Wishlist for Writers
First let me just say, YES. I want all of these. And these. I'm greedy that way. But seriously, these are wonderful things that every writer would be lucky to have even a few of.
I'm adding my own list of things that I wish for. Things that may be harder to find, but well worth the search:
1. COURAGE. I wish for the courage to try new things. To write the story that scares me a little in its breadth and scope. To fail. And then try again.
2. HONESTY. I wish for the unvarnished truth. To be honest with myself about what could be better and to accept criticism without getting weighed down by emotion.
3. HEART. I wish for my characters to come to life as I write, to breathe laughter and love into the pages of my manuscript. To show me things that are deeper and more true than I ever imagined. To bring the real to the page.
4. PERSEVERANCE. I wish for the strength to keep going, especially when I want to give up. Give me strength to write another paragraph, another chapter, another draft. I wish for that last surge of adrenaline to be there when I need it most. To force me to the end, even when I feel like I'm writing crap.
5. SUPPORT. I wish for friends, family and coworkers to support my writing not just in principle, but in practice. To grant me time to write and go to conferences, to allow me to retreat to the sanctity of my critique group. To keep me going during those moments when I just want to stop. And to maybe even (gasp) pay retail for one of my books.
6. INSPIRATION. I wish for ideas. High concept, marketable, original ideas would be ideal, but I'll settle for ideas that get my brain and my heart racing at the same time. Ideas that take hold of me and won't let go until I get them down on paper, and then grab hold of me all over again, until they become as much a part of who I am as my DNA.
7. PASSION. I wish for my love affair with books and characters and stories to stay hot and borderline obsessive. To discover new authors and stories that entertain and inspire me. I wish for my passion to come through in everything I write.
8. CONFLICT. I wish for my manuscripts to be filled with conflicts that propel the story forward, reveal hidden strengths and weaknesses in my characters, and make the resolution satisfying.
9. QUALITY. I wish for a finished product I can be proud to put my name on. Something that makes all the hours of labor, moments of self doubt and painful revisions worth it. Something that makes me smile when I read it a year later.
10. COMMUNITY. I wish for more time with my surrogate family of writing friends. Retreats, dinners, critique groups. To share this process with people who truly understand. To share the good, bad and ugly, all the while keeping perspective, while striving to navigate this business with the wind at our backs and a good bottle of wine.
This year, I've been lucky enough to grasp hold of all of these things. But they can be fleeting, fickle, and slippery creatures. I wish they would all settle in and stay a while.
What things would you add to this writer's wishlist?
I'm adding my own list of things that I wish for. Things that may be harder to find, but well worth the search:
1. COURAGE. I wish for the courage to try new things. To write the story that scares me a little in its breadth and scope. To fail. And then try again.
2. HONESTY. I wish for the unvarnished truth. To be honest with myself about what could be better and to accept criticism without getting weighed down by emotion.
3. HEART. I wish for my characters to come to life as I write, to breathe laughter and love into the pages of my manuscript. To show me things that are deeper and more true than I ever imagined. To bring the real to the page.
4. PERSEVERANCE. I wish for the strength to keep going, especially when I want to give up. Give me strength to write another paragraph, another chapter, another draft. I wish for that last surge of adrenaline to be there when I need it most. To force me to the end, even when I feel like I'm writing crap.
5. SUPPORT. I wish for friends, family and coworkers to support my writing not just in principle, but in practice. To grant me time to write and go to conferences, to allow me to retreat to the sanctity of my critique group. To keep me going during those moments when I just want to stop. And to maybe even (gasp) pay retail for one of my books.
6. INSPIRATION. I wish for ideas. High concept, marketable, original ideas would be ideal, but I'll settle for ideas that get my brain and my heart racing at the same time. Ideas that take hold of me and won't let go until I get them down on paper, and then grab hold of me all over again, until they become as much a part of who I am as my DNA.
7. PASSION. I wish for my love affair with books and characters and stories to stay hot and borderline obsessive. To discover new authors and stories that entertain and inspire me. I wish for my passion to come through in everything I write.
8. CONFLICT. I wish for my manuscripts to be filled with conflicts that propel the story forward, reveal hidden strengths and weaknesses in my characters, and make the resolution satisfying.
9. QUALITY. I wish for a finished product I can be proud to put my name on. Something that makes all the hours of labor, moments of self doubt and painful revisions worth it. Something that makes me smile when I read it a year later.
10. COMMUNITY. I wish for more time with my surrogate family of writing friends. Retreats, dinners, critique groups. To share this process with people who truly understand. To share the good, bad and ugly, all the while keeping perspective, while striving to navigate this business with the wind at our backs and a good bottle of wine.
This year, I've been lucky enough to grasp hold of all of these things. But they can be fleeting, fickle, and slippery creatures. I wish they would all settle in and stay a while.
What things would you add to this writer's wishlist?
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2 comments
I love your list! It's totally unique from the others I've seen on this blogfest. It's perfect! We could all use a bit of these.
mY resolution is not for new Years, it is for new Day, eveyday, I resolve to do some writing, even if it isn't my wip. Writing through 'da funk', so I can bypass the blocks!
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