Your Support System Matters.
If you Google "Writing Support System" or something pretty much similar to that, you're going to start talking about agents, editors, publishers, writing tools or programs and so on. True, this is also a part of your support system as a writer. But this is more or less professional and that, is not what I'm talking about here. The support system I'm talking about is the most basic support system you're going to need, doesn't matter you're a writer or running for President. I'm talking about friends and families.
Yes, your friends and your families matter. I posted a quote from Roald Dahl a few hours ago and he emphasized on how writing (or finishing a book, if I may call it) is actually a long and slow process. He emphasized this journey to make writers realize that writing is not just about jotting down words on a blank page (well it kinda is all about that), but if you really want to get somewhere with your writing, you have to stick to it. And you can't exactly stick to it for just a day or a week. We're talking about years and decades of actually 'sticking to it'.
I've done several attempts to complete a novel and believe me, sticking to writing can sometimes be a big challenge. You're going to feel like every part of your brain is no longer interested in your characters and refused to corporate with them, you're going to think over your plot and start feeling insecure about everything and this will make you hesitate to write more and it will end up to a series of useless days and blank pages. You can feel the story calling you back but you have lost your confidence and spirit, and you feel like less of a writer than you were before. At this point, the people who can bring you back are your family and your friends. But at the same time, the people who can make you finally quit on writing are your family and your friends, too.
Why? Well, here's the thing. If you have a good support system, it means that your family and friends not only know and understand that you want to be a writer and that you love writing, but also accept that dream of yours wholeheartedly. It means that they will show you that they do have your back, and that no matter how badly the sales of your book is, they will still buy every copy available at every book store they run into because they give a crap about it. And this is exactly the thing that will bring you back from the dead.
A writer's support system matters. They can't go far if what they hear all day are their friends making fun of their writing, mocking them for their love of books, calling them names (like geeks, nerds, freaks, etc.) and constantly telling them to stop writing. Eventually, no matter how much confidence they have in themselves, these evil voices will get to them. It will affect them psychologically and this isn't good, because writers need their mind, body and soul in one piece to make good writing.
So, I guess while we make our ways to the end of our books, it wouldn't hurt to become best friends with an avid reader, make out with a book collector, or have a sister who likes poetry. And it definitely wouldn't hurt to marry someone you love and who thinks being a writer is a good idea (as quoted from Richard Ford). Like I said, your support system matters, thus make sure yours is a damn good one.
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| photo credit: leedevine.files.wordpress.com |
I've done several attempts to complete a novel and believe me, sticking to writing can sometimes be a big challenge. You're going to feel like every part of your brain is no longer interested in your characters and refused to corporate with them, you're going to think over your plot and start feeling insecure about everything and this will make you hesitate to write more and it will end up to a series of useless days and blank pages. You can feel the story calling you back but you have lost your confidence and spirit, and you feel like less of a writer than you were before. At this point, the people who can bring you back are your family and your friends. But at the same time, the people who can make you finally quit on writing are your family and your friends, too.
Why? Well, here's the thing. If you have a good support system, it means that your family and friends not only know and understand that you want to be a writer and that you love writing, but also accept that dream of yours wholeheartedly. It means that they will show you that they do have your back, and that no matter how badly the sales of your book is, they will still buy every copy available at every book store they run into because they give a crap about it. And this is exactly the thing that will bring you back from the dead.
 |
| photo credit: cdn.freshome.com |
So, I guess while we make our ways to the end of our books, it wouldn't hurt to become best friends with an avid reader, make out with a book collector, or have a sister who likes poetry. And it definitely wouldn't hurt to marry someone you love and who thinks being a writer is a good idea (as quoted from Richard Ford). Like I said, your support system matters, thus make sure yours is a damn good one.
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