joanne Weck Author Page

Saturday, April 6, 2013

OH WRITER, BEWARE THE GREEN EYED MONSTER






"Oh beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." William Shakespeare



One of the pitfalls of submitting my writing for publication is the temptation to compare my work with that of others. When I haven't had an acceptance for a while I fall into this pit--torturing myself with comparisons to those who are better writers, or poorer writers who have had great success, lucky writers who hit the best seller list with a first attempt, writers who happened to tap into to a current obsession at the right time. I find it especially irritating when an author who writes in the same style or the same type of novel as I do, has their work published to some success while mine still languishes somewhere in my agent's files.

How does a writer avoid or overcome the comparison game? I begin by reminding myself that publication (like life) is not a competition. The fact that a book similar to mine is doing well is a good sign--there is reader interest in this type of work.

I remind myself that each writer has her own unique voice and as a reader I enjoy both the plays of William Shakespeare and the novels of Mona Simpson.

The most important reminder though, is that I write because it makes me happy. I write because I love to write. I write for myself first of all. WRITE ON

1 comment:

  1. Author Page on Facebook--for fans and other writers who want to discuss, chat, commiserate or share their writing experiences.

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