Tuesday, September 8, 2009

When Did You Start Taking Yourself Seriously as a Writer?

The first step to being a serious writer is to take yourself seriously as a writer. How can you ever expect publishers, agents, or editors to believe in you if you don't believe in yourself? Taking the craft seriously and thinking of myself as "a writer" above all else is something I've only recently allowed myself to do. Until very recently--as in, within the last year or so--writing just didn't seem practical, even though I'd slowly built up a freelancing career and had been learning all I could about the craft.

I've always written, and, as most writers probably do, I always had it in the back of my mind that I "would write a book someday". But it never occurred to me that writing could be a serious career choice, or that I could make actual money from something I just chipped away at "for fun".

I didn't start taking myself seriously until a few years ago, when I started a writer's group in the area with my friend Kathy. Our first meetings drew writers from all genres, and it really started to sound like something I could do, and maybe make some money in the process. I started asking some questions, and thanks to encouragement and the patience of another writer friend (who'd been in the game for years), I finally felt comfortable enough to send out my first query.

I've had my share of rejections, of course, but there have been quite a few successes, too. Now I can't imagine how my life would be had I not gotten involved with the writer's group, and was brave enough to send out those first few queries. Now, I think of myself as a writer above everything else. Now, about a dozen or so clips later, I absolutely feel that I'm on the right path.

What about you? When did you start taking yourself seriously as a writer?

6 comments:

  1. In bits and pieces, the last year and a half, but really this last summer... however not in any professional sort of a way ... more between me and my friends. I just like doing it.

    That said, I will have to check your archives, but do consider a future post on Writing Groups ... what your experiences are... how you think they should run, etc.

    Thanks for your blog!
    RR

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  2. In bits and pieces, the last year and a half, but really this last summer... however not in any professional sort of a way ... more between me and my friends. I just like doing it.

    That said, I will have to check your archives, but do consider a future post on Writing Groups ... what your experiences are... how you think they should run, etc.

    Thanks for your blog!
    RR

    ReplyDelete
  3. Funny you should mention that--my post for Thursday is about writing groups! Thanks for your comment!

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  4. Yes, a writer need to have the zeal to share ideas with others all the time, not just waiting for inspiration to strike. No doubt, inspired writing takes you to heights but you also need to write regularly to make your casual wrting inspirational.

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  5. I started to take myself seriously as a writer when I first began to show pieces I'd done to friends-family-etc. and got positive feedback. But what would one expect from friends and family?

    Then I took a writing course and again got positive feedback... so I began to believe in myself a bit more. The teacher wouldn't say nice things just to avoid hurting my feelings, right?

    Then I did a few short articles for a local publication (a monthly) and they published 3 or 4 things I'd done.

    WOW... that was when it began to feel like there may be some legs to this writing thing after all! I have some stuff in print... some stuff of mine has actualy been PUBLISHED (none of it was paid work by the way).

    To jump ahead, I finished the novel I'd been working on and sent out query letters... and was offered a contact within three months. That was last November and the book, a mystery novel called Blood and Groom, will be published by Dundurn this November.

    I feel more and more like a writer (especially after they sent me the first proofs) but I don't think it will really hit me until later this Fall when I see Blood and Groom on the shelves in bookstores.

    Cheers, Jill Edmondson

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  6. I thought I would become a writer back in 1986 but it wasn't until I answered an ad in 1992 for a community correspondent with a new weekly paper that I finally started on the road to being a writer. As I learned about writing feature articles, covering meetings and taking pictures I grew as a writer. I got a lot of rejection slips but also got my share of clips, paid and unpaid. It all started with that first step. One I almost didn't take.

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