By: Regina Milton, who asks that you check out her favorite charity, Mocha Club
The Art of Writing would not be what it is without a few miscreants…the unbelievers, haters, extortionists, the untalented, the naysayers and those who consider themselves unofficial beacons of negativity. Instead of bringing you (true artists) down, these people challenge you to step up your game, frustrate you into action, or inspire you to not “do ordinary” but to reach for something more meaningful. We have all come to know one/some of these at one point. They are discontented people who at first seem to be enemies of art, but instead are catalysts to our creativity. I thank you scoundrels, but this post (and subsequently Nathan’s entire blog) is not for you.
There are many of you out there who speak with a true voice and who posses God given creativity that shows in what you say, how you move and what you make. I salute you, you are artists. You have a vision and a voice. You are not afraid of the hard work it takes to start something. You are not taken down by the rejections and criticism that challenge you as you present a finished product to the world. You are art. You sow hard work and originality; you reap beauty…and hopefully the satisfaction of someone else out there “getting” you. You politely (in your head) laugh at those who rudely (out loud) laugh at you, claiming that your job as a writer is not a real job and is not actually difficult. They feel that they “really work” and that writing (slaving away on a computer writing thousands of words per day) is an utter joke, and is something that they could do in their sleep…with the flu.
It can be a blow to morale to run into the people and forces that are in motion to stop you from being who you are called to be. It sucks to turn on the radio and hear music that makes you feel like you are losing brain cells when you know what you have to say has meaning. It is discouraging to read a book that you feel was a sad waste of the recycled paper it was printed on. I’m not one of those people who consider mainstream products as evil things created by wily people that are akin to Gollum (yes, it is important to reference The Lord of the Rings on all blog posts). Sure there are crafty individuals in the industries that fill our music stores, book stores and movie theaters with “mediocre mania” just so they can make a buck (actually a few hundred thousand), but art is not dead. Note: many mainstream things are so because they are quality and they appeal to a large audience. Don’t give up hope or adopt a sour attitude if you encounter mediocrity that you think should have never been published.
Art is alive, and while I’ll not deny that it is being attacked by sources outside of your control (“The Man”) I’d like to argue that the biggest enemies of your work, the unsung villains that actually stop you, are inside of you. They take on the following guises:
complacency – that thing that stops us from rewriting a bad chapter one last time
doubt – the voice that says “your book will never be good enough, why even finish?”
pride – the force that convinces us to not take any more writing classes or attend any more seminars, because we’ve already “arrived”
fear – fear of failure, fear of success, fear of agents, fear of being misunderstood, fear that we are wasting our time, fear of hard work
writer’s fatigue – yes, it takes a long time to make things perfect
procrastination – not making the effort until the last moment (sure this sometimes produces brilliant work, but it often results in shoddy writing)
All these things are rooted in a general laziness and lack of trust in self. Confidence and consistent effort show in our work. We need to combat these things that are intrinsic to our nature by learning all we can, writing all we can, and believing all we can about ourselves. If we are prone to bouts of sluggishness, we should seek out an accountability partner and set deadlines for ourselves. By now we should know our own nature. We should pinpoint problem areas and make plans to work through them, even if it means asking for help (I know it is a horrible word, not to be used by professionals, but let’s be serious…we all need it sometime). That being said, what are the unsung villains of your work and what tricks have you learned to you combat them?
Wow, Rick, you ARE dedicated. I thought maybe your Guest Blog on Friday might be about how you slowed the Earth's rotation. But you only slowed it by 2.68 microseconds AND it caused a massive earthquake and tsunami? Wow, you better get back to work. We're counting on you for those much-needed extra hours in the day. 🙂
This is a timely post for me. Someone sent me an e-mail recently that inspired me: "As I unclutter my life, I free myself to answer the true callings of my soul." The true calling for me is to write–not caring whether it is ever published, just for the pure joy of expressing my life insights. This post inspires me to write…unclutter…write…unclutter. Thanks for the prodding.
Thank you. This is exactly what I needed today.
One villain of mine is doubt. Doubting that I will ever be able or am even meant to write a book that gets published.
How I combat this is I call up my writer friend and cousin, who is absolutely awesome, and ask her what the heck is wrong with me. She usually tells me that everything is wrong with me and that's why I will make such a great writer. We laugh, then we write 3k words together over the phone or in a coffee shop, and then I feel better.
