One Trait Every Writer Needs

 

Our quote today is by Octavia Butler, who was a science-fiction writer. She didn't sugarcoat her thoughts in this one. The reason I like the quote is that she highlights one of my two keywords for writers--persistence. 

When we start writing, our work doesn't look professional yet. It isn't usually an example of strong writing, poetic prose, or scintillating sentences. We shouldn't expect it to be any of those things when we begin our writing journey. 

If we're persistent and keep writing week after week, day after day, we can become a better, stronger writer. If a newbie writer writes something new every other month, or even once a month, it's not enough. Cliche that it may be, the saying "Practice makes perfect" can be applied here. 

A sculptor starts out making simple pieces of art, and he/she learns along the way. With each new sculpture, the artist improves and most likely learns something, too. A carpenter who is just starting out cannot be classified as a master carpenter, but after years as an apprentice and then on his own, he perfects his trade. If you've ever read any of Julia Child's books about the art of cooking, especially French cuisine, you'll know that she was not a born chef. She learned from her many mistakes, but the most important thing was that she persisted. She was a very determined woman. 

Determined is what writers should also be. Persistence is what helps you continue with determination. Most poets don't write prize-winning poems with their first or second try. They pen scores of poems before they reach success in winning a prize or achieving publication. 

Persistence in writing means writing something every day. You needn't write an entire story every day, but do write a few paragraphs, a journal entry, or a writing exercise. Write a letter to a friend! But write each and every day. 

Persistence means not giving up when a writing project doesn't go well, or when rejections arrive. Keep going, keep learning.

Persistence means reading about the craft of writing. It means attending workshops and conferences to continue learning.

By now, you may have remembered, or guessed, my other keyword for writers. Patience. That persistence which I recommend takes patience. They go hand in hand, and each one can benefit new writers, intermediate writers, or the highly successful ones. 

Octavia Butler knew what she was talking about!

Two Keywords for Writers

NOTE:  Before beginning today's topic, I have a request. The only people who are seeing this blog now are those who have signed on as Followers. Facebook is still blocking me on all their pages, which is where many of my readers come from. If any of you are willing to share the blog posts with other writing friends, I would appreciate that small favor very much. Scroll down to find the box to sign on as a Follower to receive the blog via email. It's quite far down on the right-hand side. Meanwhile, I am still waiting for Facebook to reinstate this blog. I can post anything I want except for my blog.

The poster today should be of some comfort to those who are writing, submitting, receiving rejections and repeating that process. It means you are working at writing. You haven't given up. The poster brought to mind my two keywords for writers. You've heard them before from me, and you'll hear them again and again. The reason? Because they are very important. 

Patience:  When little children want something, they want it NOW! Are we writers any different? When we want to be published, we hope it happens in a flash. Our head tells us things in the real world don't work that way. Our heart says It can happen. We must take time to learn our craft, to hone our skills, and to practice our writing on a regular basis. 

I've always been a rather impatient person. I sometimes wonder if God decided to teach me how to patient by giving me some skill as a writer. It's worked because my patience is much stronger now than it was in my earlier years. I had to learn that waiting to hear from a publisher was part of this writing game, that sometimes weeks and months might go by before there was a response. Same way with writing contests. Monts of waiting. Dare I say 'waiting patiently?' 

Patience is a trait that, for most of us, must be learned. Those people who come by it naturally are blessed. Those of us who must learn may be blessed, as well, but it takes a whole lot longer. I have learned not to dwell on whatever it is I am waiting for. I try to move on with other things. 

Persistence:  While we're practicing patience, we must be persistent in working toward the personal writing goals we've set. We can't try once or twice. Instead, we have to try over and over again until we succeed. The other day, I mentioned two writers I know who tried 70 & 80 times to find someone willing to publish their novels. Through all that rejection, they didn't give up. They persisted and self-published with fine results. 

You can't be a successful, published writer if you write one week, then not again for two months. Part of persistence is to write on a regular basis. One of the reasons I started this blog ten years ago was that I knew it would make me write five days a week. I had made a commitment to my readers, and I wanted to fulfill it. 

If you persist in learning and refining your writing skills, you're very likely to find some success. You can't go to Walmart and buy persistence. You have to dig deep within to find it and then use it. 

I don't think any writer will be sorry if they use both patience and persistence as they move along in their writing journey.

Keywords For Writing Projects

It's the middle of January and, hopefully, you've cleaned up your desk and your files, assessed your production of last year and even set a few goals for this year. So what's left?

It's simply this--begin a new writing project. Surely there's been something flitting back and forth in the back of your mind that you've been wanting to pursue. Or you've seen a call for submissions and an idea popped up but you haven't had, or taken, time to start working on it.

