farfromfearless
In pursuit of creative happiness: some thoughts about writing
I have a novel that I have been working on for past several months. It is purely in the Fantasy vein of things and after a number of stalled/botched/failed attempts in the past I have actually gotten pretty serious about this writing thing. In my current manuscript, I have amassed approximately 100,000 words so far (editing not withstanding) and I’m debating the wisdom of pursuing a partial submission to a literary agent. I’ve done my research both on and offline and it is a bit daunting to see how many options there are available. At the same time it is also encouraging.
Writing has always been a fun little distraction for me; it has been a distraction in the sense that I have focused so much of my time and energy into honing my skills as a designer that anything outside of that is a temporary reprise. Needless to say I have caught the writing bug and with any hope I will have enough mettle to withstand the crushing criticism I will eventually get from agents or publishers.
As for agents, I have recently come across a blog: Miss Snark, the literary agent. Funny. Intimidating. Actually, very intimidating, but a seriously funny read over all. To read some of the posts on her blog is quite enlightening. I am sure there are a number of blogs out there written by literary agents and publishing types, but I would be hard pressed to compare. Miss Snark is genuine and outright brutal in some of her responses to letters she receives. It is actually quite amusing since much of what she writes in response is common sense. Her delivery is witty and though the issues are quite serious in terms of the writing industry, Miss Snark manages to shine a wicked (wicked-witch-green) light on the issues.
Back to writing. I love it. It is a fun way to give voice to the ideas rattling away in my head. My only regret is that I cannot type fast enough to capture them. But at least I have a near completed manuscript to show for it. Speaking of which, I did learn one thing in this on-going process. Focus.
For me, I can only truly focus on creative pursuits if I shelve my other interests. I know it must sound pretty common sense, but the application of it is something quite different. I used to love gaming as much as I loved design as much as I loved writing and so on. It is impossible to give certain creative endeavors equal attention. What did I give up? I gave up gaming - at least for the time being. I will get back around to it eventually when I have accomplished my goal. Or maybe not. In the long run as I have plenty of creative vents. I am just glad that I managed to come to terms with the need for sacrificing certain things in order to realize others.
Of interest:
- Miss Snark, the literary agent;
- Neil Gaiman - Official Site
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