May 4 question - It's the best of times; it's the worst of times. What are your writer highs (the good times)? And what are your writer lows (the crappy times)?
I describe one of my good times in my Haibun of Encouragement.
To sum things up, back in January of this year, I submitted a selection of ten poems and a short story for consideration in an anthology. Eight of the poems were rejected in quick succession. Then on March 23, the short story and one of the poems were accepted!
That felt pretty damn good. But the title of my post on March 14 was "I'm Losing Myself."
https://crazycreativescheerleadingcamp.blogspot.com/2022/03/about-me-monday-im-losing-myself.html
To sum things up, I felt a little bit something like this:
I've lost the healing aspects of writing. I feel like I've been kicked out of my own universe. I don't really have anyone I can bounce these thoughts off. I just feel lost.
I made the mistake of looking into the horrible void of my Submittable account and seeing 40 rejections staring back at me. It was a soul-draining feeling.
I will now recall my own sage wisdom from my Make It Happen Thursday Fairytale, The Hobyahs.
https://crazycreativescheerleadingcamp.blogspot.com/2022/03/make-it-happen-thursday-hobyahs.html
I realized that while most of the time my attitude towards rejection from publishers is like my attitude about taking tests, seeing the metric butt-ton of rejections in my Submittable account did a number on me. Writing was feeling like working a job and that is one thing I can never allow it to become. The stuff I create when I must rather than because I want to is stale, lifeless, and two-dimensional. When I feel like I'm selling my soul to gain approval, it's time to take a step back.
Again I ask myself, what are the things I really love to write.
I hope maybe what I've shared will help you during the Crappy Times.
~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~
I hope you can remember your own sage advice...
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