Hide

“I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.”

—Harper Lee

       I read my last post and feel like a different person wrote it.  This isn’t an unfamiliar feeling.  Any writer knows that with great hope comes the eventual loss of hope. 

One positive piece of news can make a day.

One negative feedback can break a day.

       For me, it seems to be coming from all fronts. I apply for jobs, many through schoolspring.com.  Sometimes, I get an email that an employer has read my resume (hope).  Sometimes, I get an email that the position has been filled (loss of hope). 

       I spent much of Sunday applying for non-teaching jobs.  I’m still applying for teaching and even better paying instructional aide jobs.  What is one qualified for (other than teaching) with a History B.A. and M.A.? I worked at GEICO full time, and then part time during grad school, but that was a long time ago.  I hope to find a position in education, so maybe there will be some more vacation time for me to spend with my kids.  I’ll miss the summer. That is, if I get a job. At least my last job is waiting for me.

Then there’s writing…

I’ve sent 10 queries.

I’ve received 2 rejections.

 Vine Leaves Literary Journal  accepted my poem for their July issue. (YaY!)

       In the midst of that happiness, I received 2 bits of negative writing feedback, so the brief moment in the sun became a tsunami.

I feel like hiding.

I’m tired of saying I’m a teacher who isn’t teaching.

I’m tired of saying I’m a writer who isn’t published.

Small pieces.

But no BIG BOOKS.

       Since summer began, I’ve been devoting lots of time to editing.  I plan to have 2 more projects to query by end of summer. 

Too bad the story of my life is… the best laid plans.

Depressed yet? 

I’m leaving us with some inspirational quotes.  We could use them about now.

“When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.”
—Stephen King, WD

“Plot is people. Human emotions and desires founded on the realities of life, working at cross purposes, getting hotter and fiercer as they strike against each other until finally there’s an explosion—that’s Plot.”
—Leigh Brackett, WD

“Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.”
—Larry L. King, WD

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
—Ernest Hemingway

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”
—George Orwell

“The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.”
—Philip Roth

Okay, maybe not all inspirational.

What do you do to keep a thick hide?