The Ups and Downs of a Writer’s Journey
By Juliet Marillier | July 14, 2021 |
I could make that title even grander by adding a subtitle: And How to Handle Them. I’ve written on this topic before. One can generalise about rejection, writer’s block, bad reviews, and how hard it is to keep going in tough times. But the journeys of individual writers are many and varied, from the one-hit wonder to the focused career writer to the newbie dipping a cautious toe in the swirling river of self-publishing while wondering whether to wait for the big mainstream deal that may be just around the corner. There are the poets, the dreamers, and the dilettantes, each following their own muse. And more, many more, just as there are many pathways in this world – from eight lane expressway to quiet suburban street, from winding country road to wee crooked track into the deep woods.
Hope, resilience, courage: these are vital for me as a writer and as a human being, and they feature in both my blog posts and my fiction. My characters meet tough challenges. Some find the courage, wisdom and inner strength to overcome their difficulties, though not without losses along the way – fantasy world it may be, but these are real people whose dilemmas are, at heart, much the same as those you or I might be facing. The protagonist may be a lonely troll princess or a medieval warrior bard or a young woman thrust into a perilous position of leadership. But their challenges are to stand up for justice and freedom; to stay strong in a hostile world; to help others; to survive; to do better. Some characters fall by the wayside, unable or unwilling to find the internal resources required. That’s how it is in real life. If I have a mantra in my work and in my life, it is ‘Be brave, wise and good and you can meet any challenge.’ Simple, yes?
Well, no. Not always. The grand title needs a third part: something about listening to your own good advice. My journey over the past year or so illustrates that. I just checked out my WU posts for this time last year and was reminded that I was working frantically on a major rewrite of my completed novel, after my editors requested substantial changes. Seems that job, done while the pandemic was raging and world politics were especially turbulent, had a bigger impact than I realised. I completed the revision on time and to everyone’s satisfaction except perhaps my own. But what came next was … nothing much.
Ever since I began writing full time nearly twenty years ago, I’ve submitted a novel every year, then immediately started something new. Some years I’ve completed a side project as well: an audiobook exclusive; a collection of short stories. So what happened in 2021? It’s July already, and although I’ve written two short stories, one already published, one coming out later, there’s no new novel. Instead I have three different book proposals in front of me, none of them ready to go to my agent yet. What went wrong?
Maybe nothing. The last year and a half has been a difficult time for all of us. I know my life is privileged compared to many. I live in a relatively Covid-safe part of the world, I am fully vaccinated, and as I work from home already, I can earn a living even during lockdown. But such times show us the best and the worst of human behaviour, and as a stressed-out writer it can be hard to do what we should do: take a step back, observe, analyse, use what you learn. Human strength and human frailty are universal, as are wise and foolish leaders, external threats, the forces of nature. Ignorance, wilful or not, is balanced by wisdom. Fear is balanced by fortitude. We see it all around us. No matter what your genre, you can use those observations to create a meaningful story, one that will ring true for your fellow humans. Yes, sometimes you feel that you just can’t do it. Maybe you need to recharge the batteries, leave the field fallow, give your brain a rest. Allow yourself thinking time, as much of it as you need. Then, when you are ready, the words will come.
To be honest, I don’t always practise what I preach. I’m not good at taking true breaks, planned or unplanned. If I’m not writing I beat myself up about it. I should follow my own advice from earlier posts. Here are some basics, useful for helping you get through writer’s block and related mental health issues – with my usual caveat that clinical depression requires expert medical help.
- Take regular exercise (walking, swimming, dancing, whatever you enjoy – dogs come in handy for this!)
- Go outside into beautiful nature, even if it’s no further than the local park
- Listen to beautiful music. Sing or play.
- Try to keep regular hours; get enough sleep
- Eat healthy food, drink plenty of water
- Spend less time on your screen(s)
- Reduce exposure to news coverage (at times of stress I become a news junkie)
- Engage in creative activities other than writing (cooking, gardening, knitting, etc)
- Maintain social interaction with family and friends, pandemic permitting
There was some good news this week. A Song of Flight, the novel I laboured over in 2020, received a truly wonderful starred review in Publishers Weekly. And I saw the first copies of Mother Thorn and Other Tales of Courage and Kindness, an illustrated collection of fairy tale reworkings I created in collaboration with award-winning artist Kathleen Jennings. Mother Thorn will be available more widely later this year. Its road to publication has been long and bumpy, but the final result should be worth the angst.
Write well, folks. Look after yourselves. Take a break if you need it, and come back later. The tribe will still be here.
How do you get through the unproductive times? Feel free to share your stories and your tips.
Image is the author’s own. Taken at Crom Estate, County Fermanagh, Ireland.
