Are you a frustrated writer? You’ve been working at your craft for a while, but success eludes you. An agent or a publisher seems to be just out of reach. Self-publishing is not your thing. It’s expensive and the idea of marketing and promoting your own work exclusively is another chunk of change, which you don’t have. Money drains from your account as you attend conferences and workshops, always pitching and always learning. Your writing group supports you, but they aren’t an agent or editor. And you’re fresh out of ideas and hope.
Readers care about the quality of story, which makes quality king. They may not grasp point of view failures, but they know when a story doesn’t mesh. How a writer handles character, plot, dialogue, setting, emotion, narration, and symbolism is vital to story and its marketability.
Passion for story is another important factor. None of us want to write something simply because that’s the latest and greatest
fad. Your publishing goals become a labyrinth.
How does a talented writer fight through the confusion? Are you ready to pick up your smooth stones and aim them at your Goliath? I’d like to give you six key words to encourage and inspire you not to give up with the acronym of “WRITER.”
- Write: This is your gift, your calling, and your passion. Write every day, because the discipline grows your craft. If an accountability partner keeps your rear glued to the chair, then find that special person.
- Redirection: Don’t look at rejection as a personal attack. Think of rejection as redirection. Take a look at the manuscript. Does it need fine tuning? Edit and then submit. Writers will never be published unless they send out those proposals and follow up.
- Inspire: One way to get our minds off ourselves is to inspire someone else. I believe in giving back to other serious writers who might benefit from my experience and knowledge. When a writer craves more how-to information or encouragement, be there to provide it.
- Train: A professional writer continues to learn the craft, always developing new techniques and reviewing the basics.
runner, dancer, swimmer, or a musician understands the importance of - discipline and training. We writers have our own obstacles to overcome.
- Entertain: We are in the entertainment business! Readers look to us to provide a source of escape, a warm feeling, a laugh, or to experience an adventure.
- Read: Professional writers read veraciously—the best sellers in our genre, nonfiction how-to books, marketing and promotion guides, blogs, and everything else we can get our hands on. Reading good writing can only advance our careers.
WRITER – That’s who we are. All the time. Whether our fingers are posed on a keyboard or we’re driving in our cars, we constantly are writing. It’s been said that a true hero or heroine steps onto stage when they realize the cost of doing nothing could cost them everything, and they are willing to make the sacrifice to reach their goal.
I challenge you not to give up. By commenting on your determination, you’ll be entered in a random drawing for my new nonfiction book The Dance of Character and Plot.
DiAnn Mills
The Dance of Character and Plot – June 2013
THE SURVIVOR – Zondervan – March 2013
Thank you for this encouragement. You wrote, “That’s who we are. All the time.” That explains the passion and the drive that continues to increase. The more I write, the more I have to write.
This confirmation is timely as I count down the months until I will return to the workforce and the discipline required to write daily will rise to a whole new level.
Excellent message. Thanks for posting, Henry and DiAnn.
Thanks, DiAnn. These are excellent points, especially viewing rejection as redirection.