It’s so easy to get bogged down trying to earn money from our writing endeavors that we forget to celebrate the fact we are writers! That is an awesome thing, a huge accomplishment and something so easily brushed over.
Nowadays, authors don’t have the luxury of simply thinking about story structure and intelligent prose. Indie authors in particular have to wrap their heads around the entire business of writing — marketing, finances, taxes, promotions, working with editors and cover designers, getting reviews, staying on top of social media, figuring out good business practices…a whole plethora of things. I, for one, am not particularly good at some of them and it’s a real battle some days to sit down to spend time doing the necessary evils so that I can continue to write for a living.
There’s so much pressure on us now. We have to churn out books in order to keep ourselves afloat in this saturated market and it can get exhausting and sometimes a little depressing. It’s hard to watch others rise while you sink. It’s hard not to compare yourself with other authors who are doing better than you. Sometimes, this job can feel like a slog-fest.
But at the end of the day, even if I’ve had a bad one and I come away from work feeling disheartened and grumpy, I must remind myself that I am a writer and that has got to be one of the coolest jobs in the world!
I do all my admin/marketing things in the morning, which means that once that’s out of the way, I get to lose myself in another world full of characters I’ve created. I get to give them a voice and throw them into all manner of angst and peril so that I can save them later. My imagination never switches off and I constantly have voices in my head, entertaining me, inspiring me, making me fall in love. This might make me sound like a crazy person, but I have the perfect excuse – I AM A WRITER.
Even if you don’t write fiction, but are a poet or a travel writer or spend your time putting together advice books on different things — it’s a great line of work. We inspire people, we make them think, we make them feel. Thanks to this wave of self-publishing, we now have the amazing opportunity to share our work so easily with the world and that is an awesome privilege — one we should never take for granted.
So on the days you’re drowning in a sea of low sales or you’ve just read a bad review or you’re trawling advertising sites trying to score your books a little more exposure, take a moment to sit back and really soak in the fact that you are a writer. You create magic and not everyone is capable of doing that. Enjoy this privilege and don’t forget to celebrate it.
I waffle constantly between reveling in the knowledge that I am a writer and drowning in the fear that my latest work is crap. With no agreed upon measures for success, and none likely to be forthcoming, it’s a hard one to overcome. But in the end, you are correct. I am a writer. That’s something others marvel at, even if they don’t buy my books. It is a skill they know they do not have. So, on those days that I belie I do, it’s a good day. Thanks for giving it some perspective.
I know exactly what you’re feeling. It’s like riding a rollercoaster of emotion for me too 🙂
Thank you Melissa for an uplifting post. We should never lose sight of that important fact that we are first writers and storytellers. We take delight in informing, entertaining and alerting others to other worlds, other possibilities, and hours of reading pleasure. That can never be taken away for us.
Exactly. Beautiful said 🙂
Thank you, Melissa, for the much needed encouragement! And ditto to everything Yvonne said. Happy writing, everyone!
Happy writing to you too 🙂
Thanks for the reminder. We all have so much to be grateful for. We’re actually in a very elite club with lots of other very creative people, people who understand us and encourage and support us. That alone is worth its weight in gold. Great post.
Perfectly put 🙂 That is another huge bonus of being a writer 🙂
Thank you for your uplifting article!
You’re welcome 🙂
What a lovely, uplifting and encouraging article, Melissa. You are right, of course, even if you go through a long, seriously discouraging, and disheartening period, as I have done, we are always want to climb back upon the back of life and take firm hold of the reigns; for we are the story tellers. Thank you Melissa.
You’re very welcome. I’m sorry you’ve been going through a discouraging patch. I understand how you feel. I hope it picks up for you soon 🙂
After years of writing fiction non-commercially, it was a huge baptism of fire to self-publish my first book. I knew nothing about the industry (and still feel like I don’t!) but I had SO MUCH to coordinate.
I’m often so busy with the backend, that I keep forgetting to stop, looking down at myself and say, “You wrote a book!”