Part of the fun of belonging to this blog is being among so many talented authors. Everyone's always working on new projects, and the book sales and releases keep flowing in.
Today it's my turn to celebrate another book release! The UXL Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes has arrived. All 5 volumes and 2200+ pages of it.
Just thinking about all the hours of research, writing, and editing that went into it exhausts me. But now it's done, and I can enjoy the finished product as I move ahead on another one -- this time fiction.
Having a book published is a high, but what of all those hours slogging through rough drafts, squeezing in time to write between other obligations, wanting to crumple up the pages of the current WIP, staring at a blank computer screen hoping the right words will come? All of that, too, is part of the joy of being a writer.
Writing successes are often few and far between. When they come, we rejoice, but we also need to remember that the frustrations mean we're struggling ahead, learning our craft. Olympic athletes aren't made in a day, or a week, or a month, or a year... Being a writer takes the same amount of dedication and hard work. They say it takes about 10,000 hours of practicing your craft to become a pro. How many hours have you put in?
If you're feeling discouraged, check out my post on Downtown YA, Feel Like Giving Up?, and McKenna Darby's post on the Hearts Through History blog, Struggling as a Writer? Congratulations!
4 comments:
Congratulations! You deserve many, many kudos for your achievements. I also read your post Struggling as a Writer, and loved it. Writing is no longer as simple as telling a story. I write scenes that some love and others hate -- get to the action they say. I put in to many commas, yet someone else says, write and pause where you want to pause -- yeah right. I write a character who cries -- she's too weak, and we all know that today -- no woman cries! Hell they all carry weapons and can beat up a man twice their size. UGH!
Thanks, I needed that!
wow! that is some accomplishment..my one son takes books like these and spends hours and hours and hours looking at every picture and memorizing the info...
The books look fantastic! Congratulations on a wonderful achievement. I know the research must have overwhelmed you, but how cool to be paid to learn such cool stuff. :)
Thanks for the much-needed words of encouragement too!
Thanks & Good luck with your writing, Yolanda. It can be tough to hear critiques sometimes, especially when people give you totally different advice.
Hi, Annmarie, It's great that your son is reader. And that he loves nonfiction. Bet he does well in school!
Thanks, Kate! Couldn't have done it without you. This journey always feels like a group effort to me. :-)
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