tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post343258817833833088..comments2023-10-26T06:33:50.775-05:00Comments on E.J. Wesley, Author: THE C WORD CAN MAKE OR BREAK A WRITERAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00273059558675234923noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-15682383556386625732012-04-25T10:20:00.924-05:002012-04-25T10:20:00.924-05:00This is a great post. Lack of confidence can be a...This is a great post. Lack of confidence can be almost addictive to me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08311305166391446029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-32843169243339007282012-04-21T12:05:18.346-05:002012-04-21T12:05:18.346-05:00Very good post! Never thought of a lack in confide...Very good post! Never thought of a lack in confidence being the reason people write in first person before. But I suppose it makes sense--in some cases. Other times, when it's important to really get into the character (or because it "feels" right), first person is useful, regardless of writer confidence.<br /><br />Can't say I've ever had a major confidence issue (except when speaking with agents and publishers), but part of the reason may come from the fact that my friends are family are all super-supportive of my ambitions.<br /><br />J.C. Martin<br /><a href="http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/" rel="nofollow">A to Z Blogger</a>J.C. Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01567971311643106302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-88936666384981806992012-04-21T09:19:15.885-05:002012-04-21T09:19:15.885-05:00Loved this post!!! I had a low confidence moment t...Loved this post!!! I had a low confidence moment the other day and had someone challenge me as a writer - essentially, the "what makes you think you can write?" question. Since my confidence was teetering it was tough to answer, but some sassy part of me sprang up and said, "I'm a writer because I write . . .every day." (I didn't add the mental "so there"). Soemtimes those awful moments of being backed into a corner help me find my footing and decide there is no way I'm going to let someone else's criticism become my own.Tyrean Martinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356604721537744361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-53443814364864760032012-04-21T08:26:51.236-05:002012-04-21T08:26:51.236-05:00I could use that swear can as I finally filed my t...I could use that swear can as I finally filed my taxes. Had a happy ending, but #%^#%&^% the IRS sure does take a lot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-76436483448654106552012-04-21T08:15:15.047-05:002012-04-21T08:15:15.047-05:00Ha, you did you get me with the title. I almost cl...Ha, you did you get me with the title. I almost clicked out before I saw what the post was about. I love the post. It is so tough to maintain confidence has a writer. <br />I'm a new follower from Alex's blog. it's a pleasure to meet you.Ciarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15628488753277495111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-46128651180670513992012-04-21T07:15:25.824-05:002012-04-21T07:15:25.824-05:00Fantastic post. That C word is vital. I have my up...Fantastic post. That C word is vital. I have my ups and downs, but I'm better these days than I was when I was younger. I received one rejection when I was nineteen and stopped submitting for over a decade, hiding away what I wrote (because I couldn't stop writing). Surrounding myself with encouraging people greatly helps. The writing community online is awesome.<br /><br />Glad to meet you. New follower through Alex's blog. :)Christine Rainshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08263694662585963900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-9226922305075785432012-04-20T16:40:04.174-05:002012-04-20T16:40:04.174-05:00This is one of your best posts, EJ!
