So when it comes to the things that have happened lately to me as a writer, I have to say that - as unfortunate as it is - things haven't gone exactly as planned. I haven't been able to achieve all the things that I have wanted lately.
Indeed, even though I have worked pretty hard and diligently on different projects, things haven't gone my way. It hasn't been easy to get things to the point where would I be able to get some sort of a reward for my efforts.
So when it comes to these setbacks and disappointments that I've experienced, by far the biggest disappointment has had to do with my book project. I had no idea that it could be this difficult to get your book published as a writer.
By that I mean that once I got my children's book more or less completed late last year, I thought that at least one of the publishers would take the bait. I felt confident and optimistic that the quality of the story would be high enough.
However, after having now gotten rejection letters from six different publishers, I've had to accept that it might be that things won't go my way. There's a good chance that the book won't be published (although I still have notable publishers left).
The really disappointing thing here is that what I managed to write is way better than what usually gets published. Every single person who has read the book says that it's well written (some have said it's a superbly well written & a beautiful book).
Indeed, not only are the characters in the book relatable and interesting, the story makes sense and is well crafted. It has a good structure, there's ton of substance and observations about life and you simply feel better about life once you read the book.
The setback that I've experienced here has been so disappointing that it has also made wary of starting with another project that I have in the works. I haven't started writing that book, even though I have some pretty solid ideas for it already.
After all, I can't help but to think that if the book that I wrote isn't good enough to be published, then what is then, really. The idea of having to spend another six months or so working on a project that might not get anywhere either doesn't exactly make you feel great.
Still, just because these particular projects haven't been going my way, that doesn't mean that nothing good has happened. I'm not saying that all is lost and that there's no point in me developing my craft and trying to become more versatile as a writer.
By that I mean is that some weeks ago I was contacted by a foundation that does all kinds of creative work (art, music, studio stuff, lyrics) and they asked me for help. They asked whether I would be willing to start a workshop that had to do with creative writing.
The reason for this request was that there was demand for the class and that they had gotten good references from others. They thought that since I had given lectures elsewhere and stuffs, I would be the guy who would be able to pull this thing off too.
Not surprisingly, since I've tried to turn myself into a 'yes' man lately, I agreed and said that I could do it of course. I agreed and last week we had our first online workshop that (thankfully) went a lot better than I had expected at first.
In that sense, even though (among other things) my speaking tour is still cancelled thanks to the covid-19 restrictions and other stuffs, I try to stay positive. I try to look at silver lining of things and not get too depressed about life.
After all, even if my book wouldn't eventually be published (and other things), I suppose that's not all there is to life. I shouldn't be thinking that this is a setback that is too severe and that I won't be able to overcome them.
On the contrary, when it all is said and done, even though I feel down on my luck currently, I shouldn't give up. I shouldn't give up, because writing is something that I like doing and is something that gives me hope, even when things don't seem to go my way.
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