Writer’s Bling Block: How Your First Recognition Can Kill Your Writing
With the exception of the great composers, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo, an artist’s talent is not often immediately seen. They have to start from the ground up — no, the basement. They have to pound the pavement whether they be a painter, singer, dancer, actor, or in this case, a writer.
We’ve all been there, the burgeoning excitement as you open an envelope, hoping that maybe, just maybe there is an acceptance rather than a rejection slip inside. Unless you’re like Stephen King who posted such slips all over his writing wall — you, the writers who are reading this, are no doubt familiar with that disappointment.
But I’m not here to talk about that.
I’m here to talk about the paralyzing pressure that takes over after the sea of disappointment gives way to the one pearl of hope: An acceptance letter, perhaps accompanied by a fat wad of cash depending on where you publish. Life is good! You, the amazing connoisseur of the pen and keyboard, have finally achieved the impossible! You have been paid for your writing! If Johnny Depp proposed to you on top of the London Eye, it wouldn’t even compare to how self-satisfied you are now! You spit out words, and somebody paid for them! You are a Queen, a King, a demigod of scribes! You are amazing! You are on your way! You are —
