“The work itself will teach you.” Old Estonian Proverb
I saw these words etched on a stone at an art fair once and by now, they are etched on my heart. Over and over again, I’ve turned to them as I’ve been working on my children’s novel. As a nonfiction writer, making a foray into the world of fantasy has been a huge leap for me and I’ve had a big learning curve. Being a “pantser,” not a “plotter,” I basically wrote my way into my story and figured it out as I went along. I’ve had a lot of false starts, detours, and my share of rejection.
One thing I’ve learned from all this: “the work itself will teach you” is true. No matter how many times I’ve felt discouraged or unsure about how to move forward, somehow, my story has believed in me as much as I believed in it. As I kept on working, it kept changing, growing, showing me something new, something better.
And here’s something else I’ve learned: Some of my toughest moments on this writing project have proven to be my best lessons. I received a lot of agent passes, for example. Sprinkled among them were nuggets of feedback that proved enormously helpful. They showed me the weaknesses in my story and helped me push it to a new level.
Here are some words of wisdom that really struck a chord with me on this front from Ed Agresta, a motivational speaker.
“Winners find a way. Losers find an excuse. Some of our best lessons in life come from failure, rejection, and loss. Winners take the lessons they learn on their journey and keep going forward. If you’re going to find a way, you have to endure the hard times and be willing to fall and get up, and keep going again and again. As long as you keep on learning and moving, you’ll find the way that’s right for you — the right way to achieve the vision that’s in your heart.”
When it comes to my novel, I’m not there yet. But I do know this: I’m a way finder. And when you’re a way finder, I believe the way finds you. Write on!
Another timely post Karin! I have made myself trudge through the quicksand on the latest book I’ve been writing and almost Discarded it a few times. But after all my races and classes I’ve picked it up again and am learning new ways to organize and edit, which, even if they don’t help with this one, they will definitely help with the one I want to resurrect. Thank you for all your tips.
Terrie
Hi Terrie,
Thank you so much for letting me know that some of the writing tips I shared are proving helpful to you—that means so much to me! It’s so important to share what we’ve learned with each other and to keep on encouraiging and supporting each other. Bravo, for reviving a project that you put on the back burner. Sometimes after you take a break, you see it with fresh eyes!
Write on!
Karin