I switched m...This is one of your best posts, EJ! <br /><br />I switched my already-published novel from third person POV to multiple first person, and found it incredibly liberating (though I have to admit that some readers missed the fact that it's a MULTIPLE first-person POV and made comments about me switching from first to third....)Normahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12685538277690762655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-18678209481413567902012-04-20T08:47:55.624-05:002012-04-20T08:47:55.624-05:00Dude, being turned on by your writer friends would...Dude, being turned on by your writer friends would KILL!Trishahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16927558937796802496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-551847138306227422012-04-17T12:06:08.217-05:002012-04-17T12:06:08.217-05:00Spoken like a true professional. My scars rear str...Spoken like a true professional. My scars rear strange little scabs tickling the underbelly of my imagination on a regular basis. Between huge egos and booze, writers like Hemingway numbed away any lack of confidence, plowing through every tomato field in sight. Intangible Heartshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05047040538015079182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-62810683908923261112012-04-16T18:52:19.232-05:002012-04-16T18:52:19.232-05:00Once again, E.J., you've written an outstandin...Once again, E.J., you've written an outstanding post! And thanks for dropping by mine. Sir Poops had a relasp this afternnon and we're back at square one.<br /><br />Also, I've been doing the A-Z Challenge over at http://secondhandshoesnovel.blogspot.com/<br /><br />Shellyshellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09596621767297173021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-13859004828807179162012-04-16T14:17:29.307-05:002012-04-16T14:17:29.307-05:00I love the farming analogy. Confidence is a tough ...I love the farming analogy. Confidence is a tough thing for me and I am often my own worst enemy, but it's something I'm working on. Love your tips.Julie Flandershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003737491313673214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-25779246407858775302012-04-16T10:56:58.231-05:002012-04-16T10:56:58.231-05:00This was just the post I needed today, yesterday a...This was just the post I needed today, yesterday and probably tomorrow, too. My confidence is taking a rollercoaster ride these days, from one rejection to the next. One agent likes me but flat out tells me to get help and the next just can't market what I write. How do you grip that confidence you need?? Because man, I have invested too many coins in this slot machine to back out now. I have to be getting better. I just have to be.Tanya Reimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00293977395016853814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-41095138800815896982012-04-14T06:37:51.833-05:002012-04-14T06:37:51.833-05:00Hey EJ! It's such a good topic... and we are a...Hey EJ! It's such a good topic... and we are all fragile where confidence is concerned cuz we're constantly throwing ourselves out there. I don't think any writer has time to deal with a critic that can't be constructive. There's no point. CPs become critics when they can't see the writer anymore, only the writing. An even if our writing does suck, it's still a part of who we are, and no one should undermine it unless they are teaching craft.<br />More and more I find myself receding from the internet to protect my writer's confidence and love of the craft. I use it for sites I value of course, and then I get off, cuz there's this strange little negative part of the writing world that exists, and whether it be the race to publish, or the twitter cliques or what, it impacts our subconscious desire to achieve our personal best. yes, I know I'm rambling but I just had coffee and well, there you go. ;)PK HREZOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11650153097981426833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-87113669727956744602012-04-13T22:04:01.399-05:002012-04-13T22:04:01.399-05:00EJ...
This is my favorite post of yours so far......EJ...<br /><br />This is my favorite post of yours so far... This totally connects with me... <br /><br />I went through a huge slump last year... So much so that I started to become someone I didn't recognize. Rejection hurts... It's hard. But I've come out of it so much the better person. And even though I'm facing rejection again now, I'm handling it so much better ;) I'm still working on how to keep the confidence up while facing the R's, but it's a journey, eh???Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15747144518868320969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-35030576200006542532012-04-13T16:48:21.030-05:002012-04-13T16:48:21.030-05:00Great post, EJ.
I just keep at it when I feel con...Great post, EJ.<br /><br />I just keep at it when I feel confidence slipping. It steadies itself with time.William Kendallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00331324250821836822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-25468414565281923172012-04-13T16:12:48.471-05:002012-04-13T16:12:48.471-05:00Good post. I've been thinking a lot about con...Good post. I've been thinking a lot about confidence in writing lately. I think part of it is about belief. I also don't allow myself to do any negative self-talk about writing (saying my writing is bad or unpublishable or whatever). Being around positive people, writing or otherwise. Writing a lot, reading a lot and setting daily writing goals and achieving them.