Writing: Keep Plugging Away

I got the following fromNail Your Novel's The resilient mindset, overcoming blocks and living every moment of the creative journey – interview at @insideyourhead0:

Resilience and self-belief are needed for the artistic life. You carve your own path. It’s a long game. You might make plans – and nothing will turn out as you thought it would. When I started writing seriously, I hoped I’d complete a book, and if it was good enough, it would be taken up by a publisher or a literary agent and I’d begin my author career. Certainly I’ve ended up as an author, with the kind of books I hoped I’d write (and readers who like them!), but absolutely nothing went as I imagined it would.

There’s also another kind of self-belief you need as a creative artist – to discover where you truly fit. You try lots of writing styles and genres that don’t suit you until you find the right ones. You wonder sometimes – actually, quite a lot – if that’s good enough. You’re teaching yourself an artform, and learning to express yourself, and learning who you are while you look for your own distinctive style. You’re often torn down or disappointed – but gradually these experiences teach you better who you are.

As I have said in several posts (and will probably keep saying), I gave up writing for decades. I lacked self-belief in my writing. Luckily, I had people who did believe in my writing at a time I had otherwise destroyed my life. I suggest to you a less drastic means to acquire the resilience  and self-belief described above. Keep this quote in mind. I am.

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12/20/21