Just a week or so ago I was feeling very down about my
writing. I’d written nothing for almost two weeks and had tried to work on a
story and it just wasn’t flowing. There were, as well, the usual rejections and
that sort of thing happening. Either bad or potentially bad news seemed to be
attacking on every front.
Then I had a story published, “Woman in Dust,” and got a lot
of very positive comments on it. I got potentially good news on an issue that I
was particularly concerned about, although I’m not daring to mention it until
it is a reality. I picked up a few comments in real life from folks who enjoyed
my writing, and the story I was working on finally started to flow, although
I’m still fighting with it every step of the way. This week I feel better about
things, and am very glad for it.
I have prided myself in the past for writing on even in the
face of no external validation. But I realize now that I was fooling myself a
bit. Any writer who depends extensively on external validation isn’t going to
be in the business for long. But I guess we all need to hear at least occasionally
that what we are doing is worthwhile and appreciated. There’s got to be some kind of payoff for all
the hard work, and money has not been that payoff for me.
