Tuesday, May 26, 2015

9 Tips to Become a Resilient Writer

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

"The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak
which breaks in a storm." ~ Confucius


It’s those writers who can bend in the hurricane force of the change that continue to find success in publishing. This is different from being tossed about, chasing fads and trends. It’s the ability to change direction when it makes sense for you. It’s a difficult line to walk, so today I’m sharing tips to become a resilient writer.

The Resilient Writer:
The resilient writer records every idea that comes to mind.
1. Records Every Idea that Comes to Mind. In this business, contracts are cancelled and publishing houses change ownership. It’s important to have other ideas to turn to. That’s tough if we don’t keep a list of them where we can find them. I have a folder on my laptop for ideas. Every time I come up with a new one, it gets added to the list. I don’t prejudge an idea, if it pops into my head I write it down.

2. Reads Deep and Wide. I don’t just stick to a certain genre. I read articles, blogs, novels, and non-fiction. I read bestsellers and new indie authors. It’s important to fill our writing well with the experience of other authors.

3. Never Stops Learning. In this business, no one has ever arrived. We can’t sit on success and hatch it like an egg. Publishing is a process—the journey of a lifetime. When a writer quits investing in learning and growing, he becomes stagnant.

The resilient writer develops alligator skin.
4. Develops Alligator Skin. Rejection is part and parcel of being a writer. We have to learn that rejection of our writing isn’t the same thing as rejection of us. There are lots of reasons our writing isn’t published, and it often has nothing to do with how good the writing is.

5. Surrounds Herself with Like-minded Writers. There are a lot of people out there who like to talk about writing. But that doesn’t make them writers. These are the type of folks who bail when the writing life gets difficult. What you need is a core group that will challenge you to push through and keep writing—No Matter What.

The resilient writer ignores the negative voices
and keeps writing
6. Ignores the Negative Voices. We all have negative voices that dog us when we write. Sometimes they’re the voices of a writers group, or a critique partner. Maybe they belong to a well-meaning (or not so well-meaning) family member or friend. Most often they are our own voices, echoing in our minds. Those voices never totally go away. But we can decide if we listen to them or not.

7. Stays Focused on the Why of Writing. For me, I write because it’s the way God made me. He created me for this purpose. To deny this would make as much sense as a dog trying to live life as a dolphin. I write because God designed me to write.

8. Develops the Art of Patience. With publishing, time moves slowly. It takes time to master the craft of writing. It also takes a certain amount of time to hear a yes or no on contracts and article acceptances. Then it takes time for those projects to come to fruition—online or in print. Every step of our writing and publishing journey takes time. When we accept this and learn to live with it, life gets so much easier.

9. Keeps Writing. Real writers write. It’s that simple and that difficult. For me it boils down to one thing. If I didn’t write, I’d die. I just don’t have a choice. My advice to you is this. If you can do something else and be content, then do it.

This is my list for becoming a resilient writer. I’d love to know what you’d add to it. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

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Being resilient is a trait all successfulwriters need to cultivate – 9 tips from @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)


12 comments:

  1. Great Tips Edie, Most writers I know seem to be born to write. I approach it kicking and screaming (I am calming down a bit) When I get an idea and I am not at home I text it to myself. There have been some great ideas that I would have forgotten if I did not do this. #2 Tip is one that I am working on now. I am studying for my counseling certification so I have only been reading non fiction. I met Lisa Belcastro at a conference and decided to read her novella "A Shenandoah Christmas"(congrats to her on her Selah award) I was so impressed that I am now reading the series. God has surrounded me with talented writers that I now call friends.

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    1. Cherrilynn, some of us aren't always aware how deeply ingrained writing is in our souls. We fight it, but it's there! Blessings, E

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    2. Great idea to text your ideas to yourself.

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  2. I enjoyed these. They also gave me goals to work towards. I would add...Get help in those areas you don't know much about. I want to create a website, but since I admit I am technologically illiterate, it scares me into doing nothing. I met a lady who can help me! I asked my preacher and a couple of close friends to read my first chapters. Scary but I got invaluable feedback! I need a headshot. My niece is a photographer. Reaching out and asking others for help is my biggest hurdle I am working to overcome. Thanks!

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    1. Erin, that's a GREAT addition! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Blessings, E

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  3. Another terrific post, Edie! This one really hits me where I'm at right now and challenges me to rethink what I'm doing. Numbers 6, 8, and 9 are challenges for me right now. I'm also one of those writers who approaches writing kicking and screaming, like Cherrilynn said. So when I'm getting a lot of criticism or the timing of results with my work isn't as fast as I want it to be, I find it difficult to keep writing. You have some good ideas here for how to combat that and have challenged me, once again, to keep pressing on. Thanks!

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    1. Jerusha, keep fighing - you're an amazing writer and the world will be a dimmer place if you don't share your words! Blessings, E

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  4. Edie thanks for your great tips. Also, liked your comment of how God has called us to be writers. I want to honor that call.

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    1. Therese, Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Blessings, E

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  5. All good ideas. I don't have a lot of connections with real-live writers except online, but appreciate the others.

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    1. Pat, don't downplay the importance and value of connecting with other writers online. those can be some of your best relationships! Blessings, E

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  6. Great tips, Edie. Staying focused is sometimes difficult since I teach full time. The one thing that keeps me on track, is knowing that writing is a way to go into all the world and "preach" the gospel. Whether we are writing novels or devotions or facts about bugs for kids' magazines, we can and should let our light shine. I'm determined to keep at it.

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