I like this post by Matthew Cheney at The Mumpsimus having to do with Matt’s discovery of his very early writings, his aspirations at that time and the fine tuning that experience sets upon our work as well as our dreams.
Though Matt references John Scalzi’s "Letter to Young Writers" post of last year wherein the first item noted is "The Bad News: Right Now, Your Writing Sucks," I think that there’s a message here for all new writers, even those of us who may have felt we were writers long before we ever truly tried to make the time to do it with intense seriousity. (Yes, I made that word up, but it does flow so nicely.) I’m just linking the same posts here, but they’re all so very well done that I’ll link to make it easier: Scalzi’s update of yesterday on the referring to his prior post.
Matt faces his visions, accepts his successes and failures to determine his path as an adult. While writers are exhorted to write, write, write if you must as you’ll only get better and better your chances of publication, there is always a point at which we must face ourselves honestly and see that our best may be nearly achieved, and that best is just not gonna fly.
These are the things that if we’re to go on with the effort and time spent in this singular focus of dedication and ardor (did I say ardor?) we have to recognize the impetus or intent as well as the goal. If you can forget publication yet send out submissions without that heartdropping bang at the sight of your own SASE in the mail, hurray for you! If you can happily blog your innermost fantasies and creative spirit nailed to the cross of a website without checking your stats every hour, that’s great! If you can channel your muse into copywriting technical brochures and feel somewhat smug about the narrative structure and hidden meanings within, more power to you!
Yet sometimes, you just have to let go.
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