I've been writing a YA mystery, set in the 90s. I'm passionate about this project but I feel insecure even on a good writing day. Every so often a tweet pops up on my feed that just sets me back emotionally. The other day, someone posted about how YA books set in the 80s that feature music are really nostalgic reads for adults. Maybe that's true, but tell that to Rainbow Rowell whose Eleanor and Park was widely loved by teens.
But then I worry about my WIP. Am I writing an indulgent nostalgia 90s trip? Will agents think that? Readers? I'm working so hard on this book -- is it all for nothing? Will an agent take one look at the setting and disregard it?
Yeah -- they could. They could easily do that.
I have to be realistic about this business, but I also have to do my own thing without worrying about trends or prevailing thoughts on YA. It's no one's fault but my own if I get hung up on my insecurity. I've been purposefully staying off my writing forums and querying sites in order to stay positive. If my WIP secures me an agent, awesome. If it doesn't, I'm no worse off.
But for my own sanity, I think I'll just stick to tweets about the election.
Aww, Kimberly, take it from someone who hasn't written much in a while... Every step you take with your WIP is a step forward. Just the act of writing is making you a better craftsman... er... craftswoman.
ReplyDeleteTry being a non-writer who has subscribed to all things writing on their Facebook feed. When anything writing related pops up I feel guilty about not writing! I'd much rather have your concerns (about the potential success of my WIP) than mine (about the total lack of a WIP!).
Keep on the keepin' on! And try stay in the present (see my last post)!
Great post, KGG! Totally agree... All the bookish stuff is way more stressful than the election. At least I know where I stand on that. But book tweets are so... subjective? Hard to say who you should listen to and who you should ignore... But you're right, ultimately, you've just gotta block out the noise so you can get some damn writing done
ReplyDeleteI think you are absolutely right Kimberly when you decided to follow your own intuition and allow your authentic voice to dictate your work! That's how we connect with our readers. Keep going - I can't wait for this book to get published!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and SO TRUE! For me, the stress about politics (on both sides of the pond) and regular writing insecurity has me staying off social media more than I normally would. The good news is that my productivity has gone way up -- and I missed the whole kerfluffle about a UK supermarket chain temporarily dropping Unilever brands, including Marmite, b/c of Brexit. If you ask me, they were better off, but I wasn't on social media so no one could ask me. :) Can't wait to see your new book out in the world!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kimberly! And so accurate to call it noise. While writing my first novel I didn't look into anything related to writing. I just wrote. Then with my second I started listening to the noise and it affected me a lot. I had to just stop writing a bit and once I ignored most of the noise things got better again. I'm now very selective about which authors I follow and which writer related blogs I subscribe to. Follow your instincts and ignore the unnecessary noise.
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