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| Photo credit: Send me adrift. on Flickr |
- I will treat my writing like a job (because even long before I get my first paycheck, it is).
- I will act like a professional online, while speaking to those in the publishing industry, and whenever I’m in a space as a writer.
- I will read. In my genre and category, out of my genre and category, debut authors, new (to me) authors, authors whose every book I’ve read, books with nice covers, books with ugly covers and most importantly, I will never ever be ashamed of anything I enjoyed reading.
- I will always push myself and strive to improve my writing.
- I will consider all feedback I get on my writing before deciding whether or not to make suggested changes.
- I will veg out and not write when I need a break (and I won’t feel guilty about it).
- I will say no to friends and family when I need time to write (and I won't feel guilty about it).
- I will write horrible first drafts (and be proud of them).
- I will be patient. With myself. With others. With the very slow process that is publishing.
- I will listen to my beta readers, my critique partners, my agent, my editor, and anyone else working on my book, and I will remember they want what’s best for my book and me. I will also remember they have a perspective I can’t have on my own, and their opinions are valid even when I disagree.
What writing-related promises have you (or will you) make to yourself?
Twitter-sized bite:
.@Ava_Jae shares 10 writing-related promises she's made to herself. What writing promises do you keep yourself to? (Click to tweet)
20 comments:
I like those promises! I think every writer should have similar ones. Thank you for sharing!
Yes, those are just perfect... I should really sit down and make my own list of these promises. Might even make my own blog post, if you don't think that's too copy cattish. But awesome list and good points—it occurs to me that I feel a lot guiltier about things I shouldn't simply because I am a writer.
Absolutely! I was (and am) happy to share. :)
I don't mind at all if you write a similar post, in fact, let me know when you do (feel free to leave the link in the comments here) so I can see it. :)
Numbers six and seven are VERY difficult for me, especially the not feeling guilty part. Thanks for sharing. Glad I found your blog - love it!
Six and seven are hard for me too, and I suspect it's hard for a lot of writers. But it's definitely important, which is why it went on the list. :)
And welcome to Writability! ^_^
Awesome promises, and they all make perfect sense!
#6, I'm still working on. And my horoscope said "Geminis need to learn to say 'no' if they want to be happy." I could stare at my screen and do nothing, but the moment I put my fingers to the keys, it's like I pull all manner of diversions from the universe, as if they're tied to my knuckles. Hemingway nailed it when he said you have to be ruthless if you want to get the story out. No one will care about your story more than you do in its W.I.P. phase. It's up to you to get the manuscript into the "now everyone cares about it and want to read a snippet" phase. Great as always, Ava ;)
These are wonderful promises, and such a great list to keep in mind for all writers. :) I have trouble with #1--it's a little hard for me to treat my writing like a job sometimes, especially when I procrastinate or have other focuses. It's definitely something to strive for, though. :) Thanks so much for sharing this awesome list with us!
Thanks, Catherine!
I think #6 and 7 are the hardest—and they're ones I'm still working on myself. But saying "no" in both senses (to yourself in the case of finally taking a break and to others in the case of writing when you need to) is really important.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Robin!
Thanks, Taylor! #1 I think is tough at first, but in my experience at least, the more you work at it, the easier it gets. :)
And you're welcome!
I finally got it up... Thanks for the idea! :)
http://semilegacy.blogspot.com/2014/11/writing-promises.html
Hey Ava, thanks for letting me copy your idea!
Here is my post :)
http://opalswirls.blogspot.co.nz/2014/11/writing-promises-i-will.html
These are so great! Thank you so much for sharing! :)
These are great promises. Thanks for posting. I'll have to do something like this for my blog.
Thanks, George! If/when you post, feel free to leave the link here in the comments so I can see it! :)
I love this!! I just started a blog and thought a list like this of my own would make a great first post! My blog is really rough and needs a lot of work to get it up to par, but if you want to read my list it's here
http://sherrylwilliams.blogspot.com/
I love your list, Sherry! Thanks so much for the shout out—and also I think your blog is off to a great start. :)
Good luck!
Thank you Ava! And of course you're welcome for the shout out, your blog is amazing and you deserve it!
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