Professional Writers Dance Between Passionate
and Impersonal
By Bonnie Boots
People that love to write often feel being paid for publication
is the benchmark of a "real" writer. So they read all the books
on writing and dutifully send off queries, filled with hope and
fear that one will be accepted: hope they'll get the chance to
be a real writer, fear they won't live up to the challenge. Sadly,
for some, their fears will turn out to be well founded. The emotional
highs and lows of writing for pay will be more painful then they
can bear. Shocked, wounded, these natural writers will put their
dreams behind them in the mistaken belief that they're not good
enough to write for publication.
Why does this happen? Because books on writing often fail to
tell the aspiring writer the one thing they most need to know:
the marketplace demands more than talent. It demands that the
writer be skilled at dancing between the emotional states of passion
and detachment. It seems like a conundrum, and it is, so let's
unravel this riddle.
The writer filled with fervor for the process of writing produces
the best product. And in the marketplace, that's just what your
article, poem, short story or novel is-a product. Products, whether
they are romance novels or car wax, are pretty much processed,
pimped and put on the shelves the same way. All sorts of people,
from editors to advertising sales managers, have their hand in
the marketing process. They have the power to tweak, alter and
otherwise transfigure the product. As a writer, it takes emotional
detachment to watch, even help as your beloved work is worked
on.
The ability to call forth and control your emotional states is
a primary survival skill if you hope to write for print. Can it
be learned? Yes. In his book "Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can
Matter More than IQ," Daniel Goleman says the ability to master
emotions often makes the difference between success and failure
in people of equivalent intellectual abilities. He suggests these
steps for increasing self-control:
- Pay attention to your emotional states. Don't just let excitement
or fear run riot over you. Use your writer's "inner eye" to observe
and record your own emotional states. Simply being aware of your
emotions is the first step to controlling them.
- Get it off your chest. Rejection hurts. Seeing your carefully
considered words edited for publication is painful. If your feelings
have been hurt, by all means vent, but do it in a journal and
not, under any circumstance, in a nasty email to an editor or
a hastily posted blog. Nothing is learned from burning bridges,
and you could seriously injure your chances of ever being published.
Editors and publishers read the net, too, you know.
- Consider the other person's point of view. Editors and publishers
have to deal with issues you know nothing about. Before you take
personal offence, stop to consider their side. If an editor doesn't
quickly answer your query, stop and imagine the view from their
desk. If you got 1000 letters a week AND had to handle the work
of 2 because of staff cuts, might you put mail on the back burner?
- Try not to take it personally. This can be especially difficult
for writers, because our work is so very personal. But when your
feelings are hurt, it's important to take a step back and realize
that in business, decisions may need to been made that have nothing
to do with YOU, personally.
- Stay well-mannered and self-motivated. Being polite and persevering
even when your feelings have been hurt is a definite sign of emotional
maturity. The ability to keep your cool and keep moving ahead
will take you places talent alone can only dream of.
Like any skill, learning to waltz between passion and dispassion
takes practice and persistence. Some writers tap a tentative foot,
then withdraw to be wallflowers the first time someone steps on
their toes. But you can survive and even thrive by joining the
dance with passion and purpose, accepting the thrills as well
as the spills as you learn to step with the tune. •
© 2005 Bonnie Boots
 About the Author | More by Bonnie Boots
Bonnie Boots (www.BonnieBoots.com) is an award-winning writer and designer who says all writers should show off their talent by wearing their Write Side Out! Her wise and witty product line of gear that shows the world you're a writer is at www.WriteSideOut.com.
08/20/05
|
