World Con Panel: Perseverance

[cathschaffstump]

with Tim Waggoner, Richard Lovell, Eldon Thompson, David Manusek, and Laura Ann Gilman

Formula for persevering; Stubborness plus ego plus goal equals perserverance

To be an author, you need a high tolerance for discomfort and uncertainty. This can wear you down.

You should be thinking long term. Finished? Publish? No, wait. Take time.

Don't listen to everything everyone says.

It's hard to make a living as an author. You need a day job and you need to persevere with your writing. Perseverance is also necessary for the long term career. There will be the grind of "I have to write this."

Make sure you take a break every day, but also write every day.

While you have to writing, don't think it is only onerous. Writing is a joy.

Treat each day as unique. Don't focus on past failures. That is good advice for everything. Shake it off. Be done.

Continue on in the face of rejection. Remember every career has its ups and downs. Be diverse and flexible.

Don't sweat the things you can't control, like rejection, bad reviews. Move on. As something is released into the world, don't obsess on it. It now has it's own life.

Some stories about the most frustration moments in career.

Tim: My agent disappeared after 18 years.
Eldon: Dealing with Hollywood.
David: Hollywood.
Richard: Rights trouble and idea trouble.
Laura: Having a good story rejected for good reasons.

Stories where perseverance paid off?

Eldon: Selling my favorite book!
David: Writing a story in twelve year intervals.
Robert: Long time to publish a story.

Tim: Remember, dreams can come true.

Keep up your ego and keep working.

How do you know your ego hasn't clouded your judgment? Beta readers. We write alone, but we do not work alone.

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.