Choosing to be a writer can be a daunting prospect. It
involves courage, creativity, and yes, commitment. When we’re unwilling to make
that commitment, we can destine ourselves to failure before we’ve had a chance
to succeed.
This post isn’t meant to beat anyone up, but rather to make
us aware of some of the things holding us back on our writing journey.
You Might Have
Commitment Issues as a Writer If…
1. You’re unwilling
to write on a schedule. Notice I didn’t say write every day or write every
morning. There are some who other commitments in addition to writing that make
scheduling a daily writing time unreasonable. HOWEVER, we can all make a
commitment to certain times during the week to write.
2. You’re unwilling
to spend time writing. This seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised
at how creative writers can be when it comes to thinking up reasons not to
write. Beyond that, you’ll find writing groups and gathers populated with
scores of people who want to be writers, but have reasons why they can’t right
now. The truth is we all have reasons in our lives not to take the time to
write. It all boils down to priorities. We make time for the things that are
most important.
3. You’re unwilling
to invest in learning how to write. Talent is great, but that alone won’t
get any of us to the top, or even very far above the bottom. We have to learn
how to apply the talent we’ve been given. That means reading books and blogs as
well as attending classes and conferences.
4. You’re unwilling
or defensive about being critiqued. I’m still not the best about enjoying a
good critique, but I’ve learned how to accept it. I thank the person critiquing
me, and even if I don’t agree, I look it over and try to take what I can from
it. Especially with in-person critiques I’ve learned that being defensive and
trying to explain or justify is counterproductive.
5. You’re unwilling
to join a writers group. There are those in the industry who disagree with
me, but not many. I’ve found that for me, and the hundreds of writers I’ve
worked with, that we’re all stronger together. We need others to encourage us
along the way. We also need the perspective of those who’ve experienced what
we’re going through.
6. You’re refuse to
spend time reading. Our business is that of writing. How can we have
perspective on the industry if we refuse to read what’s being written? Books
are a valuable way to learn and polish our own writing.
7. You’re unwilling
to learn the business of writing. There’s more to writing than just putting
words on paper. We need to learn the language of the publishing industry. We
need to learn the etiquette of the publishing industry. We need to learn the
marketing and social media side of the business, and how things work.
8. You’re unwilling to
be patient. Writing is a craft. It’s not something learned overnight. We often
come into this business with something we’ve written and expect it to be
publishable. That’s just not reasonable. A concert pianist can’t expect to be
performance-ready before his first lesson, and neither can a writer.
9. You’re unwilling
to submit your work. Yes we want to write with excellence. We need to do
the best we can right now, but not let perfectionism get in the way of
submission. There are two truths in this industry we each need to embrace:
- No matter how hard we try, we’ll never be perfect.
- No matter how much we revise the piece we’re working on now, the next one will be better.
10. You think
everything you write is publishable. There are going to be some things we
write that just don’t fit the market—any market. This doesn’t necessarily mean
they’re bad. It could be the wrong time or place for such a piece. We need to
know when to move on to the next thing.
11. You’re unwilling
to accept advice. I don’t think we should accept every single piece of
advice we receive. Likewise though, I don’t think we should ignore every single
piece of advice we receive. When someone
12. You’re unwilling
to stop looking at yourself as the exception to the rule. There are certain
ways that things are done or not done in the publishing industry. There are
also exceptions to almost every single instance. But there’s a reason they’re
called exceptions. It’s because those specific set of circumstances rarely
happen that way. It’s fine to dream and hoped, but we also have to be diligent,
disciplined and do our part to make our dreams come true.
13. You look at every
other writer as competition. There is plenty of work to be done. Especially
as believers who write, God has room for each of us. We need to celebrate the
successes of one another, share what we’re learning, and never gloat when
things go well.
I’m sure this list could go on and on and on. I’m at the end
for me, but I’d love to hear what you’d add. Be sure to leave your thoughts in
comments section below.
Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
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