Inner Resources for Writing Success in 2008 and Beyond
December 24th 2007 00:25
Joanna’s Challenge
Joanna Young wrote a post recently asking her readers to share their thoughts about the inner resources they feel would help them achieve their writing goals in 2008. The post, entitled Your Writing Resources for 2008: A Reader Question and Offer, discusses “goals and resolutions for the year ahead” and shares Joanna’s three top contenders: power, persuasiveness, and passion (three things that any writer who aspires to be not just effective but influential could hardly do without). Her challenge garnered some insightful input from her readers, and I highly recommend you read either the comments to her post or her follow-up post (linked to below) for some of the other excellent resources mentioned.
My Non-Response
While I’m a little late responding to her challenge, I’d like to expand on the answer I gave in my comment on her round-up post, Resources for Writers: Your Writing Wish-List. Though Joanna very graciously included my earlier comment about the “Nice Matters” award in this post, giving me credit for submitting the resource of “niceness,” I hadn't technically left that comment as a response to the challenge, so I decided to leave a second comment, listing a few other resources that I felt would prove critical to my success as a writer in 2008.
My Real Response
The resources mentioned in my follow-up comment were the following: creativity, insight, inspiration, persistence, and self-confidence tempered with a touch of humility—though I admitted that “niceness”—aka kindness—was also near the top of my list.
My Afterthought
Yet, after completing my comment, I wasn’t satisfied that I’d fully covered the topic, which, after all, encompasses so much. A few more resources came to mind that I believe will prove necessary to my future success: inquisitiveness and integrity.
Now, had I given all this a bit more thought before compiling my original list, I could have followed Joanna’s impressive lead, cleverly limiting myself to the “i”-words inquisitiveness, insight, inspiration, and integrity (as she did with the “p”-words power, persuasiveness, and passion). But it's a little too late for that, besides which I’ve since decided that my non-“i”-words are equally important to a writer’s success. (I realize that I’ve totally overdone it—as I always seem to do—with my list of seven qualities [not counting “niceness” which Joanna chose for me].) But I truly believe that each of these resources is indispensable to any writer’s success.
My Revised List
Here’s my revised list, in roughly the order that I believe these qualities come into play in our literary endeavors:
Creativity
Integrity
Inquisitiveness
Inspiration
Insight
Self-Confidence with Humility
Persistence
My Personal Thoughts
Here are my thoughts on the ways that these resources can contribute to a successful writing career.
Creativity
I’ve placed creativity first, because it’s innate. While it’s definitely possible to increase our awareness and use of our creative gifts, they are just that—gifts. When we recognize this, we realize that with these gifts comes a responsibility to use them to the best of our ability. This is where it all begins; our success grows out of our creativity. Therefore, learning to recognize and tap into our creativity will allow us to use it in newer and better ways in 2008.
Integrity
While integrity may not be innate, it’s definitely foundational, influencing who we are and touching everything we say, think, do, and create. It affects the projects we choose to handle, the way we decide to handle them, and the manner in which we deal with clients, editors, publishers, readers, and fellow writers. It influences the way we approach our topics and the degree of credibility we ultimately enjoy with our readers. I’ve placed this resource second simply because for us to be effective it must be in place before we begin the process of attempting to transform our raw creativity into a tangible form that’s both edifying and enriching.
Inquisitiveness
Inquisitiveness is where the creative process begins. This eager thirst for knowledge fuels our desire to explore the world around us, within us, and beyond us, stretching us from the deepest, most revelatory truths to the farthest reaches of our own imaginations. This craving to know who, what, when…where, why, how…engulfs us and soon evolves from “why?” or “how?” to “why not?” or “what if?” This is the catalyst for the expansion of ideas and the development of new thought patterns. It’s what enables us to probe outside our prior experiential sphere, entering new realms of understanding. This is the quality that sets us on the pathway to discovery, which, in turn, prepares us to create.
Inspiration
Inspiration is the spark that illuminates our mind and heart as we reflect on our purpose and seek to bring energy and life to our creation. It may be a moment of sudden, rapturous clarity, as we ponder a problem we’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to solve for weeks and are just about ready to give up, or it might be a gradual, growing sense of enlightenment as we tackle our creative task. It’s the breath of life that gives us the passion to go on, despite obstacles, and raises our consciousness to a higher, nobler plane.
Insight
Insight is the natural result of the interplay of all the qualities that come before it. It’s the perfect culmination of all the diverse parts of the creative process, and it leads directly to creation. Of course, the above qualities all continue to be active during the actual creation of our work, each one playing its own unique role in the creative process in concert with the others.
Self-Confidence with Humility
Confidence in ourselves and our ability to create something worthwhile and then to share it with the world will impact both the quality of our work and the likelihood that we’ll be able to market it successfully. Once we’ve developed confidence in our inherent talent, that self-assurance will come through in our writing—and it will also come through in the marketing of our work.