My villain is time. No time to look up agents. No time to write another query letter. No time to send something out or ponder the mysterious actions of my computer.
My time should be spent writing I tell myself – inwardly knowing I am really only pandering to what I enjoy most.
Time. My villain is time. Sometimes fear rears its head. But mainly it's time.
I'm with Kristi. Perfectionism and procrastination are my two biggest issues. Self-doubt is up there, too. And I haven't figured out how to overcome any of them yet.
In fact, I find it serendipitous that this should be today's guest post. Just this morning, my husband and I were having a discussion about my future as a writer. We're poor little church mice (like many people at the moment) – so I sometimes think that I have a responsibility to work on paying jobs and put my novel aside (again). But Dan keeps pushing me to stop worrying about the logistics of life and concentrate on editing my novel. And while I appreciate his support, I find his plan of attack easier said than done – after all, I'm rarely at my best creatively when real-life worries are weighing me down.
So, thanks, Regina, for this post. Like many others here, I needed to hear it today.
–Laura
TOTALLY my thoughts, but I couldn't have put it this well. Nice entry. 🙂
Great post!
working on my first graphic novel, which adds a whole new batch of enemies who ask where are the capes? why is it not in color? etc…
and my favorite, why do you have to write anything, can't you just draw it?
thanks for the motivation/inspiration…
My villain is Batman. Always interfering in my plans. Dastardly fellow.
(And the Gotham publishers. They're in cahoots.)
Great post Regina! Thanks for the motivation. It's an oft repeated saying (I know I repeat it to myself regularly) and it's true- there's a word for those who don't give up: published.
And Rick- very good one! But even if there were more hours in the day, my brain would still be tired at the end of it.
Thank you so much for posting this and here's to you Regina, for writing it.
Bravo – I really needed this right about now! =]
This is a great post. Thank you, Regina.
I think that fear of success is a point that's not often covered. Fear of failure is probably more common, but sometimes they come together. Fear of any kind just loves company. Don't listen. (I can say that, but it doesn't prevent fear from being my worst enemy.
That and a sense of always being behind. I guess it's just a different kind of fear. I feel like time is running out, the clock's ticking, and I HAVE to finish, or … or what? I don't know. It'll be "too late." That sense of urgency always nags at me when I am trying to be thorough and just go through my final checklist of edits.
Re naysayers: When I told my senior high school English teacher that I wanted to be a writer, he responded, "Why? All the good stories have been told already."
*gnashes teeth and gets back to work*
RW, that was a great comment up front. That is certainly true for me. Sometimes, I know what it is, but I don't know how to fix it. In that case, I tackle easier fixes first and work up to the big one. Then, I've gained fix-it momentum for the larger issue, and often the stewing time helps to solve the problem.
Where I get really frustrated is looking at the monster problem, with no solution in mind, and just staring at it. I need to move on and keep busy, or I just get depressed.
in addition to the all-too-familiar villains you listed, mine are are the sneers I make at crappy writers who got published. (really? millions of people bought your book about you laying on the couch watching Bravo? really?) but then I look at my PC wallpaper, which displays a quote from Werner Herzog, written to a wannabe filmmaker who was griping about how no one was patronizing or supporting his films. In short: "quit whining and get to work."
great post, and a good kick in the ass. thanks.
My biggest unsung villain is self-doubt — fear that my novel isn't good enough, will never be polished enough, my query not ready for prime time, etc.
How do I get past this self-doubt?
I don't know – I haven't started querying yet, although I have participated at Miss Snark's First Victim's Agent Contests in which my query or 250-word excerpt was read by a "secret agent". Needless to say I haven't won yet, but it has been very helpful. I think I'm almost ready.
hey, i want to say thanks to everyone who's posted in response to Regina's guest blog. reading your fears & such makes me feel not so alone. Esp. the mention of "always being behind."
Thank you all for sharing.
Well at least I'm not alone with all my "crazies". Self doubt and procrastination seem to have a hey-day in here, and my misery is finding lots of company to feed itself.
Thanks for the pep-talk Regina, I needed that also.
Mira: I was also wondering if Nathan's workshop is full, but I haven't been able to get anywhere on the wordplay link. I have a problem with my pop-server(?) on outlook. Is there something I'm not doing correctly? Once I realized the workshop was on a Sunday I've been wild to go, but can't figure out how to get a reservation.
And Rick: You most certainly did slow time today. It must have taken at least sixteen hours to get from 4:30 to 5pm. And not a single natural disaster to rescue me from my desk!!
