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Writer’s Rebel Creed Revisited: February Edition

About a month ago, I pledged to The Writer’s Rebel Creed 2014, developed by Sheri A. Larsen, in collaboration with followers of her blog.  (If you want to “pledge,” all you need to do is sign up on her blog by clicking here.)

Writer's Rebel Creed 2014full

Now, the Creed is not terribly hard to follow, at least at first blush.  But by my estimations, I’m not doing so good.  Of course, with my rebellious nature, I’m all too frequently breaking my own promises to myself.  Maybe I should have developed my own creed:  pledging to not write at all, to have no belief in my abilities, and to be chicken-sh*t in writing something new.

Now, if I can be allowed to consider commenting on other blogs as writing, then I have been writing regularly.  Yea!

Oops, I think I hear some people calling “Foul!”  Okay, so I need to improve in that area.

The thing is, I’m still sitting on a fence about my novel writing.  I wrote my first novel in 2007 and the next four in 2012 and 2013.  All of them were written during NaNoWriMo events and all are first or second drafts.  I’ve started reading the first draft of one novel, and then got derailed about halfway through.  It’s not bad (it’s a first draft, for crying out loud), but the whole concept of novel writing intimidates me.  I have to create a world, one that is believable even if fictional.  It’s a daunting task and I still wonder whether I’m up to it.

Which leads to my wavering belief in my abilities.  Which,  in truth, is just another day in the life of moi.  Every so often, a fellow blogger/writer pumps my head full of self-esteem (with a good measure of hot air) as Helena Hann-Basquiat did in her post here, but eventually I fall back to earth (and on my ass)  and consider my abilities to be figments of my imagination (yes, I know, it’s circular thinking).

But then I write something NEW, something that takes even me off-guard, and all because of a discussion of mashed potatoes on Jill Weatherholt’s blog.

As far as trusting in the beauty of revisions, well, I’ve already mentioned that I’m merely halfway through just reading the first draft of one of my novels.  Enough said there.

For now and the foreseeable future, I’m eschewing bettering my marketing skills since I have nothing to market.  I’m not even really trying to “grow a base” as much as just hang with the awesome community that has grown around me.

Finally, giving back to my community?  Supporting other writers?  I see those two items so closely related that I won’t try to address them separately.  I’ll just say that supporting other writers is perhaps the most fun thing I do on my blog.  It’s actually the one constant thing (aside from my Mondays with John) that gives meaning to my blog.

Now, I’m not feeling sorry for myself.  I’m not trying to milk sympathy or garner more boosts to my ego than I’ve already been given (although if you really want to compliment, go for it!).  I’m just feeling very matter-of-fact, very grounded actually.  I think it’s a good thing that I question my novel writing.  And it’s a good thing that I’m acknowledging that I haven’t spent as much time writing as I initially intended.  The stories are there; they’re just floating around in my head.  When I’m ready, and only then, I’ll pick up that half-read novel or jot down some of those ideas.

In the meantime, I have some writers to support, a community to give back to, and some blogs to comment on.  Who knows?  Maybe I’ll get inspired by a discussion on why avocado is so often an ingredient in sushi rolls.

So, what about you?  How are you doing with your writing/blogging/marketing commitments?  Do you get disappointed when your favorite sushi roll has avocado in it?

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Marie A Bailey

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15 responses to “Writer’s Rebel Creed Revisited: February Edition”

  1. Not a fan of sushi. My taste buds decipher seaweed as rotten milk and I’m not a fan of raw fish in general. As for the writing, I think everyone has moments of low faith in their abilities. At least until they get to a point where they can write at their leisure and not have to worry about many other responsibilities. Maybe you can just sit down with a notebook and world build to help with the bigger ideas. Just describe what you see when you think of the world and things may fall into place.

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    • I’m not big about raw fish, either. My husband loves it but I usually just get the cooked shrimp 😉 I hate avocados, though.
      Thanks for the suggestion about using a notebook. My problem is definitely that I don’t have much leisure these days, but I do carry around a notebook. I just need to use it 🙂

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  2. Marie, you do a wonderful job of supporting other writer’s, probably better than anyone I know. As far as your NaNo projects, I’m with you girlfriend. My two projects have been neglected, one more so than the other. There are some days where I just want to ditch them for good. When I made the commitment to write 500 words a day starting on January 1st, I had no idea what I was going to write about. It’s now February 21st and I’ve continued with the 500+ word commitment and a story has started to come to life. Is it crap? Yes, of course, but it’s different from the NaNo projects that felt like thorns in my side. Maybe put your NaNo’s aside and start something fresh?
    I loved your knitter and mashed potato story! I appreciate the mention. 🙂
    By the way, I signed up on Sheri’s blog…thanks! As far as sushi…I’ve never tried it. I know, I’m weird. 🙂
    Have a great weekend!

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    • Hey, Jill! First, you are not weird for not having tried sushi 🙂 And thank you for sharing your thoughts on your NaNo projects. NaNo is all about finishing by a certain date; your 500-words-a-day allows for the time and freedom to explore. I doubt that your story is crap 😉 but at least you’re not writing in a blind rush to the finish line 🙂

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  3. Love sushi and yes no avocado. (okay got that one out). You are always an inspiration and yes we all doubt our abilities at one time or another. The creed helps keep on track. The writing commitments are not a problem for me. The marketing process is so damn tough I have to force myself to face it every day. Doesn’t help when those one counted on for support seem to disappear. I have never tried NaNo, but really respect those who have done it. Great post Marie.

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  4. I feel like I have to have sushi at least once a week for lunch or dinner. You might try the volcano roll. The shrimp and scallops are steamed and the roll is served hot (not really sushi, but a roll and delicious, no avocado). I admire the NaNo method also, but I don’t feel it would work for me personally. I get a few chapters, then I have to go back over until I get them right, rewriting and revising. I did RC&R in what would have been NaNo style (just didn’t know what that was at the time). My creative writing has much improved since then. I have learned so very much this past year. Don’t worry about the time it takes to feel comfortable with your writing. I think this next book will take years to get “right” enough to release. I have yet to feel confident enough to share any of it with my writing group. It will get there.

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  5. Yes! Let’s all give ourselves the ok that blog commenting is writing! Then I won’t feel so frustrated! 😉

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