So we all know this is a crazy beautiful frustrating biz and thing we do as writers so I'm wondering what others do to sustain themselves in the bleaker moments when it seems like the story isn't coming together, your career's moving at the pace of continental drift or you're in that space of "everybody hates my stuff." You know, basic writer life. =) I'll go first: - I get outside. I live in the country so I either get outside to my garden/hens or go for a hike. - I hit the gym - I reread the Little House on the Prairie books (a favorite stress release from childhood) - I forget about writing for the night, make a big bowl of popcorn, pour a glass of wine, and binge-watch something good with my husband. - I read and reread the favorite quotes about writing I keep in my office and on my phone. - I go back and read the work that I'm most proud of, and remind myself "yes you can, yes you will." Anyone else?
Screenwriting : What Sustains You? by Terri Viani
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I spent many years researching and writing a book and have spent over a year trying to get an agent. It felt great to have completed the writing only to have that feeling replaced by exasperation at the tedious and lengthy process of finding representation and/or a publisher. You may be brilliant but if no one else sees the genius in you then you have nothing. How long can an author wait for the next revenue stream? The situation lends itself to self-publishing and ebooks because at the end of the day you still have to market yourself and your book which no one else will do. Do you really need a publisher? With self-publishing you get a bigger share of profit, no one will send you into endless rewrites, and you're free to embark on the next great story. I did find a publisher for my book through an acquaintance at a Writer's Conference and that's nice but how many books can I expect to sell? What kind of money are we really talking about? And considering all that, how should I set my own expectations? My point is this: perfection is unattainable. Tell the story in your voice and trust in that. Find the niche that is your audience and network to create interest. In regards to the writer blues, surround yourself with positive energy and goodness and plan for the long haul.
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Great subject but I don't write that much anymore. However when I started out I would write everyday and not listen to anyone that said I wouldn't make it. That is what really kept me going all those years.
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I write in several formats & I keep submitting within those niches. While one pot is on simmer, another pot is boiling, another is ready for the seasonings. It's never dull in my writing kingdom. Just STAY FRESH.
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What sustains me? That is a very good question. I usually stay up all night writing. I find writing therapeutic. Being in the biz is not easy, I so wish that it was for me. I feel like I am in the wrong place at the wrong time. All I want to do is work steadily in the biz, be a full time working actor. I hate being unemployed. It's so defeating. So in order for my not to go too crazy and fall completely into depression, I write, or sometimes I go walking in the forest. Things have been difficult but I am still hopeful, but sometimes I have a tendency to lose hope. I am not sure how anyone else copes with all of that.
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I watch my favorite movies while reading along with the script. That always seems to fire me up to get back to writing and drives me to make my script better
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I do what Owen does although I don't qualify whether movies or scripts are bad in advance. I also do forums here and I just wait for a burst of inspiration to come. I don't have writer's block but I have to feel the right energy to get going. My first ten pages of any script are always the most challenging. Once I get in the groove, it goes fast.
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I'm beginning to build a writing habit for myself, so I keep a list of media that I consume each month (shows, books, movies, audio books, scripts, etc.) to keep me motivated. If I get to caught up in not being able to write I research something that isn't what I'm working on at the moment. I also take short walks when I've been cooped up in the house to long.
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I have been writing since 2001 and I am in the middle of writing five books, including a series called Virus. It is very hard to do, for the sitting and brainstorming, writing, editing is all so very hard, but I do know what I like and that is writing. My goals are to publish my first book Seduction, and then continue on with Virus, The Delinquent, The Hudson Debate, First Love and Israel. Israel is set back in the 1500's. I really enjoy that one. I am also writing a screenplay that will be performed in August of 2016, can't wait to get that started. So as you can see I spend most of my time writing and when I am not I am focused on my fourteen year old daughter Jozalynn, and my three oldest children and grandchildren, who are the sparkles of my life. My books are mostly about physical abuse and ways of resolving it. Seduction will be released in a couple of months and from there I will continue on with The Hudson Debate. Enjoy and have a wonderful Holiday.