Monday, February 27, 2012

So You Want To Be a Writer...

photo credit
Writing is glamorous. That's me up above. NOT. It's more like sitting in front of your computer in your socks, slurping coffee and giving life to the voices in your head. Wait - what? Not glamorous you say? Okay, maybe not. If you're just starting out or you've been on the road for a while, but want to nod along, here are some pro's and con's to the job. But don't worry, with each con, I tell you how you ought to handle it.


Pros:

  1. Creative freedom. Yep that's number one for me. I finally get to let loose all the craziness tangled up in my head. It's exhilarating most days. 
  2. Supportive community. I've never seen one like it. I'm still blown away by the overwhelmingly friendly and supportive attitudes of those all along the path. I've made some of my best friends doing this. You know who you are!
  3. Doing what you love. Not everyone gets to explore their passions. We are among the lucky few.
  4. BOOKS. Yep, I can read books and claim I'm doing work. It doesn't get better than that!
  5. The hours are flexible. I frequently wake up at 3 AM for an hour with my head buzzing about a new idea. But the afternoons are for my kids. It's up to me, as long as I'm motivated to sit down and actually do it, I'm good to go!
Cons:
  1. Facing rejection. It hurts, let's face it, even though we can learn from it. To deny that is to let it build up inside. So eat some chocolate (yes that's my answer to just about everything), take a breather, appreciate any specific feedback or personalization that came with it, and use that info to make your writing stronger. 
  2. You have to have the patience of Methuselah. This is not a fast business. It takes time to do things right. Time to write the book and revise it. Time to query. Time to sell. Time to publish. Even if you get it right the first time, which is oh SO rare, the whole thing will take years from start to finish. So you have to be prepared for that. Try writing another project while you wait.
  3. Dealing with non-writers. Yep. They mean well, they can even be supportive, but you've heard them, right? "When I can I buy your book?" "I wanted to write a book once, but I didn't have the time." or "I should do that too." The truth is, if you don't have the drive inside you, where you know you HAVE to write or you'll wither and die, then you probably shouldn't be doing this. 
  4. You suffer more ups and downs than a yo-yo. Sorry, I needed a better simile there. But you get the idea. One minute you're riding high, the next you feel like a fraud. I've felt it, I've heard just about everyone complain at some point about it. But IMHO? Those highs are worth every moment. Besides, lows come with - say it with me - CHOCOLATE.
  5. The paycheck. If you're in it for the money, TURN BACK NOW. It's tough to make an actual living at this. Those that do are rare and lucky. I wish we all could, but the reality is otherwise. So write because you love it or go back to med school. 

30 comments:

  1. I'd like to know how you got a picture of me...

    No, wait, the crazy hair's the same... I might have a necklace sort of like that... okay, it isn't me, either. Especially when I write.

    The community is often what keeps me going. TALK about supportive. Writing in that lonely void is both beautiful and, um, lonely.

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  2. Patience, patience, patience... I'll keep repeating that in my head all day. That has been the tough one for me. So much so, that it's stifled my writing over the last six months. Time to move forward...

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  3. Lol, she's so pretty it kinda looked like you!
    And I laughed at the "dealing with non-writers"!!!!
    Thanks for the lovely post!

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  4. That picture would look like me if you changed the dress to flannel pj's, added a large mug of black coffee, and had the girl slamming her head on the leyboard instead of staring into the distance. I love #4 on your list of pro's. That's what I've been telling my husband lately--I need to buy all these books for research. Great lists, Lisa!

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  5. Yes, yes, and YES! I nodded along the whole time, just so you know. I'll definitely take the bad with the good, because there is SO much good.

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  6. Love ALL of this! It says exactly what I feel.

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  7. You've nailed all of the UPs and DOWNs. I especially hate trying to explain this book writing business to non-writers. It's the way their eyes glaze over.

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  8. You couldn't have it the pros and cons more perfectly than this! So true all of it!

