Tag Archive - encouragement

Keeping Your Spirits Up Before You Get Published

Writers need continual encouragement. The writing life is no easy road, and the failure or delay in reaching our career goals can be disheartening. So I like to feature posts from time to time to remind us why we write and how to keep going with a positive attitude. Blogger and author Chris Miller has some uplifting ideas to share:

We writers, like everyone else, are ego-driven creatures, and when we haven’t received that most obvious of recognitions—publication—we can feel discouraged. Whether we have a finished manuscript or we’re simply plugging away, slaving away nights and weekends in the hopes that someone will pick it up, we’re operating an a sort of basal, near-instinctual faith in our own abilities, and often times that’s all we have.

Sure, we have friends and family to encourage us and tell us that our latest WIP is gold and sometimes even to provide victuals, but they love us and don’t want to hurt our feelings, and they may not have the requisite tools to make those assessments in the first place. Continue Reading…

Writing When You’re Not a Writer Who Can’t Not Write

Today’s guest post is from freelance writer Ryan Urie, who has left the security of his “real job” behind to realize his dream of writing full-time.

Why do you write?

Over and over other authors tell me “I write because I can’t not write!” At which point I turn a little green with envy, duck my head, and slink away feeling a little self-conscious and completely unworthy as a writer because, let me tell you, not writing is the easiest thing in the world for me.

I can “not write” for days.  I can do it for weeks.  Sometimes I even pull it off for months or years at a time!  Between work, family, friends, pets, housework, hobbies, TV, and the Internet, I really can’t imagine anything simpler than not writing. Continue Reading…

The Fine Art of Conquering Impatience

 Today’s guest post is by blogger and writing instructor Angela Ackerman. I felt the topic of impatience would be appropriate now. Around this time of year we often look ahead to next year—and look back on the goals we’d hoped we would reach this year but failed to. Sometimes we enter a new year with a sense of frustration and impatience, wishing we could just get “there” already—reach those milestones we’d aimed for. Now’s the time to reevaluate and plan our strategic course as writers for the next year (all of December’s posts will be focusing on how to strategically plan your goals for next year). But it’s also a time to reflect on the many small successes we’ve had, and those who have been an encouragement in our journey.

Recently my blogging chum Shannon O’Donnell posted about how important certain virtues are for people on the writing path. We must have the courage to write and put ourselves out there, we must find the fortitude needed to persevere. The one virtue she mentioned struggling with is having enough patience to stave off discouragement, depression, frustration, and doubt. Continue Reading…