November 17, 2010 | By: Tracy

The Hardest Part of Being A Writer


Personally, I don't think the hardest part of being a writer is dealing with the occasional bouts of writers block. Or trying to wrangle time away from the rest of life in order to get the writing done. It’s not about tackling insecurity. The hardest part isn’t even the inevitable amount of rejections that occur—not that they feel good, mind you.

For me, I’ve found the hardest part is finding the energy & optimism to continue to be my own support system. Each of the obstacles I’ve listed can be tough, but in their own way they’re manageable. Writing gets a lot harder when several of them (and plenty of ones I didn’t list) dump on you all at once.

You can & should have others (friends, family, betas, etc) who believe in your ability & are there to give you pep talks when you need them. But at the end of the day, YOU have to be the one who believes in you the most. Especially when it comes to hearing the good stuff, you’ll never trust anyone as much as you trust yourself.

YOU have to be your biggest cheerleader. YOU have to be able to pick yourself up when disappointments come along & remind yourself that you have what it takes to keep going. YOU need to be the one to balance equal parts of realism and optimism in order to make it through to the finish line. YOU have to be the one to assure yourself there really IS a finish line, even when things have gotten so crazy you can’t see it anymore.

Unfortunately, it can be a tiring job to be your own cheerleader. Especially since no one will abuse you quite like you abuse yourself. You can’t hide your deepest thoughts, rants, fears, bitching, internal crying -- that no one else, not even your mom, is privy to -- from yourself. It’s exhausting to pick yourself back up time and time again, and find ways to get yourself past those hurdles.

Sometimes, the cheerleader in you questions whether or not she/he wants to be a cheerleader anymore. This is where I think the difference is made between those who eventually go on to be successful (in anything, not just writing) and those who settle for comfortably normal.

Remember to be kind to your inner cheerleader sometimes. Don’t forget to let her/him enjoy some of the better parts of the process. Ease up  and don’t abuse them too much or they may leave. Trust me, I’ve been there with my inner cheerleader. Thankfully she bitched me out and set the record straight. ;o)


Query Status Update:
Though I have fallen behind the NaNoQuerMo pace quite a bit, I haven’t given up. Although several of the agents I originally planned to target aren’t helping by closing themselves down to queries until January, thankyouverymuch.

Queries Sent: 7
Rejections: 2
Still Pending: 5
Partials Requested: 0
Partials Rejected: 0
Fulls Requested: 0
Fulls Rejected: 0

Long way to go still. Long way to go.

11 witty remarks:

Ben said...

I so agree with this. It's very important to take what you do seriously. People will constantly pull it down, calling you self-absorbed. But believing you belong on the shelf of a book store is hard on so many levels.

Anne Gallagher said...

You are so right! I am at the stage now where everything I write sucks. I hate that. I used to be brilliant. Lol.

Matthew MacNish said...

All of it can be tough at different times. But sometimes it's a little wonderful too ...

Saumya said...

So true!! The ultimate self reliance can become so overwhelming and difficult. That's why I'm so grateful for the blogging community :)

Candyland said...

You said it. YOUYOUYOU. You have to be your biggest supporter because if you don't believe in yourself, no one will.

Lydia Kang said...

So true. It has to come from within, as do most major efforts in life.
Great post!

Jessica Bell said...

It's so hard not to doubt yourself, isn't it? Sorry to say, that never goes away. Well, it at least hasn't for me. Seriously. I STILL feel doubt even after all the good stuff that has happened.

Janet Johnson said...

I love that! It's so true . . . at the end of the day, if we don't keep at it, not one else can get us there either.

Good luck on your queries!

Elana Johnson said...

Ah, yes. We do have to be our biggest fans, because no one cares about our books as much as we do. Not even our agents/editors. They have other clients, and though they help, it ultimately comes down to US.

Great post!

adam.purple said...

Rah, rah. And good luck with those queries.

Stina said...

LOL. Those darn inconvenient agents. :D

When my inner cheerleader goes on vacation, I go for a run. Before I know it, she back with fluffy pom poms and awesome stunts. :)

Yay, only 19 more days until Last Sacrifice is released. Hopefully I won't have to wait long to get it. Then everything is put on hold. :D

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