You know the one - dark and musty, scattered
with over-edited pages of your brilliant manuscript, ripe with the scent of
anxiety and heartache! We've all been there, some of us longer than others!
I believe my wallowing in the pit lasted about
five years. Oh, the first couple of years weren't so bad - I wrote some stuff
(never finished), rewrote that brilliant manuscript, queried and queried, and
completed some short stories. Then, the weight of 'unpublished' took its toll.
I became embittered about the whole process. I questioned my reasons for
writing. I let the rejections suck the life out of me*.
And one day, I stopped writing.
I still talked writing, but as they say, I
wasn't walking the walk. The Pit of Despair was winning and I considered myself
a fraud. I seriously considered giving up writing. Forever!
But a beacon of light called NaNoWriMo stirred
my lifeless body. The Miracle Pill* that would bring back my true love, my
passion for storytelling. Don't get me wrong, it didn't happen overnight and I
certainly had my doubts. So I went into the project with a couple of
self-imposed rules - a healthy dose of realism was necessary if I were to ever
be free of the Pit of Despair.
1. I would write a crazy, over-the-top story.
Crazy over-the-top stories have a way of writing themselves and my expectations
for publication would be taken off the table (as opposed to setting out to
write a medieval romance, my genre of choice).
2. I would find a willing reader to send every
day's section to keep me accountable and focusing on the beacon of light versus
the hole I had suddenly found warm and comfortable.
3. I would tell a story - not write a book, not
search for the perfect sentence and certainly not sniff any of that fairy dust
that brings visions of multi-book deals and agent auctions.
4. I would have fun storming the castle*!
There were moments when I started seeing stars
and I had to tamp down that 'publishing' expectation. I had to stick with the
plan to write for the sake of writing. To renew my love of storytelling! I
ended up writing the 50,000 words, ended up finishing the story (a huge defeat
over the Pit of Despair) and I found my happy place!
This is the Unpublished Survival Guide and, I
think, my best tool in my survival toolkit (lesson learned recently) is to do
what I love. You all know the saying "Do what you love, the money will
follow." But it's not about the money, it's about the happiness and joy.
If you're in the Pit of Despair, worrying about publishing, trends, rejections,
accolades, you're not pursuing your true love. First and foremost, write for
you - for your joy and happiness. That's the Happily Ever After I had been
missing!
Please tell us your Pit of Despair stories or
share with your best tool in your 'unpublished survival toolkit'. Those who are
published, maybe you can share with us your best tool in your 'published
survival toolkit'. And any reference to The Princess Bride is gladly welcomed!
Janet S. Corcoran - an unpublished storyteller who has rekindled her love
of writing. She blogs on a daily basis at www.jscorcoran.blogspot.com and is happy to be back in
her writing chair!
*Reference:
The Princess Bride - one of my
favorite movies!!
I'm glad you're writing again. It is so sad when writers give up and let the pit of despair win. We have to stick together and be stronger than that! =)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Natalie. It is sad when writers give up, but if it's no longer fun or exciting, I can totally see why!
DeleteYou are a natural storyteller, Janet. This is nothing new. I've said it for as long as I've known you. My Pit of Despair held me captive for about ten years. When I finally climbed out, I decided nothing was going to hold me back. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you got out of the Pit, Silver - and that you are going for it with all guns blazing :) We, your readers and fans, are very lucky!!!
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