Dealing with frustration: The ups and downs of writing

I liken being a writer to being on a see-saw. One moment you’re at the top of the world and the next you’re crawling in the dirt. What do I mean by this? If an agent requests a partial read of my novel, I’m ecstatic. If I get a rejection letter, I’m crushed. If I get a great review, I’m over the moon. If I get a bad review, I’m back in the dirt, devastated.

Being a writer is a life of ups and downs. The trick with most people seems to be trying to find a way to manage the frustrations that come along with it. For me, when I get a rejection letter from an agent, I try to answer it with TWO new queries. If I get a bad review, well, I usually email all my tight writing friends and whine and they make me feel better. I’ve also found a boatload of sushi and some dark chocolate seems to help when things are very bleak.

But frustration doesn’t always come from reviews and query replies. It can also come from within ourselves. For me it’s the moment where I’m staring at the screen, 250+ pages into a book, at the climatic ending and I’m like a deer in the headlights. “OMG, WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN NEXT?” or “OMG, WHAT I WROTE IS SO BORING!” It’s those moments where you wonder, “what in the world am I going to do?” I usually close the novel at that point, feeling like I’m the worst writer in the world (man, we are so hard on ourselves, aren’t we?) But then, that’s when my “aha” moments happen. I tend to dwell on the book for awhile (maybe a day, a week). I think about it when I’m commuting, when I’m in the shower, when I’m about to fall asleep… and then WHAM! You get that moment when you suddenly see your story go on a tangent you never thought possible and you give yourself permission to go there.

So I asked some other writers what they do to deal with frustration.  Then I asked them about their own “aha” moments. First I spoke with author Gwen Choate who has been writing for 70 years (yes, I said 70) — she is my idol, 90 years “young” and just published her YA Novel, The Sack (although she’s been writing successfully since her 20s — I should have used her for my persistence blog last week). I also asked author Frank Tuttle, whose YA book All the Paths of Shadow consumed my 11 year-old Aspie son who was so compelled by the ideas in this book enough to make drawings for the novel and begged me to send them  to Frank (who by the way, graciously put them on his book’s FB page).

Question #1) Do you ever get frustrated?

Gwen Choate: All the time. For most of us, the writer’s life is a mix of joys and disappointments. The thing that is most helpful for me is my morning “quiet time,” when I journal and meditate. 

Frank Tuttle: Frustrated is my default ground state. Why am I not rich? Why am I not famous? Why am I not appearing on late night talk shows? As to how I handle this frustration, see also grain alcohol, consumption of. (Very funny, Frank.)

Question #2) Have you ever had an “aha” moment?

Gwen: Yes, often.  For example, if I’m blocked by a problem, I like to say before I go to sleep at night, “Please tell me what to do about this.” It’s amazing how often my subconscious comes through and I get an “Aha” the next morning. 

Frank: Yes. They usually involve the Mississippi Highway Patrol and radar-assisted speed traps. But you wanted writing related discussion, so I’ll say this: All good narratives can be boiled down to a simple formula. A character, in a setting, facing a problem. It’s really that simple. It’s not easy but it is simple.

Well said, Frank. I believe our own frustrations can also be boiled down to a simple formula. “Our book”, “other’s perceptions of our books”, and “our reactions.” Well, maybe it’s not that simple. But I believe as writers we need to realize there will be ups and downs, difficulties, good times and bad, but at the end of the day we do this because we love it. We must always remember that. Frustration is just a state of mind — one that we have control over, though at times we may not realize it.

Thank you to Gwen Choate and Frank Tuttle for their time. To learn more about them, please check them out online.

Frank Tuttle writes fantasy to escape his real life exploits as a jet-setting international superspy. Visit Frank’s webpage where you will find links to Frank’s blog, his books, and first-aid tips for exotic pet owners. You can also follow Frank on Twitter @frank_tuttle.

Gwen Choate’s YA novel, The Sack, was nominated by Texas Librarians for the Star of Texas Award as a best Middle School book. It is available on Amazon. She can also be reached on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gwenchoate

This post originally appeared on Elyse Salpeter’s blog.

Elyse Salpeter is a mom of twins, a wife, an author, a salesperson, a cook, an attempted gardener, a bootcamp fan and even a First-Dan Black Belt (though please don’t ask her if she can beat someone up – she hopes never to have to find out).

Her first book, Flying to the Light, was published by CWP but unfortunately that company they went out of business at the the release of book 2 in that series. Those books are now represented by a literary agent. Salpeter also self-published a dark fantasy novel, The World of Karov, about identical twins, one good and one very, very bad.

Our Neighbors

Good morning, afternoon or evening depending on the time zone.

A few weeks ago I ran into one of my neighbors Kevin. We were discussing then normal issues, weather, taxes, political guffaws and the sort. I could tell Kevin had something more important on his mind, but since I didn't know what it was, we continued with the small talk. We moved on to work related items. He was currently unemployed. He was an OTR. For those who don't know, that's an over the road trucker. Work had been a little slow and he was tired of watching yell and white lines dance in front of the windshield. He had applied for a couple of local jobs at the Opera and sound studios. See, Kevin is an artist at heart. He spent years working on his music and running sound gigs. As he describe some of his past gigs I quietly interrupted. "Hey Kevin, why don't you write a book." His look was of confusion. "Where would I start? What do I write? Who would read it?" I think at one time or the other we've all asked the same questions. My answer. "At the beginning. Start at the beginning." He assured me if he got serious about it, he'd give he a shout for direction and motivation.

