So I am big fan of Deb Caletti ever since I read Honey, Baby, Sweetheart. Here is what she has on her Web Site about advice for aspiring writers. Very inspirational!
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
"I think being a writer is about who you are, more than about the task itself. It is a way of looking at the world, a state of observance coupled with a deep need to make sense of the life and the people around you. If this is truly you, you won’t be able to help the desire to write, but you’ll need to learn to write and write well. Read everything you can. That is the best way to learn – reading the bad stuff, reading the great stuff. Write, write and write some more, and submit your work wherever you can. More than anything else, focus on the goal and don’t let go. Being an author is one of the Big Dreams. You have a better chance of becoming a rock star or an astronaut, so persistence is everything. QUEEN, the first of my books to be published, was the fifth book I wrote. If I didn’t have this feeling that being a writer was who I most was, and that giving up on the dream would be giving up on myself, I likely wouldn’t have kept going. I was (and still am) motivated by my profound love and respect of books and the feeling that being a writer is the ultimate PRIVILEGE. If you want to be a writer, have the determination of a dog with a knotted sock. Sink your teeth in and don’t give up. Become who you are, as Nietzsche said."
This is seriously how I feel. I've tried to find other occupations I could enjoy. Even a little. Because writing is freaking hard. But the truth is, I always come back to writing! I can't seem to let it go!
It's the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night.
ReplyDeleteDespite lack of sleep and whatever personal drama may be happening at any given moment, I have never been happier.
The only thing I regret is denying what I was for so many years for more practical pursuits. You only get one shot at life, and making it a happy one has to be a priority.
Not being able to let it go means you're destined to be a writer :) I agree with reading, reading, reading! It's one of the best things a writer can do. That and not giving up. Great post, great advice!
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Well said.
ReplyDeleteWriting is my only hope for an occupation. If I can't work with words, with literature, I'd never succeed. I love words. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been writing almost as long as I can remember...and before that, I read voraciously. I think the key is, if you can say that you'd write whether you were ever published or not, then you're a writer. I feel like even if I never get published, if writing made me happy I'm fine with that.
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