I’ll admit it. I can be a little slow. Even so, it took me a while to realize just what an act of courage writing is. Good writers/writing evokes feeling on a visceral level from readers. We craft and shape our words to draw our readers in and make them part of the story being told.
But in so doing we have to open ourselves up, reach deep inside ourselves, and spill our deepest innermost fears and sorrows and joys onto the page with our words. And the risk of failure is great, the learning curve steep as we hone our craft and open ourselves up to others’ judgment. Writing is at once an act of affirmation and of courage as well as an act of defiance. Failure will not prevent us from trying as long as we feel we have something to say
Alan Rinzler over at The Book Deal had an interesting post on how writers build courage.
So how do you do it?
I just dive in. There's no other way. Sometimes I take a deep breath first.
ReplyDeleteSubmit to contents, have query critiques, submit to agents/publishers. Each time it's painful because I'm opening myself to criticism and rejection, but how else will I grow? How else will I improve? How else will I fulfill my dreams? And it stings a little less every time.
Good luck pursuing your dreams.
I jump in. No sense in waiting around, writing is fun, I try and remember that even when I hit a road block. Each road block is designed to make us think in a different light, think differently then where we had been before, something needed to change or they wouldn't have put it there.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck with writing!
I think the arrogance of belief in myself. I know a great deal I write has much room for improvement, and constructive critism can prove very helpful. An agent once suggested a complete re-write of a manuscript, shifting from the first person POV, to the third (arghhhhhhh!). I did. I knew my plot was good, but I also knew she was right. It worked much better with the second write. She wasn't rejecting my skill, simply my chosen method in presenting the plot.
ReplyDeleteIt's fine with me if I fall flat on my face - I do it all the time. Rejection? Pah! I expect it, it makes the final acceptance all the sweeter.. (wink)
You mean I need courage? *slaps forehead* So that's what I've been doing wrong.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it's knowing the more I write, the more feedback I get, and the more I try to learn about the craft, the better I'll get.
I'm not sure for me if it's a matter of how do I do it, so much as that I can't NOT do it. The words must get on the page, and with each page, each essay, each manuscript, I hope to learn and grow to know just which words, in what order, best put my heart into them.
ReplyDeleteMusic is the same way. To play a solo in front of an audience you have to pour your heart into the music. I think my musical training has helped me with my writing.
ReplyDeleteI just do it. In my writing I never hold back any of what flows from my fingers. I honestly never think about courage or what others will say. Until I'm getting ready to share, and by then I've read it so many times, it's no longer personal for me - if that makes any sense.
ReplyDeleteWhat Joanne said pretty much sums it up for me. :o)
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis and thanks for the link. I have found that I can't write anything "serious" because I feel like I'm plundering my life, and the lives of those I know; I just can't do it.
ReplyDeleteGreat question! Courage, perseverance and a thick skin are required in any pursuit. We don't need approval. We need inspiration and stamina. You decide when your work is finished. Yes, teachers, mentors, agents, they all have preferences and they all mean well. Ultimately,you are the judge. YOU are the last person to put that stamp of approval on your piece. Do you need confidence to do this? Lots of it. If you don't develop your own style, your own singular voice, and in doing so break all the rules you need to break, if you don't stand up and say take this as I give it to you, you will continually be a dilettante, a pleaser of others.
ReplyDeleteI am a new writer and know that I have to learn the ropes. That doesn't stop me from asserting myself, my point of view, my unique way with phrasing, with vocabulary choices.
BTW, I may be stubborn and hard-nosed, but I do appreciate feedback. Thanks for your visit.
Can I just tell you how much I love your posts? I always find encouragement here :)
ReplyDeleteI think you are exactly right. Writers need courage, for all that we do. I'm going to check that link out, thanks for that!
I try not to think too much! Seems to work and is fairly easy to do... except at night or early morning, when all the thoughts descend like banshees!
ReplyDeleteI think the skill is to just forget the risk factor, just go for it and have confidence in your writing, never let fear taint your story. Express yourself and your ideas to the best of your ability, that's all we can do.
ReplyDeleteUgh. I get discouraged a lot. But I just keep trudging along, otherwise, I'll never get to where I need to be. I also try new things to keep it interesting, and then I forget about all the negative things.
ReplyDeleteSome days I feel fearful, others I'm fearless. I try to write every day, no matter which pool I'm paddling in.
ReplyDelete:))
Hey SJS, I'm JEALOUS!!! Owl always be jealous! Whoo is the luckiest winner in the (blog) land? (CONGRATS!!!)
ReplyDeleteLove,
Lola
I try not to think about it because if I do, I'll talk myself out of writing altogether.
ReplyDeleteWhat gives me courage is that I know I love the story I'm writing. And once I give it all I can, maybe someday other people will love it too. That's all I can do, and I'm good with that!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I find it so hard and could give up but other times it all falls into place. It is such a wonderful feeling when that happens :o)
ReplyDeleteI call it a side effect of growing up in sort of a fishbowl, but I have a gut reaction against judgment. As in, I'll write what I damn well want, and if you feel like judging me for it, it's on you, because I could care less.
ReplyDeleteYup. I have an attitude. But y'know what? It helps me write some painful things. Not caring what other people will think helps with that sometimes.
Excellent question, good lady.