Gotta Have Faith

These days, my faith is faltering. I queried dozens of presses/agents earlier, and recently, queried/submitted to over 80 in the span of a couple of months. Many of those have not responded (an unspoken Thanks, but no thanks?) but I’ve had plenty of variations on The story doesn’t speak to me. (Each time I see the snippet of an email beginning, “Thanks so much for sending me…” my heart drops. I don’t know how an acceptance email about a manuscript begins, because I’ve never gotten one. However, I wish the negative ones would begin honestly and bluntly, so we don’t even have to open them. My suggestion: “Your writing stinks to high heaven,” or "Find another way to spend your time. Immediately.")

image by Pixabay

Currently, I’m going through a Writer’s Market 2018, and I highlighted (67!) publishers so I can make a last push. If no publishing contracts result, I will be forced to write the story in long-hand on legal pads and peddle them on a street corner go another route.

Of course, George Michael reared his head as I worked on this post. It was inevitable. Even though he's gone, his catchy tune burrowed into my ears. The lyrics and music to his song “Faith” slipped in my head and refused to leave… and now I listened to it from the perspective of a writer.

Oh, but I need some time off from that emotion
Time to pick my heart up off the floor
Oh, when that love comes down without devotion
Well, it takes a strong man, baby
But I'm showin' you the door.

'Cause you gotta have faith.
You gotta have faith.
You gotta have faith, faith, faith
You gotta have faith, faith, faith.

We need time--at times--to lick our wounds when we get rejected. However, when we’re in love with the idea of being a writer… and not having the devotion, the commitment to do the real work? Well, it takes a thick skin and a fierce spirit to kick the rejection (and our internal editor) out the door and to the curb… so we can get back to writing.

Speaking of licking one's wounds, Radar is
great at licking anything--the rejection off your face,
the ketchup on your fingers, whatever. Here he is,
faithfully waiting for me to stop writing so I can pet him.

In working on this post, I read a piece on how writers can renew their faith in their writing. Towards the end, there’s a list of 5 things you can do. I especially love #2. It makes so much sense. As a kid, I thought I was a writing rock star. Every line I wrote was like a pearl dropped from heaven. My school newspaper feature articles were hil. Ar. I. Ous. I just knew it. It was only when I got older that I started doubting my skills. Perhaps if more of us did what is suggested in #2, we’d have more faith in our abilities.

And faith is the fuel that keeps us showing up at our computer, ready and willing to write.

How about you? How do you keep the faith in your writing alive? Stumbling spirits want to know…

Sioux Roslawski turned into a human slug this spring and summer, but she's recently come out of hibernation and has sprung into action--submitting, querying, entering a contest, and getting her classroom ready. If you'd like to read more about her, head to her blog.