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  9. I do believe I may have hurt myself from nodding so much. LOL! :P

    Spot on, Lisa, as always! And I totally agree with you: the cons outweigh the pros if you're dedicated and can't see yourself doing anything else. And I'm just as amazed as you by the writing community. Writers are positively stellar in their support and willingness to help their fellow writers. :)

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  10. Thanks for visiting my blog, and for the kind message. In case you want to e-mail directly, it's

    shakespeare824(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  11. Chocolate is a help in any and all situations!!

    The pros definitely outweigh the cons! :)

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  12. That picture definitely has your hair. I was doing the bobble head dance like Julie. I have to say every one of the pros is worth slogging through ten of the cons.

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  13. So very true.
    The glamour, like my characters, is all in my mind!

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  14. Great advice!! As for the glamor, I'd take comfort over it any day of the week. LOL.

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  15. Pros: people who spend hours reading your work and still want more!

    Cons: not enough hours in the day to write, even when you're writing all the time.

    Great list!!

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  16. Well, Lisa, you've pretty much summed it all up right here. :) Yes to everything you've said. Especially the chocolate. And keeping my B&N receipts for tax purposes. I love that!

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  17. ABSOLUTELY TRUE!!! sorry I couldn't find any better way to agree with you.

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  18. Ha! "Write because you love it or go back to med school". That was great. Thanks for this list. They are all, 100% true!

    And I love the portrait! Tell me, who does your painting for you? I need to hire them ;)

    Cheers,
    Jen

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  19. I love your pro con list. And it's very true. All of it. Especially the chocolate. :)

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  20. So, so true! For me, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. If they didn't, I probably would go back to school (but not med school. Ick. ).

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  21. Yes indeed!

    I was never good at applying patience until I decided to take my own writing seriously. I learned if you don't practice patience, being a writer is probably not for you. :)

    Enjoyed this post Lisa - thank you!

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  22. I'm sayin' it with you: "chocolate!"

    Also, I nurse my "downs" sometimes by switching to a different project for a while. It may not be very efficient, but it sure is a pick-me-up!

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  23. The only way I'm going back to med school is as a cadaver..and then I'd probably be rejected again!

    Taint no other choice...write on!

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  24. Eh, I've never been into glam; writing is comfortable--I'll go with that. :) Yep, hard to make a living at it. Sure it fun/rewarding, though!

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  25. What???? My bleached-stained yoga pants with holes aren't glamorous? How about sexy? :D

    Good thing I'm not doing this for money. Sometimes I'm not even sure I do it to keep me sane, but I couldn't imagine NOT writing fiction.

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  26. Yup, yup, yup! I've sat in silence on more than one occasion when somebody has said 'I've always wanted to write a novel' or 'are you going to be the next JK Rowling?' It's not worth explaining that I'm trying to pursue a writing career; that it's not a hobby or a get-rich-quick scheme where I write one book, get it published and spend the rest of my life partying!

    I wonder how my friends/family would react if I talked about their careers in the same way some people talk about writing... 'I'm going to try archaeology one day - once I find time to dig up my garden' or 'yeah, engineering will make you really rich and famous - look at that Brunel guy, that could be you!'

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  27. That was a great list! Absolutely true - every word of it. There are certain callings in life and only the truly called can persist. What other job lets you eat as much chocolate as you want (need!) while you work?

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  28. This is such a fantastic pros and cons list! It's like you jumped into my head to write it, I can relate to all of it so much. I'm currently experiencing a writing low, so I'm going to take your advice and nab myself some chocolate. ^_^

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  29. This is such a great post! And I agree on every point.

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  30. What a perfect list! I would say you hit the nail on the head. I did find myself nodding along and agreeing. The positives are fabulous and you handled the not so positive parts very well. Chocolate can solve most of my problems. It is amazing how much patience is required to be a writer. I have really grown in this area- but all my friends don't understand how loooooong everything takes to happen in the writing world. :)

    ~Jess
    http://thesecretdmsfilesoffairdaymorrow.blogspot.com/

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