Most definitely!
If you want to count the ways, boogie on over to Anne R. Allen’s Blog and read “REALITY CHECK: Mixed Martial Arts for Writers” by Ruth Harris.
I suffered this week….for at least five minutes. The rest of the week I simply pretended I’m not a writer and did other stuff.
I practiced walking in real shoes.
I read more fiction.
I watched movies (including Fury which I thought was an excellent war movie and crazy almost in an Apocalypse Now kind of way. Remember when Kurtz says, “I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer”? It’s that kind of movie.)
I sat out in the sunshine in a lawn chair and soaked it up as though I hadn’t seen sunshine in a month….which is almost true.
This week I wanted to not be a writer.
What brought on those five minutes of suffering and the desire to be something else? I knew you’d ask that.
So, here it is….I sent a manuscript that I knew was a very iffy submission for the publisher. I sent it anyway and then held my breath. The editor responded with a friendly “you are really pushing your luck, missy” response that requires me to make a major decision about content rewrites.
And I’m struggling because I don’t want to remove the iffy elements of my story, even though I totally understand why the publisher would choose not to accept that story line. So I agonized over the decision to do rewrites for that five minutes, then decided to let it sink in. Understand what it all means. Consider options.
I thought about this quote attributed to sci fi writer Octavia Butler:
You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.
And pondered my errors:
1. I submitted a manuscript to a publisher that didn’t fit their model and expected what? A miracle?
2. I’ve sunk into a vat of swirling molasses. Tastes good but slows down progress.
3. I’ve spent too much time over the years on that particular iffy manuscript which might be crap and have neglected other stories more likely to sell.
The good things:
1. I’ve been living downstairs and surviving with my annoying laptop since March 7th, but I’m now able to get upstairs to my real work room and my real computer and all my papers and files and notebooks where I work best.
2. I am a writer and I have another manuscript to work on while I ponder the iffy submission.
3. The sun is shining.
Do you follow Anne R. Allen’s Blog? It’s an excellent resource for almost everything related to writing and getting published.
Did you mention you’re finally in real shoes????????
Hi Kay! Well, sort of. I’m supposed to be transitioning by wearing them and walking around two hours a day, increasing gradually. I also start some physical therapy next week. It’s a slower process than I expected, but I’m getting there.
I know what you mean about submitting to an “iffy” publisher, Pat. I’ve got a short story that I’ve submitted to a publisher whose target audience doesn’t quite align with mine. But it’s so close….
I think of my story as a foundling–all it needs are the right parents to appreciate it 🙂
Exactly, Allan. Getting the right match is so important. But I knew I was taking a chance. Now I just need to do my homework and find the right home for this baby.
Great post, Pat. I love how you don’t let a writing speed bump get to you.
Hi April – Life is all about speed bumps, and I’ve been known to hit a few a bit too hard. Live and learn! 😀
You have one of the best writer attitudes I know, Pat.
That’s because I’m old and hare finally, after all these years, learned how to relax and let things happen. They’re going to happen anyway, so might as well go with the flow.
There you go! Work on something else. Don’t stress that one manuscript.
And Ruth’s post on Sunday was awesome.
That really is the greatest blog, Alex. And Ruth’s posts also hit home with me.
As for working on an alternate manuscript, I have three I can turn to anytime. And then there’s the new start with 17,000 words so far.
When all I’ve worn for years has been flip-flops, wearing real shoes is suffering! You’ll make the right decision – and you’ll know it because the answer will come when you least expect it.
That’s why it’s so helpful to tune it all out and let my mind go somewhere else to play, Carol. Answers come when I’m not trying to so hard to find answers.
Glad to hear you’re back in your office, Pat. A few moths ago I was ousted from mine for a few days as workmen were in there painting, doing mold remediation and so on. I felt very ‘upended’ and was so happy to be back in familiar surroundings when it was all done.
As to whether writers have to suffer? I think confronting yourself is always important. That’s how you grow. That’s how you get a real perspective on yourself, your writing and the rest of it. It hurts. It really does at times. But that’s how you get better.
I’ve suffered most from being away from my little work cave, Margot. I can think better in there! 😀
Yay for the good things! I think that having the next story idea is always good, and sitting in the sun is wonderful!
Tyrean, I have plenty of story ideas, thank goodness. My challenge is overcoming laziness. 😀
Yeh for all the good things! Taking a step back – or sitting in the sun – can help us get the perspective we often need. Good for you!
And there are definitely lots of good things, Madeline! After all that rain and dreariness, getting a little sunshine every day makes everything better.