Great reminder that even the best of the best still fail. Does a lioness always catch her prey? Of course not, hardly ever in fact. But when she does, it counts.
I really enjoy writing but I find I have difficulty being completely honest with my public works. There are things I want to write that would make me intensely vulnerable, and I don’t know how to post them. Any thoughts?
I can't tell you how much I love this! I started writing 10 years ago kind of on a dare and found myself on a journey that I find immensely rewarding. I wish I made a little more money, but I find I sell enough books to buy some marketing and my book covers, and that's okay. More than anything are the words from readers who respond positively, sometimes even emotionally, to what I've shown them. Just released novel #16 and waiting for some characters to start talking to me. That will sound weird to anyone except another writer! But it's the passion for creating, and for me, another way to share the music that makes my life meaningful. I won't stop until I'm forced to. At 75 I found an entirely new path, and it's now 10 years later and I love it more than ever.
Your article really spoke to me, Ramona! I feel like I've been writing forever, with little feedback other than my critique group, beta readers, and the occasional paid professional. It's frustrating not being able to find an agent and be traditionally published, but not enough to make me stop, even if a larger audience never reads my stories. In the end, I truly believe that we write because we love how it helps us understand the world and feel a part of it.
I agree with all this. But I’d add that even those of us who get great satisfaction from writing—as I do, actually it’s more than that, it’s a huge part of my identity, my solace, the way my life is organized—go through periods when it’s hard to write, for any number of reasons. I’m not talking about so-called “writer’s block”—I’m talking about stuff that gets in the way of giving yourself over to writing. Sometimes that’s mysterious (e.g. you just can’t make your mind/fingers go there) sometimes it’s pretty clear (e.g. grief, personal relationship issues, etc.). When I taught writing, my students often struggled (I do too) to get in the space they needed to be in to write; when that happened, I advised them to see it as part of the process, and to let the “work” happen on the unconscious level, until they were ready. Nothing you’ve said contradicts that! I guess I’m just inserting it as a “p.s.”
As my New Orleans cousin wold say, Tru dat. I'm in a stage of despair at everything going on around us, and yet I'm still writing about amusing/annoying little incidents, instead of coping and attempting to analyze the mess around us. Trouble is, I'm reading two books (recommended by Austin Kleon) that are making me incredibly depressed about life - Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle by Chris Hedges and Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire by Kurt Anderson. I'm at the stage of "what's the point" in trying to make even baby steps toward change, when all around us is the burden of what history tells us, what history shows us, and what so many people are doing that is just horrid (and a plethora of other adjectives).
I'm feeling much like I did when I read Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer. I needed several showers because of the absolute disgust at these people. But I researched it, wrote about it, and I am at least aware of the issues with dark money. With the previous two books mentioned I'm not sure I can move beyond what I'm reading. I'm old enough to recognize how as a people we got to this point, but I truly am wondering why I bother to try to change anything with my writing. Yet I know I need to write, and I continue to do so.
It's a puzzlement filled with despair, a galaxy's distance to any hope, and the tattered remnants of a much younger me's Pollyanna-view of the world. With Daniel Ellsberg's death this weekend, I went right back to breakfast at the East-West Center at University of Hawaii Manoa campus, attending a summer program in Asian studies, hearing the news, and being astounded that our government would lie to us like this. So the blinders have come off over the years, but being blind-sided and astounded that our government would lie to us. These two books are something to ponder over, research., and write about....I'm not sure if that answers your question, but it's where my head and heart are right now.
Artist Georgia O’Keefe said praise, recognition, and criticism were all the same to her - water off a duck’s back. She took a long look at a finished work, decided if it was good or bad, then pressed on to her next project.
I appreciate your thoughts on this! What I’m thinking about is that there's always an audience component to art - that is, art does not truly feel complete without that feedback loop from those who see/read/experience it. So, there will always be a loss if no one reads you (and moreso if you’re striving to get paid). In theatre, it’s the same – the process of building a show and creating truly good performances is fantastic – but it’s always more satisfying (financially and otherwise) if the seats are filled and the reviews are positive.
