Wednesday 7 August 2013

Once upon a time .... (IWSG post)




Once upon a time there lived a very insecure writer. She wanted to write a book. Her head was so full of words if she didn't write them down somewhere it would surely explode. But she was no one special, no one famous or important, it would be doomed to failure, so why bother? 

"There's no comparison between what's lost by not trying and what's lost by not succeeding"
Francis Bacon
- Francis Bacon
Eventually she stopped listening to those negative voices in her head, sat down at her laptop and began to write. She wrote and wrote. All the years of wanting and waiting turned suddenly to a flood. Words flowing from her fingers like water from a flume. She couldn't stop.

"When I'm writing, I know I'm doing the thing I was born to do."
Anne Sexton

Until one day the words dried out and she hit a period of drought. The words were not gushing from her fingers any more. She spent hours staring at her laptop, willing her muse to return. Often she would write a few lines only to delete them shortly afterwards. They were rubbish, she was rubbish, why would she ever think she could be a 'proper' writer? She should just give up now and forget about her silly dreams.

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."  
   Thomas Edison 

Yet something inside her wouldn't let her give up. She was one of life's fighters, when she set her mind to something she didn't like to let go. But it was surely hard. She would often cry or scream. Lock herself away in a room for hours or walk to nowhere in particular, just to think. The stories invaded her dreams, her waking hours, her very being. She received ridicule from some and rejection from others. Life itself threw her various obstacles to obscure her path. She tripped and stumbled, deviated once or twice, but through it all, maybe even in spite of it all, she continued. The dream lived; if anything it burned stronger than ever.

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."
- Albert Einstein

Then one day she typed the immortal words, 'The End.' She had done it! Despite all the odds she had finished her story. The proof was in front of her.

"If you've FINISHED writing a novel you are amongst the elite!!! You ARE NOT A FAILURE IF YOU CANNOT LIVE OFF YOUR BOOKS. You only fail by NOT TRYING."
- Nadia Cornier

She felt on top of the world, all the work, all the emotional pain had been worth it. She had won her small victory.

“Success is a finished book, a stack of pages each of which is filled with words. If you reach that point, you have won a victory over yourself no less impressive than sailing single-handed around the world.
- Tom Clancy

She basked in her little shower of glory for awhile. Comfortable with the knowledge that she had completed what she set out to do. But now what? The voices in her head began to chatter once more, nagging her until she gave in. After all, what is the point if no one ever gets to read the fruits of her labour? So she bravely decided to show her work to others. Opening her soul to criticism. The initial cocoon of satisfaction she had built around her self began to crumble, as self esteem toppled like a stack of cards. She realised it wasn't the perfect little baby she thought it had been.

“Books aren't written -- they're rewritten. Including your own.
It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the
seventh rewrite hasn't quite done it.
- Michael Crichton

But our heroine is a fighter, she doesn't give up. She pulled herself up and got down to work. And when she got knocked again and again, she did the same thing. 

"This is a stamina game, so don't despair if you run down a blind alley and have to start over, or if you get another rejection letter. Every successful writer has gone through that, but they kept writing and didn't quit until they made it happen."
- Tim Maleeny

And that is where we leave our heroine for today. Still knocking and waiting for the door to open, but more importantly still loving what she does and believing in dreams. 

"To be successful a writer needs two things. Belief and hope. Belief in themselves and their writing and hope that others share their belief."
Suzanne Furness

To be continued ...

With grateful thanks to all the authors of the above quotes. Their words can show us we are not alone, others have trod the path we walk today. This is a post for the IWSG. Click HERE for all the information and to join us. With thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting, assisted this month by  M. Pax, Karen Walker and Melissa Maygrove.









99 comments:

  1. I can relate to a lot of what you have here. Thanks for articulating it so gracefully, and for sharing the quotes.

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    1. That is most kind of you, Cynthia, thank you.

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  2. After three revisions, I hope to soon write The End once and for all.

    Awesome quotes. I'll be using some of these again.

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    1. It's a great feeling when you type those words, Jenn.

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  3. *applause* A wonderful combination of quotes and beautifully worded realitzy. Hope a door will open for you soon :)

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  4. So pleased the book arrived safely, Suzanne.

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  5. This is great, like a writer's fairy tale. A beautifully written post :)

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    1. Aww thanks so much, Laura. Glad you enjoyed it :)

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  6. Like Laura said - a cool fairy tale! Excellent, Suzanne. The Edison quote is powerful.

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    1. It is isn't it? Thanks for the words of encouragement.

