Being a writer is hard.

Pretty sure we’ve talked about that before, but it’s never a subject that you can read too much.

Since Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the US of A, I thought it would be nice to remind you that you’re awesome. That you have so much to be thankful for as a writer. And that you can only go up from where you are.

If you don’t believe me, check out THIS ARTICLE that shares several authors who faced terrible rejections. If you’ll notice, all their names are recognizable now.

Don’t know how to stay positive? Hitting a rough patch with your writing, your publishing, your editing? Not to worry!

 

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WRITING PARTNER

Having a friend/colleague/writing buddy who can always help your mood is important. Writers need writers to get by, to learn, to keep themselves pumped. I would be nowhere without the other amazing writers in my life. I’m pretty sure I would have given up at least ten times if I hadn’t been convinced otherwise.

You need people who understand what you’re going through. If you’re having a hard time connecting with other writers, there are some awesome groups through Facebook, blogging, and Twitter. The internet is your friend with this!

 

JUST KEEP WRITING

Maybe you got a bad review, or your 19th rejection from querying, or your book was shelved due to not being picked up. It’s a really rough gig, one that might only get harder before it gets better. But that shouldn’t keep you from doing what you love.

Writing is in your blood. You’ve finished a novel (or twelve), you’ve entered those contests, you’ve put yourself OUT THERE.

Now is NOT the time to stop. No time is. Never stop because you think you’ve failed– because the only time you will fail is when you lose faith in yourself.

 

YOU’VE WRITTEN A BOOK

If you’re writing or have written a book you are steps ahead of those who always say:

“I have this wonderful idea for a book, but I haven’t started it.”

“I’ve always wanted to write a book but never had the time.”

“I wanted to be a writer, but I had to do other things instead.”

“Some day I’ll have the time to sit down and write my novel.”

There are so many more, but those are the first four that come to mind. To me, I’m sorry to say, those are excuses. Nobody HAS the time to be a writer, but we MAKE and FIND the time because we ARE writers.

Am I right?!

So, you are a WRITER. And in the midst of the crazy world that is totally against us, you can be THANKFUL for that– and for your fellow writers.