Forget about
whether or not you’ve been published.
Let’s celebrate the victory of your commitment.
It’s a victory that
you’re even attempting to write a book.
It’s a victory that words matter to you, that stories matter, stories
that heal and inspire children, the kind of stories you long to create. It’s a victory that the dream hasn’t
withered inside you like is has for so many others.
It’s a victory that
your dream is immune to the closing of bookstores, impervious to the
proliferation of video games and general all around
mindlessness. It’s a victory that
you are trying to be an antidote for that frivolity through the story that
lives inside your head, your heart, your gut, your soul, the story that won’t go
away. It just won’t go away.
It’s a victory that
you find time to work on it within the blur of your existence. Five minutes here, ten minutes there,
it doesn’t matter, you’re still moving forward. It’s a victory that you stick with it, keep sticking with
it, month after month after month.
It’s a victory that
you don’t burn your book after realizing that the first chapter needs to be
rewritten although it’s been revised sixteen times already and you were
convinced that it was perfect but everyone in your writing group still gets
confused by the opening so you’re going back to square one and you’re fine with
it. You have faith in your
book. You know the rest of the
story works and the plot is tight.
You’re not going to panic about the opening. You’re simply not going to panic. This is a victory.
It’s a victory that
you keep sending the book out to agents although you’ve received a few
rejections. You know in your heart
that your writing has merit and agents are not infallible, far from it. You know that all it takes is for one
agent to like your work. That’s
all it takes. You keep telling
yourself that. It’s your little
mantra. This is a victory.
This thing you’ve
created, this story, that is still looking for a home, a publisher, a contract,
this story sitting on your desk, that may still need work, may still require
some revisions, this living thing that has a pulse, that gives off light, that
begs you to water its branches and roots, is a stunning victory.
It's important to concentrate on our small victories in this path that comes with so much rejection. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pep talk. Definitely been needing it these days!
ReplyDelete"It’s a victory that you don’t burn your book after realizing that the first chapter needs to be rewritten although it’s been revised sixteen times already and you were convinced that it was perfect but everyone in your writing group still gets confused by the opening so you’re going back to square one and you’re fine with it." ---
ReplyDeleteYeah, THAT one!!! That's a real victory, to be able to throw out the bathwater AND the baby and be fine with it.
*double snort*
DeleteWe writers need to read posts like this once in a while. Thank you James. I'm still in it to write it.
ReplyDeleteNice. I'm going to bookmark this for the days when I wonder what in the world I'm doing.
ReplyDeleteI so needed this! I do believe there's a book inside me. I visualize the cover, the print, the paintings, the words. I have 5 journals of words, doodles, and thoughts. Why is it that I can help everyone else with their dreams but I can't even begin mine? What's my problem? I guess I should use my own advice! Thanks for listening, it feels good to get that out there!!
ReplyDeleteyou can do it!
DeleteAmen to this, James! And thank you. This is something we all need to hear. As Jerry Spinelli says, if you've finished a rough draft, first pat yourself on the back because you've accomplished something most people haven't accomplished. And the fact that we're all still struggling through the revision process and the querying despite setback after setback is even more of a victory. Saving this post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiration, James. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteLOVE!!! Thanks for the inspiration
ReplyDeleteDianne already pointed this out, but this may be the most wonderful thing ever written about early drafts: "It’s a victory that you don’t burn your book after realizing that the first chapter needs to be rewritten although it’s been revised sixteen times already and you were convinced that it was perfect but everyone in your writing group still gets confused by the opening so you’re going back to square one and you’re fine with it".
ReplyDelete