It's the first Wednesday in May, so it's time for the Insecure Writers Support Group!
It's the best of times; it's the worst of times. What are your writer highs (the good times)? And what are your writer lows (the crappy times)?
This is a tough one! Being a writer is often like being on a roller-coaster but interspersed with long periods that feel like sailing on a becalmed sea.
Highs come when the writing is going well, those days that you're in the zone and the words feel like they are all there already and my job is just to let them fall through my fingers onto the page. Highs come when my in-box pings and it's a request or an offer of publication. And then there are the reviews that make my heart soar because the reader so obviously got what I was going for and my words made a connection.
Lows come when I can't find the time to write, or when I sit down to do it, the words don't come. When I'm revising something and I just can't get it to work, no matter what I try. When my in-box pings and instead of good news, it's yet another rejection, another story that someone has deemed "not right" for them. When the book I still believe is the best thing I've ever written can't find a home. Those are the lows.
Sometimes the bad outweighs the good and that can be paralysing. I've barely written in the last 18 months because it all just started feeling too hard. I've been working my ass off on this writing thing for more than ten years, have written 14 complete novels and hundreds of pieces of short fiction, yet still can't make enough money from writing to buy a bottle of modestly priced wine. Some quarters buying a cup of coffee is out of reach.
But last week I started writing a new book and it felt good. I wrote over 5K in a couple of days and I enjoyed it. I fell back in love with the process of writing. I'm excited to sit down in front of my computer again. Who knows how long that will last, of course. There are bound to be points in the writing process where I get stuck or discouraged, but I feel like I've learned enough to move past that and to get to "the end". At least I hope I have...
What are the highs and lows of writing life for you?
WooHoo, Kate! Get back on that track! I feel you about the rollercoaster (and have a great graphic for it with my post!). The upupups and the dooooooowns. Stick with it. No other ride gives us the same satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteI'm marveling at the idea of having written fourteen complete novels. That's so amazing! And I'm so glad you're feeling so good/excited about your new book. Hope that feeling lasts a good, long time for you.
ReplyDeleteHighs? There are highs in writing? That doesn't sound right.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you just have to find that joy and passion again. Keep after it.
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