Kath here. Please welcome Boston-based poet and novelist L.J. Cohen to Writer Unboxed. L.J. was a finalist in our quest to find an unpublished contributor. She’s been a part of the WU community for years, having contributed a two-part guest post for us in 2008 on using a wiki to organize a novel (see part one and part two). L.J. has been actively blogging at Once in a Blue Muse since 2005. She’s also the head moderator of a large internet based poetry workshop, Wild Poetry Forum. She’s been writing fiction for the past 5 ½ years, and has completed six novels. She is represented by Nephele Tempest of The Knight Agency and has a YA novel out on submission.
Enjoy!
Accentuate the Positive: Hope and the Aspiring Writer
As a yet-to-be-published writer, I have learned the necessity of keeping hope alive. Since writers are first and foremost daydreamers, it shouldn’t be difficult to hold to an image of my book shelved at the book store, or of a reader on the “T” looking up from one of my novels to recognize me from the back cover. Those are the dreams that keep me typing, writing scraps of ideas on scraps of paper, and pushing myself to do the umpteenth revision for my critique group.
And yet, hope can seem impossible, especially in a culture so obsessed with harsh realities and negativity.
So in the face of all the difficulties on the road to publication, how does a writer keep hope alive?
1. Know Thyself
As paradoxical as it may seem, I work hard at staying honest with myself in terms of strengths and weaknesses. I know that I use language well–decades of writing poetry has taught me much about word choice and the musicality of language. I also am able to create real characters that readers attach to. I struggle with setting the scene strongly enough and ensuring the emotions in my head make it to the page. My first drafts often feel ‘thin’ to my first readers.
Knowing my specific pattern of skills makes it easier to deal with the negative self talk that would have me believe that I am a loser, that no one will read/like/publish/buy my books.
2. Keep Moving
When I used to live in New York City, I walked nearly everywhere I needed to go. Instead of being trapped waiting for each signal to show a walk sign, I always chose to keep walking in the general direction I wanted to go, even if that meant zigging or zagging across streets.
In my writing life, I keep moving in an analogous way. If I’m blocked on a current project, I write something else. It could be a poem, a journal entry, world building, or a free write. Any words on the page count, even if it doesn’t add to the WIP. The important thing is to keep moving. Keep writing.
3. Accentuate the Positive
Numerous scientific studies have reported a positive impact on mood and outlook through a daily gratitude practice. Turns out that old 1940’s Bing Crosby hit song was right: accentuate the positive. According to a 2003 experimental study by Emmons and McCullough, individuals who kept a gratitude journal:
“. . . exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures across the 3 studies, relative to the comparison groups. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.”
While I may not always translate this practice into journaling, I do reflect consciously on the many aspects of my life I am grateful for. They include the incredible support of my family, the unconditional love I get from my dog (and the fact that she makes me walk every day, whether I want to or not!), and the companionship and encouragement I receive from my writing community.
Aside from writing the best stories we can, nurturing hope and banishing despair may be some of the only things we have control over in this crazy process.
So share your strategies. How do you keep hope alive?
About Lisa Janice Cohen
LJ Cohen is a Boston area novelist, poet, blogger, ceramics artist, and relentless optimist. After almost twenty-five years as a physical therapist, LJ now uses her anatomical knowledge and myriad clinical skills to injure characters in her science fiction and fantasy novels. Her most recent book, Dreadnought and Shuttle, (book 3 of the SF/Space Opera series Halcyone Space) represents her sixth published novel. Derelict, the first novel in the series, was chosen as a Library Journal Self-e Select title and book of the year in 2016. LJ is active in IPNE (The Independent Publishers of New England), SFWA (The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), and Broad Universe and blogs about publishing, general geekery, and other ephemera on her website.
I keep hope alive by remembering that I have the privilege of doing something I love: writing.
And this morning when I struggled between two scenes in my historical fiction, I remembered the words of Aristotle: Well begun is half done.
