by CJ Myerly, @mdippedinink
When you live this life, bordered somewhere between fiction and reality, discouragement sets in rather easily. You write these stories that you want to share more than anything, but there are millions of writers and not enough slots to share those stories.
I was six when I told my mom I wanted to write. When I was sixteen, I gave up, which I view as one of the biggest mistakes in my life. I decided I wasn’t good enough, which meant the dream God instilled in my heart laid dormant for years. It wasn’t until my daughter was born, that I allowed the itch to resurrect my dream.
Before her first birthday, I completed my novel. Then, I allowed someone to critique it and realized I had a far way to go.
The temptation to give up stirs inside when defeat attacks. And I did give up, although I didn’t claim it. I said I was too busy. I was pregnant with my son. After he was born, I joined the ACFW, determined to learn everything I could.
I experienced success and defeat, which brought me to where I am today. I’m still an unpublished author, but my writing is much better than it was four years ago.
Don’t let failure and defeat lead you to give up. Here are four reminders to help you battle defeat:
Remember why you write. When I write, I worship God. I learn more about Him and my relationship with Him and people. Even if no one else ever sees my story, I’ll continue writing. God gave me this passion for a reason, and I’ll spend the rest of my life doing it for Him.
Allow your defeat to teach you. I’ve read on many writing blogs about how important it is as an author to have a tough skin and a teachable spirit. Even the best authors receive criticisms. As writers, we need to be prepared for it. So, let your defeat shape you. Learn how to accept rejection and sift through it for truth.
Just write. Plot your story, and then write. Get the words on the page. This year, I’ve struggled the most with my inner editor. As you learn more about the craft, your mind rejects your writing. You read the sentence you just wrote, and you think, “Woah. Way too much telling. And oh, did I seriously just hop heads right there? Maybe I should use body language instead of a dialogue tag….”
There’s nothing wrong with improving your craft. Just don’t let it get in the way of actually writing. Let the first draft be the first draft. You can hone it later.
Remind yourself you aren’t alone. Not only do you have the God of the universe on your side, but hopefully you have people in your life to encourage you. For me, it’s my husband, my dad, my sisters, my best friend, and my critique partners. As well as, My Book Therapy, which has taught me so much.
Keep writing. Your story is worth it.
CJ Myerly lives in Texas with her husband and two children. She balances her passions of teaching and writing by homeschooling during the day and writing contemporary romance while her family sleeps at night. She hates clutter, loves organization, and has a love-hate relationship with technology. CJ is an active member of the ACFW and My Book Therapy. She was a 2017 Genesis semi-finalist in the contemporary category and a 2017 First Impressions finalist in the romance category. She blogs about books, motherhood, and homeschooling at http://momentsdippedinink.com. To connect with her, find her on Facebook or Twitter.