The Power of Outlook
And, no, I don't mean that Outlook! I'm talking about your outlook on life. I just read a quote earlier today about a somewhat circular idea that referred to happiness. It went something like, If you want to be happy, act happy . . . and if you act happy, you'll be happy. I got to thinking about that concept of acting a certain way to feel a certain way, and I thought that this particular attitude might be particularly useful to writers who are struggling.
For instance, like most people, I tend to focus on the negative. I get one rejection and I withdraw, convinced that I am a failure. Am I? No. I've actually won several awards and have been told I've got a natural talent. But I allow myself to focus on the failures and that takes my attention away from where it should be - submitting. I read my most recent issue of The Storyteller and was impressed with the writing, and read one story that reminded me of a story that I wrote last year. The story that I submitted once, to a literary journal that is very up front about the fact that they accept less than 1% of the submissions they receive. They rejected it, and I promptly filed that away in my "rejected" folder. Stupid? Yes. But that's exactly what I did. So, I am going to use that circular thinking, adapted to writing. I am not going to allow my focus to waver. I am going to change my way of thinking. I will not consider success/failure to be simply one rejection. Instead, I will focus on the success of submitting. If I can trick myself into thinking of submissions as success, perhaps I'll be able to turn those submissions into success.
For instance, like most people, I tend to focus on the negative. I get one rejection and I withdraw, convinced that I am a failure. Am I? No. I've actually won several awards and have been told I've got a natural talent. But I allow myself to focus on the failures and that takes my attention away from where it should be - submitting. I read my most recent issue of The Storyteller and was impressed with the writing, and read one story that reminded me of a story that I wrote last year. The story that I submitted once, to a literary journal that is very up front about the fact that they accept less than 1% of the submissions they receive. They rejected it, and I promptly filed that away in my "rejected" folder. Stupid? Yes. But that's exactly what I did. So, I am going to use that circular thinking, adapted to writing. I am not going to allow my focus to waver. I am going to change my way of thinking. I will not consider success/failure to be simply one rejection. Instead, I will focus on the success of submitting. If I can trick myself into thinking of submissions as success, perhaps I'll be able to turn those submissions into success.
Posted by Elle Robb at 3/17/2009 12:36 AM 
Categories: Writing Tips and Tricks
Tags: submissions outlook mood suggestion success
Categories: Writing Tips and Tricks
Tags: submissions outlook mood suggestion success
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