Writers Have Cares and Woes

Would you like the carefree life of a butterfly? I don't truly know if a butterfly's life is totally calm, but I doubt they have the ability to worry, just do what instinct tells them. 

But you have chosen the life of a writer. Some of you are hobbyist writers while others are pros who are trying to either supplement their income or live full time on what they earn writing. It doesn't matter which group you fall in. Your writing life is far from carefree. A poet could begin a poem like this: 

    O, what cares and woes have I, the writer who...

Let's look at a short list of what those cares and woes might be: 

• Lack of time
• Ignore writing exercises when you know they are helpful
• Not enough experience
• Lack of confidence
• Fear and doubt
• Never submitting what you write
• Deadlines
• Poor knowledge of grammar, spelling, and punctuation
• Not understanding things like plot and theme
• Information overload ion your stories
• Not being able to hook your reader immediately
• Unsatisfactory conclusions
• Worry about publishing
• Not understanding the submission process
• Not being able to find a critique group or partner
• Knowing how to write a good synopsis, a cover letter, or a query

There are more, of course. Go through the list and check off the ones that you do not have to worry about. If you can mark more than you don't, you're in pretty good shape as a writer. If more apply to you than don't, you've got some work to do. 

For those who need to improve, start by reading a few of the top books about the writing craft. Ones to start with are On Writing by Stephen King, Bird by Bird by Anne LaMott, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and Beginnings, Middles and Ends by Nancy Kress. There are many others that speak to specific parts of writing, but these will give you a good overall picture of things a writer should know. 

The life of a writer is far from carefree like the beautiful butterfly pictured above. Even so, a writer's life can be rewarding,  will fulfill a passion for the written word, and allow you to grow as a writer, and perhaps also as a person.