Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Words to Write By

Moonrat, the anonymous editor at editorialass who shows us what it's like on the other side of the desk, advises writers who are obsessing over the slow pace at which the publishing industry moves to distract themselves by writing. She says:

The thing is, and I can vouch for this, writers develop really quickly and constantly, so the next book you write will--guaranteed--be better than the one  you've already written. This is a reason for you absolutely to keep writing and writing.

Just what I needed to hear. Thank you, Moonie! 

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Way to go! First let's not forget that we write for our own pleasure, and often for something much deeper. In any case for our own sake.

If on top of that we are published, we can also share our work, our insights, our emotions with our readers, we can make some money out of it, we can tell people that we are a "published author." All these things are wonderful, but they are not the main point.

I am reading Amanda Foreman's bio of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and I was struck by the fact that her life turned around when she wrote her novel "The Sylph." Writing helped Georgiana overcome some of the unhappiness that was destroying her.

Anonymous said...

"just keep writing, just keep writing, Toot! Toot!" I'll keep reading....and smiling:)
renee

Unknown said...

Sounds like great advice to me. That should keep your pen moving for a little while, right?

Rebecca Ramsey said...

What a great reminder! Good motivation.

Julianne, it's wonderful to meet you! Thanks for swinging by my blog!
Becky

Tess said...

I'll definitely try to keep these words in mind! Thanks for sharing them :)

Julianne Douglas said...

Tess-Thanks to Moonrat for saying them!

Rebecca--My pleasure! And I just have to ask--is that water tower painted like a peach in South Carolina? We just visited the area this summer and passed a water tower painted just like it on the interstate between Charlotte, NC and Greenville, SC. My kids thought it was the funniest thing they ever saw.

Chad--Thanks for hanging around! My pen's still moving...:)

Renee--We've read too many picture books through the years...I'm glad I can make you smile!

Catherine--I'm somewhat nervous about my claim to be a "real" writer since I've never had any major traumas to work through yet. I write out of excitement for my field and the joy of creating. There's always a little fear about emotional depth, though, niggling in the back of my mind...Writing out of pain and personal struggle can lead an author to deep insights into our common humanity.