Writers Face Problems

The quote above is anonymous, but whoever coined it must have been a wise person. When I read it, I naturally equated it to my writing life, even though it could definitely apply to almost any part of your life. 

Staying with the writing life--If you've been dissatisfied with the results of your writing, your submissions or your publication history, it can be a definite downer. The more you fret, the farther down the writing abyss you might slide. The farther down you go, the harder it will be to get back to feeling good about your writing life. 

So why not choose to take a chance and make some changes? Go through your files and read past writing with an objective eye. When I read something I wrote 2, 3 or more years ago, I am always amazed at how many things I see that I should have done differently. Make a list of the items you think you might have done better. It might be using a form of the 'to be' verb too often. It could be repeating words too close together or overuse of adjectives and adverbs. It's possible that clarity for the reader is your problem. Whatever it is, you'll begin to see it when you read those old files.

List 2 should be what changes in your writing you want to make. If your ego is too big to admit that you need to make some changes, then you'll continue feeling unhappy with your writing life. It's not that hard for any of us to say I like a lot of what I write, but I can do better. Say it, believe it, then do it!

What if you are not happy with the way your submissions have been going. You're getting far more rejections than acceptances. That's a pretty common problem for all writers, but it's to your benefit to see if you can figure out why you're not being accepted as often as you'd like. I knew a writer who thought her writing was good enough to be published. The stories were good, but her mechanics of writing were pretty sad--misspellings, too many spaces or not enough, poor punctuation and more. Editors don't have the time or the desire to correct your mechanical errors. Again, use your objective eye when looking at this situation. 

What if you're afraid to submit your work even when you feel good about what you've written? It happens a lot. If you've ever felt this way, you're most definitely not alone. If I submit, I might be rejected. If I submit and am published, I might have to follow up with more, but I'm not sure I can do that.

Do you keep a record of all your publications including where and the date? If not, you should. Study that record. Do you see a pattern of any kind? Was 2015 your best publication year? Is there a reason for that? If 2012 brought you the fewest publications, can you figure out why? 

Make another list showing both your strengths and weaknesses in your writing life. If you're honest with yourself, you'll know what your weaknesses are. "Man up!" as the saying goes and admit to them. You're not alone, we all have weaknesses in our writing. In the same vein, we all have certain strengths, as well. 

Take a good hard look at those 3 Cs in your writing life:  Choice, chance, and change. If you want to change, you'll have to make the choice to take a chance.