Writers and Discouragement

 

We love to post our successes on social media. It allows us to share with others and perhaps give them a link to reading our newest publication, be it a book, short story, personal essay or any other kind of writing. Letting others know about our successes is part of building a writer's platform. 

But what about the rejections we get and the frustrations we often face as writers? Do we want to share those on social media? I don't, and you don't either. That part of our writing life we generally keep private. Who wants to blow their horn about the twenty rejections received on one story? 

We often get discouraged when a writing project doesn't go well. We saw it in our mind so clearly. Knew what we wanted to accomplish. Then, the actual writing doesn't go as well. What do we do? Our choices run from scratching the project altogether to spending a great deal of time revising and editing until the piece becomes what we'd envisioned in the first place. 

If we want to find some success in our writing life, we need to keep working until we are satisfied enough to be ready to submit to a publisher. 

Years ago, I made a lot of my daughter's clothes. Every pattern comes with step-by-step directions. Occasionally, something didn't go right, and I knew I couldn't continue to the next step until I figured it out. I'd become frustrated. What to do? I found that if I walked away for a day or two, then came back, the answer was there, and I could move on with the project. We can do the same when our writing isn't working out to our satisfaction. Walk away for at least a day, maybe longer. What seemed so complex earlier might suddenly look easier.

That old adage 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.' comes into play when we get discouraged in our writing life. One other way you can try again is to visit with a writing friend. There's no shame in asking for help. Another person can see the problem what the writer cannot. They are objective, while we, as writers, are often not. 

Our poster today tells us that it is often the last key that opens the lock. We have to keep trying until we find the key that makes our writing projects ready for submission. 

Facing Discouragement When You Write

Writers get discouraged at times. There's no denying it, even to ourselves. It's a part of this writing game we have chosen. Why does that happen? Mostly because we're human and we face ups and downs in our writing life on a regular basis. 

Things go along smoothly for a while, and then you might have a series of rejections that feel like a herd of wild horses galloping across the plains, seeming never to stop. We know that, eventually, the rejections will come to a stop when an acceptance arrives instead. That one acceptance can wipe out all the feelings of discouragement, anger, and worthlessness you probably had. 

We get discouraged when a story that sounded so great in our head doesn't seem to work when we write the words. Last night, I read about an author who wrote her story over and over again until it felt right. The last and final draft became the one that was published. Even then, an editor helped her rework parts of her 500+ page novel. Surely she felt discouraged during the years she worked on the book, but she had the two qualities of a writer that I have suggested here many times. She practiced patience and perseverance until she found the key that opened the lock just as today's poster tells us. 

Sadly, many writers will give up before they find that final key that opens the lock and allows their work to be read by others. They chastise themselves verbally and internally. Dejection becomes a companion, but only if they allow it to happen.

Writers need to give internal pep talks, or maybe even look in the mirror and say the words aloud. However, you can give yourself all the shoring up in the world, but it won't help you until you begin believing in what you're telling yourself. 

If a story doesn't work out, set it aside and begin a new writing project. Starting fresh gives us a real boost. We can forget the earlier story and its problems and concentrate on something new. The important thing is to keep writing and practice patience. Chase those discouragement blues away.