It was going to be a work of longish fiction about 4000 words at least, but it turned out to sound better as poetry, free verse style. Wound up with 2000 word poetry instead. Have a month for it to settle before submitting. I call the “event”, in this writer’s calendar, fiction confusion, because it should have been fiction, but winds up as poetry with quite a bit of editing.
Meanwhile, watching The Last Jedi movie trailer. The moral of the saga will probably be complete next episode. Meanwhile, young lives go on, unsure of what the meaning of the moral is, but needing to know, because their lives depend on it. I want to know.
Or a mission, to pursue the possibility (not probability at this stage) of submitting a unique work of fiction or poetry by the end of next month, to a publisher that is open to receiving it. In the words of a former supervisor of mine, I look forward to it. Start thinking about it today. Work on it tomorrow.
With three publishers wanting to see my work, you’d think I’d be happy about that. Well, I am, but it’s just three isn’t it? It’s casual writing work. Short writing or thereabouts. Like it. Would like more avenues but am grateful for what’s in the writing department.
With avenues for writers scarce in the religious genre, the younger ones are being promoted. Did a lot back in the day when the publishers were still going. Hope the younger ones do well.
May just find something else as well. So I keep the possibility open. Have two websites I use for information on publishing somewhere else.
With the thought of possibility, one may never let the possibility die. Opportunities may come and go, but possibility can be forever, whatever happens. Because one thinks, what if? Then you keep on going.
Wrote a short devotion of about 200 words that I’ve sent off to a devotional publisher, hoping it will do well. This is after the same publisher is going to publish an older devotion of mine that was submitted over two years ago.
I have taken a fresh tact on utilizing the potential of devotional writing. I think it’s got more potential than the number of spot devotions I wrote previously.
The writing life is different for everyone who’s a writer–and that includes everyone who has written something, published or unpublished, or considers they are a writer because of whatever reason. (Some unpublished works are better than published).
Sometimes, experience in a field or industry counts in writing about that field of industry. Sometimes, a writer takes the bull by the horns and just writes.
Whatever way, acceptances and rejections come one’s way no matter how the writing is and what it’s about, no matter how noble or realistic and so on.
Through it all, a writer never gives up on writing, which is a writer’s default setting.
There’s nothing wrong in being inspired to write, if one isn’t a working writer.
Being inspired to write can lead to being a working writer, but even if it did not, inspiration to write can be a strong motivator. As long as one checks their writing before sending it, and it fits in with the publisher’s requirements (research).
Contributing has the share of busy times and quieter moments as far as I know. There are also the times when a contributor may look for that next publication to contribute to, but it is slow in coming.
A contributor may have self-publishing work, but may keep on looking for that next publisher and if it’s a nice fit.
The rejection is two-fold. The writer may reject a publisher as unsuitable from the outset and the publisher may reject the writer after the writer submits a piece. And if in the throes of a job, one of the parties may terminate the job.
But if going by track record, a contributor has faith that their work has potential and can be picked up again.
It’s a faith-building exercise when someone accepts your work when there had been a number of set-backs in the process of submitting. So the lesson, if there is one, is that when one gets an acceptance, it will build confidence to submit to the next one. But no one needs me to tell them that. It’s pretty self-evident.
Through the quieter times of researching the next publisher, one must persevere as best as possible, and keep on waiting and see what happens. Then after a while one can see what kind of future their contributing has.
One must have faith, but also be realistic, after all is done to pursue the possibilities.
Should a writer be a consumer is a question that has an obvious answer as I found myself more a consumer than actually writing like the guy who’s cleaning his fridge more than writing the next Oscar winner. Shame on us.
Of course writers shouldn’t be doing that.
The image of a writer is non-consumerist. They even have to write about being non-consumerist. But I found a little retail therapy just up my ally. I try so hard trying to be non-consumerist, though.
So where does this leave my writing? Or more precisely where does this leave me?
No longer a hypocrite
I can’t be a hypocrite and tell someone to avoid the latest blockbuster and tell them to watch the real and meaningful art house film on offer and praise it by default.
When one becomes a consumer, which we all become at some stage, then to tell others that they shouldn’t is no longer relevant. We are all consumers.
I’m special
And I felt it more now. I shouldn’t, but I did. And that we do, that I do, that you do, that no one else but you and no one else but me does. We are all special as consumers because we buy as unique consumers. I buy this, you buy that. But since I’m a writer it’s more of a flaw to call oneself a writer and buy those commercial, materialistic things that don’t fill the soul but make us empty. But we still are consumers.
So stop telling me that I shouldn’t buy this or that.
I’m still a writer
So, in light of this, should I write a commercial novel because I now feel what it’s like to be a consumer?
Should I write something commercial because I actually belong? Because I’ve joined the club? Because I felt it more this time, last time I didn’t feel it as much?
But that’s being as rigid as being non-consumerist. So I’ll write what I like to write. Being a consumer doesn’t change anything in my writing.
