In
order to advance your writing career, you joined several writing organizations
and attended all the meetings and conferences. In fact, you did everything you could
think of to prove how serious you were in fulfilling your dream of becoming a
published author…everything, that is, but write.
Whenever
someone inquired about the status of your novel, you replied that you are
working on it. You sometimes added that family, work or other obligations left
you with little time to devote to your writing. The excuse is believable since life
has a bad habit of getting in the way of peoples’ dreams. However, instead of
blaming life for taking up all your time, you should consider how your writing
career is getting in the way of your success.
Work
and family take precedence over your writing and cannot be ignored. However, the
moment you heard about a workshop, you did not hesitate to sign up for it. You
then rearranged your schedule so you could spend eight hours learning how to
breathe life into your characters, build worlds, edit your manuscript, pitch to
editors and market your book.
The
workshop may have been informative and you walked away with a lot of knowledge
about writing and publishing. Unfortunately, you were unable to apply anything
you learned as you could not edit a blank page.
To
farther your career, you should consider skipping the next conference. Instead,
go to a writer’s retreat, visit the library or simply find a quiet room in your
house. Then, use the time you would have spent learning how to write to
actually write.
Your
career will begin to move forward once you have words on the page.♥
Ursula Renée is the President of RWA/NYC. Her
historical romance, SWEET JAZZ, will be published by The Wild Rose Press. When
she is not writing, she enjoys photography, drawing and stone carving. Visit
her at www.ursularenee.com.
I agree Ursula. Thank you for the post!
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