Comments on: Lose the Illusion—It Never Gets "Easier"

By: undertheneedles

undertheneedles — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:38:47 +0000

I’m just starting out as a writer and I do feel like a fraud telling people that I’m a writer…but I think I feel less and less like a fraud as I work more and more with my writing. I’m excited about finishing my first book (a book of poetry), then finishing my first novel and having them published. I’m really just excited about everything right now.

By: Top Picks Thursday 03-21-2013 | The Author Chronicles

Top Picks Thursday 03-21-2013 | The Author Chronicles — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:14:06 +0000

[…] an imaginative bunch. Sometimes we imagine things that get in the way of our own success, such as waiting for things to get easier before we write. And sometimes we imagine that someone else’s success somehow diminishes our own chances of […]

By: Writing Resources 16 March 2013 | Gene Lempp ~ Writer

Writing Resources 16 March 2013 | Gene Lempp ~ Writer — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 11:11:19 +0000

[…] Lamb: Lose the Illusion—It Never Gets “Easier”. Excerpt: “We all have to guard against fantastical thinking. When we are new writers, we […]

By: Daniel Escurel Occeno

Daniel Escurel Occeno — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:44:33 +0000

In reply to Simon Okill. It sounds like fun. I already cannot sleep when my mind is engrossed with writing something. The voice recorder on the cell phone for dictations at anytime helps because it is the worry of forgetting it in the morning that keeps me from having a good night sleep. I cannot wait for when I have the editor keeping me up all night with a simple E-mail reply. Can you afford the Coney Dog with extra onions, but get one after the roller coaster ride. [The Script Frenzy Challenge in 30 days of 100 pages during the month of April] was terminated and I wrote two screenplays the years I was involved because of it so I am back just waiting for NaNoWriMo and writing on Novelettes and adding to the WIPs needing more word count to be a completed novel.

By: babedarla

babedarla — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:38:36 +0000

OH Kristin, once again you got me, this time with:
“This job is easier if we’re realistic. The newborn stage, yes we are checking every thirty seconds to make sure our career is breathing. Was is a victim of SIDS? Sudden Inspiration Death Syndrome? But there is all kinds of joy ahead.”
I posted THIS on my Facebook page the other night:
“It’s hard to believe that a little over a month ago I was in the grip of such a fierce writers block that I was afraid that going back to school might be a foolish decision…and today I’m bouncing up and down like a happy 3 year old saying “Yay! Writing is so fun!””

By: Justin Sargeant

Justin Sargeant — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:19:42 +0000

I do truly appreciate this insight. As I am a newbie at the writing gig I feel I have had these sentiments more often than nought. It’s always great to take a step back and get some scope, perspective on the adventure.

By: Colin McPhillamy

Colin McPhillamy — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:18:35 +0000

Ah… the interface between self-published authorship and life itself. But excuse me. Are you and I closely related? Did we room together in college? It so happens that I am in my 9th year of first novel writing madness, I released my 2nd self-published book yesterday, and I have a virgin blog to bring to the world…how did you know? Just asking.

By: Simon Okill

Simon Okill — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:28:21 +0000

Wonderful post Kristen. I had no illusions that writing would get easier. If anything it gets tougher keeping all your social media updated, contantly tweeting, each tweet different. I started out writing screenplays. Got tremendous actors to say yes to lead roles – Gary Oldman, Ian McShane, Amanda Donohoe and even John Travolta, but screenwriting is more fickle than a fickly thing. The slightest crack – John hated the director – producers argued – my agent screamed at them all – smash – it all went down the toilet. Then my agent kicked me out for writing garbage. Real low mood. Poor health. Operations. Now slow climb back up the ladder, one rung at a time. Now published. Now less sleep. Now Now Now! Now what’s next? My next novel and I have a great director attached to my screenplay. The rollercoaster ride has begun all over again.

By: lythya

lythya — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:25:16 +0000

In fact when I saw the title of your post I sighed. I was just like: “No, don’t tell me that, kristen! Don’t kill my hopes!”
And then you told about the things that get easier and I was like, oh, not as bad as I thought …
And then you dropped the baby analogy bomb. Damn you, Kristen!
Haha, but no, you’re not too harsh. You’re wonderfully straight about truth. I must read one of your books one day. I have a feeling there must be a lot of true observations there.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:06:05 +0000

So true. Actually it’s funny because my illusion phase didn’t last too long. Now I have the opposite problem: the lack of a comforting illusion can make it difficult to plow on some days. It makes me wonder why I wanted to do all of this in the first place, at which point I remind myself I didn’t get much of a choice. Writing is a genetic disorder, haha