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  7. Hey,

    I love that quote by the awesome WRITER Suzanne Furness (it's even better that the quote by Tom Clancy - and I thought that one was brilliant :)

    Looking forward to reading Part Two :)

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    1. Awww thanks Mark, you called me a WRITER! I hope part two will be an epic.

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  8. I like how you mixed the quotes in with the story. So fun. Loving and believing, that is what's important. As long as you have that, and keep moving forward, you'll get to your destination eventually.

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    1. I enjoyed writing it, it actually helped me feel more positive about things myself!

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  9. This is an awesome post. I love the quotes and how you blended them perfectly with your story.

    Write on! :)
    August co-host and IWSG #110

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  10. I LOVE love love this post! Thank you so much. It means much to be reminded of this truth, that though we work alone, we are not alone. I appreciated all your quotes. Keep it up!

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    1. That is sweet of you Lisa, I am glad the post rang true with you.

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  11. Great IWSG post. Those quotes are perfect, and I love yours at the end. So true. Just keep writing, and rewriting...

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    1. That's the secret, keep writing and believing!

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  12. Suzanne, you blended the quotes so well. I like life's fighters because they show that there is nothing impossible in life. One can accomplish a lot if one puts an effort and perseveres.

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    1. Perserverence counts for a lot. Thanks, Rachna.

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  13. Wow. This is so good. I'm going to paste the whole thing into my folder of articles that help me keep going. Thank you xx

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    1. So happy that you took something away from this post. Keeping a copy, wow! Does that count as being 'published?' Thanks Helen your support means a lot x

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  14. I love your "fairy tale," Suzanne, and the quotes too. You chose the perfect ones. I'm a big fan of Thomas Edison and especially appreciate the quote from him. :-)

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    1. I like to read quotes, sometimes they just 'fit' don't they?

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  15. Great story - I'm hoping for a happy ending!

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  16. A fairy tale yet reality sure takes hold with it, speaks to all.

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  17. Oh such a lovely story. I think we can all relate to that protagonist. Here's to our dreams, seeing them to fruition and refining them to a polish to show the world.

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    1. I think mine seems to be a familiar tale, lets hope for 'happy ever afters.' Thanks, Julie.

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  18. Those dreams are not silly. I'm so glad you're still following them!

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    1. They are my dreams and I will continue to chase them. Thanks, Ilima.

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  19. I love how you wove the quotes into your story. Wonderful! Looking forward to reading the next part. (:

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  20. Wonderful! I love all the quotes, too and the passion to continue~ A motivating post-I love it!

    Yes, keep going and I look forward to hearing more
    :D

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  21. That was really cool. Love how you wove the quotes into the story, and how you ended with hope. It's a journey we all take, unique yet familiar. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!
    Tina @ Life is Good

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  22. Cute! It will happen one day, right? Just have to keep that flame and alive and press forward.

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  23. I love it! And I so relate :) And it will happen one day! Thanks for sharing such a great post.

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  24. This is such a wonderful story. I loved all the quotes, especially the one about Books are not written they are rewritten.

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  25. Excellent post filled with encouragement. These quotes should be printed out and hung close by the computer of anyone who dares to follow their writing dreams. Good luck with yours!

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  26. Never give up. Never surrender. It's a long road. Yes, it is.

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  27. I've always loved that Edison quote, it's helped me keep going many times. I love how you wrote this and it gave me goose bumps to get to the end and see your quote. Fantastic post!

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    1. Thank you Julie (goose bumps are good, right?)

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  28. Loved it!! The smart lady who wrote this seems to understand the heart and mind of a writer. Can't wait to hear how she one day succeeds!

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  29. Honestly, Suzanne, I had to do a double take to make sure I hadn't written this. You and me are living parallel lives. Sort of. Okay, as far as our writing life goes. Happy IWSG.

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    1. Parallel writing lives, that's pretty cool! Thanks Joylene :)

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  30. Excellent! Really. You've told the story and you've done it so very well.

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  31. I love the quotes, and I'm definitely feeling a lot of the Micheal Crichton quote at the moment!

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  32. What a GREAT set of quotes, thank you so for sharing.

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  33. Brilliant post - the story of my life, in fact. I love your belief and hope quote too :-)

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  34. I am humbled by the response I have received today from my friends in blogland.

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  35. Aw I love your story. And I think most of us relate to it. Quotes like the ones you included keep me going. Wishing you the best of luck on your journey!! :D

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    1. Quotes can be so insipiring, thanks for your kind words.

