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Blogs by Mary Terzian
Writers' Mood Swings 3/27/2010 4:47:13 PM
The uplifting moments of the profession Dear Readers:
Like most other writers I always wonder whether my writing is worth reading. Had I not partaken in contests and put my neck out for hard criticism, I don’t think I would have become a real writer. I even joined a critique group not because I am a masochist but because I wanted to know if I would appeal to my readership at all.
It turns out that natural inclinations do not matter as much as committing your innermost thoughts and feelings to paper or screen, and then facing the repercussions like a guilty felon, beginning with your self-criticism. Thoughts run the gamut of “how stupid, who will read this thrash?” to wondering when did you develop the ability to express yourself eloquently with your mighty pen?
Then, out of the blue you receive a message that uplifts you to the point that you can’t get to your desk soon enough to start writing. That is what happened to me last week. Two uplifting messages transported me to cloud nine. One was from a reader, and the other an acquaintance. Both conveyed their focused interest in my book, she by identifying with the feelings therein at a personal level and he confessing that he never finished a book, except mine which he read from cover to cover at one sitting. This is the best part of the writing profession, when your words find an echo in a kindred soul.
Of course writing has its ups and downs like every other business. Sometimes imagination runs like a torrential river, barely allowing me time to jot down the flowing ideas. Sometimes I run dry, parched like an arid desert with nothing but sand all the way to the horizon. A masterful writer knows how to catch moments of truth, when the brain is ripe with thoughts that are ready to puncture the cranial shell. This is the time to harvest the luminous flashes that run like a meteor through one’s mind, before they dissipate. On the other hand, idle periods in creativity do not translate to loss of valuable time. I consider these the gestation periods for the next bestseller.
Yes, writing is a profession that does not offer guarantees but it is salve for the soul. All other benefits like honoraria, publicity, attention, recognition and a foot in the door to eternity are its fringe benefits.