New years cry for beginnings, or so it seems to me. The year is brand new, so why not go with the flow and start a new writing project? You might even pull an unfinished piece from your files and put in some time and effort to finish it. The story is not going to get done unless you begin to work on it once again.

Note the word simply in the poster. I think that too often we try to make things overly involved or complicated. Remember that old KISS advice--Keep It Simple Stupid? No, I'm not calling any of you stupid. I know better than that but the keep it simple part is good advice.

It's a new year and today is the start of a new week. Mondays are great days to begin a new story or poem or essay. My goal for today is to write the first draft of an essay that has been swirling in my head for a couple of weeks now. I want to get it done so today's the day to put fingers to the keyboard and see what the first draft looks like.

Today's keywords--begin and done are so simple that they might get overlooked when we're setting goals and getting ready to write a new piece. Don't take these two short words for granted. They hold good advice in the few letters each one is made of. How about it? What will you begin today? What will you get done? It's up to you.

My Two Keywords For Writers Plus One More

Friday seems a good day to talk about the advice in the poster above. You who read the blog on a regular basis know that my two keywords for writers are patience and persistence. The poster says the same thing but in a more poetic way. Still, for me, those two words sum up the attitude that a writer needs to have or acquire.

Most of us don't have patience when we start writing and subbing our work. It comes slowly over the years as we wait and wait and wait to get a response from an editor or agent. The persistence is also a learned thing. The easy way is to give up when our writing career doesn't skyrocket in a matter of months. If you're serious about being a writer and being published, you need to persist relentlessly.

This writing game is definitely not for the faint of heart. If you have been writing for a long time and and have had your work published, you're strong as the lion who claims to be king of all he surveys. If you persist, you're tough. You're courageous. You're self-confident. Maybe you have all these qualities in different degrees. And maybe you're strong for awhile, then slide back.

That's perfectly alright. It's normal. If you made a line graph of your writing journey, it would probably resemble a roller coaster ride at an amusement park. There will be ups and downs from start to the present and continue that way into the future. Even top authors who sell books by the carload have those ups and downs. Let's face it--not every one of their books rates the same with readers. Some will be far higher on the chart than others.

In the poster above, there is one more keyword to add to my own patience and persistence. That one is believe. Consider it step one in your writing journey. We all need ot believe in ourself as writers. With each success we have, that belief becomes a little stronger. Key here is to not let the rejections and the downs in your writing life poke a hole in the belief balloon. When you write something that leaves you feeling satisfied with the end result, believe in yourself. When someone critiques your work and has more positives to say than negative, believe in yourself. I can't do it for you. Your spouse can't do it for you. Believing in yourself is entirely up to you.

Years ago, I attended a writing conference in Kansas City. Loved soaking up all the workshop material but I couldn't tell you today what any of those workshops were about. What I have never forgotten, however, is the motivational speaker after lunch. Her topic centered on not being afraid to tell people you are a writer. Being a newbie at the time, I had been reluctant to announce to others that I was a writer, even though I'd had a few successes. By the time the woman finished speaking, I had the courage and the belief in myself to say "I am a writer." Try it--even if you start by looking in the mirror and saying the words.

If you haven't acquired belief in yourself, patience on your writing path, and continued persistence, it might be time to work on an attitude adjustment. Build yourself up, don't tear yourself down.

Slow and Steady Wins The Race

This poster made me spiral back 20 years to the beginning of my writing life. I had hopes of becoming a published writer but I knew that it doesn't happen overnight. It sometimes doesn't happen even over months or years. I figured out pretty quickly that patience and  perseverance were keywords in the writing world.

I also learned that success wasn't going to come unless I worked at it. Nope, standing still was going to get me nowhere in a hurry.

It's Ok to take some time to achieve your goal of being published. In fact, I think it's to your benefit. If it happens too fast, you probably won't appreciate it as much as you might otherwise. 

If you work at your goal on a slow and steady pace, your chances of reaching it are pretty good. It might take a year for one writer, 3 years for another and even longer for a third. But if they stand still, they'll never attain the goal. Do writers get discouraged while working at that slow and steady pace? Of course they do! It's only human to want things to happen in a hurry. 

The old fable about the tortoise and the hare is one to heed in your writing life. The rabbit sat down but the tortoise kept moving slowly toward his goal. We know who won the race. Find a picture of a turtle and put it near your workspace to remind you to keep plodding along in your writing world. 

me nowhere in a

Keyword Number Two--Perseverance

It seems only right that I balance yesterday's post on patience with the second keyword for writers--perseverance.

I once met a writer who said she had given up her day job to concentrate on writing. She'd add extra income to the family by selling the stories and articles she planned to write. I am not one to try and discourage someone who has a goal in mind and a passion for what they do. So, I kept my mouth shut, which isn't easy for I'm a person who likes to talk, and I like to help other people.

