Writing

[den]

Should writers take rejection slips personally? Should editors take writer's comments personally?

I've practically given up writing. I still pop out the occasional story but I don't have time to spend on serious writing. Everything I write now, and have written in the last 2 years, has been either academic papers or silly bloody journal entries.

The Novel is on hold. It's a complete story but still needs finishing. There are other stories in my head.

-A fleet of alien ships are wondering what to do
-an anthropomorphic flying fox is tired of having a broken arm
-Mavrik wants all his short stories "joined together."

It would be nice if writing was fun again.

Comments

[oceansedge.livejournal.com]

I meant to respond to this last night, but I was tired and groggy... saved me a lot of trouble, most people have reitterated the points I was going to make.

Writing shouldn't be a chore, however.... making time for it, is part of taking care of ourselves. We write because we must write, it's part of who we are, part of our souls.... So there is sometimes the conflict that making time for ourselves is somehow selfish, and we feel guilty about making time for it. But, to not make time for it, can leave the soul dissatified and unhappy and frustrated.

I think pretty much every writer WANTS to be published, wants to share the story, but that's not why we write, again, we write because we need it, as much as we need to breathe. To quote Stephen King, "I've never written anything, be it good or bad, for the money. I've never returned a cheque uncashed either. I may be nuts, but I'm not CRAZY. Still I've never written anything for the money."

In my experience, a good editor, does make me a better writer. I've been blessed to have a couple I really LIKED working with.... with whom 'polishing' the story was a joint effort, we treated each other with respect. I know it's tempting in frustration for writers to think editors are out to get them, and take it personally. It's hard not to, the creative process is such a deeply personal and often nakifying one.. that we can take it badly when someone criticises. Still its not meant personally, sometimes ya just have to take a step back, swallow the indignation, and take a good look at what is said, and then judge the value of the comments for ourselves, whether it's something we can learn from or not. Take the rest and throw it out with the dross, it's only one person's opinion.