Juliet Marillier has written twenty-four novels for adults and young adults and two collections of short fiction. Her works of historical fantasy have been published around the world and have won numerous awards. Juliet’s most recent series was Warrior Bards, of which the third and final book, A Song of Flight, was published in 2021. Her collection of reimagined fairy tales, Mother Thorn and Other Tales of Courage and Kindness, had its trade release in 2022. Mother Thorn is illustrated by Kathleen Jennings and published by Serenity Press.
Juliet is currently working on a two-book fantasy series. The first book in this duology, The Amber Owl, will be published by New Dawn in February 2025.
When not writing, Juliet looks after a small crew of rescue dogs.
Hi Juliet – Well, I suppose I’m glad you’re taking some time to recharge the batteries, whether intentionally or not.
It’s been a strange year for me, as well. I’m nearing the 16th anniversary of having first put pen to page with the aim of storytelling. After that day I completed a trilogy, sought but couldn’t find an agent, sought to rework it, still no luck; started a new project, decided to make that story a trilogy as well, completed it; landed an agent, couldn’t find a publisher, reworked it, still couldn’t find a buyer; parted ways with the agent, and sought a new one… all to no avail. Phew.
I have to concede in looking back on it: a trudge like that is enough to wear out even the steadfast writer I aspire to be.
In spite of being worn out, and my recent dithering, I know in my heart that I can’t simply shelve this story and move on. Even though I also fully appreciate how privileged I am, and the many ways I have been blessed by this journey, the effort would feel somehow incomplete without offering up the fruits of my labor. So now I find myself appraising that swift and changing current of self-pub that you mention. I’ve got to admit, it feels daunting, like much of it will entail swimming upstream. More than that, from this side of the jump it looks even more exhausting than all of those years striving for a traditional deal.
I so clearly remember my 50th birthday, a decade ago next week. I was so sure I was on the verge of jumping into the river of traditional publishing. I suppose I imagined there would be a bit of “tubing downstream,” going with the flow and enjoying the ride. I can see how foolish that was, but I still find myself feeling a bit incredulous that I’ll be 60 before I even manage to get wet. I guess you’re right–that there are as many writerly paths as there are writers. I still feel as though it’s rightful to trust that I’m on the one I am meant to tread. One that will eventually lead to that river to swim (even if I now understand that I will not be issued an innertube to float upon).
Here’s to the dogs that keep us moving, even during the tough times. Congrats on the good news regarding A Song of Flight! Wishing you happy (downstream) swimming!
I loved the whole river and tubing analogy! Here’s to more downstream flow than upstream battles. Happy birthday!
Thank you for sharing that, Vaughn! ”Steadfast” is apt – I would choose that term for your writing journey and I’m sure your work will eventually reach an appreciative readership. But yes, that step into self-publishing is quite daunting. I’ve certainly seen some authors do it extremely well and have considerable success. I think you need a good head for business and a tidy way of working. And to be prepared to have the non-writing parts of the job take up a whole lot of time and effort. Definitely not for the faint-hearted!
The longer the journey, the more you can learn along the way. That will mean you make sound choices, whatever they turn out to be. The support and wisdom that exist within the WU community are also invaluable.
And yes, where would we be without our dogs? I realise, reading that comment, that perhaps I was exhausted emotionally too, since I lost Pip in mid-2020, Fergal in January this year and Reggie at Easter. All of them were old and unwell, and required a lot of love and care toward the end. If not for the newly adopted Rocky and Bramble I’d probably be in an even lower dip of the path.
Write well, my friend, and take care on the river bank!
Juliet, Mother Thorn and Other tales sounds wonderful, and I Iook forward to reading A Song of Flight. I echo your and Vaughn’s appreciation of dogs in our lives. We’ve had Analise for nine moths now and aside from lying at my feet while I work, she’s like a balm of sanity in all the chaos that is the world. Oddly, she reminds me of what’s important about being human; moments of just sitting together, laughter, connection, walking in the woods and marveling at the beauty. Even so, I experienced a level of exhaustion recently that forced me to take stock. My takeaway was similar to your list of coping tools. Less news, less screen time (save it for writing, not doom-scrolling news sites!!) Good rest. Sound sleep. Family connection. Also, oddly, reading history, and being reminded that things go in cycles, (although we humans tend to repeat them). For me, both reading and telling stories is a way of making sense of it all. Thank you for a lovely post and the reminder that the journey is different for each of us.
Susan, I like that idea about reading history – I’ve done some of that during this time, mostly research for a possible project, but yes, it sure does put things in context. And stories, of course. With my druid hat (hood?) on, I would put storytelling first as a way of making sense of the world.
One thing I didn’t include on my list was meditation, also great for calming the whirling thoughts and relaxing the tensed-up body. Best not practised on the floor, because dogs like to join in!
Thanks so much for your wise thoughts.
