Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Determination

by C. LaRene Hall

A few nights ago, I watched a movie A Promise Kept: Oksana Baiul. It was a biography of a Ukranian figure-skating champion who overcame personal tragedies to win the 1994 Olympic gold medal in Lillehammer. That young girl was amazing and the things she overcame surprised me.

The movie reminded me of many of my writing friends who never give up. They take classes, and go to seminars and other workshops to learn the craft. Occasionally, some of them are free, but usually you have to pay a fee to attend. It takes lots of time to go to these conferences, but it’s important to learn the things taught.

Usually before they can even begin writing, they spend hours researching. Then you’d be surprised at how much time they spend writing each day, that is unless you are a writer. After the story is finished, there is still plenty of work left. The writing doesn’t end with the story. You still have editing to do, and queries or cover letters to write. Submitting your novel takes lots of time and money for all that ink, paper and postage. The entire process is difficult, and to become a writer you do have to have determination. Maybe someday all our work and expenses will pay off.

6 comments:

Carolyn V. said...

I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Great post! It was so fun to see you last week. =)

Anonymous said...

They will pay off! They will!

Keep on keepin' on and you'll see. I promise. =]

It was wonderful to see you again at the conference. I'm so glad your lip is feeling better. (You looked great!)

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

I think there's some pay just in the simple act of doing what you want to do. I've felt my self-respect triple since I started actively pursuing "the dream." Whatever the end result of all the hard work is, I'll always be grateful for that self-respect, I think.

Evelyn Curtis said...

How would I go about finding local writer's conferences? I am in Idaho, and would prefer to attend some here. But I'd go to UT. I just need to get surrounded in the stuff to keep me motivated.
Can anyone help me with my question?

C. LaRene Hall said...

Evelyn - you didn't say what kind of writing you do. I belong to the SCBWI (for children writers). They have a group that meets in Idaho- check at www.scbwi-utah-idaho.org. There is also an Idaho Writers League for all writers. Look up IWL on line. I'm sure it's similar to the one we have here in Utah. Being around other people who write does help keep you motivated.

Evelyn Curtis said...

I am focusing my writing on adult fiction, adventure/drama. I didn't think to include it in my post. :)

Thank you Connie, for the information. I will definitely check out the website!