Writer, Where are You Going?

Today's photo is a road marker. It won't lead you to New York City or Las Vegas or San Francisco. Instead, it shows the way to town of Hope and also to the village of Despair. 

As writers, we have a choice between these two. How do you feel about your writing world? Are you often feeling like the rest of the writing world is against you? Do you write, then tell yourself it's pure drivel and no one will want to read it? Do you wonder sometimes why you keep on writing, worrying that it is a lesson in futility? Do you ever decide not to submit what you've written because you think it will most likely be rejected? Do you stay home alone instead of socializing or attending conferences with other writers? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're probably traveling to Despair, a place where no one feels very good about themself.

Those who move toward Hope enjoy the act of writing. They are isnspired to write by many things in life that they see on a daily basis. They submit their work with a positive attitude. When rejections come, as they often do, they look carefully to see what might be changed before submitting elsewhere. They look at a rejection as a way to learn someting. They enjoy being with other writers and going to conferences where they can learn new things.

As with so many things in our writing life, you have a choice to make. Will you continue on the road to Despair or will you make a change and travel the highway to Hope? I can't make that choice for you. Your family cannot do so either. It's up to you and you alone. 

If you choose the road to Hope, does that mean you'll never feel down about your writing again? Probably not. We all have those (dare I say it?) hopeless feelings on occasion. The problem is when those feelings take over, and you sink deeper into Despair. Make a habit of looking to the positives in your writing life. Developing a good habit doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and patience and persistence. I guarantee that it is worth working toward the good habits a writer should have.