Friday Fricassee

Sometimes, it really is time to walk away.  Forever.

That's not something you really hear from me.  I am your advocate--your constant reminder to keep working, keep learning, keep growing, keep querying, keep BELIEVING.  Walking away when the going gets tough (which is frequent) does not a successful author make.

But.

Sometimes the revelation comes that you've been trying to force a square peg into a round hole.  Sometimes it really is time to move on to the next thing.  And learning to tell the difference between angst-and-despair and a true sense that you've been going in the wrong direction is key to knowing what choice to make.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I happy to continue writing stories regardless of whether or not I'm published?  Because the honest, gut-slicing truth is that not every aspiring author is actually cut out to be a writer.  And that's okay.  You can always write for pleasure--for the rest of your life, really.  But only you can decide if this is true for you.
• Have I chosen the wrong career path?  Because it happens.  Folks go to college for four years, and then decide they really didn't want to major in whatever degree they're holding in their hands.  So they go back to school.  Heck, I have a degree in music education, and I'm certainly not teaching music to elementary students right now.  (I did that.  For one year.  That was enough for me to know that I wasn't going to do that for the rest of my life.)
• Are you happy living the story you're going to tell people some day?  Right now, your writerly journey is your own, personal story, leading to wherever your dreams lead you.  If you're not happy living your story, then it's time to reexamine if you are living the right story.
• Do I have what it takes to JUST KEEP GOING until I'm published?  This is truly the separating-sheep-from-goats point.  The darkest hour truly does come before dawn, and many people who would have succeeded, had they just stuck it out for a little while longer, give up before they see the light of day.  If you know you've got what it takes to keep writing, keep waiting, keep trying, keep restrategizing, keep on KEEPING ON--then keep going.  Don't give up, no matter what's going on around you.

Your answers to the above questions may produce valid reasons for you to quit writing.  That's the stark truth.

But there are also reasons NOT to quit writing:

• Your critique partners rip apart your manuscript and suggest a rewrite.
• You've queried 50 agents and nobody requested anything.
• You've written one novel and it didn't go anywhere.
• It's been three years and you still haven't landed an agent.
• Your agent hasn't sold your novel yet.
• Your debut novel flopped.
• You're burned out.  (Take a break--don't quit.)

Food for thought on this Friday afternoon!  I think that, regardless of who we are or what our aspirations in life may be, there are times when we need to step back and do a little soul-searching.  If we feel angst, where is it coming from?  Is it because we're worrying too much about our novel that's on submission?  (Answer: keep writing.) Or is it because we know we should actually be teaching steel drum classes on a cruise ship instead of writing stories? (Answer: probably you should be a steel drum teacher.) Don't be afraid to ask yourself the hard questions--you will be stronger and wiser for it.

Now go and have a wonderful weekend!