It’s crucial that this self-confidence be tempered with generous doses of humility, however, which come through regular “reality checks.” By reminding ourselves that creativity is a gift that we did nothing to earn (though we may, in fact, have worked hard to develop it to a higher level), we will help ourselves avoid arrogance. When we realize that, had we not been given the gift of creativity to begin with, we would have had nothing to work so hard to develop, we'll be much easier to work with. This will go a long way toward making us popular not only with readers but among editors and publishers, as well.
Persistence
Finally, if we possess all the above qualities yet lack the ability to persevere despite setbacks, obstacles, delays, and deferred dreams, we’ll never win the prize. Persistence is the key to realizing our highest aspirations. Few are able to do that overnight. Success is often built in stages; and we must have the staying power to last until the final brick is in place, all the time working, hoping, and believing in our own ability to build our dream of writing success one brick at a time.
Your Thoughts?
These are the inner resources that I believe would help me reach my writing goals in 2008 and beyond—resources that I believe would be just as beneficial to any writer. What are your thoughts, as you stand on the threshhold of a new year and contemplate your own writing goals? What resources will you need to make your dreams a reality? Feel free to respond using as few or as many words as you'd like. There are no wrong answers! If your answer is too extensive for a comment, you might consider devoting a blog post to the topic; and if you do, be sure to stop back and leave us a link. If you'd rather wait until after Christmas, when you aren't quite so busy, we understand. We'll be here when you get back!
To your writing success in 2008—and beyond!
Jeanne
This is not a sponsored post.
Did you enjoy this post? Have any inner resources you'd like to add to the list or any other thoughts on this topic? Please feel free to comment!
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Comment by tlcorbin
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
(I made a few changes to the Self-Confidence with Humility section [added a sentence near the end], which might have been done after you printed it out if you did so right away.)
The way you would add the Nice Matters plaque to your site would depend on whether you want to place it inside a blog post or into your sidebar. (The sidebar is a bit more complex.) You probably already know how to place images into posts, so I'm assuming you'd like to put it into your sidebar, as I have. If so, I'll send you a PM telling you the procedure. Let me know.
Holiday blessings to you, as well!
Jeanne
Comment by Michele L.
Merry Christmas!
Michele
Comment by Joanna Young
I also liked the idea of an "i" list - it's funny how our mind likes to work like this isn't it, part of the gift of creativity
Your "i"s should certainly be on every writer's list
Integrity
Inquisitiveness
Inspiration
Insight
Have a very happy Christmas
Joanna
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
It would be fantastic if you should decide to write a post on this topic after Christmas! I know that I, for one, would really enjoy reading what you had to say about it! Be sure to let me know if and when you do! This is definitely an important issue for writers to consider.
Holiday blessings to you and your family!
Jeanne
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks so much for your very kind words! I only wish I'd completed this post a little sooner--and maybe, for my readers' sake, made it a little shorter! So glad you enjoyed it, though--despite its length!
It IS funny the way the creative mind works! (I really must admit--I do love those "i"-words!)
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Jeanne
Comment by Brad Shorr
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
I really appreciate your thoughts--as well as your kind words about my post!
I do believe you're right about the connection between humility and inquisitiveness. As long as we think we have nothing more to learn, we'll never exercise that wonderful quality of openness and teachability that can open so many new and exciting doors to us in our creative pursuits--as well as in every other aspect of our lives.
A teachable spirit is like a breath of fresh air--pure, clean, and unsullied by cynicism or arrogance which, in contrast, are stifling, tainted, and unedifying to both the one who harbors them and everyone else s/he comes in contact with.
Thanks so much for your Christmas wishes! Hope your holidays are happy, as well! (If I can only get rid of this nasty cold, I'll be much happier!)
Thanks for the visit!
Jeanne
P.S. Wonder why your photo isn't showing up in my MyBlogLog widget.
Comment by AmyHuang
Project Job Search
Travel Debate
Travel String
Love Adventures
Thanks for the inspiration!
As for me, I'll take all of that and also remind me not to give up. All the rejections does bad things for my confidence and sometimes you just feel maybe it's all a waste of time....
However, with a new year, we'll all have new goals and spirit, and I wish everyone all the best and that we all become successful in our own way!
Amy
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Glad to help inspire you and my other readers to "go for the gold" in 2008!
Rejections can certainly be hard on a writer's self-confidence! But, during those times, it's always good to remember that some of the most famous writers we know, whose names are household words today, had enough rejection slips to paper their walls before they got their first big break!
Rejection slips (or rejection e-mails) are more a reflection of the needs of the market than they are of the quality of a piece of writing; and though they're disappointing, we can't let them deter us from our goal. If we ever hope to make it, we need to follow the wisdom of the old adage, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."
Here's to trying as many times as it takes in 2008!
Best wishes to you in reaching your writing goals!
Jeanne
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
This is just the sort of info and inspiration I need at the moment. This will be a post that I will revisit.
Thank-you,
Tracy
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Glad I've been able to provide inspiration for you through this post! Joanna's challenge definitely inspired me to delve into this very important topic in preparation for a new year of opportunity and promise in 2008. And it's great to hear that my response to her challenge is in turn inspiring others to do the same!
Wishing you success in the new year!
Jeanne