Yesterday I ran into Kevin again. Asked him if he'd heard back from the Opera or sound stage. Said he hadn't heard a word, but his fingers were still crossed. Then he hit me with, "Guess what? I took your advice, sat down last night and started writing. I was only going to spend about thirty minutes. Instead I found out I had been hammering on the keyboard for over two-and-half hours. I was shocked." The only advice I gave him was since it's an autobiography of his tales on the road and the shows he worked, be honest. Don't make yourself look like the good guy all time. If you do, readers will question the sincerity and depth of the author. He agreed and scurried back to his house.

Let me tell you something, that gave me a great feeling. Will I make any money of of this? No. Will I be credited with a blooming career? No. I will have the satisfaction of knowing I helped a neighbor in a small way launch a new career. I reflected back to the days I was coaching baseball. I never worried about the win loss record. I concentrated on the boys/girls learning how to properly play the game. If I knew they learned the fundamentals, the W's would follow them through life. I got the same feeling with Kevin.

I will help him and answer any and all questions he may have as he ventures into this new and exciting arena. Isn't that what neighbors are for?
Jeff Dawson on Amazon

A TRIBUTE TO RAY BRADBURY by Salvatore Buttaci

 

Posted by Salvatore Buttaci on Thursday, June 07 2012 in News

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               MARTIAN CHRONICLES (1950)


I first met Ray Bradbury in the pages of his book The Illustrated Man way back in 1951. His easy flowing, poetic style of writing science fiction and fantasy hooked me into a love of these genres to this very day. From that book came others throughout the Fabulous Fifties and beyond. They were books I had to read because Ray Bradbury wrote them and Ray Bradbury ranked first among all of my favorite authors: Philip K. Dick, Theodore Sturgeon, Alfred Bester, Clifford D. Simak, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, C.M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl, Poul Anderson, Frederic Brown, and Fritz Leiber.
My childhood was a wonderful time to be an avid reader delighting in vicarious adventures. Thanks to Bradbury and the others, those 25-cent paperbacks allowed me to travel through space and time, hitch my imagination to theirs, and leave Earth if only for the duration of each exciting novel.

Ray Bradbury, who passed away at 91, on June 05, 2012, was the last of my literary heroes to leave this planet. I miss them all, but especially Bradbury because he more than the others started me writing his same kind of fiction. No, we never met in person. He never stood at my side, as my parents did, encouraging me to take up my pencil or pen and get that story down. But being a Bradbury fan, I learned by his example. I internalized the advice he offered young aspiring writers. 

When Bradbury was a young boy of 12, he met Mr. Electrico, a carnival magician, who at the end of one of his performances, reached out and touched young Ray with his sword. “Live forever!” he commanded him. Later Bradbury said, “I decided that was the greatest idea I had ever heard. I started writing every day. I never stopped.”

For over 80 years he wrote at least 1,000 words a day! In 1941 he sold his first story “Pendulum” and published his first book, a short story collection called Dark Carnival. in 1947. He was a prolific author who wrote hundreds of short stories, more than fifty books, poems, essays, screenplays, and even operas. 

For those who have never read his works, let me suggest some classics: Martian Chronicles (1950); Fahrenheit 451 (1953); The October Country (1955); Dandelion Wine (1957); Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962).

Despite a stroke in 1999, which forced him to use a wheelchair, Bradbury continued to write and see his books published. . In addition to many writing awards, Bradbury was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation. 

In 2002 I was an English teacher in a New Jersey middle School. One of the stories we were reading and discussing was Ray Bradbury‘s “All Summer in a Day.”  The story takes place on Venus where rain falls incessantly, except for two hours every seven years, when the sun makes its rare appearance. The children in the schoolhouse are no different than children on Earth. (you can read the story at http://www.wssb.wa.gov/content/Classrooms/tate/content/freshman/All%20Summer%20In%20a%20Day/story.htm 

My 8th graders loved the story! Some went on to read more Bradbury stories on their own time, even books I recommended to them. Because of their enthusiasm, I asked if they’d like to write a letter to the author. I would somehow find his address, we’d place all our letters in a manila folder and mail it out to the author. 

Here is Ray Bradbury’s reply from his home on Cheviot Drive in Los Angeles:

February 28, 2002

Dear Salvatore Buttaci:

Thank you very much for your kind and loving letter. I deeply appreciate all the wonderful things you said about my books and your history in reading.

I appreciate your sending on the letters and essays of your various students. I wish I had time to respond to each one. This sort of thing is very welcome to me at this time because when I began writing, years ago, very little attention was paid to my writing; my first books were published to absolutely no reviews at all. Now you come along with your kind students and give me praise in my later years.

I wish you well in the months and years ahead and send all of you my love.

(Signed: Ray Bradbury)

I hope after reading this article, if you are not already a Bradbury fan, you will pick up one of his books and become one.
Salvatore Buttaci is the author of two short-short story collections, Flashing My Shorts and 200 Shorts, both published by All Things That Matter Press and available in book and Kindle editions at http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/sambpoet

 His new book If Roosters Don’t Crow, It Is Still Morning: Haiku and Other Poems   http://tinyurl.com/76akl73  
Buttaci lives in West Virginia with Sharon, the love of his life.