But, I agree with you that it does feel really good (even “glorious”) to create, period, even if no one sees or appreciates it. This is easy for me to say, perhaps, because I write for my friends and family mostly and am not trying to make writing my living. It feels even more glorious, of course, if others out there experience and are touched by my words. But for me, anyway, the creative process of writing itself is IT. I am a better person for it, and will go on creating, even if all the submissions get rejected, if no one except my mom reads what I write. And, next time those rejections come – or the quiet following a Substack post – I’ll remind myself of what I just said.:)
This so resonates for me. Thanks for writing this. I’ve always wanted to be a writer - but it was rather late in life that I realized I’m an essay writer, not a fiction writer. I love the process so much that I do it instead of other things I should be doing, even when it’s difficult and when I have doubts. But I’m struggling with how to build an audience. Sure, I’d love fame and all that, but mainly I want to be heard. After all, writing is communication. I have things I want to say, and I want to say them to as many people as possible. Also, although I think I’m good at writing and it comes naturally to me, I compare myself to the best writers and find myself wanting. Yet I always come back to the joy of doing it. Having a weekly Substack newsletter keeps me going!
I can only speak for me, but mine is more a matter of discouragement rather than being miserable. But if I think in terms of one appreciating something I wrote or my words meaning so much to them, certainly I must continue .
I would like to keep on writing, but there is so much going on in my life that I have to attend to. These things disallows me to concentrate on writing when the creative juices come, because I have to attend to them first. But somehow, somewhere in the future, I will go back to my writing. My whole being is yearning for it.
I decided years ago that life is far far too short to ever feel like a loser. At least not for very long. Sure, there are setbacks and disappointments. That's not anything unique to us writers, except in the specifics. It's pretty much the human condition.
And knowing when to stop trying to do something is something to be treasured. Several years ago, I gave up writing fiction and doing that made me incredibly happy.
I've been an indie writer since 2010. I write because I love the word and the way I can be transported with the word.
When the works (novels) are published, I rarely check for reviews. My works win awards which is motivating to a point but it's not the Be All and End All of my writing life.
I keep writing because I just love it, like I love gardening or embroidery. I love creating a story, I love the hard graft of editorial work, I love working with a cover designer and formatter.
But I never write for the plaudits and the approbation. It's enough for me that my editor and beta-readers give me constructive feedback. My love for the word is too precious to exist on the whim of a very subjective and fickle marketplace.
Over a million books are published every day. Why set oneself up to fail? My advice to any new writer is to be realistic, have no expectations and then just do it because you love it.
Ramona this is such an excellent post, thank you! Also, the comments from your community are equally amazing.
I would like to be leaving an insightful comment as well but am reading & writing on my phone during my lunch break. I’m also having a very tiring day so have no bandwidth, therefore am simply soaking it all up by being here and saying thanks.
This post spoke to me so deeply. I can't express enough how meaningful it is.
I always loved to read but didn't always like to write; maybe because it was always seemed like it was for assignments. I also used to express myself better when speaking versus writing. At least that's what I believed was the case. The ticking clock and a health event changed that around some.
Now, I often find that words fail to reach my lips to properly express myself, but when perched before my laptop screen, they have the time and space to pour or trickle out in their own time. I appreciate now that writing provides the opportunity to work and rework how I'm saying what I want to say. It's like a superpower that allows you to present your thoughts as clearly as you possibly can the instant you present them. I hope to reach a point where I attain that more often than not. I've only recently tried my hand at releasing work for the first time here on Substack, and it's been rewarding.
I've been a voyeur of your work and tips on Substack for some time, mostly via D. Earl Stephens. This post made me an official subscriber. I'm looking forward to poring over your Substack and receiving your future pieces.
