A very young writer, Veronica Roth has scored an amazing success with her fabulous Dystopian young adult debut, Divergent, which I found as brilliant as it was entertaining. More amazing yet is how much wisdom she has going for her. Wish I'd been so very together in my early twenties. Could have saved me a lot of aggravation.
From Ms. Roth's interview on Amazon.com:
Follow the buying link about to read more, and by all means, check out Divergent, too. It's one exciting read!
From Ms. Roth's interview on Amazon.com:
Q: What advice would you offer to young aspiring writers, who long to live a success story like your own?
Roth: One piece of advice I have is: Want something else more than success. Success is a lovely thing, but your desire to say something, your worth, and your identity shouldn’t rely on it, because it’s not guaranteed and it’s not permanent and it’s not sufficient. So work hard, fall in love with the writing—the characters, the story, the words, the themes—and make sure that you are who you are regardless of your life circumstances. That way, when the good things come, they don’t warp you, and when the bad things hit you, you don’t fall apart.
Follow the buying link about to read more, and by all means, check out Divergent, too. It's one exciting read!
Comments
Sorry--this response probably has less to do with this post than with where I'm at right now (in serious editing hell).
It helps me knowing that doubts will always be an ongoing battle, that every single creative type worth his/her salt fights it regularly, from the newest of newbies to the New York Times bestseller. It's how you learn to cope with these ups and downs that defines your character and tells you whether you have what it takes to go for your dream without also going crazy.
I'm having a better day today, that goodness, largely because I recognize the occasional pity party as a road hazard I need to get past before the next smooth stretch. Hang in there, Kathryn. I know you can do it, too.
I also think that grad school drained a lot of the joy, by making me feel like every word, every effort had to COUNT. I'm trying to piece my thoughts together on this (actually started a post but don't think I've quite gotten there yet), but I really think one of the pernicious things about competitive graduate programs is that they force you to take yourself almost too seriously. Professionalism is one thing, but when people are saying "the generation of your writing needs you," that's a whole different story. I suppose some people may thrive under that kind of pressure, but I know many more of us who don't.
I also think if I were writing a more "fun" genre I might have more fun, but since I've gone the dark psychological thriller everyone-keeps-comparing-it-to-Black Swan route, not so much. And yet I suppose there is some "fun" in being horrified. :)