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  36. Amazing post! Love your story and the quotes. Very inspiring. :)

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  37. Persistence is important, and one day someone will answer the door and be thriller to invite you in.

    Thanks for sharing.

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  38. What a brilliant, beautiful story! I LOVED the way you worked those fantastic quotes in and I LOVE how you depict yourself as the heroine, steadfast and stubborn, fightin' till the end. I'd like to imagine myself the same way.
    Thank you for this, I will re-read it in the future when my inner critic rears its ugly head again.

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  39. Fabulous post, I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for stopping by my little blog.

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  40. I love the way your set up your post - it's a beautiful way to tell your story and the quotes are great! :)

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  41. Awesome post! I feel inspired to do something great. Like finish my current MS!

    Love the Einstein quote.

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  42. We're so fragile, our egos are so fragile, and the journey is fraught with so many twisted routes and dead-ends. You expressed it all with great humanness. The last quote is my favorite, truly. Thanks, Suzanne.

    xoRobyn

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  43. Wow. Fantastic post.

    We just have to keep trying.

    Keep writing.

    Heather

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  44. Once upon a time, a deluded guy pretended that "IWSG" meant, "I Was Seeking Gary." He craved acceptance, did lots of discreet stuff in the background but something was missing.

    Then Gary read this post. Remembered that within the wisdom of the quotes, the eloquence of the words, that belief comes with hope. Hope creates hope. Encouragement, support, an understanding that if you dream and don't proceed, the dream just stays a dream. Not that wondrous reality you crave and others crave for you.

    Thank you for this posting, Suzanne.

    Gary

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  45. Love your story you hashed out here as well as the quotes. Very uplifting and relatable. :) Writer’s Mark

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  46. great story and your quote on hope and belief was stellar!!

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  47. Thank you all so very much for your encouraging and kind words x

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  48. fabulous post! full of hope & wisdom! never give up on yourself!

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  49. It's sometimes so difficult to keep knocking, but I'm pretty sure something good will happen if you keep trying.

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  50. What an awesome post! The quotes, alone, make it worth the read but knowing that the writer never gave up makes it even better.

    Glad to hear you kept on plugging away...it inspires me to do the same :)

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  51. Well said Suzanne!!!!!!! And the quotes were killer. We are all there, all struggling, and all celebrating just finishing a book, which is a huge achievement.

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  52. Terrific!!! I really needed this! Thank you, Suzanne. :D

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  53. The mobility scooter arrives tomorrow, Suzanne, the moment of truth!!

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  54. Great Post, Suzanne!!! Love your writing, and the inspirational quotes are perfect!

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  55. Brilliant post, Suzanne, the quotes are really meaningful if you're in the same situation.

    I've found you through VikLit's Friday Celebrations. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Welcome Heather and thank you. I'll visit you.

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  56. Great blog post Suzanne! And so true! I have days when I feel on top of the world and think I've got what it takes to be a proper writer and days when I think who am I kidding, I'm rubbish, I'll never be good enough etc. But that nagging little voice won't let me rest - it tells me I should be writing whatever I feel like - I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse, but it made darn sure I finished the book - all six drafts of it!!!

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  57. There is a quote by an author I like to read R. A. Salvatore. He says it often, but I love hearing it and it always keeps me going and knowing I am on the right path.

    "If you can quit writing, quite. If you can't then you are a writer."

    Good luck on hearing that yes.

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  58. Wishing you every success with your writing, Suzanne, and thank you. Carole.

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  59. Hi Suzanne .. sounds like you're definitely on the right track - you know both sides of the coin .. and you'll get there - as you say enjoy the process and your journey ..

    Cheers Hilary

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  60. Oh my gosh, this was so awesome! I love the post and the quotes are so perfect. Keep on going and I'll be here to cheer you on, your journey is going to be amazing ;)

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  61. What a great story! I bet this one ends with "and she wrote happily ever after" :D

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  62. Eloquent, touching, professional, and deserving of a wider audience! Patience, perseverance, and faith in yourself are paramount. Stay focused for success is surely around the corner.
    Some lovely words beautifully written and uplifting.

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  63. I love this the story of your journey and the quotes. Inspired!
    I particularly like
    “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
    Thomas Edison

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  64. Thanks for leaving the link to this Suzanne. It's such a brilliant post to help and encourage others not to give up on their hopes and dreams, but to keep knocking until a door of opportunity opens.
    I'm wishing you every success for 2014. Happy New Year.

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