Writing Pride At Every Step
My friend, who has young twins, was ecstatic that her girls could now put on their own shoes and get themselves into the car. My own daughters are late-teenagers; they’re driving the car. But as proud as my friend was of her kids’ accomplishments, so, too was I proud of my own daughter’s independence when she moved to a new city for university. “She bought a new couch!” I proclaimed proudly.
As I was thinking that every new development in our children’s lives is an opportunity for pride, so, too, is our writing. If you’re starting out, you may feel like the toddlers, barely able to put on their own shoes. But since you’ve never done that before—started a novel, finished a first draft, polished a final copy—you should take as much pride and pleasure in your accomplishments as the little girls. And if you’ve written a bunch of manuscripts, but now one is published, then that is something to celebrate. Perhaps you’ve published dozens of books. Your next one, the one you thought you might not finish after all, becomes cause for joy.
We may view the growth of children in chronological years, but writing isn’t like that. Age doesn’t matter to a writer; only where you are at. And wherever it is—beginner or experienced, you deserve to be proud of your efforts.
Now I’m going to put on my own shoes, drive to my daughter’s new city and plunk myself down on her new couch to write. 🙂