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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Insecure Writer's Support Group

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, and time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. Thanks again to Alex J. Cavanaugh (and this month's co-hosts  LG Keltner and CM Brown) for hosting this outlet for writers every month! So here’s my insecurity for November . . .


I have to admit, I haven't felt very inspired in my writing these past few months. With all the publisher rejections and continued assurances that "it takes time", I feel a little like a hamster in a wheel going absolutely nowhere. But since I cannot sit here staring at a blank screen any longer, I thought I'd look to some of my idols for inspiration. If there are any other writers out there that feel the same, I hope this helps:

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” 
- Madeleine L’Engle

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” 
- Ernest Hemmingway

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” 
- Stephen King

“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.” 
- Isaac Asimov

“Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of a job: it's always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.” 
- Neil Gaiman

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of. ” 
- Joss Whedon

“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” 
- Jack London

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” 
- George Orwell

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” 
- W. Somerset Maugham 

13 comments:

  1. Waiting is the hardest part.
    I know what I'd do in my last six minutes. (Wait, did I say that out loud?)

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  2. Great posts! It is nice to know that great published writers struggle just as much as we do :)

    Allison (Geek Banter)

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  3. You have some of my favorite writing quotes here (especially Joss and Somerset Maugham). I haven't heard the Neil Gaiman one before but I find it to be very apt.

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  4. Always a struggle, even when you're finished. That's why I think we have to keep an attitude of, "On to the next." Just have to keep moving forward, even if only by inches.

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  5. I like that one by Asimov a lot. I actually have a fear of something happening before I finish a book. It's a horrible thought for me.

    I don't know if this will help you or not, but I was looking at a study (an unscientific one) the other day and two things struck me:
    1. It takes 10 years of writing before most writers "make it." There are exceptions, but that was how it generally went.
    2. Almost all writers don't make it until their mid-30s.

    Those two things kind of go together, I think. They also go along with what Tolkien said about writing, that it's something that doesn't happen until enough stuff collects in your brain for the mushrooms to start growing out of it.

    Anyway... don't despair!

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  6. "I write to be the characters that I am not." Oh so true.

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  7. I love all these. The last one is so funny because so many writers think they know the rules. lol

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  8. Those are excellent writing quotes! Asimov's and Gaiman's are my favorites.

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  9. Ah yes, love those quotes! I hate waiting, I just want my dream to happen overnight. Guess not, it does not. I gotta chase for it and take many swings with my golf club until it's in the hole - that takes years. Inspiration is hard to catch when you need it. It has to come to you which requires lots of waiting. Patience is golden in this writing community :)

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  10. "then write for children" I like that :) waiting isnt always bad, it gives time to daydream...

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  11. Sometimes you just have to tuck a story away until it's ready. Pushing past rejection can be difficult but as always it is a necessary part of the process.

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  12. Love these quotes! And it reminds me of why I love Joss Whedon. :)

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  13. Awesome quotes and excellent pick me ups. Thanks, SL!

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