The woman wrote well but she'd underestimated the stiff competition in the writing world. It wasn't long before she became disgruntled and depressed over her lack of publication success. She gave up and started a business far removed from writing. I felt bad about her quitting something that she had a talent for. I think she stopped too soon. If she'd persevered, she might have a good freelance business going by now. 

Sometimes it's easier to give up than to keep going. It often takes far longer than we like to see results. When I made my first sale to a children's magazine, I was ecstatic. I kept writing stories for kids and sending them to various publications but the next sale didn't happen for quite a long time. Along with the first two sales, I had many rejections. Part of the reason was that I had the basics but I hadn't learned some of the finer points of good writing. That happened after I joined a critique group and benefited from a group of seasoned writers. 

Perseverance brings to mind another word. I think you have to be a little bit stubborn to keep going when things aren't panning out as you hoped. You need an I'll show them! attitude. Whatever it takes to attain your goals, stay with it. 

Put perseverance alongside patience and you'll have a winning combination. I wrote a family story many years ago that revolved around the word perseverance. It's a true story written as fiction, the way I think it could have happened. Read The No-Name Sisters to see how Katie persevered. She didn't give up, and neither should you.

Should Writers Have A Dream?

I liked the poster above. When we were kids, a parent or teacher might have scolded with words like Stop daydreaming and get to work!  or You need to quit dreaming and get busy! As a parent or teacher, we want kids to keep working and face reality. But perhaps those words sometimes poured water on a spark of imagination that could have been better encouraged into a real flame.

Coming back to today--I think we need to have a dream in our writing world. We need to set a goal that we can work toward. I read a guest blog essay this morning that gave some very good advice. The young woman who wrote the piece is a graduate student in an MFA program with non-fiction her primary focus. She had dreams of writing a book--a memoir--about her two years spend at a religious affiliated college during her undergrad years. 

A professor told her that she needed to learn to write a story before she could write a book. I am in full agreement with that. Far too many beginning writers set out to write a book as their first project. And some manage to do it. That doesn't say how good it will be. I've read many times that your first three book manuscripts should be left in a drawer--or maybe fed to the shredder. Writing a book for the first time is a learning process and not necessarily meant to be a smash hit. A lucky few do manage to achieve it, which makes the rest of us green with envy.

But it's OK to aim high. It's alright to dream about that first published book with your name on it. If we don't have dreams like that, how will we ever arrive there? Dream, set your goal, and then work toward it piece by piece. Those old keywords that I love patience and perseverance come into play here. Achieving a dream seldom happens overnight. It can take months for some and for others, it takes years. The important thing is to not lose sight of your dream. Keep it in mind or put something near your computer to remind you of it. 

I have a dream in my writing world, and I bet you do, too 

Keywords For Writers That Work

It was only a year ago that the picture above was taken in  a picturesque French village. Ken wasn't as enthused about visiting France as I was, but it turned out to be a good trip for him, as well. I've been mentally reliving the trip these last few days, as it was one of my favorite overseas visits.

My musing was partly because of an essay I wrote about one of the stops that left us both  deeply impressed. The WWII American Rhone Cemetery etched itself onto my heart, where it stayed. I knew I wanted to write about the experience when we returned home. It was one of the first stories I started, even before we'd drifted through the several days of jet lag. The emotion I felt in the open air chapel still overwhelmed me.

I wrote the story. It just wasn't right. So I waited a few days and tried again. I sent it to writersandcritters, my online critique group. They had some good things to say but also pointed out the many spots that just plain didn't work. I knew they were right. Something was missing. But what? I revised it again and finally threw up my hands in disgust. Into the "to be worked on" file it went. 

The story stayed in that file for many months, but it circled round and round in my mind from time to time. Still, I didn't pull it out and work on it. Finally, a few weeks ago, I opened the file and read the story. Then I started from scratch and rewrote it. Not once, a couple of times. Sent it to wac for a critique. I waited for the red axes to slash through it. 

Wonder of wonders, only a few minor little things were suggested. Even so, I waited a few more days, did a final revision, then sent it to an editor of a senior newspaper in a nearby city. I suggested to her that it might be a good piece for the November issue which would most likely commemorate Veterans Day. She wrote back in record time that the story was perfect for the November issue and then went on to praise the writing. Which, of course, had me floating on a cloud for a few hours afterward.

The point of all this is that we shouldn't give up when a story doesn't work right. Put it away, let it simmer, let your subconscious mind filter ideas. Then work on it again until it's satisfying to you (and to your critique group if you have one). The process for this particular story took close to a full year. That's perfectly alright, even though it gave me a hefty dose of frustration. That old patience and perseverance advice worked well with this one.