Thoughts from the WIFYR workshop

WIFYR BLOG

Friday

Emily Wing Smith gave an interesting talk yesterday. I think that most of us who are not published have this picture of BEFORE vs. AFTER publishing. We think that once we are published, all will be “right” in our creative world. But what I’ve learned this week is that the attitudes you cultivate before getting published will continue on afterwards. If you feel insecure or jealous, or impatient, there will still be a myriad of reasons for all those feelings after getting a book deal. There will be someone with more sales, someone with a movie deal, you’ll have to wait for your book to actually get to print, wait for your book to sell enough to start getting percentages. You might be frustrated by lack of promotional support for your project. You might be restrained in your subject matter, if you want to publish with the same folks.

SO-it’s time to cultivate who you want to be as a writer now. Why are you writing? Know that the frustration and patience and inspiration and disappointment and jealousy you feel today should be looked at, and worked with. Because…AFTER publishing your first book, even more things are out of your control.

So, I’m focusing on the long haul here. That many more workshops are in my future. Many more hours of writing. And the truth is, thankfully for me, that although the goal is to publish, the bigger goal is to WRITE. To be in the creative process. To tell the stories I need to tell. To give myself time and permission to be expressive. And I choose to define myself as a writer-published or not.

And of course, reality check. I’ve spent the last three years writing my first novel-and about 1 month on my second. What is clear to me is that the first novel is my “practice” novel. The one that I cut my teeth on in terms of discipline, craft, storytelling. The one I will send out to agents, BUT, my second one is probably going to be the one with some actual possibility of being marketable. Wow. 3 years on an unpublished novel. I find this incredible, but I have no regrets, and no frustrations when I realize this. I’ve enjoyed the ups and downs. Seriously, what else would I rather be doing with my time anyway?