Julie, oh my gosh, this was what I needed this morning. I just sent my first PB manuscript to my agent and I love love love it....and am terrified that the book police are going to arrest me for trying a new category :) But follow the love! What great advice. <3
Thank you, Julie! As a fun note, I'm so nervous about this whole thing that -quite literally- my stomach lurched when I read the beginning of your comment as the thought "oh my god, they've already found me" raced through my monkey mind. Off to meditate! :D
As always, words of wisdom! I try to remind myself of this often, too--especially when revising. I actually sometimes ask myself, "If I make this change...if I'm lucky enough to get this published...will I love reading this story to a room full of children for the next xyz years?" Like, will I genuinely smile at that spread still? Etc. Not that we shouldn't make changes to our work! But, like you say, we should be saying yes to the changes that help us tell OUR story better.
I'm really finding a lot recently that I have to completely remove any of those future projections from my approach to work. As soon as I ask myself how I'll feel reading it to a room full of children, it becomes so much more. Too much pressure on it. I am having to approach it all like "WHATEVER! THIS IS FUN!" and it's a bit of a delusion, because I know what my real end goal is.
Ohmygosh, I wish I could make this "delusion" work for me now! Writer goals. To be fair, I guess some days I do--when I'm lost in the fun of the creation--and those are the best days! I'm just too hungry, Julie. I know. It's not healthy. But I get in those zones and sometimes my stomach growls and reminds me that I haven't eaten lunch. LOL!
In the beginning here, I guess my delusion is (and I don't say it as a self-put-down, I mean, it's just that it's so unlikely for ANYONE, at least at first) is letting myself assume that I'm going to have a long and storied (hardy har har) children's book writer career. Like, I need that? (It's a weird mix of delusion and manifesting?) But I do want to get to the place where I have a bit more faith that I can relax on worrying about the big picture (which, again, not entirely in my control, but once I have an agent, that will certainly be a relief) and focus on my only job being the writing, and not the "also finding someone who believes in my work and wants to sell it for me" aspect. Which I know you get, because you've talked about that before. But I love that you are able to do this! I aim for it, too, and it's nice to see it CAN be that kind of focus!
Oh, yeah, for sure, like I've said before, I wasn't prepared for the shift in feeling once I'd made it through a gate or two (agent, book deal, etc). I do find that so much of a writing career is simultaneously existing in layers. "This book is amazing!" + knowing you'll have to substantially revise. "I'm just having fun!" + wanting it to be made into a real book. "I like making stories!" + wanting traditional markers of success, like awards. "I'm tapping in to the flow of my creativity and inspiration" + I want to be paid.
It's such a good hat! It is not handknit (I don't think??) but from some company or store. I have no memory of where this hat came from, but it's the one I wear most often.
I love this! The only way I got out of a decade long creative block was to rewire my brain this way. Slowly over time, I had to remind myself that I create because I like it. I don’t need any other reason than that. Play became my #1 goal and that changed everything.
Julie, oh my gosh, this was what I needed this morning. I just sent my first PB manuscript to my agent and I love love love it....and am terrified that the book police are going to arrest me for trying a new category :) But follow the love! What great advice. <3
Oh yeah, Erin, I totally wanted to talk to you about that, because I heard ALL ABOUT IT on my book police scanner. They're coming to get you!
In actual news: I'm excited about this! Both you writing a picture book and you writing something you super love.
Thank you, Julie! As a fun note, I'm so nervous about this whole thing that -quite literally- my stomach lurched when I read the beginning of your comment as the thought "oh my god, they've already found me" raced through my monkey mind. Off to meditate! :D
OH NO! I don't want to make your stomach lurch! I am truly happy that you're writing picture books!
Hahaha thank you!! <3 And again, thank you for the great thoughts this morning!
I agree wholeheartedly. (Though I am guilty of doing exactly this.) Thank you for the mention!
As always, words of wisdom! I try to remind myself of this often, too--especially when revising. I actually sometimes ask myself, "If I make this change...if I'm lucky enough to get this published...will I love reading this story to a room full of children for the next xyz years?" Like, will I genuinely smile at that spread still? Etc. Not that we shouldn't make changes to our work! But, like you say, we should be saying yes to the changes that help us tell OUR story better.
I'm really finding a lot recently that I have to completely remove any of those future projections from my approach to work. As soon as I ask myself how I'll feel reading it to a room full of children, it becomes so much more. Too much pressure on it. I am having to approach it all like "WHATEVER! THIS IS FUN!" and it's a bit of a delusion, because I know what my real end goal is.
Ohmygosh, I wish I could make this "delusion" work for me now! Writer goals. To be fair, I guess some days I do--when I'm lost in the fun of the creation--and those are the best days! I'm just too hungry, Julie. I know. It's not healthy. But I get in those zones and sometimes my stomach growls and reminds me that I haven't eaten lunch. LOL!
In the beginning here, I guess my delusion is (and I don't say it as a self-put-down, I mean, it's just that it's so unlikely for ANYONE, at least at first) is letting myself assume that I'm going to have a long and storied (hardy har har) children's book writer career. Like, I need that? (It's a weird mix of delusion and manifesting?) But I do want to get to the place where I have a bit more faith that I can relax on worrying about the big picture (which, again, not entirely in my control, but once I have an agent, that will certainly be a relief) and focus on my only job being the writing, and not the "also finding someone who believes in my work and wants to sell it for me" aspect. Which I know you get, because you've talked about that before. But I love that you are able to do this! I aim for it, too, and it's nice to see it CAN be that kind of focus!
Oh, yeah, for sure, like I've said before, I wasn't prepared for the shift in feeling once I'd made it through a gate or two (agent, book deal, etc). I do find that so much of a writing career is simultaneously existing in layers. "This book is amazing!" + knowing you'll have to substantially revise. "I'm just having fun!" + wanting it to be made into a real book. "I like making stories!" + wanting traditional markers of success, like awards. "I'm tapping in to the flow of my creativity and inspiration" + I want to be paid.
Similarly, this is all funny (+sad) because it's true! :)
Thanks so much, Julie, for your clear and inspiring thinking!
Yes. Although there are days when I'm not wildly in love with writing, I'm usually wildly in love with what I end up writing.
I'm also wildly in love with your hat. Is it handknit? I'm also a knitter.
It's such a good hat! It is not handknit (I don't think??) but from some company or store. I have no memory of where this hat came from, but it's the one I wear most often.
Love this! Thank you, Julie!💖
I love this! The only way I got out of a decade long creative block was to rewire my brain this way. Slowly over time, I had to remind myself that I create because I like it. I don’t need any other reason than that. Play became my #1 goal and that changed everything.