Keeping the faith
Sunday, March 16, 2008
And no, this post isn't about me suddenly finding religion, so there's no mighty sermon here. But do feel free to shout-out a hallelujah if you feel the need. ;)
Whether you're a churchgoer or not, having a career as a writer requires more faith than you might imagine. I thank my lucky stars for being able to share this journey with great writing friends, the wondrous RWA chapter I belong to and the numerous keyboard-tappers out there who share their wisdom through blogs, articles and the forums to which I belong.
Without them, I would have given up long ago.
I think it's because I assumed that, the more I worked at my career, the easier things would get. While it may be true in some cases, it's far from it in others. There always seems to be a learning curve, whether it's mastering the art of receiving rejection (sob!) or developing those pesky punctuation skills. And I look forward to the lessons I will need to learn once I receive an offer for one of my manuscripts.
Perhaps getting my feet wet with magazine article writing was the smart thing to do, although I never considered this part of the master plan. My goal, back when neon colors and spandex were all the rage, was to write advertising copy. And make millions doing it.
While that was fun, I still felt the need to do something even more fun: write for the magazines that I love to read, all curled up on the couch with a cup of tea and a box of those European chocolate covered cookies. Okay, maybe just one or two. Boxes.
And that turned out to be where things really took off for me. Then Michelle Rowen encouraged me to try NaNoWriMo, where participants attempt to write a 50,000 novel during the month of November. Never in a million years did I think I'd be able to do it, but whaddyaknow? I passed with flying colors!
Too bad most of it was absolute trash, but it taught me a valuable lesson: I can write something longer than 1,800 words. Woo hoo!
And that's when, back in 2003, my wee flame of hope sparked to life. I always thought writing a book was for other people, certainly not a gal who tends to forget which verb tense she's in from time to time. ;)
For me, working on a novel is a lot of things: an opportunity to delve deep into a story, a means to turn my experiences into something I can share with others and, most of all, an activity that rewards my spirit.
And if that isn't what keeping the faith is all about, I don't know what is.
Whether you're a churchgoer or not, having a career as a writer requires more faith than you might imagine. I thank my lucky stars for being able to share this journey with great writing friends, the wondrous RWA chapter I belong to and the numerous keyboard-tappers out there who share their wisdom through blogs, articles and the forums to which I belong.
Without them, I would have given up long ago.
I think it's because I assumed that, the more I worked at my career, the easier things would get. While it may be true in some cases, it's far from it in others. There always seems to be a learning curve, whether it's mastering the art of receiving rejection (sob!) or developing those pesky punctuation skills. And I look forward to the lessons I will need to learn once I receive an offer for one of my manuscripts.
Perhaps getting my feet wet with magazine article writing was the smart thing to do, although I never considered this part of the master plan. My goal, back when neon colors and spandex were all the rage, was to write advertising copy. And make millions doing it.
While that was fun, I still felt the need to do something even more fun: write for the magazines that I love to read, all curled up on the couch with a cup of tea and a box of those European chocolate covered cookies. Okay, maybe just one or two. Boxes.
And that turned out to be where things really took off for me. Then Michelle Rowen encouraged me to try NaNoWriMo, where participants attempt to write a 50,000 novel during the month of November. Never in a million years did I think I'd be able to do it, but whaddyaknow? I passed with flying colors!
Too bad most of it was absolute trash, but it taught me a valuable lesson: I can write something longer than 1,800 words. Woo hoo!
And that's when, back in 2003, my wee flame of hope sparked to life. I always thought writing a book was for other people, certainly not a gal who tends to forget which verb tense she's in from time to time. ;)
For me, working on a novel is a lot of things: an opportunity to delve deep into a story, a means to turn my experiences into something I can share with others and, most of all, an activity that rewards my spirit.
And if that isn't what keeping the faith is all about, I don't know what is.
Labels: writing
posted by Bonnie Staring at 2:43 PM
4 Comments:
Amen sistah!
Work it, Do it makes us ... ACK!! You're right need to get out of that weird place or I'll be forever stuck like a Bat Out of Hell. ;)
You know it's bad when you start fantasizing about Robots and Meatloaf. It ain't good.
I can't believe that was five years ago.
Amy: How about robots and Meatloaf and big heaps of Kraft Dinner? LMAO
Michelle: I'm shocked! I was totally expecting you to remind me that I was older than you even then. ;)
HALLELUJAH, sistah!
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