………..dhole
Kristin Tubb wrote:
Re naysayers: When I told my senior high school English teacher that I wanted to be a writer, he responded, "Why? All the good stories have been told already."
That reminds me of the story about the head of the US Patent Office in the 1890s. He said the office should be shut down because everything that could be invented had already been invented.
Like your English teacher, a person with no imagination.
Wesley, 6th entry in, said it best for me. Yes, a part of the story I need to tell, dies whenever I try to test it verbally with someone.
Resisting that urge to let some ideas leak out, strengthens my creativity, increases my excitement, and ultimately looks better to me on the page.
Donna – So the link from last Friday won't work for you?
Hmmm. I guess I'd google Books Inc. It's the one on Opera Plaza. If you click on the Wordplay section, it should take you right there. It doesn't say it's full, so I'm guessing that it's not yet.
Here's the phone number and address if you can't get to the website:
Books Inc. Opera Plaza
601 Van Ness Ave, SF
(415) 776-1111
I'm sure you could just call and take care of it over the phone.
Oh, the irony since I can't go myself. But you can tell me all about how wonderful Nathan was. 🙂
Having young kids (4 of them ages 7 and under) doesn't help a writer any. That said, ironically, they are the soil, the compost pile of rich thoughts from which much of my writing comes.
While noise and constant distractions are my enemy, irony is my friend (as well as my children).
Praise is my enemy.
It feels so good to read an enthusiastic comment about my work; the first time, the tenth time, the ten thousandth time.
I should be writing.
Good post. What is it about writers, particularly fiction writers?
Having written non-fiction, I can say I never suffered the fears that fiction writing conjures up in me.
Pervectionism. No time for it in journalism. That's what editors are for.
Fear of success. In journalism it's only today. Yesterday's front page story has gone bye-bye. What's next?
The need for privacy. As a news reporter, it's just your words on the page and your by-line. You can still go to the supermarket and no one knows you. A successful fiction writer must get out and sell him/herself.
So now I'm riddled with fears and tics I thought I was too sensible to ever have.
Excellent post.
Excellent post. Doubt's a big one for me. Every time I hear that voice saying it's not worth trying I have to remind myself I can't be sure unless I actually make the attempt. The more I attempt, the more I accomplish and soon that voice quiets down.
Same on the self-doubt–my own shy reclusive nature; my powerful (and loud) Inner Nihilist; my somewhat hyper-sensitivity to certain *styles* of criticism; the feeling that what I'm doing is either not that good (or worse), or not that important in the larger scheme of things.
You may find my post at the Red Room this week–a humorous rant about the frustration of trying to get a book published–somewhat related and maybe enlightening.
Thomas B. I love humor and wanted to read your post on Red Room but I'm unfamiliar with the site and couldn't find you.
Would you leave a link or help me to connect. Thanks.
Also RW, Thanks for the Jane Smiley quote. Good food for thought.
beautiful post! Thanks!
Hi Terry: clicking on my name here should take you to my page; if not:
https://www.redroom.com/articlestory/the-aroma-wet-blankets
Hi Thomas, I'm laughing so hard my eyes are tearing up.
The Tweet stuff, all of it. Thanks for linking me!
I'll have to keep up with that Red site. Let me know if you post any more. I love humour, especially if it's a bit dry and sarcastic and on target.
Do you have a book published yet?
I'm in the midst of revisions on my first novel and I was feeling all of the six "enemies" you delineated. Thanks for the timely post. It was encouraging!
Wonderful piece Regina!
I have several villains which take turns torturing me. The first is writer's fatigue. I have this thing about word choice. The more specific the topic the more obsessed I become with choosing the BEST word. It's exhausting!
Then comes procrastination because I'm tired. Then comes fear because nothing is being written, I have a deadline, and it's going to be "shoddy"!
This is my nature. What is my help? Usually after talking negatively about myself to someone compassionately critical, I keep writing!
Wow, here's a post that has really struck a nerve! The villain in ourselves are always going to be bigger, scarier and meaner than any goofball who thinks writing is easy.
My villains are related to the writing, but to everything else that is required to get the work out there. Creating connections, keeping in touch with a community of writers, being seen and known.
I write in a niche market, which is great but can be isolating. I also have other works not in the niche that sit patiently in a drawer waiting for me to conquer my villain…
Great post, and one we can almost all relate to.
Thank you.
My worst villain would by laziness and fear.