Saturday 22 January 2011

It's about time I gave myself a Damned Good Talking To

See that up there?  The blog-banner?  It clearly says "WRITING STUFF" doesn't it?  So why am I not doing what it says on the packet and just getting on with it?  I've given myself so many 'excuses/reasons' that I've actually NOW run out of them...

"I'm waiting for those Agents to get back to me" - what, so you're just going to sit about with your hands under your arse until one of them gives you the Nod are you?  And what if neither of them get back to you this side of June, what then?  Or what if they both get back to you and say 'NO' - are you just going to fling your arms up (from under the arse, obvs) and cave in or are you going to shift some butt RIGHT NOW and get on with your works-in-progress *snort* so that at least you actually HAVE something else to show them?

"It's too late.  I'm too old for all of this, I should have started taking it seriously aged 26 instead of getting drunk and partying at every opportunity" - You had your first story published at 18 and an invitation from a magazine to discuss future commissions at 20... you blew it, kid. But you also KNEW it back then too.  And actually what all that partying did was give you WAY more material to use for when you DID start taking it seriously.  Remember that time you hit a guy so hard at a night club you sent him flying down three flights of stairs and you got banned for three months?  THAT's what I'm talking about.  Now write it!

"There's no space for me out there in publishing land.  It's all been done before, by writers who have far more pizazz,  nouce and spunk than I'm ever likely to have"  Everyone has something different to say - maybe about the same thing but a different WAY of saying it, telling it.  You're right, you're no different or more special than any of the other published writers Out There, but there's no other Debs Riccio that I can see (or Google) so why shouldn't there be a space?  Isn't there space enough for everybody who has something to say?

"The stairs need hoovering, the family need feeding and there's beds to be made." Yeah, right.
 
"I don't believe in myself" That's more like it.  This is fine.  It's understandable.  It's scary, freaky and it's not exactly the simplest of ambitions to pursue and succeed in, is it? It means a lot of dedication, hard work and discipline.  Things that don't come easy to you - especially since God invented Facebook and Twitter and all other manner of distractions.  These are tests of your mettle. And the confidence thing is universal.  Show me an entertainer who doesn't doubt themselves at times and I'll show you a  bit of a Fibber.

"But the hoovering....." See above, girl.   Now just get on with it, you're starting to bore me now.




10 comments:

Deb said...

Have you gotten on with it yet, Debs?

Debs Riccio said...

Um... well.... the hoovering, see... well I blogged - does that count? I WILL, though, I WILL.... promise!

Jacqueline Christodoulou-Ward said...

I doubt myself every single day too, Debs (and the lounge needs hoovering!). I think it's normal, it seems to me that subbing to agents is like a continuous job interview. And from what I've heard from published writers it's the same for every book!
But I'm carrying on and you must too - get those first three chapters done and send them to me! Come on - now! Write!

Debs Riccio said...

I will, I will. And I WILL!

Anonymous said...

Good luck, Debs - and let me know if you want to do a ms swap again! I'm cheering you on! x

Debs Riccio said...

Bless you, thanks Sarah... really a ms swap again? You'd put yourself through it all AGAIN?!

Michele said...

I feel as if I'm in the same boat as you Debs, and sometimes it feels as if it's rapidly sinking.

Debs Riccio said...

Michele, it's lovely people like you that are my life-raft. We have to buoy each other up through these lean, tough times, right?!

Lane Mathias said...

I feel quite sick at past 'writerly' opportunities missed. But that was then. I was young(er) and more stupid. This is now so....

you know what you have to do

(and I don't mean hoovering)

Debs Riccio said...

Yes Lane - we DO know what we need to do... outta the way Mr Sheene, there's writing business needs doing!