Angela Ackerman is our Best Selling Author for the month of July. She has blessed us with some encouragement in the meantime.
Conquering Impatience on the path to publication
by Angela Ackerman
Recently some writing friends and I were discussing which virtues are the most important for those of us on the path to publication. We talked about the courage needed to write from the heart and to put ourselves out there, and how we must dig for internal fortitude to give us the strength to persevere. This led to realizing that one of the most important virtues is actually patience, and how it plays a vital role in staving off discouragement, depression, frustration, and doubt.
Patience. Boy, that is a tough one some days, isn’t it? Especially when it seems like everyone’s ship has come in but ours.
Writing is a long journey. Most of you are probably involved in writing sites, forums, critique groups, and the like, connecting with others on the writing path. You read blogs, encourage others, and keep tabs on those striving to get published just as you are. This is what it means to be a community. But the dark side to belonging to a community is that it can sometimes cause a crisis of faith. It can be a hard battle to stay patient and upbeat when other succeed but we have not (yet).
Don’t get me wrong, we cheer for every sale and piece of good news that comes to our writer friends! But, sometimes a sliver inside us feels something else. Frustration. Envy. Worry. Doubt. These emotions lead to a plague of questions: Why haven’t I succeeded? Why isn’t it my turn for good news? Why can’t this be me? Am I kidding myself for even trying?
It’s very easy to let these negative questions send us on a downward spiral, sucking away our energy, our creativity, and our strength to continue. Impatience will lead us down this dark road. So how do we fight it? How do we build up our resistance and stay optimistic?
The best way to conquer impatience is to take it out of the equation. Ask yourself, once my book is in an editor’s hands, is there anything I can do writing-wise to make them say yes? No, there isn’t. Can I make them read faster, get back to me faster? Again, no. So, why stress about it? These are things we have no control over.
Don’t Just Sit There, Though…Take Action
Being idle when waiting for something to happen isn’t the answer either. So think about what you do have control over, and what actions you can take. Here’s three to get you started:
• Create an impressive view for the editor or agent who may look you up online. When the writing is done, consider putting time and energy into building a stronger online platform.
• Continue to write and polish in case they want to see something else. Let go of the book that’s on submission and turn to the next project. There’s always more writing to be done.
• Adopt the learner mindset and grow your craft. Continue to hone your writing craft so a cleaner product reaches their desk. None of us know everything–we can always improve. Learning is growing.
Things like these are all within our control, so this is where our focus should be. Even if one chooses to self-publish, rushing will only lead to heartache. There is no substitute for taking your time and making sure your very best book is what makes it into the hands of readers.
One solid fact to remember, no matter where you’re at on the publishing trail is if you keep moving forward, you’ll get there. I believe this. I live it. So, the next time impatience and negativity cloud your head space, TAKE CONTROL. Fight by putting your energy into things that will lead to your success.
Angela Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker and co-author of several bestselling writing books, including The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression. She loves building communities, and her newest project, One Stop For Writers, is a powerhouse online library like no other, filled with description and brainstorming tools to help writers elevate their storytelling. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook and at her website, Writers Helping Writers.
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Hi Angela: Thanks for writing such an important and motivating post. I think that the three recommendations you offer, to get us going, are very helpful. In fact your suggestions will help people when ‘Patience’ is required, regardless of the challenge. I look forward to looking up your website, FB page and the link you provide for resources.