Determination and a Tough Hide for Writers

 

This is a repeat post, but one I think worth a second look.

Mr. Turtle in today's photo has some determination, something all writers should own, as well. They should also master developing a tough hide like his. Two good qualifications among others that would benefit writers. Let's look at each one.

Wishy-washy writer or one that is determined? Which one do you think will be more successful? Which one are you? Or are you a writer who bounces back and forth between the two? A lot of writers fall into this latter category.

If you try a new writing project and give up when it doesn't mesh together nicely, you're not going to move very far on your writing journey. You'll start myriad new writing projects and probably finish very few of them. 

I thought about my daughter when she was a toddler learning to dress herself. I'd let her try for just so long and then try to help. She'd immediately say "No!" Then, she'd try again (and again) until she was successful. Determination was an inborn trait with her. She ended up using that trait all through her growing up years and into her career. 

Not everyone is fortunate enough to be born with the trait of determination. Some have to work at it and develop the trait over many years. It's worth working to achieve that status if you want to be a successful writer. Giving up is easy. Pushing on and continuing isn't. A lot depends on how much you want your writing world to be fruitful. 

If your newest writing projects are filled with bumps and potholes, it's discouraging. We can all admit that. The important part is how you handle it. Do you dump the whole project with the first couple of bumps, or do you put it away for a short while, give it some thought, and then work on it again? I hope it is the latter choice for you. 

I've used an example many times about the story of The Little Engine That Could. We all know the story of that train engine who kept repeating "I think I can! I think I can!" until he was able to pull the big engine. I think I can might be a good mantra to use when things aren't going well. 

Like the turtle, writers also need to have a tough hide. They need to learn to let the rejections bounce off that hide, rather than pierce straight through to the heart. Learning to accept both criticism from other writers or readers or editors, along with full rejections from publishers, is not easy. The first thing we should do is to remember that the criticism is not a personal attack against YOU. Sadly, many writers take it that way. The criticism, or rejection, is about what you have written. Let's face it. Not every story, article, poem, or essay is going to be a masterpiece. Especially not with the first, or even second draft. There will be some fine parts and other areas that need work. 

When someone gives you the exact spots that bothered them, feel happy that you know where you have to do some revision. It's so much better than an overall criticism where you don't even know where to begin to revise. If you put your writing up for critique in a group, you'll benefit a great deal. When more than one person picks out the same area that needs work, believe it. Then do something about it. A simple rejection from an editor will not always be sent with a reason. I appreciate the ones that do give me an inkling of why the piece didn't work for them. 

Work on not taking criticism personally. Think of it as something to help you improve on your craft and become better at it. 

Make an attempt to develop Mr. Turtle's Try and Stop Me attitude. You'll accelerate your writing journey that way.

Writers--Don't Give Up

 When we read books by prolific authors, or see the names of writers in anthologies numerous times, or recognize the name of an author when reading a book review, all we see is the result of their writing life, the part that makes them happy. 

What we don't take note of in the above is the many down times these writers and others have experienced. A fellow writer once cited a statistic that has stayed with me. He said, "The average acceptance rate is one out of every twelve submissions." That statement could make many a writer throw up their hands and swear they'll never write anything again.

I certainly hope very few will do that. As writers, we need to accept the fact that we will have more rejections than acceptances. At least, most of us will. I'm very proud of the number of stories I have had in the Chicken Soup for the Soul anthology books, but there were many more stories I submitted to them that never saw print. 

Is it terrible to become discouraged? Of course not! We're human and trying over and over to be published and not making it hurts. It hurts us, it angers us in some cases, and it helps us stop believing in ourselves at times. 

One trait a writer needs to develop is Determination. Maybe an attitude of 'I'll show them!' would help foster that trait. 

Our poster today says: 'Go over, under, around and through, but...never give up.' It's easy to say, but more difficult to put in practice. One thing that factors in here is how determined you are to become a published writer. 

Those rejections tend to knock you down for a bit, but the determined writer picks himself up and moves on. If one publication rejects you, move on to another. We've all heard stories about famous authors who received multiple rejections for a book that eventually became a best seller. Keep in mind that an editor is one person, or a reading committee is only a handful of people. If they say no, maybe somebody else will say yes. You'll never know that unless you keep submitting. 

Rejections come for a variety of reasons. Perhaps, the publication has already published something similar, or it doesn't fit their theme, or you send a horror story to a romance magazine, or the writing lacks something. This last is one you have control over. If you feel your writing is not up to standards editors expect, one of the best things to do is to join a writing critique group. But do it with an open mind. Expect that your work will be criticized but that those doing it are trying to help you become a published writer. The criticisms are to help you, not hurt you. A good attitude on your part is necessary if you are to gain something from a group like this.

