Tag Archives: writing advice

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Why I Almost Quit Writing

4 Reason I Almost Quit

Being a writer is difficult. Heck- Being in any sort of creative work is tough. Most days we walk around with so many ideas fighting to get out of our heads we can’t hardly find the time or energy to sit down and get them on the page.

Not long ago I listened as someone in one of my Facebook groups said they were ready to give up. They had just gotten their sixth rejection on their fourth book. As of this date none of their works had been picked up by a small press or large publisher. Frustrated, tired, burned out, they were ready to throw in the towel. Heck, not even a relaxing cup of coffee could bring them to their senses and relax their mind…

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I felt for them- I really did. I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to fail- In fact- I still fail. The truth is I have even quit before. I’ve quit a lot of things. And afterwards, I feel more substandard then I did before.

Now don’t get me wrong- Quitting sometimes is healthy and good. I stopped drinking soda. Some stop smoking, and yes- Maybe quitting for a time will renew your passion. But that isn’t what we are talking about here. Where talking about quitting because you feel inferior.

The truth is- Quitting doesn’t bring closure or satisfaction, or even less stress. It doesn’t make you forget the pain of rejection- it only brings insult to your soul.

There was a time I just about quit writing. I sit on my patio and made list of four primary reasons I needed to give up. I’m sure there are a hundred other excuses as well, you may even have some yourself. But I have found that quite often the four below are pretty common…

Number One- Time:

Let’s face it. I have a busy life. I work full time, I’m active in my church, my wife and I have two children (Miles who is 2 ½ years old and Bennett who is 9 months) Finding time to write is very challenging. Luckily for me I have a very supportive wife who understands my need to get words on the page. There are nights where she tells me to just go, get out, and write. But let’s face it- I can’t do that every night. I mean I would be a massive jerk to leave her at home alone with those two. So what that means is cutting out the distractions (Netflix) and powering through from 9:30 to 11:00 until I get my words on the page.

If I can have a family, work full time, work out every day, eat healthy, spend time in God’s word, and still find time to write- So can you. So Don’t quit!!!

Number Two- Perfection:

The thing I wished someone would have told me when I first started is that it didn’t need to be perfect the first time. I have written some horrible first drafts before- Some that felt so bad I walked away from them. Don’t quit because of a bad first draft. Structure and grammar can all be fixed during re-writes. Let’s face it- Editing is a separate process for a reason.

Number Three- No Money to Invest:

I find a lot of people who think they have to go traditional because the publisher will pay an advance, take care of editing, and take care of cover design. It seems that most when faced with rejection from a publisher use money as the number one excuse for not going indie. As of right now I have a full length novel, two short stories completed, and a novella I’m currently working on. Now it’s true I can’t afford to send them to my editor all at once. But I don’t intend to start publishing these until next year (2016) anyway. My goal is to have four books in the queue ready to go up in Jan, April July, and October of 2016. Releasing those 90 days apart and putting out good content.

Why you ask- Because I can’t afford to edit them all right now, nor can I afford to pay for cover design for four books all at the same time. This is my approach to getting around the money issue, write, prepare over time, and publish throughout the course of next year. Technically I could even wait up to a month before to get the cover design ready. The point is find a strategy and go with what works best for you. Writing isn’t cheap, and sometimes if the finances aren’t there it may take some time to get them out. Don’t rush- And don’t quit.

Number Four- Lack of Forward Progress:

This is one I understand all too well. It’s also something I think people use as the number one excuse for giving up. Because this is a universal excuse. Why do most people give up on diets or healthy lifestyle changes? Simple- The scale never moves. Why do people stop blogging? No one visits their site. Michael Hyatt made a great quote on his podcast not too long ago. He said “Most people quite right before the inflection point.”

I’m glad I didn’t give up and quit, and so is my wife who would otherwise have to listen to all my crazy insane ideas. Now don’t get me wrong- I love seeing people quit for the right reasons. Stress, poor lifestyles, there are a number of reasons to let go of something and move on. But don’t let a list of reasons (like above) stop you when you feel like nothing is happening.

What about you? Have you ever felt like quitting at the beginning…? If so what did you do to overcome that feeling of inferiority?

