Saturday, February 6, 2016

Why Write? by Sara Barnard




Problem. You have written THE story. The one everyone has to read in order for the world to keep turning. 





You exercised show and not tell, trimmed the purple prose as easily as you trimmed the lawn last week. You triple checked your P.O.V and tenses, avoided cliches and all allegorical alliteration and emerged victorious at The Battle of The Writer's Block. Then, you got off Facebook and Pinterest long enough to bring your writer's dream to fruition. 


Now what? 

Three agents' rejections, four publisher "I regret to inform you's", and five snarky beta readers left you wondering why you ever bothered to pick up a pen in the first place. 

Where do you go? What do you do? 

For normal people, they would shrug it off and turn on the t.v. Binge on a Netflix series.
Go out with friends. 
Do something normal
For a moment you wish you, too, were normal. Like them. 
Like everyone else. 
Alas, you are not.
Then, it comes. 
The one YES that changes everything. 
Be it from a reviewer, beta reader, agent or publisher. 
Once you connect with that person,
make them feel what you wanted them to feel through your words,
the pen that was so heavy before becomes feather light. 
You're on top of the world. 


And then it starts all over again. 



How do you keep motivated?





18 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Haha! Thanks Mom! Yes somedays the pen is much heavier than others.

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  3. Sara, that's a great question--how do you stay motivated? It's really hard some days, and others, I just can't wait to get to it. More of those these days since I don't have a lot of time to write anymore, with the publishing hat on.

    I remember reading something Stephen King wrote a while back saying he knew that THE STAND was his best work and how he knew he'd never create anything better than that. That would be a double-edged sword, wouldn't it? To know you had created your best work already--might be tough for me to get motivated if I thought that. But honestly? I agree with him.

    Food for thought here, Sara!
    Cheryl

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    1. Right!!! That may kill the motivation. Lol I hope my best work is still yet to come!

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  4. A drawing of Marta hands beside my desk and she glares at me saying, "¡Apurese!"--Get going! I'm not permitted writer's block. Anyway, my best work is yet to come, "I, Soldier," a WIP. Challenging because the protag is a Korean.

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    1. That sounds like a good one Gordo! Perhaps writers block really is just a state of mind . . . Or brain fatigue :-)

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  5. I have never wanted to be "normal", I've just wanted to be good at what I do.
    Of course, every writer goes through the gauntlet of rejection. It's like a right of writerhood (is that a word?) to suffer a bit. We have to have rejection and torment before we really get good at our passion. But no author worth his/her salt ever gives up--not ever.
    Excellent post, Sara. I loved all your graphics. All the best to you.

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    1. I have never been accused of being normal either lol I am so glad you enjoyed the post!!

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  6. I'm not sure why I keep going sometimes, but I think it has to do with what you came here to do. For some of us, it's writing. So there is no alternative. Lucky us LOL.

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    1. I have never thought about it like that, I love it!!! You're right, there is no alternative at all. Haha @ the lucky us!!!!!!!

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  7. Sara, I so enjoyed your interesting blog, and the picture show was indeed fantastic. I loved the cat--enjoyed them all and with each one I smiled or chuckled. Thanks. I have to agree, we must love it for there is no normalcy once you take the plunge and say, I'm a writer. None of are normal--that would truly be so dull wouldn't it? If I said to myself one morning, if I didn't have writing, what would I be doing? Not anything as much fun and rewarding, that's for sure. It's in our blood and we're darn proud of it. Wishing you the best.

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    1. Very well put, Bev!!!! I can't imagine what I would be doing if not writing . . . Probably not cleaning house either way lol

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  8. I write, because I love to tell stories. Of course I started as a verbal storyteller, and it just is an extension of that. Still, staying motivated? I have a magnet on the fridge from a friend it reads "Back away from the fridge. Good. Now go back to your desk and start writing." Since the location of the 'fridge' is where I see this all the time, even when not going to fix dinner,it is a good reminder. So, to all "KEEP WRITING". It's good for the soul. **Smile** Doris McCraw/Angela Raines

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    1. Haha Doris, I love that!! I need to make a Jonathan Rhys Meyers meme to tell me to be writing and keep it on my desktop!!

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  9. You've covered some nice bases here Sara.
    My wife just tells me that she can't proof read it if I don't hurry up and write it.

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    1. What a wonderful support system you have in your significant other!!! That is truly a blessing for a writer, isn't it, to have someone cheering you on.

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  10. I LOVE, this blog. I laughed out loud at the Twilight reference. ---
    And the girl on the couch--
    it took a few published books before my friends and family believed I wasn't sleeping all day.
    Writer's block has not been a problem so far. I can dream up stories all day. The edit is my nightmare--making sure I didn't use the same word 4 times in one paragraph. I keep writing because It's fun and I enjoy it. I just wish I'd started writing younger in life and had a large stack of good novels behind me. Writing does take time.

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  11. Ain't it the truth...I sometimes wonder why I keep on writing, in fact I have at times told myself, I'm done! I quit! But sure enough I'll see something or hear something,or go somewhere and then it starts all over again. This all consuming, gotta get it all down on paper dance. I love it! Good to know I'm in good company...

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