Writers: Cancel That Quitting Party
Photo Credit: Steve Johnson via Unsplash
by MVWG Member Christy Wopat
If you’re anything like me, writing can be an emotional roller-coaster.
Some of us are happy to write simply for our critique groups while others, like me, are extremely motivated to become traditionally, NY-Big-Five published. No matter where you fall on that continuum, though, I think it’s fair to say that a lot of us write for the feeling of an audience reading our words, and for their approval.
I’m ambitious. I do a lot for the writing community without a single dollar as payment. I take classes and attend writerly events. I enter contests, and I submit articles and essays to different organizations quite often. For me, this means a LOT of rejection. A LOT of silence in my email inbox. I try to remain hopeful, but often it can feel like I write things and send them into the void, never to be seen again.
Recently, I sent off one of my FAVORITE essays to a contest and I felt SO good about it. I confided to my husband that I really thought I’d place high this time. This was it. Fast forward to me innocently reading my emails to a listserve to find out that I had definitely NOT won--in fact this woman had, and the following (what felt like) 6,000 emails were congratulations to her. I had a little pity party, right then.
If I’m not careful, those rejections can build up and I have what I like to call a “Quitter’s Party.” Basically, in my mind, I quit. I declare that I will never write another word again. I might whine and moan and carry on. I may mention to my writing friends that I wonder if they want my writing craft books. I contemplate a new hobby--maybe knitting? I could buy a Cricut and start an Etsy store. Probably, I should lean into a hobby of fitness, if I’m honest.
But, in the end, I never actually quit. I can’t, because I love the craft of writing too much. I love the sound and feel of my fingers tapping at the keys. I love the feeling I get when I know someone is reading something I wrote, even when I’m terrified they’ll hate it. I love the way words fall together or become a puzzle that I have to solve.
In the end, we are writers not to become published or known worldwide, we are writers because of our connection to words. We belong to the Mississippi Valley Writers Guild because we are creators. What we do is important. It’s necessary.
Even with the emotional ups and downs of querying and submission and critique sessions, we forge ahead. Keep on, keepin’ on, writers! And lean on us, your MVWG colleagues. We’ll talk you out of having that quitting party, even if we do kinda want your writing craft books. :)
Christy Wopat’s award-winning memoir, Almost a Mother: Love, Loss, and Finding Your People When Your Baby Dies, was published by Orange Hat Publishing in 2018. A 4th-grade teacher, busy mama, and wife, Christy has always relied on writing as a way to cope. Recently she decided to use that strength as a way to help others, so they don’t have to feel alone, especially in grief. Always Ours, an illustrated picture book about remembering our loved ones, was released in May of 2020 by Orange Hat. You can connect with Christy via her website.