{"id":10906,"date":"2017-08-23T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=10906"},"modified":"2017-08-18T16:56:34","modified_gmt":"2017-08-18T20:56:34","slug":"hard-truths-for-authors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/hard-truths-for-authors\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming a Writer: 3 Hard Truths Every New Author Faces"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like many aspiring writers, my writing career started early. <\/span><\/p>\n

I was that introverted six-year-old sitting a safe distance from the playground, nose perpetually glued inside a book. By third grade, I\u2019d finished the entire <\/span>Goosebumps<\/span><\/i> series. Luckily high school rolled around and I\u2019d graduated to the classics. <\/span><\/p>\n

As with many literary students, my obsessive reading habits led to an interest in writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Awestruck by the way my favorite authors so seamlessly painted vivid pictures with words, teleporting my imagination to faraway worlds and back again for the price of a paperback, my inspiration was kindled. So, I earned an English degree and became a writer. <\/span><\/p>\n

Along my professional writing journey, I\u2019ve come face-to-face with a few difficult truths of the trade. <\/span><\/p>\n

Identifying these truths and understanding how to navigate them will improve your skills as a writer and as a professional, whether you\u2019re freelancing with clients or working full-time with a dedicated team. <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Criticism is guaranteed<\/span><\/h2>\n

You\u2019re going to cross paths with many people who write during your career, from the clients you work with to the graphic designers you collaborate with. <\/span><\/p>\n

While this doesn\u2019t necessarily make them writers by trade, you will have to face the fact that because they also communicate through writing, they will have opinions about <\/span>your<\/span><\/i> writing. <\/span><\/p>\n

This will be frustrating at times \u2013 trust me, I\u2019ve been there \u2013 but I\u2019ve learned a few ways to <\/span>handle unsolicited feedback<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

First and foremost, listen. Don\u2019t let your ego get between you and criticism because you might miss out on garnering useful feedback. It\u2019s every writer\u2019s job to listen and observe. Even if you don\u2019t receive applicable feedback, you can mine these experiences for a topic to write about, say, for one of your freelance gigs. <\/span><\/p>\n

Secondly, you\u2019re going to receive a lot of <\/span>rejections<\/span><\/a> — via email, snail mail, text message and maybe even by tweet. Know this, process it and grow a thicker skin because there\u2019s no way around it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Writing is subjective and not everyone is going to like your writing. That\u2019s okay. Rejections, followed by revisions, are part of the creative process. The best way I\u2019ve found to reduce the frequency of rejections received is to read — set aside time to thoroughly read publications before you submit to them, and take breaks to read between writing and editing your work. Doing this will broaden your perspective and help you better tailor your voice. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, know when to brush it all off, have a glass of wine, and get back to writing — because sometimes, you just need to reset. <\/span><\/p>\n

2.<\/span> You won\u2019t always like what you write <\/span><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re anything like me, you\u2019re going to find yourself writing about topics you\u2019re not particularly fond of at times. But with a little luck and a lot of perseverance, you will get through this period and find yourself blissfully choosing between projects that interest you. <\/span><\/p>\n

For example, my first full-time gig was writing<\/span> SEO content<\/span> for an advertising agency. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cool, right? Well, I forgot to mention it was an agency servicing \u201celective healthcare professionals\u201d (AKA plastic surgeons).<\/span> I never in a million years would have guessed I\u2019d be a tummy tuck expert, but here we are. And I\u2019m grateful for that opportunity because it provided the stepping stone I needed to propel my writing career from zero to something. <\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019ve chosen to pursue a more lucrative day job while spending your evenings working on a novel or essays, you\u2019ll find yourself writing many <\/span>unsatisfactory first drafts<\/span><\/a>. You will read them over and over, doubting your abilities. <\/span><\/p>\n

When I was in this phase of a creative writing project, a wise friend and fellow writer told me, <\/span>\u201cDoubt is part of the creative process.\u201d<\/b> This couldn\u2019t be more true. <\/span><\/p>\n

Consider every opportunity, and always do your best work. Embrace each step of the process, learn as much as you can and focus on how your present situation can catapult you towards your future goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of which path you choose for your writing, be patient and persevere. Don\u2019t be discouraged by doubt — only after countless revisions will you begin to fall in love with your own work. <\/span><\/p>\n

3.<\/span> Writing demands perseverance <\/span><\/h2>\n

Some people are natural athletes who can pike-kick-spike like nobody’s business; others are gifted wordsmiths with an unwavering ability to make sense of nonsense. <\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re not a natural-born writer, the skills can be learned with enough tenacity.<\/b><\/p>\n

There are plenty of resources and <\/span>techniques to improve your writing<\/span><\/a>. And whenever <\/span>writer\u2019s block<\/span><\/a> sets in, pick up a book. Reading a well-crafted story always inspires me to get back to the keyboard. They key to practical success is dedication to learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

While writing techniques can be learned, intuitive qualities are also central to excelling as a writer. Aspiring writers must be cordially accepting of criticism and capable of empathy. Without these qualities, you may find it difficult to stand out from the crowd. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the best writers I know are also the most empathetic — able to embrace vulnerability and truly feel the world from the perspectives of others, allowing them to tell authentic stories that resonate with their audience. Empathy will also go a long way in understanding criticism without allowing it to hinder your productivity. <\/span><\/p>\n

I encourage everyone to write. <\/span><\/p>\n

Stand strong in the face of criticism and <\/span>persevere<\/span><\/a> through the nights and into the weekends, if you must. After wandering down several career avenues — from video production to project and account management — the path has always led me back to writing. <\/span><\/p>\n

Despite these sometimes difficult truths, the fulfillment that comes from writing is worth every rejection letter, every critic and every late night. Writers have the unique gift of storytelling to share with the world. <\/span><\/p>\n

And with great writing comes great empowerment. <\/span><\/p>\n

What other truths of the trade have you learned to effectively navigate? <\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thinking of becoming a writer? Get ready to face these hard truths.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":345,"featured_media":11348,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1207,289,1208,1210,1209,1194],"class_list":["post-10906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-craft","tag-aspiring-writers","tag-becoming-a-writer","tag-being-a-writer","tag-hard-truths-for-writers","tag-new-writers","tag-tips-for-writers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/345"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}