Thanks for the post and have a wonderful day of writing.
-Mia
Great tips, and I like FourDaysAWeek’s additions too.
I try to surround myself with people who are supportive and who believe in me. It’s always easier to keep your hopes afloat when your friends and family are filling them with helium. ;D
Yes! Great post! And I couldn’t agree more about moving, moving, moving. I guess the up side of being unpublished (I there too in the novel arena) is that we’re not on a contract and we have wiggle room to work on the project that’s the most exciting to us at any given time. :)
I’d add reminding myself of past successes — sales, positive comments from editors with rejections, readers who ask when my next short story is coming out (and to please let them know when I have a book on the way), times when I’ve written more than I thought I could. I’ve come this far; I can keep going. I’ve succeeded before; I can do it again.
Great post, Lisa. I keep hope alive by telling myself that the crap I wrote today can always be improved. And usually, I CAN improve it. Positivity always helps.
Thanks for the tips, LJ. :)
I especially likes number two. I have been doing number three for quite some time now. Every night before I go to bed, I count the number of thing I am grateful for and it feels wonderful. Surrounding yourself with uplifting people also has a huge impact.
Yes yes yes. Positivity and support are both so important. Wasting time on negativity and jealousy and anger doesn’t get you any closer to being published, and doesn’t make you a better writer. But your suggestions, L.J., are spot on.
I also like to make sure I’m celebrating successes, even when the road is long and we’re never sure where it’s going. Found a critique group? Finished a very very rough first draft? Invited to guest post on a blog you love? Take a moment to appreciate it.
(And good luck out on submission, L.J.! I know how tense that time is!)
FourDaysAWeek: Love that Aristotle quote. One to keep on the wall in my office.
Kristan–that ‘helium’ keeps me afloat too. My teenage kids are my biggest fans and motivators.
Nina–I keep reminding myself that I will never have as much freedom to write as I do now.
Kathleen–thank you again for your invite, and your gracious welcome. And oh, yeah, thank the writer-gods for revision. LOL.
Raj–glad to know a fellow gratitude enthusiast.
Jael–you were posting just as I was! Thank you for commenting. Yes–celebrating all the small, stepwise successes is key. And thanks for the well wishes. I used to have fingernails. . .
This may sound paradoxical: I tell myself that if my writing doesn’t work, if it doesn’t reach its audience, if it doesn’t translate what I experience within me onto the page, it’s not the end of the world. With the pressure off, I give myself permission to wait, to fail, to try things that probably won’t work.
I kept a gratitude journal for a while. Have to say that it felt, at times, forced, But I picked it up again the other day, and was so glad I recorded my thoughts. Maybe I’ll start it again.
“Hope” is a word which has great personal meaning to me, and I *so* appreciated this post and all the thoughtful comments.
In addition to the above: I try to use hopeful language. “Yet” is a powerful word when encountering a challenge, as in “I don’t know how to do this yet.”
Also, I have hope role models – people alive, dead and virtual – who show me how to live from that bigger place.
I like to intentionally appreciate something I admire about someone or something on a daily basis. I especially make an extra effort to notice and be genuine in my appreciation with those I love, they tend to be taken for granted sometimes. :) The little things matter. I love giving sincere compliments, it battles all that negative goobley-gook that floats around! Surrounding yourself with fantastic friendships never hurts either.
Keeping hope alive is such an important skill to have as a writer. Our imagination can take us down the dark path so easily, which is okay as a detour, but we do have to change direction before it becomes a lifestyle. :)
I like to focus on my successes with writing, whether it’s finishing NaNo or being out on submission. At one point these were dreams, not actual accomplishments, so it’s a good reminder that good things do happen. :)
I often visualize hope as the proverbial horizon that I must keep moving toward. The key is: keep moving. Just like you said. So true. Even when you think you’re there, or almost, there’s still a new place to move toward. And there are always unexpected surprises along the way to keep the hope alive.
Great post, thanks!
