Do you ever have one of those days? You know … when you start to feel a little down and you begin to wonder if all the time and energy put into writing is worth it. Author Vicki Hinze is here today, offering valuable insight and encouragement for staying on course and not giving up.
~ Dawn
Why Writers Should Never Be Discouraged
by Vicki Hinze
Being a writer is hard work. Name another profession where you have no idea who you work for beyond right now, how much you’ll be paid, you have zero benefits, and you well might work for an extended period of time for absolutely nothing. But you know what? It doesn’t matter.
What? Is she nuts? Not matter? This is my life.
I hear you. But it really doesn’t matter. Because if earning a living and getting benefits and having the answers to those other significant questions were top priorities in writers’ lives, they would work in other professions and write for pleasure. They’d do a simple assets and liabilities analysis and find a different career. That simple, common-sense logic proves my point.
For years in workshops, I challenged every attendee to quit writing. They were shocked. But honestly, I was just hacking through the clutter and sharing a shortcut. If you can quit writing, do it. That’s the quickest way to determine whether or not you’re a writer. Writers can’t quit. Some say it’s a disease, a compulsion. I say the desire to write is encoded in our DNA. It has to be or we wouldn’t have the drive and determination and discipline to make the sacrifices and take the risks required of us to do it.
Writing isn’t a passing fancy. It is so interwoven with who we are as human beings it’s impossible to separate the two. That’s the reason writers get so upset at rejections. They take them in deep. So deep that many writers struggle with letting them (and I’m lumping in bad reviews and other negatives that come with the territory) mean too much.
Writers who can’t quit writing know it. There’s power in knowing and accepting that. If you’ll not be content without writing, that’s valuable information you should know. You automatically factor writing into your personal choices.
Now a significant question writers should ask themselves (and too rarely do) is why do you want to write? If you haven’t asked yourself that often, you’re slacking! It’s significant because of that intertwining with you, the human being. You must know yourself!
Most writers have something to say they want others to hear. They have a purpose for writing. So long as the writer is writing to his or her purpose, all the rest is just stuff. Purpose outlasts market trends, bad reviews or rejections. It outlasts writing careers, agent or editorial changes, sales and every other aspect of writing to publish. Purpose is at the core of the writing and in harmony with the core of you, the human being. If you’re staying true to your purpose, then what in the world has the power to discourage you?
Nothing. Everything else is fleeting and temporary. Purpose endures. So be encouraged, inspired. Because it is your life, stay above the fear and doubt traps, remain steadfast and aware of your worth and value, and the worth and value of your writing—and soar!
Vicki Hinze is the award-winning author of nearly 30 novels, four non-fiction books and hundreds of articles published in as many as sixty-three countries. She holds a MFA in creative writing and a Ph.D. in philosophy, theocentric business and ethics. Her latest release is the faith-affirming thriller, NOT THIS TIME being released by Random House Religious. To find out more about Vicki and her books, please visit:
Website: www.vickihinze.com
Blog: www.vickihinze.com/blog
Facebook: www.facebook.com/vicki.hinze.author
Twitter: www.twitter.com/vickihinze