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18226974782422398270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-62611207767986994052012-04-13T14:18:04.478-05:002012-04-13T14:18:04.478-05:00Oh, great post! Confidence comes pretty naturally...Oh, great post! Confidence comes pretty naturally to me, but I think we need to really beware of the line where we run up against cocky. Sometimes when we get feedback, the temptation is to discount it because we feel confident already, but in fact if we do that, we stop growing. Feedback, even harsh feedback, makes us better. Learning to walk that line--staying confident but trusting that the feedback is part of the process--is I believe, where our writing starts to mature.Hart Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17599570189253229318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-44993816515931705262012-04-13T09:03:58.585-05:002012-04-13T09:03:58.585-05:00Great post and inspiring advice, EJ. Yep, confiden...Great post and inspiring advice, EJ. Yep, confidence is indeed hard to hold on to. Some days we're all gung-ho about the stuff we're writing/revising, and others... Well, it doesn't seem to gell in any way except crappy crap (is that family-blog acceptable vocabulary? I apologize if it's not). The thing is, "not caring", like Michael says above, may be the key to less pain and self-doubt, but it's also the first step in the road to a nihilistic writer's life, and I'm not sure that's in our best interest. If we're writers, we *do* write for others--we write because we want to share what we have to say, because we think it's important. Maybe not world-changing, but it's important, and we hope that one day, someone out there will read us and think, "Wow". That we'll have made an impact on that one life. We may not dream of best-seller-dom or millions in the bank, but making that impact, connecting with that perfect stranger that *gets* it--I think that's every writer's dream. In order to achieve it, though, we do need to grow--improve, work at it, get better and better. Putting ourselves out there is a two-way street: when we're lucky to get feedback, especially when it's *not* just praise and undying admiration, that's the golden opportunity to grow. It takes confidence to face it head-on, for sure.Guilie Castillohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09006999087139126972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-41105008336281332602012-04-12T20:36:47.881-05:002012-04-12T20:36:47.881-05:00Interesting post and some interesting comments too...Interesting post and some interesting comments too!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678216576112327332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-17226520162430953562012-04-12T19:55:36.926-05:002012-04-12T19:55:36.926-05:00For people who lack confidence, such as myself, t...For people who lack confidence, such as myself, there is a wonderful thing called "not caring". I'm the king of apathy. So that's how I'm able to put things out in the world. I put it out there. I lack confidence, but I really don't care what anyone thinks. That's what I recommend everyone to do. Just don't care...let it go...be at peace.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-23496169675927553022012-04-12T17:40:34.108-05:002012-04-12T17:40:34.108-05:00Nice Blog ... Lots to chew on here.Nice Blog ... Lots to chew on here.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14115085533635353291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-1066486078076504662012-04-12T15:46:55.219-05:002012-04-12T15:46:55.219-05:00Feels a bit like Moody Appreciation Day today (can...Feels a bit like Moody Appreciation Day today (can we make it an annual event?). This, Alex's post, and I got a request for a full. Now what's going to be the blowback?<br /><br />Great post.<br /><br />mood<br /><a href="http://moodywriting.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Moody Writing</a><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/mooderino" rel="nofollow">@mooderino</a><br /><a href="http://www.scoop.it/t/the-funnily-enough" rel="nofollow">The Funnily Enough</a>mooderinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-27085433140327424932012-04-12T15:32:24.740-05:002012-04-12T15:32:24.740-05:00I was part of a playwriting intensive two years a...I was part of a playwriting intensive two years ago and one of the main things I remember is a presenter saying, "Every new writer thinks they lack confidence. I know some of the best playwrights of our times, not one of them is confident." That has definitely stuck with me.Libbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14323538213636795216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-68827360166581383242012-04-12T15:23:37.889-05:002012-04-12T15:23:37.889-05:00I am (sadly) forever lacking confidence in my writ...I am (sadly) forever lacking confidence in my writing abilities. I don't know that I have any tricks for getting it back except for "Just keep swimming..."M.J. Fifieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15626475963328519693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000518581959626200.post-1708118278830039332012-04-12T14:18:52.347-05:002012-04-12T14:18:52.347-05:00My writing has been the ONE thing that has stuck b...My writing has been the ONE thing that has stuck by me no matter what. Even when my friends and loved ones can't (or won't) be there for me, the writing has never left my side. At the risk of personifying it, it has been the one thing that has made me NOT give up on this world.<br /><br />Put another way, there is no way you can fail at everything. If you fail at everything, then you've succeeded at failure, which defeats its purpose. We all have our bad writing days, but man alive do we have those sweet ones, too. Just have to take it all in stride, and make sure we keep stepping in stride!Jeff Beeslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17935580053176710609noreply@blogger.com