Just happened across a fun and possibly useful page of Factoids To Boost Your Confidence as a Writer:
Writers have bad days. We get negative book reviews, we take too long to finish a story, and we get rejected—sometimes all in the same week.
But writers are also resilient. When you need a kick-in-the-pants, read this post for instant encouragement and motivation.
I’ll give you a sampling:
When It’s Taking “Too Long”:
Gillian Flynn: 3 years to write Gone Girl
When You Feel Too Old/Too Young:
Mark Twain: 41
When You Experience Self-Doubt:
“Self-doubt is just part of the creative process. It doesn’t go away. It sits there. It’s part of the process. So we need to learn to live with that and go forward. Finish your manuscript, publish your book, and get your words out into the world anyway. Self-doubt is just part of the job of being a writer.” — Joanna Penn
When Another Agent Rejects You:
“120+ query rejections on my first (shelved) books. I sent my first query for One of Us Is Lying to my dream agent, and she signed & sold it a couple of months later. Then I got another query rejection after it hit the NYT bestseller list.” — Karen M. McManus, @writerkmc
When Someone Mocks Self-Publishing:
Andy Weir (The Martian) — Matt Damon starred in the movie version, which won an Academy Award.
When You Get Negative Reviews:
Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
“The plan and technique of the illustrations are superb… …but they may well prove frightening, accompanied as they are by a pointless and confusing story.” —Publisher’s Weekly, 1963
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