The road writers move along can be a rocky one, but if the writer is determined and pledges to not give up, it can be rewarding. Keep today's poster advice in mind: 'Go over, under, around and through, but...never give up.'

Writers Need to Develop Determination

 

 

Mr. Turtle in today's photo has some determination, something all writers should own, as well. They should also master developing a tough hide like his. Two good qualifications among others that would benefit writers. Let's look at each one.

Wishy-washy writer or one that is determined? Which one do you think will be more successful? Which one are you? Or are you a writer who bounces back and forth between the two? A lot of writers fall into this latter category.

If you try a new writing project and give up when it doesn't mesh together nicely, you're not going to move very far on your writing journey. You'll start myriad new writing projects and probably finish very few of them. 

I thought about my daughter when she was a toddler learning to dress herself. I'd let her try for just so long and then try to help. She'd immediately say "No!" Then, she'd try again (and again) until she was successful. Determination was an inborn trait with her. She ended up using that trait all through her growing up years and into her career. 

Not everyone is fortunate enough to be born with the trait of determination. Some have to work at it and develop the trait over many years. It's worth working to achieve that status if you want to be a successful writer. Giving up is easy. Pushing on and continuing isn't. A lot depends on how much you want your writing world to be fruitful. 

If your newest writing projects are filled with bumps and potholes, it's discouraging. We can all admit that. The important part is how you handle it. Do you dump the whole project with the first couple of bumps, or do you put it away for a short while, give it some thought, and then work on it again? I hope it is the latter choice for you. 

I've used an example many times about the story of The Little Engine That Could. We all know the story of that train engine who kept repeating "I think I can! I think I can!" until he was able to pull the big engine. I think I can might be a good mantra to use when things aren't going well. 

Like the turtle, writers also need to have a tough hide. They need to learn to let the rejections bounce off that hide, rather than pierce straight through to the heart. Learning to accept both criticism from other writers or readers or editors, along with full rejections from publishers, is not easy. The first thing we should do is to remember that the criticism is not a personal attack against YOU. Sadly, many writers take it that way. The criticism, or rejection, is about what you have written. Let's face it. Not every story, article, poem, or essay is going to be a masterpiece. Especially not with the first, or even second draft. There will be some fine parts and other areas that need work. 

When someone gives you the exact spots that bothered them, feel happy that you know where you have to do some revision. It's so much better than an overall criticism where you don't even know where to begin to revise. If you put your writing up for critique in a group, you'll benefit a great deal. When more than one person picks out the same area that needs work, believe it. Then do something about it. A simple rejection from an editor will not always be sent with a reason. I appreciate the ones that do give me an inkling of why the piece didn't work for them. 

Work on not taking criticism personally. Think of it as something to help you improve on your craft and become better at it. 

Make an attempt to develop Mr. Turtle's Try and Stop Me attitude. You'll accelerate your writing journey that way.

 

Writers Need Determination, Passion, and a Tough Hide

There are many writing groups a writer can join online. The ones I'm thinking of are not for submitting and critiquing but rather for schmoozing with other writers, for soaking up info about writing and also entering contests the group runs. 

Some are for prose writers, others strictly for those who pen poetry, and still others consider a little of each. 

They're fine for beginners and some intermediate kinds of writers. The contests don't give a great deal of competition mainly because of the fewer numbers of entries than a national contest would have, so winning is a better possibility than if the writer submitted to a poetry magazine or a literary magazine that has a low rate of acceptance. Is it wrong to try to win these group contests? Of course not. They give you the experience of entering, and perhaps placing, in a contest. I look at them as a preparation place. Somewhere to help you be ready to submit to magazines and journals and websites that are more competitive. 

Many of the groups I am talking about here are membership only groups which means you must pay an annual fee to belong and to be able to enter the contests they run on a regular basis. Some writers join more than one of these groups, and that's fine. It's a personal choice. 

The one thing that concerns me is that it becomes a safe place for submitting your writing, be it prose or poetry. Perhaps too safe. It can be scary to start submitting in the big pond of magazines, journals, contests, and writers' websites. You're more likely to get a rejection than an acceptance. You feel like such a little fish in that big sea of hopeful writers. 

Still, you'll never know if your work is good enough to be published by some of the better publications unless you try. You must try and try again. We know that many rejections are for reasons other than you sent a boring piece. Some places close for submissions on a temporary basis. The editors may have recently published something very close to what you sent. They take only a very small percent of the submissions received. There's also the possibility that your idea was good, but the mechanics of writing was poor. There are multiple reasons for receiving rejections. Getting rejections is all a part of this writing world.

One thing you need in submitting your work is determination. You shouldn't give up after a few rejections. You'll also need a passion for writing, as well as a tough hide. 

It's fine to start with smaller publications or to submit only to the groups you've joined, but you do need to climb to the next rung of the ladder now and then.