Keeping the Faith
Part of the gift and the challenge with being a freelance writer is not knowing what comes next. While you may be riding the wave of good fortune this month, you may be drowning the next. Although there is the rare writer who radiates an envious and endless optimism, most of us struggle day to day, typing along, hoping to be discovered and appreciated for the hard work writing requires.
I’m of the more common variety. And after reading Julia Cameron’s Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance, I was relieved that even best-selling authors go through this too. It’s actually Cameron’s phrase “keep the faith” that inspired the title and content of this post.
I think it’s easy to get discouraged in this field. Like my husband often says, “You picked a very challenging career.” Although I’m not saving lives here, because writing is such a personal endeavor, I sometimes feel like the life I’m trying to save is my own.
Staying Positive
I have to work on keeping positive and optimistic so that I can get through the valleys and get on to the mountaintops. For me, this means going out of the house to meet with weekly groups (I just joined a professional work at home women’s club.), talking to other writers, and saying silly mantras in my head like, “I’m a successful writer.” I do this all to get through the lull and discouragement that is inevitable in this business.
All Rejection is Temporary Except Your Own
I remember reading somewhere that the only real and permanent rejection is your own. You may not get that seemingly perfect writing job or get your piece published in that national magazine, but those rejections are temporary. If you give up on yourself, then the journey is over.
No matter what stage you are in your writing, don’t give up yet. Keep the faith. And do whatever you must to keep pushing through. If you quit now, you’ll never know how close you were to success. You might have been just a day away…
Don’t Sell Like a Used Car Salesman
Photo by: roberthuffstutter
My husband and I hobbled on over to a used car lot recently. The reason for our less than enthusiastic attitude was our fear of encountering the dreaded stereotypical used car salesman. The man with a big persona (a.k.a. desperate man who talks too much).
You know the guy. The one who hunts you down and seems to pick up your scent even before he sees you. A swarm of salesman suddenly encircles you all in business suits, all waiting until fatigue and desperation gives way to a sale.
Okay it might not be THAT bad! But if used car salesman can smell fresh new meat a mile away, then I can tell desperation from afar as well. When a guy comes running towards me asking to show me his car without even knowing what I’m looking for, I run the other way. Desperation is not attractive when dating or when selling. Read more…
It’s Not All About You
I went to a new writer’s group last weekend. I was on a hunt to find like-minded folk locally and decided that since it was 2010, it was about time. Though I was full of gusto and excitement of meeting new writing peeps, the group left a lot to be desired.
The two guys who showed up were really nice and all and all I felt comfortable and supported, but it just wasn’t a good fit. The one thing that stayed with me was something one of the members said. He commented that a lot of poetry was “self-absorbed.” That stuck with me and made me question how much of my own writing was a form of narcissism.
The desire to be heard, the glory of the written word and the recognition that writing sometimes brings, all makes writing a self-indulgent gift. Yet, none of it has to do with making a living as a freelance writer or does it?
Read more…
Received Yet Another Rejection Letter? Don’t Close the Door Just Yet
Last year I sent out a flurry of queries and a couple completed manuscripts. I worked like crazy to reach that impossible, unattainable dream-to get published in a well-known magazine.
And here’s what happened:
No, I didn’t get into Glamour or O magazines. A prayer wasn’t answered. A miracle was yet to be seen.
Instead, last year’s queries were answered by this year’s, “I’m sorry your idea doesn’t fit with the current needs of the magazine.”
After listening to my heart shatter for a few minutes, I put myself back together like Humpty Dumpty. I realized that one rejecting letter, did not a failure make.
So this is what I did:
Read more…
Bad Haircuts and Bad Business
Photo by striatic
Have you ever had a bad haircut? I’m sure we’ve all had them. As for me, I’m like TLC’s Duggarts, I’m on my fifth and counting.
The thing my husband always says after I get back from another disappointing hairdo is, “I don’t get it. You tell them exactly what you want and they never do it the way you want.”
“Hmm,” I thought. There’s a bit of wisdom in there somewhere.
The more I pondered, the more I saw that there was a similarity between bad haircuts and bad business.
Read more…
What To Do While You’re Waiting For The Other Shoe to Drop
Photo by: Wit
Freelance writing is kind of like fishing. There’s a lot of waiting involved. You throw out the bait, wait for a bite and then get ready for the fight.
However, instead of thumb twiddling or going to the opposite extreme and getting unnecessarily busy (online shopping or applying for jobs like crazy, for example), this may be a good time to get yourself organized and prepared for the next bite.
Here are a few productive things to do while you’re waiting for your next big project:
Cool Writerly Things: Stuff You Didn’t Get, But Wish You Did
Yes, I know the holidays are officially over. Feeling any gift getter remorse? I didn’t get the Kindle this year so I feel your pain. For you writers out there who were disappointed with 2009 Christmas gifts, here are a few writerly gifts for yourself.
Loving this magazine holder.
What writer doesn’t own an embarrassing collection of magazines? Remember Carrie Bradshaw’s overpowering collection of Vogue editions circa 1980 and beyond? This one brings a certain modern appeal that hides a stack (5-10) in a bright beautiful way. Get it at Etsy.com for $38.
HaPpY HoLiDaYs!!
2010 New Year’s Writer Resolutions
Have you done it yet? Put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard? What will be your hopes, goals and dreams for 2010?
Sure it may not be Christmas yet. Your tree is still up, ornaments hung and Santa has yet to visit your nest. But beyond the 25th, is another monster lurking, the end of 2009 and the beginning of a whole other year.
What would YOU like to see happen in 2010?
I know as a freelance writer I barely have time to take a breath let alone come up with a list of things I’d like to accomplish. Yet, I’m taking time during Christmas and New Year’s Eve to decide what goals are important to me. I know that if I don’t dream them up now, I won’t ever get to them. Things like… Read more…
Resilience Key in Succeeding as a Freelance Writer
Something pulled me from my warm bed and hour of mindless magazine reading today. I was thinking about my last post.
I was thinking about how Walt Disney encountered a lot of bad people in the biz and still waded in his way through the slime and got to the other side. In fact, not just in spite of the greedy people out there but because he had resilience.
There are many traits important in having a successful freelance writing business and I definitely think resilience is one of them.
Resilience helps you keep going. It’s what helped Olympic winner and best-selling author Bonnie St. John endure divorce, disability and difficulty in her life. (You can read my interview with her here.) And it’s what gets most writers over that initial hump, criticism and rejection.
Read more…
