The end of February marks my nine-year writing anniversary.
To put that in perspective, that roughly equates to: one degree in creative writing; twelve conferences under my belt; at least three dozen workshops; 244 blog posts; a library's worth of books read; 567 pages written (not counting revisions); more rejections than I care to compile; four full cheesecakes eaten solo; and 0 books published. That's "0" as in none; zippo; zilch; and a big fat goose egg.
Part of me says, "%#&$!" The other part says, "WOO-HOOO!"
If you're a writer or illustrator, you'll understand that such a milestone comes with a tidal wave of conflicting feelings: amazement; disappointment; determination; embarrassment; humility; horror; and a strange sense of pride.
If you're not a writer or illustrator, you probably think I should be committed to a mental institution.
All joking aside, I'm actually feeling pretty good at this point in my writing/illustrating career. Sometimes I can't believe that I'm still following this path after nine years of hard work with no end in sight. Then the other part of me remembers everything I've learned, all the awesome places I've been, the progress I've made, and the best friends I've met along the way.
And those thoughts keep me moving forward.
To be perfectly honest, I have no idea if I'll be published someday, but I'm not ready to give up yet. I write this post not for pity or reassurance or kudos. Rather, consider this my personal "State of the Union" address. Here's where I am. That's that.
And if you're a fellow "pre-published" writer or illustrator, consider this my encouragement for you to keep moving forward, too.
So let me go back to that first equation: one degree in creative writing; twelve conferences under my belt; at least three dozen workshops; 244 blog posts; a library's worth of books read; 567 pages written (not counting revisions); more rejections than I care to compile; four full cheesecakes eaten solo; and 0 books published YET.
If I'm still doing this in nine more years, then you can commit me to a mental institution.
Now come on Ellis, Tentacles, and all the other characters living in my head: Let's keep moving forward!
To put that in perspective, that roughly equates to: one degree in creative writing; twelve conferences under my belt; at least three dozen workshops; 244 blog posts; a library's worth of books read; 567 pages written (not counting revisions); more rejections than I care to compile; four full cheesecakes eaten solo; and 0 books published. That's "0" as in none; zippo; zilch; and a big fat goose egg.
Part of me says, "%#&$!" The other part says, "WOO-HOOO!"
If you're a writer or illustrator, you'll understand that such a milestone comes with a tidal wave of conflicting feelings: amazement; disappointment; determination; embarrassment; humility; horror; and a strange sense of pride.
If you're not a writer or illustrator, you probably think I should be committed to a mental institution.
All joking aside, I'm actually feeling pretty good at this point in my writing/illustrating career. Sometimes I can't believe that I'm still following this path after nine years of hard work with no end in sight. Then the other part of me remembers everything I've learned, all the awesome places I've been, the progress I've made, and the best friends I've met along the way.
And those thoughts keep me moving forward.
To be perfectly honest, I have no idea if I'll be published someday, but I'm not ready to give up yet. I write this post not for pity or reassurance or kudos. Rather, consider this my personal "State of the Union" address. Here's where I am. That's that.
And if you're a fellow "pre-published" writer or illustrator, consider this my encouragement for you to keep moving forward, too.
So let me go back to that first equation: one degree in creative writing; twelve conferences under my belt; at least three dozen workshops; 244 blog posts; a library's worth of books read; 567 pages written (not counting revisions); more rejections than I care to compile; four full cheesecakes eaten solo; and 0 books published YET.
If I'm still doing this in nine more years, then you can commit me to a mental institution.
Now come on Ellis, Tentacles, and all the other characters living in my head: Let's keep moving forward!
It's going to happen--I firmly believe that. :) And I've heard a lot of people say it took them at least a decade to get published so you're getting close now!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristy! We'll both get there someday! I'm kind of looking forward to hitting that 10-year milestone next year. XD It's great to be on my writing journey with kindred spirits like you!
DeleteThanks for this article and spilling your cheesecake statistic. I've been writing for a lot longer and I'm still prepublished. I've also eaten a lot more cheesecakes than you while consoling myself over rejections.
ReplyDeleteHa! Glad you enjoyed my cheesecake statistics, Jodie! (I also do a lot of gorging at Chinese buffets...) Maybe we should start a cheesecake-binging club so we can split the calories. ;)
DeleteEven though we're all still pre-published, it's awesome being in the same boat as you and the other wonderful SCBWI folk! :)