Getting Past Writing and Publishing Negatives

If it's true that birds of a feather flock together, then one should also be aware that if you want to fly with eagles, you shouldn't be hanging around on a ledge with the pigeons. In other words, in your writing life do you align yourself with high fliers, those who can help you soar to even greater heights, or do you sit on the shoulder of some corroding and stained statue, watching the others ride the currents above? Do you surround yourself with nay-sayers, or like minded souls who understand what you are trying to accomplish?

About this time, some of you will feel that I'm promoting an exclusionary mindset toward anyone who's not a writer. Far be it from me to do that. My intent here is to promote awareness that writing is (or can be) a very lonely undertaking. It can be seen by someone with other interests as isolationist in it's very nature and possibly antisocial by other standards. How ever we are viewed as writers, it is a lonely occupation when the creative process is in full bloom. Late nights take away from family time, keep us from concentrating on our day jobs, and can make us seem distant and unapproachable in social settings if our thoughts are suddenly pulled toward a new theme or character.

Many in the creative arts tend to have one foot on the edge of a manic/depressive island. We have bouts of wild and intense creativity, often followed by prolonged sleep cycles interspersed with moments of self doubt. Some of the greatest artists, musicians, and writers of the last millennium have been plagued with such demons, or blessings, depending on your point of view.

All of the above tend to make life a bit challenging, especially when we are often surrounded by family and friends who are creatively challenged. As beginning writers, it's hard for us to convey the internal drive that makes us do what we do. It's often seen (and vocalized) by others as trivial, or juvenile, or perceived as a dreamer chasing rainbows. Anyone who has been writing for any length of time has run into the nay-sayers. They can be anyone. Family and friends who you thought would be the most supportive will often be your worst enemy. Their reasons are many and varied. I've heard the words dreamer and unrealistic used just as often as who does he think he is, or she's got her head in the clouds again.

Our detractor's motivations are often varied and obscure in their origins. Some merely like to put others down to pump themselves up, and you are just another target. Others find it difficult to see you pursuing your dreams when they haven't even started on theirs. Some feel scared that you might abandon your relationship with them if you are successful, and move on to greater things without them.

The point of this discussion is to emphasize the need and importance of finding a solid support group and/or mentor. Following our dreams and producing creative works that have a low probability of actually being published is often seen by outsiders as a fruitless endeavor that could be time well spent doing something productive.

Get thee to a support group! Honestly folks, find a local writer's club, chat with other writers on line, talk to other authors at book readings, and network with students in your writing classes. On top of that, ask published authors how they got into print, who reviewed and edited their manuscript, who might be a good mentor, and what costs can be expected at any stage of the game. In short, begin flying with the other eagles! Even if you can only perch on a branch with them for short periods of time, do it! Don't let negativity and gloom and doom people bring you down from your mountain top experience. Hang tough and persevere.

You have a unique gift and personalized ideas that you bring to this place and time in history. Some of your skills may need to be honed. Some of your thoughts may need taming and organizing in order to get your creation from your brain to the page. Don't let others tell you how you should feel about what you are doing. In my experience, it's difficult for most of them to know what it feels like to have a deeply creative thought that nearly tears your limbs away from your body while trying to get out and be seen and heard. The analytical mind does not often understand the creative one. Instead it finds solace in dealing with the tangible, the tried and true, the solid concepts and productions that can be experienced with the five senses. It finds little comfort in actions that may not produce results for the rest of the workaday world to see, let alone may not make money. To most individuals with the analytical mindset, creativity is accomplished by following directions in a How To manual. You follow the prescribed directions in print, and ta-da . . . you've been creative. There is a place for every perception, I guess.

Don't be discouraged. Stand up with courage and dare to be discovered, if not by an adoring and book buying public, then by yourself. Resolve to be the person you were meant to be and bring your gift to the world. You might never get your novel published for the masses, but why not write it for yourself and take the chance that some day your words will have a lasting impression on another person, another soul. It may be a family archivist who will announce to the world that you were ahead of your time. Or it may be discovered by your great-great grandchild who now understands his ancestry, and you, as no one did when you were alive. Even the creative force of the universe may chuckle to hear your future family talk about how insightful you were, and what a laid back dude great-great grandpa must have been. You never know what time and place your words may blossom to maturity.

Don't let your message to the world die with you in your passing. Give back what has been given to you. Fulfill the mission that was assigned to you when you awoke on this tiny planet of blue and green. Share the insight that only you have because of your life and experiences, then leave your written word open for someone else to read and discover.