Monday, May 21, 2012

What Makes Me Feel Like a Writer

1. I always carry my journal with me, so that I can jot down interesting things that I see or hear in my neighborhood, on the train, at school, at the gym, etc.

2. I'd rather write than go to a ball game or a party. On the other hand, I'd also rather get three cavities filled while being forced to watch a Mob Wives marathon than go to a ball game or a party.

3. Writing is a way for me to express all the feelings and thoughts that I don't have the courage to say out loud to other people.

4. I was willing to accept it when I realized that I would never be a singer; I realized it when I didn't get into a singing group that I tried out for in college (the members were not shy about letting me know that my voice was not as good as theirs). My voice cracks at the high notes and I start to sound like one of the Chipmunks. I stopped singing after that audition (for the most part). I was willing to accept it when I realized that I would never be an athlete, seeing as how I can't walk onto a field or a court without getting hit by the ball. That's why I stopped trying out for sports teams when I was younger. But I'll never accept a life without writing, because I'll keep writing even if I never get published.

5. Like I've mentioned before, I feel happiest in bookstores, because I get to be in a room full of other people's stories and ideas. And being in a bookstore makes me imagine what it would be like to see my own book on one of the shelves.

6. I'd rather spend money on books and writing paper than makeup, which may explain why I am thirty-one years old and I still don't know how to wear lipstick. That's why I don't wear makeup. The few times I've tried wearing it, it always ends up looking like a five-year-old who's just eaten three bowls of sugary cereal has put on the makeup for me.

7. There's no guarantee that my dreams will come true (even if I try to make them come true), or that I'll get my happy ending. But the good thing about writing fiction is that I can make my characters' dreams come true and give them happy endings, although I try to do it without making the stories sound like an episode of The Brady Bunch or Full House (the cheesy music they always played on the latter show when the characters "made up" always drove me nuts).

8. When I got my first rejection letter from a literary magazine that I submitted a story to, I actually felt pretty good. I felt proud of myself for finally putting my work out there, even if it didn't get published. I thought of all the other successful writers whose work I'd admired; I knew that they had all received their own share of rejection letters. I realized that it was better to try to make it as a writer than to just talk about becoming one. (Sounds obvious, I know, but how many people do you know who talk a lot about how they want to write a book but never write anything?)

What about you? What makes you feel like a writer?

Side note: Here's a funny video of teachers dancing behind unsuspecting students. This is just more proof of how much teachers rock!


24 comments:

  1. I plan to collect all rejection letters I ever receive. I feel that they will be lovely to look back on when I finally get published somewhere.

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    1. Hi mmarinaa,
      I've been rereading Stephen King's book On Writing, and he wrote that he kept all of his rejection letters nailed to the wall when he first started sending his work out. I think it motivated him to keep trying.

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  2. I heart that video. The one when the teacher is in the classroom is classic. I got excited when I received my first rejection. Now I get excited when I receive a rejection that says "submit to us again" (only received two of those). Now if only there could be an acceptance mixed in ...

    I don't wear makeup either. I try, but can't work up the energy in the morning.

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    1. Hi Anna,
      It's nice when rejection letters are encouraging, because it shows that the editors really are reading the stuff that we send them.
      I feel guilty because I have bought makeup in the past, but I rarely used it. I should've spent the money on more books instead.

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  3. My favorite point was #7. That's what writing does for me.

    And that video is so funny. It's good to see so many male teachers.

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    1. Hi Teddi,
      I like that the video shows how teachers can goof off too. I wish I could've seen those students' reactions once they found out about the prank that the teachers pulled on them.

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  4. I love this post! One of the best moments for me is when someone tells me they liked one of my books. Nothing's better than that!

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    1. Hi Talli,
      It would definitely be wonderful to talk to someone who likes your work, because it shows that you made a connection with your audience. And I think that's what most writers want to do.

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  5. That's a hilarious video! And man, some of those teachers have some serious dance moves!

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    1. Hi Sara,
      I think it'd be cool to teach at that school. Those teachers look like they'd be fun to work with.

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  6. Lovely video!

    I have a small collection of poems that I only share with certain people. This year it felt good to submit some of them to poetry prize contests. I didn't win or get published, but it felt good. I got a one year subscription to a literary mag out of it too!

    I get # 2 the most. I would rather read/write/go on a nature walk than go to a party/bar.

    I think I've started feeling more like a writer lately since I've decided that I need to embrace it and stop thinking that I have no chance in hell of making a life out of it. I rekindled some childhood memories recently of making books, writing stories, and taking lots of story notes. I wanted to be a writer as a child, and by the time I was 12, I would sit at the typewriter writing. Somehow from age 15 on, I always kind of suppressed the idea. Still, I was drawn to studying literature in undergrad and now grad school. But, I am going to make a change and write more creative stuff!

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    1. Hi Charles,
      It's good that you sent out your work to poetry contests. I sent out some essays and stories to contests too. I didn't win either, but it's worth a shot. And getting a subscription to a lit mag is definitely cool.

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  7. Writing is my favorite form of self-expression. When I haven't written in a few days, I get antsy. I usually have a notebook with me at all times for note-taking, but when I don't have it I find whatever scrap of paper around me and jot down my idea. I've got lots of ideas scribbled on the backs of receipts.

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    1. Hi Tsaritsa,
      You could carry one of those miniature Moleskine notebooks to write your ideas on; that way you could just slip the notebook into your pocket or something. But I've heard of a lot of writers who wrote ideas down on receipts, napkins, paper bags, etc. It's good that you write stuff down right away. I've forgotten more than one idea because I didn't write it down.

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  8. That video is the BEST! I work in education, and I'd love to see some of my teacher coworkers dance like those teachers.

    I'm a lot like you in that I don't like parties and I'm not skilled at all at putting on makeup. Glad I'm not the only one!

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    1. Hi Shelley,
      I think that parties when we were kids were more fun, because the food was better (and everyone was willing to eat the food), everyone played games, and we all went home with goody bags. It's too bad adult parties aren't like that.

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  9. So many things! Right now maybe that I'm almost finished with the second novel in my series and I'm at that point where it's gone from jumbled up and unwieldy to tight. And it feels good and makes me feel like a writer because I DID THAT!

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    1. Hi Johanna,
      Good for you for being close to being done with your second novel, especially because a lot of people never even finish (or never even write) their first novel. I think that writing is one of the best ways to make yourself happy, because it's something that truly belongs to you.

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  10. Dancing teachers, the new photobombing. I too feel most comfortable in book stores!

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    1. Hi Libby,
      I like used bookstores in particular because of the smell of the paper. I just hope that bookstores will continue to stick around and be popular with readers.

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  11. I love your number 7! There is something wonderful about making sure my characters get their happy ending. It's one of my joys. Another thing that makes me feel like a writer is creating a scene or even snippet of dialogue that I absolutely love. Reading back over some of my work and thinking, "Wow! I wrote this!" is an incredible experience.

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    1. Hi D.B. Smyth,
      It's definitely very satisfying to write a scene or snippet that you love, because that's part of what makes writing worthwhile.
      I think that happy endings are one reason I like reading (and writing) chick lit. The main characters almost always get their happy endings.

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  12. A lot of these sound like me - I was so excited to get a rejection slip from The New Yorker!

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    1. Hi Deniz,
      Good for you for submitting a story to The New Yorker, especially because that's THE magazine that many writers (including me) aspire to get published in.

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