Four Hard Truths I’ve Had to Face As a Creative Writer
I’m committed to writing, creatively, but I’ve had to be honest with myself about what this means.
I’m a freelance journalist and copywriter who also writes short fiction and creative nonfiction, but today, I feel like I really suck at writing. Yeah, I used “really”, and anyone who’s serious about writing knows that intensifiers are confirmation that you suck. Today, I’m thinking, “Why the f*ck am I even writing? What’s the point of it?”
A week ago, I thought I was doing pretty ok. (Yes, another intensifier, at this point, I don’t give a hoot). An article I wrote on Medium got 6.6K views and earned me $252.8. I completed a short story, and was particularly proud of the ending, which took a few months to work itself out. Two long-form features I had written were published in well-circulated glossies. I wrote brand content for a small jewelry company and felt like I had spun straw into gold. And I was asked to chair a panel discussion at a writers’ conference.
But this week other things happened, and now I feel like I’ve been painfully kicked off my horse. I had three submissions and two pitches rejected by editors. Two potential clients I sent quotes to told me my rates were too high. One of these potential clients, someone looking to…
