Tuesday, April 5, 2011

A to Z Challenge Day 4: Determination

If you're returning to my blog, welcome back, I'm so glad you found your way back!  If this is your first time visiting, welcome, I'm glad you stumbled across my little corner of the net!  This post is part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge for April.


Today, I've chosen to write about determination.  For my fellow writers - or any artists for that matter - you'll know that if you don't have determination in this business, you might as well call it quits because you're not going to get very far.  I realize this is the case with life in general, but since I'm a writer and trying to stick with somewhat of a literary theme for this challenge, I'm applying it to writing.

I've been making up stories for as long as I can remember, and writing for almost as long.  I wrote my first novel at age 18, my second at 20, and my third at 25.  The last one was written with my ex and we spent several months researching and querying agents with no success.  We continued to write though, and I started writing again on my own.  Instead of being discouraged by the rejection letters from agents, it made me more determined to succeed.  I started sending out my own short stories and my very first one was published on my birthday in 2009.  Since then, I've had several more published and just yesterday, I sent a story to an anthology that was taking submissions.  It's terrifying and exciting all at the same time, but if that story is rejected (as it was for another anthology late last year) I'll just keep sending it until someone wants it.

Since October 2010, I've been writing articles online.  A couple of years ago, I never would have had the courage - I was too worried what people would think, if people would like my writing, if I'd get a lot of negative feedback, etc., and then I realized if I never tried, I'd never know.  It's been very rewarding because it's gotten me into the habit of writing on a daily basis, and that has led me back to finally working on fiction again, which is my first love.  Writing articles online can be extremely frustrating - the money trickles in slowly or sometimes not at all, and you depend on people finding and reading your articles out of thousands of other possibilities on the net.  I know a lot of people who have started, realized how hard it was and that there was no instant gratification, so they quit.  Like most other things, writing online takes time - you need to build a name for yourself, create a following, learn to network, and realize that you're going to spend probably about as much time networking as you are actually writing.  I figure this is good training for when I finally have books published - I'm learning to be patient, determined, and I'm also learning to network, make connections and get my name out there so that people are familiar with me and will hopefully actually want to buy my books when they're out! lol

I've learned that I have a determination I never thought possible.  Every day I learn something new that will help me in the future.  I'm learning that it's worth the endless hours of work and little pay because I'm doing what I love most in the world, and entertaining people along the way.  I have to hope and believe that all my hard work now will pay off in the future.

Are you a determined person?  Where has your determination gotten you?  All comments are welcome, I love hearing from you guys!  Thanks for reading! 





8 comments:

  1. I have determination which is sometimes unfortunately interrupted by procrastination.

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  2. I have often been not as determined as I should have been, but as I get older I realize that time is running out and if I want to do something I need to be determined. There is so much that often works against us and we need to be adamant that we won't let the obstacles block us from our goals. You are right. Be determined if you want to see dreams come true.


    Contrary to my usual practice of subscribing to comments, to save time during the challenge I will not be doing so at the moment. If you want to respond to my comment , please email me directly from your email notification for the comment.
    Thanks. And I truly appreciate your efforts.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  3. I think you're more determined than me, but I'm a little too frazzled to be focused right now. Soon, though. Soon :)

    Rosie
    East for Green Eyes

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  4. I flirted with writing for most of my life, writing mostly for myself, but last year I decided it was time to buckle down and hit it. With determination, I sat down and mapped out a novel, wrote it, edited it (a lot, and many times), have it out to several readers and am considering sending it off to a contest. Without determination, I wouldn't have gotten this far in one year!

    Good luck on the A to Z Challenge!

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  5. Great "D" post! Determination is a big factor in writing, because a lot of the time it can feel as though the obstacles (querying, getting an agent, etc, actually finishing a MS) can be insurmountable. I can always use more of it, that's for sure. :-)

    xoxo Sarah

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  6. This is a wonderful D word. We need determination in our writing novels as well as in completing this challenge!

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  7. I'm glad to hear you have had some short stories published. I think your Determination is already paying off, though it might not seem like it on a slow day. You are writing consistently, publishing online, and growing a following. Congratulations! Can't wait to see what you write for "E"!

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  8. Okay, you are my new hero! You are seriously rockin the net with those like/tweet/share buttons. (I thought 30 something was good)

    Certainly says something for determination ;)

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Thanks for visiting Ramblings of a Daydreamer! I love hearing what you have to say, and I appreciate every single comment. I hope to see you here again soon! ♥
~Marie

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