I can be a blessing to them.
ReplyDeleteIf all I achieve is someone standing on a stage looking down and saying, wow, thanks...you were there for me... well...that is cool as I never had that...
So go for it... be the writer you're intended to be--might not be NYT best seller, but here it is... you are here!
Hi Mary!
ReplyDeletePersonally, perseverance is a race best run as a marathon, not a sprint. There will be days -- even weeks and months -- when you don't put pen to paper, but you're thinking of your novel, your characters, your goals. I've learned that you need to be, as Christine put it, gentle with yourself. There will be times when you write like mad and get a book done in two months, and some books take months, or longer, to finish.
Bottom line is, you never say those horrible words: "I quit." And you keep thinking of yourself as a writer, knowing it's part of you, and writing as much as you can, when you can. Life is filled with many things, and writing needs to be part of the balance.
Happy writing!