When Is The Dream Not Enough?
Most writers dream of being published. Of seeing their name on the cover of a novel they can hold in their hands. The act of writing the book does not make them a real writer, not in their minds, and certainly not in the eyes of others. In our society, we equate success with money. If a real New York publisher has not paid you for your work, then that work doesn’t count for much, does it?
Why should publication be the only definition of success for writers? Painters are considered artists if they commit paint to canvas. Violinists are considered musicians if they produce music. A football player doesn’t have to win the Super Bowl to be an athlete. He just has to play the game. And keep playing, even when he loses.
So how did the idea get started that the only true writers are those whose work is recognized and published?
I believe we invalidate ourselves. Until we get that important call from New York, we are afraid to call ourselves writers. It’s not all right to do so until an editor or agent gives us permission. If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears, does it make a sound? If we commit words to paper that will never be read, are we really writers?
I say yes. You are a writer as soon as you allow yourself to think like one. To be a writer, you must produce pages and wring emotional satisfaction from the process. Maybe you have a dream. Maybe you turn that dream into a goal by developing a plan of action. Doesn’t matter. Don’t wait for someone you don’t know to give you permission to call yourself a writer. You are a writer if you find joy in the process and writing is more important to you than selling.
Sure publishers can reject your submissions. They can break your heart and crush your spirit. They may even tell you to stop wasting their time. Or maybe they tell you nothing and ignore your submissions. But they cannot take away the rush of pleasure you experienced when you created the story. Their comments may hurt your feelings, but they cannot diminish your identity as a writer unless you let them.
If you separate the product from the creation, you will be a writer regardless of whether you sell your work or not.
Many writers struggle for years, doggedly submitting their work and persevering in the face of rejection after rejection. How do they stay motivated when the extrinsic rewards are not forthcoming? Simple. They don’t require external validation. They validate themselves. Intrinsic motivation keeps them going. Hope. Optimism. Blind faith. Call it what you will, but some writers have it, and others don’t.
How many times can a writer hear NO before falling victim to doubt demons? We might as well ask how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
I’ve known talented writers who gave up before they even got started. All it took was a bad mark on a student paper. An indifferent comment from a critique. A form rejection. They didn’t believe in themselves and willingly let others steal their joy.
Not every writer will be published. It’s a fact of the business that less than 10% of fiction manuscripts submitted to agents and editors receive serious consideration. It’s a discouraging statistic, but if you love writing and your goal is to get the words and images in your mind down on paper, how can creation ever be a failure?
As writers, we fail when we give up, not on the dream, but on ourselves.