5 Resources to Reignite Your Writing Career

"I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done.” ~Steven Wright, author

Ever have days like that? You stare at the blank computer screen and nothing flows through your fingers onto the keyboard? Many issues, mostly psychological, impede our creative process, sometimes for days on end. The danger is in these roadblocks short-circuiting our careers.

What are some of the roadblocks in your writing career? Chances are good that at least some of the things on this list have tripped you up at some point. The following articles and video by some of our industry’s top professionals will reignite your passion for writing and give you the encouragement to get around those pesky roadblocks tossed in your path.

#1- Can you think of anything worse in your journey to publication than rejection letters? We all get them, and they stink! Writing is kind of like baseball in the sense that getting a hit only a small percentage of the time is considered success. But sometimes rejections can be debilitating, especially when you don’t know why you’re getting them. In this blog post, literary agent Rachelle Gardner gives an agent’s insight into why a rejection might not have anything to do with the quality of your writing:

"Why You're Getting Rejections"

#2 – Lack of productivity. How do you get started? How do you stay on track without constant distractions like social media, especially when you feel mired down already? In this guest blog post by Vincent Nguyen, from Jeff Goins’ website, he outlines unconventional ways to reignite your writing and avoid the pitfalls of wasting time and getting distracted.

"An Unconventional Approach to Jumpstarting Your Productivity" 

#3 – Am I ever going to be a successful writer? Everyone wants to know how famous and successful writers reached the top. What makes them tick? Are they doing something I’m not? Max Lucado gives you an insider’s view of his writing process.

"A Peek Inside Max Lucado's Writing Process" 

#4 – Pacing. Ugh. Is this one of the great mysteries of writing or what? You know it when you read a nicely paced book, but you can’t always judge pacing in your own work. Becca Puglisi, who wrote The Emotion Thesaurus (invaluable book for fiction writers, by the way), shares some of the tricks of the trade in this post.

"The Tricky Art of Pacing" 

#5 – Lack of encouragement. Ever heard of Jack Canfield? Hmmm. Chicken Soup for the Soul. Yeah, that guy. Here’s a 7-minute video he made that shares some insight into how he became a published writer. There are additional videos you can sign up for at the end of this video. (While I’m not offering a guarantee or endorsement of his program, so far the free videos I’ve received via email have contained very good information.) If nothing else, just listening to him speak for a few minutes in this video will inspire you to stay the course and rededicate yourself to honing your writing skills and getting published.

 "Want to Write a Book and Get It Published?" 

Okay, so what are you waiting for? Now that your passion and determination have been reignited, get back to the keyboard and start writing! I want to hear about your latest work in progress (WIP). Leave a comment about what you’re currently working on.

Happy Writing,

Laura J