THE LONG HAUL

How committed are you to writing? How committed are you to anything? Our culture has become so wrapped up in instant gratification that the concept of working hard on a long-term writing career has become a foreign concept. Every direction we turn, we are handed a smorgasbord of on-demand options. These can be detrimental to our mental writing health for several reasons.

1. We can’t see the hours invested behind the effort. Because a whole season of a new TV show hits your favorite media streaming service at once, it is easy to ignore or forget the massive hours it took to make that show a reality. The same is true with that manuscript you’ve been slaving over. No one sees the research, writing and polishing that takes place. “You’re still working on that story?” An innocent question can cut deep. Are you mentally prepared to handle it?

2. There are a thousand others things that vie for our precious time, both for the reader and for the writer. Why should a reader spend their time reading my story instead of any number of proven bestselling authors already sitting squarely in the middle of the New York Times Bestsellers list? Or watch the latest blockbuster movie? Or do any other easily accessible option?  Are you prepared to invest the hours it takes to make your work legitimately desirable? Conversely, are you willing to deprive yourself of all those distractions and clear off the calendar to make room for that type of time investment?

3. The road to success is often a hazardous journey. I won’t lie, some of the rejections I have received hurt. None of us particularly like being told we are not good enough (okay, our writing isn’t good enough, but we take it personally). The underlying question is, am I going to let this one person’s opinion stop me? Even if they are right, what am I going to do about it? Do I pick out the kernels of truth and use that to make my next revision or my next effort stronger? Or do I assume the fetal position and give up on everything?

From my spot in the trenches, writing, as in life, appears to be far less about talent and far more about determination and tenacity. I made a commitment to myself that I would write a novel every year for the rest of my life. I intend to keep that commitment.

What about you? Like I asked at the beginning, how committed are you to your writing? Are you ready for the long haul?  If so, don’t ever give up. Put your head down and keep putting one word in front of the other. And maybe, just maybe, one day you’ll lift your head up to look around and find yourself sitting squarely in the middle of the New York Times Bestsellers list!