Comments on: Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

By: [BLOCKED BY STBV] blog articles

[BLOCKED BY STBV] blog articles — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:15:02 +0000

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By: My 6 impossible things « creative barbwire (or the many lives of a creator)

My 6 impossible things « creative barbwire (or the many lives of a creator) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:23:45 +0000

[...] } This refers to Ann Aguirre’s post on Writer Unboxed where she invites writers to make a list of the six things they want most – [...]

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By: AE Rought

AE Rought — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:22:50 +0000

Ann,

Thank your for this post. Writing is such an in-your-head venture that sometimes it’s hard to see outside of it and realize that we’re not really alone in this.

I’ve been dealing with negativity on some level or another since my agent snapped up and ran with my YA novel. Funny how lovers and haters come out in the most unexpected people. A few stalwart friends do anything they can, one even offered up her quiet house as an escape–while “another day” others call, pester, want to shop or go to lunch. “Sure, Chinese sounds damn good, but I need to make word count” just doesn’t sink in with some.

I’m saving this post to read on the days the “another day” numbers show up constantly in caller ID, or I’m feeling down.
.-= AE Rought´s last blog ..HOLY COW! =-.

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By: dirtywhitecandy

dirtywhitecandy — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:53:34 +0000

What a good post – especially your points about other people’s reactions. A tiny bit of success can really tread on other people’s toes. Times like this you find out who your real friends are. Writers work really hard for what they get, and have to have enormous reserves of positivity – thanks for expressing this so well!

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By: Cari

Cari — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:51:07 +0000

Lovely post.

My 6 Impossible Things Before Breakfast: (Technically after today, but it’s before somebody’s breakfast, anyway.)
1. Continue to be active in new, amazing ways.
2. Finish a novel. (And then many novels.)
3. Get an agent, sell a book.
4. Have writing become my career.
5. Learn a new skill every few years.
6. Be a best seller.

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By: Marisa Birns

Marisa Birns — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:40:57 +0000

Agree with all the others who laud this post!

I try to see a different perspective and believe that many times, a dear friend/relative who is not as supportive as one would like concerning the writing life, may simply be acting out of fear and concern not envy.

They worry about the kind of living one can make in a field that is so very hard. Especially if the writer uses them often as a sounding board for their despair about any roadblocks.

I have always loved the Alice stories and do believe that a life lived believing impossible things is the best kind of life indeed.
.-= Marisa Birns´s last blog ..Voyages =-.

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By: Pamela

Pamela — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:25:26 +0000

Very inspiring and excellent advice !
.-= Pamela´s last blog ..A much needed night out =-.

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By: Writer Unboxed » Blog Archive » 9 Strategies for Surviving the Second Book

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:02:07 +0000

[...] Rule #3: Surround yourself with people who succeed. (ht Ann Aguirre and her post from last week) [...]

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By: Natasha Fondren

Natasha Fondren — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:09:56 +0000

On number one, that’s oft-mentioned, but I try to oft-discount it. God bless us, and I’ve even seen it myself, too: When we first sell, we go a little bit crazy for a couple months, even up to a full year. We’re a little annoying, to be honest. We say things that are a little bit off-putting. Sometimes we freak out a little, and sometimes our head grows just a little bit. :-)

I’m just saying, before we start accusing people of being passive-aggressive and writing off friends who we claim are “jealous,” we might take a look at ourselves.

It’s not always that our friends calm down after a few months; sometimes it’s that we’ve calmed down, and they can relate to us again the way they’ve always related to us.
.-= Natasha Fondren´s last blog ..Sitting Sucks; Writing Doesn’t. =-.

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By: prue batten

prue batten — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:08:48 +0000

Oh Ann, what a great post. And so apt. I belonged to a group for 12 years, a non-writing group, and when my first book was released they hardly moved their lips to share in my joy. This went on for a year and I began to feel a divide springing up. I wondered if I had now moved into an area that they didn’t understand, or if they didn’t WANT to understand, or even worse, that they begrudged me my very small moment of fame in the media. Whatever the case, I realised I had to move on and away from them and it came to a head perversely over an issue entirely unconnected with my books but a big moral issue . . . I walked out on their narrow-mindedness. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t an odd feeling, but the same day, I received an email from an acquaintance who didn’t know I wrote, who had bought my first book and invited me to coffee.
We now meet regularly and a true friendship has begun and there have been other equally empathetic introductions into my life over the last year.
I can now say ditching the dead wood was the best thing for my own spirit.

My six are so similar to everyone-else’s:
1. Write more
2. Write best
3. Secure an agent
4. Have a loyal fan-base
5. Remain true to myself
6. Be peaceful

So thanks so much for your post. It and the comments make me realise just how much we’re all in the same tiny little boat on a very big and tossing sea.

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