![]() ![]() We are rewarded for our work when someone reads it. It comes when a traditional publisher sends out a quarterly statement that shows the book hasn’t sold well enough to earn a royalty or warrant another contract. It comes when someone says an indie author must not be good enough to be traditionally published. However, if we’re talking about the pressure writers feel to be PUBLISHED … that comes from external sources, from critique partners and mentors and agents and editors and sales figures and best-seller lists. ![]() And as such, I strive for whatever perfection I can achieve in my stories. For me as a writer … I might be happy, I suppose, just sitting in my office and typing my little fantasies for myself, but I’m much happier when someone reads what I’ve written and is moved by it. I worked hard to learn my craft, the techniques and the materials, so I could convey ideas or evoke emotions in people who viewed my work. My experience as an artist, I felt it was disingenuous to haphazardly slap paint on a canvas and call it done. My daughter endures so many hours of training, blisters on her feet, backaches and muscle strains, all for those moments when she’s on stage and everything comes together. First, to suggest that dancers and artists don’t feel the need to be successful–or should I say, to have their work appreciated by an audience of some sort–isn’t exactly true. I might have a different perspective, since I hold a degree in art and my daughter is a dancer. Is there too much pressure on authors to be successful? If so, what can be done about it? And yes, I’ve blogged about this before but I think it’s worth discussing again. It’s something that I’ve rarely seen in other art forms, so I’m curious to know your thoughts. Instead, we’re talking about how writers put pressure on themselves to be profitable, successful, published. Every artist needs to be smart about how they share their art with the world. I want to hear your thoughts on this topic … and I know you might be thinking “mortgages don’t pay themselves!” but we’re not talking about whether or not you should turn your writing into a business. So why are writers different? Why do we need to have the bylines and the royalty statements and the publishing contracts to justify our art? Isn’t the fact that we love doing it enough? Sure, they might have Etsy shops and they set up tables at farmer’s markets, but they don’t look at their yearly earnings and question whether or not thy should be doing what they’re doing. You also don’t see this mentality with many potters, either. They don’t have this need to justify their art by pointing toward how much money it’s made them or how often they’ve been part of a professional production. Most dancers are happy to dance and for them that happiness is enough. Why do we do this? Why do many writers (especially newer ones) look at their art like they would investments or a retirement plan? Why do we expect so much out of it? They expect it to become that side business that eventually becomes a full time business.Īnd if they don’t see any of these things happen, they wonder why they’re writing at all. But it’s still art even if it’s not hanging in a gallery or moving people to tears.Īnd yet have you ever noticed how, unlike other artists, most writers put pressure on their art? Sometimes it comes in the form of a really splendidly written Tweet. Sometimes it comes in the form of a news article. And sure, sometimes it comes in the form of a nonfiction how-to manuscript. It’s no different than dance or ceramics or music or any of the other arts. ![]() And it requires a huge dose of raw talent-talent that must be refined and polished and crafted over years of study and dedication. It’s an expression of oneself, after all. I think we can all agree that writing is an art form. FebruThursdays with Amanda: Writers Put Way Too Much Pressure on Themselves ![]()
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