
A few years ago, I came across this quote:
"Writing is a solitary occupation." -Bernard Cornwell
And I was all like...
"Oh yeah! That's me. I'm a confident writer who don't need anyone."
But, as I focused more on polishing my craft, and pursuing being a novelist as a career, the idea of flying solo was not nearly as inviting. The more I wrote, the less I realized I actually knew about writing. And last year, I wrote quite a lot.
- Wrote 98,000 word novel.
- Edited another that was about the same length.
- Published a fictional devotional.
- Wrote a 20K novella.
STUCK
Growing up overseas, I didn’t have very many people to read my work. Certainly no professionals.
Without anyone to really challenge my writing, I was treading water, when I needed someone to teach me how how to dive.
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I realized that while writing may be a solitary occupation, it is not a solitary career. Or dream, for that matter.
Returning to the USA, I had the opportunity to meet other writers. Professional authors. And even get plugged into a critique group.
To some, "edit" may seem like a dirty word—but I thrived on the critical feedback.
When most of my time had been spent writing alone, it was an amazing new experience to have other people reading my work—and enjoying it. I was taught so much through their feedback, and saw my writing improve by leaps and bounds.
Instead of being overwhelmed by all of the work needed to improve the manuscript, I saw it as an opportunity to make the story even better. To flesh out characters and deepen plotlines.
I was learning how to dive.
ALONE

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