Welcome to IWSG Day. The goal of this blog hop is to share
and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of
appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer
assistance and guidance. It’s a haven for insecure writers of all kinds. IWSG
is the brainchild of our ninja leader Alex Cavanaugh. Thank
you to August co-hosts: Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Natalie Aguirre, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, and Olga Godim! To read other contributors, click For a list
and links to all contributors, click here.
I’m not experienced enough to have an opinion on this month’s
question about the publishing industry, so today, you get just—me— surprising
myself.
I think I mentioned here that after writing four (frustratingly
unpublished) novels, so far, nothing has inspired me enough to consider
spending years devoted to a fifth.
This wasn’t so scary in April when I retired, because I
still had to make edits to my fourth manuscript. In late June, I started querying it.
Oye. Such an exercise in hair pulling. Current count, nine submissions, two rejections, many, many, many more to go and well, each time I'm working on a query it kind of feels like when I worked for a living, except for the lack of constant interruption, and, yeah, well, I’m not getting paid. For sure, querying isn’t creative.
But the human mind is a sneaky thing, and in between queries,
mine has been goading me.
“What? You’re not writing anything
new? Well, then here. Let’s throw you a storm. Let’s make your fireplace leak
and your little boat almost sink. Now, write a poem about it.”
“Um, okay?”
“Boring laps in the pool followed
by walks on the beach. That’s good for another poem.
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes. And by the way, repainting your
bedroom from Sherwood green to Chamois white? There’s definitely a poem in
that.”
“You think?”
“Yup.”
“Huh!”
“When you’re done, how
about a poem about hummingbirds?”
“Aha. Gotcha. I already wrote
that one.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Pull
that sucker up on your laptop and give it an overhaul!”
And so it goes. I even wrote a poem inspired by an old poem I
found on my hard drive. So while fiction has been non-existent over the last few
months, unsolicited poems have muscled their way in. I get lost in them,
spending as much time as it takes me to send out a query (and more!) tweaking one
single line.
How do you make yourself move forward when writing is a struggle?
13 comments:
Love this Liza! Yah, I'm all for changing up what you are writing. I'm stuck in the dark dreary ditch of the last edits - not in a hurry to get to publishing but am skipping the query stuff this time around. yep. skipping it.
I love this. I think poems can definitely come in seasons and be a way for language to keep speaking to us, to keep sharing the inner story as we keep on living and painting rooms and living life. Whatever you write, or however much, I hope you have a wonderful August and onward! :)
it's cool you're writing poems. That's definitely writing. It can be hard to be motivated while querying. Maybe give yourself permission to write poems, read, and do other things you enjoy for awhile. Who says you have to write all the time?
I'm with you on being frustrated after having writing several unpublished novels and the querying thing. I will probably be entering the fray in the next few months, and I'm not looking forward to it. But that is so cool that instead of writing another novel, you're finding your voice in poetry!
Love this, Natalie!
Kudos to you. It's interesting your rejections and frustration led you to your poetry. I took up watercolor painting this summer which has brought about writing poems which I haven't done in years. If only I could remember the ones that come to me at 3 am or when driving back from a trip!! You go, GIRRRL!!
Querying is writing, and it's hard. But I'm proud of you for persisting. I get thoughts about poems or maybe a vague story, but just don't get it on paper. I've been lazy for several years now in the actual "just do it" part. Easy for me to urge you on, however! Keep enjoy a beach walk for me, please. Thanks and Happy August.
I never wrote poetry. Often, I would read poems by other writers and think: what a wonderful thing it is to be able to write poetry, to create imagery with words. Sadly, my mind isn't wired that way.
Hi Liza - good for you for keeping going ... writing becomes us doesn't it. Like you ... I just do what I do ... all the best as life moves along ... especially those beach walks - cheers Hilary
You will keep going! No matter what life keeps throwing at you.
And sorry, your post just appeared in my Feedly this morning. No idea why it took so long.
Dunno. All I know is this:
I just wanna return Home.
So I kinda ‘died’ in our accident in ‘85, yet
while in a coma for 10+ days, I saw God’s
HUGE castle in the clouds not 100 yards
away: bright-blue-sky, flags waving high,
green, peace, but paradoxically, the Voice
sed, ‘Not Time Yet’ (=prove yourself worthy
to be My disciple). FIAT!!! (Latin: I will!!!)
Think I’m crazy as a loony bird??
You’re correct, sez Ed McMahon.
Nothin else I want, young women:
love/serve you 4 eternityXeternity.
+ NOPEcantELOPE.blogspot.com +
Cya Upstairs, gorgeous wildflower.
Beautiful blog
Please read my post
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