Activities of Persistence--What Keeps Us Writing
Some small and large learnings from my publishing past
What’s new in my writing room: My latest novel, Last Bets, was selected in December for Kirkus Reviews' Top 100 Best Indie Books of the Year! Kirkus reviews thousands of indie books, and less than 1% receive a coveted starred review (which mine did). Of those, only 100 are selected across all genres for the “Best of” list. Kirkus is (to many) the Michelin Guide to industry book reviews. A star is like a Michelin three star award. A Best of is way beyond! I’m humbled, stunned, delighted. Grateful to all who helped me get here.
The week my first novel was finally published, after nine years of hard work and rejections, I took a break to assess where I’d come and what brought me to this point.
I tracked back from a year before, when I got the acceptance call from my publisher. Then I tracked further, way back to the week I began writing the first parts of the novel. It happened nine years ago while vacationing at a lakeside cabin with friends.
I wanted to give myself the acknowledgement of such hard work. I don’t know that we do that very often. We’re propelled into marketing, riding the surge of excitement (and often anxiety) that accompanies a release. But I forced myself to disengage from that and reflect.
I listed my activities of persistence--what it took to finish it.
1. I hired two coaches
2. I went to five series of writing classes
3. I enrolled in two years of an MFA program
4. I joined three writers' groups
5. I wrote every day for many months
6. I found a great weekly writing partner
All this helped. But in the end, it got finished--and published--because of one small writing exercise, which I'll explain below.
Belief and Persistence
I've worked with thousands of book writers as an editor and coach. Many finish their books. Some don't. They are sometimes very talented writers with great stories to tell. Stopping mid-process puzzled me. But as I worked with more writers, I learned how persistence shapes creative work. How book writers need to keep going, even when the going is very tough.
I learned to value persistence and a healthy belief in oneself and one's creative expression. Unless you love your writing, who will?
This isn't to say you are ego-driven. You acknowledge what's not working as well as what is. But to constantly doubt, that's dangerous. That will lead to endless revising, endless questioning, and not holding your published book in your hands.
Belief Boosting
About two years before that first novel was published, I was walking back from morning workshopping session with a fellow MFA student. The feedback that day was beyond discouraging about this novel manuscript. I valued the comments but it left me stunned and rather hopeless that day.
"I'll never finish this," I told my friend. I was quite certain. "I'm not meant to. I don't have it in me."
"Nonsense," she said. "You'll finish and you'll publish. It's a good story. It just needs your love." She gave me the exercise I’m sharing with you today.
She told me to go back to my dorm room and start a list of anything I liked about the book so far. Keep the ongoing list in my writing notebook. Add to it, look at it as a reminder. Like a Valentine card to my emerging creative work, it would help me remember to love it.
Here's what I wrote that day:
Molly (the main character)
Zoe (her best friend)
when they first meet at the Boat House (the local dive)
Chad's glasses
the still life painting
how Molly felt driving the motorboat that morning
the lake at sunrise
This exercise reversed my discouragement. I went back to work. I regained my persistence and belief. Since that day, I added to my list as I learned more about my book and fell in love with it again.
Your Weekly Writing Exercise
Start a list about your writing.
Here are some prompts:
What do you especially love about it, believe in?
What gives you the persistence to keep going?
What stops you?
What might you change to allow more momentum and constancy in your writing practice?
Shout Out!
A hearty shout out to these writing friends and former students who are publishing their books! I encourage you to pre-order or order a copy to show your support of fellow writers and our writing community.
(If you are a former student and will publish soon (pre-orders of your book are available now), or have in the past two months, email mary[at]marycarrollmoore[dot]com to be included in a future Shout Out! I’ll keep your listing here for two months.)
N.J. Mastro, Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft (Black Rose Writing), February release
I’m a lifelong artist, and I love to inspire and support other creative folk, which is why I write this weekly newsletter. My goal with these posts is to help you strengthen your writing practice and creative life so it becomes more satisfying to you.
I’m also the author of 15 books in 3 genres. My third novel, Last Bets (Riverbed Press), was published in April, after becoming an Amazon bestseller during pre-orders. My second novel, A Woman’s Guide to Search & Rescue, was published in October 2023 and also became an Amazon bestseller and Hot New Release from pre-orders. For twelve years, I worked as a full-time food journalist, most notably through my weekly column for the Los Angeles Times syndicate. My writing-craft book, Your Book Starts Here, won the New Hampshire Literary Awards “People’s Choice” in 2011 and my first novel, Qualities of Light, was nominated for PEN/Faulkner and Lambda Literary awards in 2009. I’ve written Your Weekly Writing Exercise every Friday since 2008.at. Click here to read Molly and Zoe's story.
The persistence is the key. I call it "putting one foot in front of the other." thank you Mary!