Great reminder that even the best of the best still fail. Does a lioness always catch her prey? Of course not, hardly ever in fact. But when she does, it counts.
I really enjoy writing but I find I have difficulty being completely honest with my public works. There are things I want to write that would make me intensely vulnerable, and I don’t know how to post them. Any thoughts?
I can't tell you how much I love this! I started writing 10 years ago kind of on a dare and found myself on a journey that I find immensely rewarding. I wish I made a little more money, but I find I sell enough books to buy some marketing and my book covers, and that's okay. More than anything are the words from readers who respond positively, sometimes even emotionally, to what I've shown them. Just released novel #16 and waiting for some characters to start talking to me. That will sound weird to anyone except another writer! But it's the passion for creating, and for me, another way to share the music that makes my life meaningful. I won't stop until I'm forced to. At 75 I found an entirely new path, and it's now 10 years later and I love it more than ever.
Your article really spoke to me, Ramona! I feel like I've been writing forever, with little feedback other than my critique group, beta readers, and the occasional paid professional. It's frustrating not being able to find an agent and be traditionally published, but not enough to make me stop, even if a larger audience never reads my stories. In the end, I truly believe that we write because we love how it helps us understand the world and feel a part of it.
I agree with all this. But I’d add that even those of us who get great satisfaction from writing—as I do, actually it’s more than that, it’s a huge part of my identity, my solace, the way my life is organized—go through periods when it’s hard to write, for any number of reasons. I’m not talking about so-called “writer’s block”—I’m talking about stuff that gets in the way of giving yourself over to writing. Sometimes that’s mysterious (e.g. you just can’t make your mind/fingers go there) sometimes it’s pretty clear (e.g. grief, personal relationship issues, etc.). When I taught writing, my students often struggled (I do too) to get in the space they needed to be in to write; when that happened, I advised them to see it as part of the process, and to let the “work” happen on the unconscious level, until they were ready. Nothing you’ve said contradicts that! I guess I’m just inserting it as a “p.s.”
As my New Orleans cousin wold say, Tru dat. I'm in a stage of despair at everything going on around us, and yet I'm still writing about amusing/annoying little incidents, instead of coping and attempting to analyze the mess around us. Trouble is, I'm reading two books (recommended by Austin Kleon) that are making me incredibly depressed about life - Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle by Chris Hedges and Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire by Kurt Anderson. I'm at the stage of "what's the point" in trying to make even baby steps toward change, when all around us is the burden of what history tells us, what history shows us, and what so many people are doing that is just horrid (and a plethora of other adjectives).
I'm feeling much like I did when I read Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer. I needed several showers because of the absolute disgust at these people. But I researched it, wrote about it, and I am at least aware of the issues with dark money. With the previous two books mentioned I'm not sure I can move beyond what I'm reading. I'm old enough to recognize how as a people we got to this point, but I truly am wondering why I bother to try to change anything with my writing. Yet I know I need to write, and I continue to do so.
It's a puzzlement filled with despair, a galaxy's distance to any hope, and the tattered remnants of a much younger me's Pollyanna-view of the world. With Daniel Ellsberg's death this weekend, I went right back to breakfast at the East-West Center at University of Hawaii Manoa campus, attending a summer program in Asian studies, hearing the news, and being astounded that our government would lie to us like this. So the blinders have come off over the years, but being blind-sided and astounded that our government would lie to us. These two books are something to ponder over, research., and write about....I'm not sure if that answers your question, but it's where my head and heart are right now.
Artist Georgia O’Keefe said praise, recognition, and criticism were all the same to her - water off a duck’s back. She took a long look at a finished work, decided if it was good or bad, then pressed on to her next project.
I appreciate your thoughts on this! What I’m thinking about is that there's always an audience component to art - that is, art does not truly feel complete without that feedback loop from those who see/read/experience it. So, there will always be a loss if no one reads you (and moreso if you’re striving to get paid). In theatre, it’s the same – the process of building a show and creating truly good performances is fantastic – but it’s always more satisfying (financially and otherwise) if the seats are filled and the reviews are positive.
