From Sarah, With Joy

*Poet * Author * Wanderluster*

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The Utmost a Writer Can Do

Patience is not my strong suit.

This is not new news. But it does mean that periodically I have weeks where I am anxious about everything, frustrated by slower-than-I'd-like progress and just everything. 

I have this image in my head of my ideal future. It involves things like a cute little house with a balcony and a large library, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, a man with hair like Josh Groban, trips to London and a livable salary from my books. Every cell in my body is ready for this to happen. The livable salary part has to come before a lot of the other things, obviously, and I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can possibly do to make that happen, so I can get me one of these: 
Here is what I think a writer can do on a day-to-day basis, and I what I try to do:
  • Write. Obviously. 
  • Read. Fill your creative tanks in other ways too, i.e. art, film, gardening, other projects, etc.
  • Network. I try to keep up on my social media profiles for at least a couple minutes every day.
  • Submit. To everything. Contests, literary magazines, agents. I like having each of my stories out to at least two magazines, and now with my novel I am trying to have it out to somewhere around 5-7 agents at a time.
Those are the things I have come up with. Sometimes life gets in the way of these things, sometimes in an okay way (Disneyland), sometimes in a frustrating way (double shifts), but I try to keep these as a rule of thumb. I believe I can always get better at these things, qualitatively and quantitatively. 

But what else? I am trying to get a good schedule going with writing this novel. I'm loving my new friend library. I'm trying to keep up with the online stuff and now have my query with a handful of agents. What else would you suggest? Is there anything more I can be doing? Because if there is, I'm ready to do it.

Sarah Allen

p.s. Check out the latest on the vlog :)

6 comments:

  1. It sounds like you're doing wonderfully and working toward your goal. Sometimes the only thing you can do is keep writing, keep learning the craft, keep going. And now I really want that puppy!

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  2. I think you have all bases covered. Now i feel like I should pull my socks up.

    mood
    Moody Writing

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  3. My frustration or lack of patience often comes when life seems to interfere with writing time. Yet, and this is the part I always try to remember, the intereference somehow enriches my writing. Trusting the process and trusting my ability to stay an active participant in it go a long way to maintaining sanity in moments of busy-ness.

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  4. I feel the same. Sometimes being patient is intolerable. But nothing substitutes for slow, steady progress. The tortoise, if you will. I wonder if s/he was on happy pills, ha!

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  5. I want the puppy!

    But we don't have room for a third dog :-(

    It does sound like you have a great work philosophy, Sarah. Keep it up!

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  6. Awesome list! I could use some more reading and submitting. . . and probably networking and writing on that note. ;) Whatever it takes for the puppy!

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