“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”
― Epictetus
Testimony to my belief that if you worry and it comes out wrong, worrying didn’t help. If you worry and it comes out right, you worried for nothing.
But this is not the nature of writers.
Writers worry about everything.
Will they like my book? Will they buy my book? Will they buy my next book? Will I be able to write my next book, or am I just a one book wonder?
Is the manuscript too long? Is the word count high enough? Is this manuscript too short? Do they want more story? Should I add another subplot? Do people really want to read about this character, or do they like the best friend better?
Does my agent like the story? Does she/he think I could have done a better job? Are they asking themselves why I didn’t use the advice they gave me when I called them in the middle of the night in a panic with a bout of writers block? Do they think I’m a hack who cannot finish the next book? Do they think I can’t take direction when they offer advice? Do they realize I have no idea right now what the next book is about?
Does any of that sound familiar????
Because of its solitary nature writing is a trial, and a joy. I love being left alone to create a world I can get lost in, one where I have complete control over everything that happens.
But that isn’t what real life is like. Real life is when not everyone loves your book. It just can’t happen. I know it’s hard to believe but some folks don’t love everything Nora Roberts writes. O.M.G.
I know you don’t want to believe the real queen of romance isn’t read by every living being on the planet. Get over it, she isn’t. It happens, not everyone will like your book.
The trick for Nora is. . . she likes to tell you a story, and she’s good at it. She really doesn’t care what others think, and you shouldn’t either.
Write the stories you love tell the stories that demand to be told from the bottom of your soul, respect the craft and enjoy the time you spend writing. That is the real key to happiness.