Juliet, congratulations on Song! I think perhaps you might be too hard on yourself. It’s been a challenging year, yet you’ve managed to keep on task. I believe stories bubble up when they need to. I’ve been having an explosion of ideas, but not the motivation to do the hard work of completing the stories. I don’t know what I’m waiting for… so bit by bit, I’m finishing up stories and even sent out a couple!
It’s summertime and it tends to be a season less of writing and more of playing in the water, gardening, trying out new things–we’ve been doing some interesting things in choir, like trying out a drone or harmony in Gregorian chant. Fun!
Thanks, Vijaya! Very wise thoughts – I should just chill for a while and let the flow carry me along. It is winter here, and the cold and wet may well be contributing to my current frame of mind.
Your choir sounds a lot more accomplished than my choir! We’re quite a mixed bunch with many who can’t read music, so the pace of learning is gradual. But there is no doubt singing lifts the heart.
Congrats on finishing some of those stories and sending them out – I hope they find a home!
Juliet, you’ve been my favorite historical fantasy author for years, and it’s such a strange but incredible feeling to know that we’re at sushi lad stages in our writing journeys. I’m a published poet, and today received a very difficult rejection for a poem that was shortlisted and held by a literary journal for several months. Doubt started to creep in a almost completely took over—Am I not good enough? Is what I’m writing not worthy of a place to call home? And then I saw this blog post on the “Friends of Juliet” Facebook page. Reading about the ups and downs and how to navigate them made me realize it’s okay to be let down. This year I’ve only published seven poems, hardly any though we’re halfway through. But I did notice that my writing has improved. So, even with just seven acceptances, I can say I’ve actually made good progress in the last six months. And I know I will make more, and find a place for my homeless poem. I am so happy to hear you have book proposals you are sitting on. That’s huge! I mean, considering the pandemic and you’re personal responsibilities, I’d count that as a win. And as a reader, I’m excited by the thought that ideas are flowing to you, even now. I can’t wait for your future work to manifest fully. And in the meantime, I have Mother Thorn and A Song of Flight to look forward to. Many blessings.
Hi Sarah and thank you for these very balanced comments! Many of my established writer friends experience the same kind of self-doubt – seems to go with the territory, unfortunately. I’m sure your poem will find an appreciative home elsewhere. And well done for the seven acceptances and the positive attitude.
If we can say our writing has improved, that’s huge at any stage of our career. We keep on learning all our lives. I was happy with the two short stories I wrote in that time, and short fiction is really difficult for me (poetry would be even more so.)
I really appreciate your encouraging comments. I am fairly sure which proposal I will show the agent first. I need to cut it down from Too Many Words to Just Right. Blessings to you and may the creative flow continue!
Love this, Juliet–great reminders. Thanks for sharing–and congrats on Mother Thorn and your starred review!
Hi Juliet. A very honest precis of Covid, the writing life and in particular, your suggestions for a ‘kindness plan’ for oneself.
I think Covid affected/affects us all, whether we live in a safe place or not. It’s outside the door, like a bogeyman – just waiting.
If last year taught me anything, it was that family and the outdoors were my mainstays and I include the dogs in family. I assumed I would write a whole novel easily last year, but it wasn’t to be. I was willingly distracted by the need to be a part of our family bubble and to take advantage of isolation in the outdoors life of the farm and gardens.
TBH, writing didn’t matter. And because it didn’t matter, the muse returned when it was good and ready. Not at my behest.
I’ve followed a meditative process for many years and it became even more important from last year – just to be able to mentally retreat and also to view oneself with loving kindness and not beat oneself up.
I’m also delighted to say that Dymocks in Hobart had sold out of their advance copies of Song and I now have it on order to add to my shelf of Marillier titles.
Hi Prue, and thanks for the wise comment. I count dogs as family too! Your life often seems to me to have remarkable balance and harmony, with your joy in your garden being a part of that, as well as your love of the beautiful place where you live and your work on the farm balanced by your writing. Because of the positivity you project even in particularly hard times, I am not surprised that the muse returned in its own time.
Nice news about the sales of my new book via Dymocks in Hobart. Thanks for sharing that!
Also re family, I had a great day yesterday with both my sons and three of my grandchildren visiting. Dog walk, Lego building, lunch out at the local hostelry (we are so lucky not to be locked down at present.) That day definitely boosted my spirits.
Hello Juliet, So glad to hear you are weighing proposals before jumping in. I’m sure the end is each story is a watershed and it must be very turn of your carefully woven series.
I am delighted to say I was able to get my copy of Mother Thorn straight from Serenity Press in Australia. I was looking for refuge from The race to be dark and gritty and Tales of Courage and Kindness felt like just the thing. Love the publisher’s catalogue and the illustrator Kathleen Jennings art. All together with your stories it was quite a treat. Looking forward to gifting it for Christmas when is becomes available.
Looking forward to whatever comes next in your story world. Meanwhile I write on thinking of you.