Maybe I’ll see you at the edge of the void throwing something in.

mapelba– For me, this can become the most agonizing aspect of writing and distinguishes it I think from most other job/careers where generally the result of your effort can be immediately identified, qualified, quantified.
Here, we wait for an affirmation–an editor, publisher, agent. We can wait a long time. And each failure to achieve it can be seen as yet another crushing defeat. Ah, but then something we wrote and submitted hits home. Amazing how quickly our confidence is restored. Then the process starts all over again.

You’re not the only one.

And I’m sure I’m not the only one to feel that way. How do we avoid listening for the work to hit the bottom of void?

I’d add that I think it’s helpful to give yourself a specific deadline of some kind, e.g. 36 poems in 36 days (or 60 days or whatever amount of time you think is realistic/feasible but soon enough to create at least some pressure and add to the challenge).

When you’re just getting started in writing–and I’m kind of still at that point myself–it can be difficult to focus on writing while also dealing with everything else in life, be it homework, job, college life, etc. Deadlines will help you make sure you get the task done.

You don’t have to make the deadline public knowledge, but you should at least tell some friends. As noted in a a previous DCWYTBMA post, accountability to others is one of the best ways to ensure you get your task done. Sometimes I find it’s enough to just mention to a few friends that I’m planning to finish X Project by Y Date–I know that as the date approaches, they’ll ask me about it (and possibly gently taunt me if I’m behind schedule).

On that note, I am now going to write a proposal for an article about the social history of diners. And since I’ve said it in public, I may even finish it by my self-imposed deadline of the 5 p.m. today (not that I expect anyone who reads this to notice/care if I don’t …).

My only quibble is that mastering the short story can take a lifetime, too.

Plus, short stories can get you into that whole submission/rejection/approval-seeking model.

A web project is a notch down in difficulty, plus you don’t get penalized for doing it yourself.

Cheers.

It’s why I promote the short form so much to writers. Everyone thinks they have to jump in with a novel, invest an inexperienced year or five into the work, and never actually “build a career.”

Short stories, people. Short stories. Projects. Whatever.