I am feeling very, very answer-less, so here goes.
-How many words do you write every day?
-Do you have special habits or strategies that help get the juices flowing when you sit down to write? Specific times of day? Specific drink, music, ninja moves?
-What do I do with the new shiny idea for book #2? Shelf or multi-task?
-How do I keep the word count rising when I'm not able to have a set writing schedule and everything else feels so unstable and I'm distracted by worrying?
-How long will it be before I meet someone who wants to take care of me? He doesn't even have to look that much like Clark Gable. What if its years? How do I become brave enough to take care of myself in the meantime? What if its never?
-Is graduate school a good choice? What if I don't get accepted?
-How do I live in Utah and still get diversity and experience? Why is leaving home and independence so important anyway?
-How do I not feel like a lame, cowardly, awkward nerd? Where did all this stupid immature angst come from? Why was I so much less afraid in high school?
-How do I know which agents to submit to? Who will like me and do a good job?
-What if every agent and editor I submit to hates me?
-What if I never find a job?
-What are good ways to find new books, movies and music that I like?
-How do I know there's a light at the end of the unpublished, single, jobless tunnel, and how far away is it?
-What if I'm really just a hack and suck at writing? How do I tell?
-J.K. Rowling...how?
-Will posts like this affect future books sales?
-How do I get more blog followers? How do I get big on YouTube?
-How do other people go about the leaving home thing? Usually accompanied by a spouse or higher education, right? Is it ok that I messed up the first time, and when and why and how do I do it successfully next time?
-How do I ask these questions without sounding like the naive, horribly inexperienced, lame, dorky, terrified and insecure 22 year old that I really am? Is it possible, should I even try, and what will it make people think of me?
I may have asked some of these questions before and I probably will again. I hope this isn't too much, I promise to be done with the personal dramatic thing very soon. I'm not sure I even expect answers, but it felt good to get all those questions out into the cosmos. Next post, back to relatively normal, I promise, but thanks for letting me get this out there.
On a completely different note, and to get something out there that might actually be interesting or useful to you, be sure to check out Elana Johnson's post about todays release of her debut novel, Possession. (Here's the Amazon link). I gotta say, I am super excited about this. Everything I've seen and heard about this book looks absolutely fantastic.
Best of luck to you all. Thank you for everything, and happy writing.
Sarah Allen
6 comments:
Oh, Sarah, hang in there. Trust in the process and God. I had a lot of the same questions when I was 22, now at almost 50 while many of those have been answered they've been replaced by new ones. That's life. You'll find your way. Hugs!
Don't worry Sarah, Cathy's right, you will do fine...people have been leaving home and taking care of themselves for years and years and years..My only advice is to always plan to take care of yourself, don't wait for some guy, (Clark Gable?), to do it for you. I think it's important for young women to be strong and independant. (Ask JK Rowling)
I give you props for knowing who Clark Gable is!! Most people your age have never heard of him! I've barely heard of him and I'm 50! lol!
There's no such thing as having no questions..Good Luck, you'll be fine!
Hugs and smiles to you.
It's not that difficult - you do everything as you're doing until it goes wrong and fails and is terrible. And then you do it again. And again. That's how you learn.
Advice from others never really takes. Waiting for the right time never happpens. And the magic "first time everything worked out great" only happens to other people (and they still have less than perfect lives).
Just keep going, you'll get there.
mood
Moody Writing
@mooderino
Thank you guys all so much for your encouragement and support. It means more than I can say. I'm already feeling so much better, definitely, I'm ready to get out there and do what needs to be done. Thanks guys!
Sarah
Sarah, It's the world of every writer, isn't it, to question the unknown and self. I really laughed a lot, not at your expense, but with you, while reading this post. If you write as good as you blog, you'll do great. Thanks for visiting my blog recently. Let's keep in touch!
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