But, I agree with you that it does feel really good (even “glorious”) to create, period, even if no one sees or appreciates it. This is easy for me to say, perhaps, because I write for my friends and family mostly and am not trying to make writing my living. It feels even more glorious, of course, if others out there experience and are touched by my words. But for me, anyway, the creative process of writing itself is IT. I am a better person for it, and will go on creating, even if all the submissions get rejected, if no one except my mom reads what I write. And, next time those rejections come – or the quiet following a Substack post – I’ll remind myself of what I just said.:)
This so resonates for me. Thanks for writing this. I’ve always wanted to be a writer - but it was rather late in life that I realized I’m an essay writer, not a fiction writer. I love the process so much that I do it instead of other things I should be doing, even when it’s difficult and when I have doubts. But I’m struggling with how to build an audience. Sure, I’d love fame and all that, but mainly I want to be heard. After all, writing is communication. I have things I want to say, and I want to say them to as many people as possible. Also, although I think I’m good at writing and it comes naturally to me, I compare myself to the best writers and find myself wanting. Yet I always come back to the joy of doing it. Having a weekly Substack newsletter keeps me going!
I can only speak for me, but mine is more a matter of discouragement rather than being miserable. But if I think in terms of one appreciating something I wrote or my words meaning so much to them, certainly I must continue .
I would like to keep on writing, but there is so much going on in my life that I have to attend to. These things disallows me to concentrate on writing when the creative juices come, because I have to attend to them first. But somehow, somewhere in the future, I will go back to my writing. My whole being is yearning for it.
I decided years ago that life is far far too short to ever feel like a loser. At least not for very long. Sure, there are setbacks and disappointments. That's not anything unique to us writers, except in the specifics. It's pretty much the human condition.
And knowing when to stop trying to do something is something to be treasured. Several years ago, I gave up writing fiction and doing that made me incredibly happy.
Gosh, what I do I think about this?
I've been an indie writer since 2010. I write because I love the word and the way I can be transported with the word.
When the works (novels) are published, I rarely check for reviews. My works win awards which is motivating to a point but it's not the Be All and End All of my writing life.
I keep writing because I just love it, like I love gardening or embroidery. I love creating a story, I love the hard graft of editorial work, I love working with a cover designer and formatter.
But I never write for the plaudits and the approbation. It's enough for me that my editor and beta-readers give me constructive feedback. My love for the word is too precious to exist on the whim of a very subjective and fickle marketplace.
Over a million books are published every day. Why set oneself up to fail? My advice to any new writer is to be realistic, have no expectations and then just do it because you love it.
Ramona this is such an excellent post, thank you! Also, the comments from your community are equally amazing.
I would like to be leaving an insightful comment as well but am reading & writing on my phone during my lunch break. I’m also having a very tiring day so have no bandwidth, therefore am simply soaking it all up by being here and saying thanks.
This post spoke to me so deeply. I can't express enough how meaningful it is.
I always loved to read but didn't always like to write; maybe because it was always seemed like it was for assignments. I also used to express myself better when speaking versus writing. At least that's what I believed was the case. The ticking clock and a health event changed that around some.
Now, I often find that words fail to reach my lips to properly express myself, but when perched before my laptop screen, they have the time and space to pour or trickle out in their own time. I appreciate now that writing provides the opportunity to work and rework how I'm saying what I want to say. It's like a superpower that allows you to present your thoughts as clearly as you possibly can the instant you present them. I hope to reach a point where I attain that more often than not. I've only recently tried my hand at releasing work for the first time here on Substack, and it's been rewarding.
I've been a voyeur of your work and tips on Substack for some time, mostly via D. Earl Stephens. This post made me an official subscriber. I'm looking forward to poring over your Substack and receiving your future pieces.