As I mentioned in my last post, a couple of weeks ago I spoke at a fundraiser held by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach. During my talk, I mentioned that it took me six manuscripts before I eventually sold my first book to Kensington in 2003. Quite a few people expressed surprise/admiration that I hung in that long, that I didn’t get discouraged and give up. But the thing is – and other writers can certainly relate to this – once I’d started writing, it became an essential part of my life and the person I am. I couldn’t not write, so I just kept at it until the stars aligned, which in the writing world means I hit the right editor with the right manuscript at exactly the right moment.
A few weeks ago during one of my husband’s and my almost-weekly bike rides, we came upon something that I thought really illustrated why art isn’t only about success and profit – that even if you NEVER sell your work, if you love your particular artistic process, you’ll keep at it and find fulfillment in what you create. We happened to ride by our town’s Center For The Arts – a theater and museum that also displays scuptures on its grounds (I once blogged about the Big Comfy Chair), and discovered artwork that local artists – ranging from elementary school kids to professionals – had been invited to create and display. Here’s what we found:
The first one had been done (I think) by a middle school student.
The middle two are, I believe, both by high school students. And the last two are by professionals.
These pictures obviously must have taken hours to create, and each one shows a loving, painstaking effort. And every one of them had been rendered along the sidewalk – where people walk, where the rain falls, where the sun beats down all day long – in chalk. In fact, by the time we found them, they’d already begun to fade. They couldn’t be sold or even enjoyed for very long, but that didn’t deter the artists.
Publishing is a tough business that’s suddenly and rapidly changing, opening up a lot of uncertainty for the future of a lot of writers. But I found something oddly comforting about the artwork we discovered that day. It reminded me of what’s most important to me about being a writer.
That as we as artists in our chosen medium should and must persevere.
Like you, I can’t not not write. And when I get in a slump, okay have writers block, I feel guilt not getting even one word written.
Beautiful artwork,
You’re right. I still love storytelling. It’s the business aspects of writing that are discouraging these days.
I always tell people, “if you can quit, do.” Everytime I’ve taken a break, I’ve always come back to writing.
Great post, Lisa.
I’ve retired three times. But keep coming back. Writing is what I’ve enjoyed since grade school – and I wasn’t even thinking about publishing then! So, really…why stop?
I’ve been writing since elementary school, too, Sandra. Sometimes it really is restorative to separate the writing from the business and just enjoy what we do.