Why Bother?

Every creative person will have a bad day. A bad week. A bad month. It's inescapable. Creativity isn't like... I don't know... math, where there's always the right answer. It has to be nurtured--and given breaks. Sometimes it'll take a beak on you before you're ready. And that's okay. Because you're a creative person, and it's going to come back.

You'll face disappointment. I'm sure you have already. Maybe you're sick of getting rejections; maybe your book didn't sell as well as you wanted it to; maybe your publisher didn't love your second book as much as they loved your first... I'm sure the list could go on and on--and all of those things are extremely disappointing. Give yourself time to process them, because that's life: you have to face the downside sometimes.

If you wallow too long in disappointment though, it can slick right over to the dark side. Because when you concentrate so hard on the things that aren't going well, it casts a shadow over everything else. Negativity is a tumor that sits there and grows and grows and grows until it consumes you--until it's a complete barrier in your path to creativity. And the more you let it go, the harder it is to push it back. And you know you know what I'm talking about.

So, if day after week after month, you're stuck on the things that haven't gone well for you, or the things you're worried won't go well, or if you're paralyzingly frustrated about how unfair you think everything in this industry is--it's time to snap out of it. Because if you're stressed and worried and unhappy more than you're happy... Well then, this is where the title of the post comes in.

Why bother?

Writing is a job you choose for yourself. There aren't many people out there who began writing because they were in dire straits and needed to provide for their family. If you're struggling financially, you're NOT gonna pick up a pencil or type out a story thinking it'll bring in the income you need by the time you need it. You don't have to write to live.

Okay, and it's quite possible you're sitting there thinking: Why is she writing this post? It's so negative! But it's not, I promise!

My point is that it's much easier to focus on the fear than on the hope. And I think that's a bad route to take. Yeah, self-doubt is natural. Disappointment is inevitable. But you wouldn't be writing if you didn't believe in yourself, because like I said--you don't have to write.

You choose to write. So reward yourself for doing so, for taking the risk. Keep your focus on why you do it. We write because we love to write. We write because we're storytellers--or, at least, we aspire to be. It's what makes us happy.

Concentrate on how good it feels when the words are pouring out of your fingertips. And if you're having a spell when they're slower to come, have faith that they'll return--because they will.

Remember it only takes one agent to fall in love with, and champion, your story--and some of the greatest authors out there had hundreds of rejections along the path. If you follow in their shoes, it's not such a bad thing! Same with editors. Different people have different tastes, and there's nothing you can do about that, so try not to dwell on it. Just believe in yourself, and believe that someone is going to love your words enough to buy them.

Write your book. Make it the best one you can. Then make it better. And again after that :)

Enjoy the process, don't let it bury you. Because when you let it bury you, it stops being fun. And why on earth would you choose to do this if it's not fun?

I don't know, maybe it's just me. But when I force myself to keep a positive attitude (because, yes, sometimes it is a decision rather than a natural process)--or when I at least force myself not to be negative--things really do go better. I don't struggle as hard to make the words flow, and life is just more fun in general.

So try it! If you're feeling down about about any part of the process, snap yourself out of it. Force yourself to remember the things you love about writing, and then focus on those things. Let everything else fade away.

Concentrate on you and the words and the creativity that makes you who you are. Do this the majority of the time.

That's what I try to do, anyway :)

Thanks for stopping by!!
♡Sara