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Blog Entry 25 of 68 The Write Words
I hope to write about anything and everything that comes into my mind, as long as it is in good taste. I hope to communicate effectively and stimulate thought and conversation. I can't wait to get started!

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~ErinsBlog

I've got the no-good, low-down writer's blues

Contributed by: Erin Di Paolo   on 1/22/2007

Today I have writer's blues. What are they and how does one get them? Good question. Read on.

First of all, to have writing blues you have to be a writer. Not necessarily a writer that is getting paid even one cent for anything. You could just be a writer who even slaves away, writing and writing, simply for the pure entertainment of other people. You could post your stuff at websites and even have a blog. But you are penniless and publishless.

So many writers experience the blues that it is any wonder any of us ever gets anything written. And not only does it strike most of us, it strikes often. Very often.

Today I decided to get off my lazy duff and submit some applications for jobs and submit some stories for publication. So what have I gotten for my diligence? Well, I heard back from only one person so far, an editor who told me that I need to put more heart into the story I am working on for her. Thenmaybe it will be published in a book. My response to that is, I couldn't have put more heart into the piece if I had quadruple-bypass surgery.

Except for that one response, I have heard nothing from no one today. And in this case, no news is definitely not good news.

So I am discouraged. I am tired of my writing being rejected. Over and over. Not only that, but I keep applying for writing positions and I never get called for an interview.

Well, that is not entirely true. I was called a few months ago for a part-time high school sportswriting position. I would have been perfect for the job. I almost got it, meaning I was the editor's second pick. Some consolation. That makes me feel so much better. When you apply for a job, anything other than first pick just doesn't cut it. Just ask Al Gore.

So I am lamenting my life today, once again, wondering if I have what it takes to be a writer. I compare myself to others, writers in the paper and in magazines, and I know I can do just as well, if not better. Why am I not getting a job and why am I not getting articles published? Why are people not lined up at my door and leaving a multitude of voice mails on my phone?

I receive "encouraging" emails all day long from different writer groups I belong to. Today I received one about rejection. Did you know, for example, that Dr. Seuss' first children's book was rejected by 27 publishers or that Gone with the Wind was turned down by more than 25 publishers? Best-selling author Mary Higgins Clark was rejected more than 40 times while 15 publishers and 30 agents turned down John Grisham's first novel, A Time to Kill.

I didn't know any of these things, either, though I have heard similar statistics about other writers. I know these facts are supposed to cheer me up and help me to persevere. Sometimes they do. But in the normal, day-to-day drudgery of life they do very little to buoy my spirits. What I really need is something really amazing to happen - today - with my writing.

After all, none of us really know how much time we have left on this planet. Life is too short to drink bad wine...and to be rejected on a daily basis!


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Erin Di Paolo

Denver , CO

Erin Di Paolo has posted 68 blog entries and 1 comment since joining on 3/18/2006. Erin Di Paolo 's average blog rating is 4.45.
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