Yat-Yee–I like that concept of taking the pressure off. Thank you for sharing.
Jan–the language we use is so important in shaping our expectations. I totally agree.
Jen–“The little things matter.” So very true.
Donna–agreed–so important to remember that good things *do* happen and to be grateful for them.
Sharon–one of those unexpected surprises was my opportunity to be a guest blogger here on WU today. :)
Thank you all for your gracious comments!
Good luck being out on submission! I agree whole heartedly with everything you said. I think the hardest part with all of it is seeing how much of the journey to publication is out of our control. Focusing on what you can do, and how you can improve, is a good use of energy. Worrying just isn’t.
(oh and btw, I have a special fondness for Bing! Can’t ever go wrong with a Crosby reference!)
I like what you said about moving. for me, it isn’t so much about hope anymore, but about always trying to move forward.
I think it just goes back to having stories to tell, whether or not they’re ‘good enough’, whether or not anyone is going to love them as much as you do, whether or not they’ll ever be traditionally published. There are a million things people do for fun, from sports to scrapbooking. Why not write?
Great post and very in keeping with the season. Rejections are a part of this business, and keeping a positive attitude is so important. Thanks for reminding us how to do this and why we have to!
Erin–sorry I missed you earlier! I like the way you put this: “I’ve succeeded before; I can do it again.” Sometimes it’s hard to hold that in perspective. Thanks.
Anne–wasn’t his voice just divine! And yes, it’s all about knowing what you can and can’t control.
Sarah–Yes. I think on some level, the writer has to love the process of writing in and of itself to keep doing it.
Christy–thanks for reading and commenting. Much obliged.
Great post, LJ. I so appreciate what you’ve said here about MOVING. That’s critical for me, too.
And I loved what Jan said, too, about the power of “Yet.” I’d never thought about it that way before, but you’re spot-on, Jan.
What do I do? Well, I’m honest with myself in a “Know Thyself” way, like you, LJ. Faults. Strengths. I hope I know myself well. I think about everything–maybe too much–in an attempt to improve on bad habits and trends. I leave myself little notes of encouragement when the walls start to close in on me. And when I write a particularly good piece of writing, I bask in it for a little while and THAT fills me with Hope. See there, it says. You can do it. Now do it again. ;-)
Thanks again for a great post, L.J.
*Waving to Therese, Kath and all the wonderful WU writers :)*
Hi, L.J. — it’s great to see you here! I really enjoyed your post. I’ve noticed and appreciated your optimism whenever I’ve encountered it in other places, too (like FB!), and I believe in the power of gratitude as well. Hugh Prather wrote something about how our eyes are the keys to the soul and, slowly, we become what we look at most. (I’m sure I’m butchering the real quotation.) But, anyway, his point was that we become more of what we focus on. That we transform — positively or negatively — into whatever we pay the most attention to. So, for me, that’s a good argument for focusing on the things I love and appreciate ;).
Fingers crossed for you on the submission!!
Therese & Marilyn,
Thank you for your kind comments. I have had the chance to practice gratitude in a much more significant arena than my own writing. Early Wednesday morning, out family was awoken by smoke detectors and were lucky to escape our home in our pajamas and in our bare feet. I have experienced such amazing kindness and generosity over the past 48 hours. Our things can be replaced; our home repaired. The fact that I can hug my husband and my kids and curl up with the dog is the blessing I hold to.
Oh, no, LJ! I’m so sorry to hear about the fire but what a relief that you and your entire family–including your dog–is okay. (And thank god for smoke detectors!) Please let us know if any sort of fund has been established to help you and your family, and we’ll spread the word. Really. So glad you’re okay.
Thank you, Therese. It’s been a crazy, exhausting, surreal few days. We were well insured and our house will be rebuilt. I deeply appreciate your offer to rally the troops on my behalf, but right now, your moral support and good thoughts are the best help we can get.
We moved into our temporary housing today and are working hard to make it a home for our kids.
best,
Lisa