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Christianity, Horror, and Fear #ACFW #MFLouie #ASMSG

545596_10151281869011057_415906165_nFear by all means is not a pleasant emotion. Having to experience terror, being threatened, feeling doomed, is quite naturally a negative feeling. It isn’t something that one wishes to feel. Fear in the circles of Christian belief is one that is often suppressed. As a Christian believer myself, I have found myself afraid many times. But I have also found that at times my fear is unnecessary because I always place my hope in Christ. But fear, regardless of where our faith lies, is a natural reaction that often is unavoidable.

I like to write fiction that crosses the line. Gently coloring outside of them is not enough for me. I don’t want to write within the bounds of a “You Can’t Say this or do that criteria…” Please understand I am neither mocking nor complaining about any publisher in the Christian industry. What I am saying however, is for me, I want to explore the questions that some may or may not be daring to explore.

In my Short Story “Compulsion” I asked the questions- Can God forgive a monster? Could he forgive someone that murdered for enjoyment…? Could he forgive a Hitler, Stalin, or Jim Jones…? But more importantly, could I accept the fact that he would forgive them…?

With my upcoming Novella “My Friend Louie” I ask the question- For those of us that struggle in life, for those of us who face deep psychological issues, does God care that we suffer…?  I will admit, that none of those questions were fun to explore. They were quite frightening indeed. It’s by all means never fun to make assumptions. However, when exploring philosophical concepts sometimes the answers aren’t clear and assumptions are all we have. The Bible I believe provides us with many answers, and likewise provides us with the character of God. But often times the Bible is silent in places where we would like it to be bold.

There are many in the Christian industry that would look at my writing and say “It’s too dark…” That’s okay, because those readers aren’t my market. There are many in the non-Christian industry that would say I’m too preachy. That also is ok. As I just mentioned, they aren’t my market. My market is those who are willing to look beyond the surface, and aren’t afraid to dive deep and explore the depths that most folks never take the time to search themselves.

For me, stories are only the form to achieve that. But stories are more than simply a tale that may leave us up turning the pages well into the early morning hours. I want to tell stories that leave you with a thought. Leave you with a desire to explore the question further. I hope I manage to achieve that. Because for me, that is where the real measure of success lies. Fear is not pleasant, but often fear is the force that drives us to dive deep.

 

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I Wish I had a TARDIS: Part 2- A Chance to Re-live

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Do you ever have regrets…?

I know I do. There are moments in my life I wish I could just hit the pause button. Take a little time to think about things, then rewind back and re-live all over again. Perhaps I wouldn’t have played G.I. Joes in my grandmother’s attic that resulted in me and a few friends falling through the ceiling causing thousands of dollars in damage. Then there was the time I wrecked my car attempting to ramp it over a small creek with a busted bridge (hey, it worked on the Dukes of HAZARD).

But then there are the more serious moments. Like the day my brother died at the age of 29. I often found myself wishing I could have had that “last” conversation. What would I say? Would I cry because I knew something he didn’t? Could I have the power to travel back and warn him to get off prescription drugs and wash his hands of it all?

It’s time like this where I wish I had a TARDIS. If you have no idea what that is, I invite you to view my previous post or turn on some Dr. Who. At the end of the day I wouldn’t mind the ability to travel back in time and fix all the mistakes I made. I would go back to 1987 and tell my ten year old self to focus on school, focus hard. I would warn myself at the age of 16 that I wasn’t invincible and if it came down to it- I could get hurt.

But would it be worth it. Would it be worth going back and reliving all those painful moments that still eat away at me and make me feel as though I am hopeless? Could I really rid myself of some regrets and the weight of some guilt? Would it change who I am today? But wait, I like who I am.

I’m sure that I could have the chance to find peace with some situations. But I’m not sure I could fathom the idea of changing who I am now.

The road of life is full of crooked paths. Some wander you off in lost directions at times but eventually you discover a new way. I’m not sure I would want to change my past. For to change the past would mean to change the present, and as bad as life may have been for me in the past, the present- Well let’s just say I’m satisfied.

Often in life we tend to look back instead of forward. But what is behind us. The truth is- Nothing. Success is found by focusing on where you want to go. Not where you once were. Some of the best books are memoirs written by those focused on the past. I wonder- Did they move on. Did scattering the words across the page give them strength to turn the page?

Someday I may write about my past. The ups, downs, and pains that I experienced along the way. But someday will only happen when I and we accept that what lies behind is behind for a reason.

 I wish I could change the past. I do. But not at the expense of losing what I have now.

 J.J. Johnson