Going it alone

Writers spend a lot of time working solo: writing, researching, revising, copyediting, proofreading, ruminating, observing life. There's no other way. We're often told to hang in there, to persevere, to develop a tough outerskin because, let's face it, few of us are going to sell our first manuscript. (Hardly a news flash, am I right?)

Recently someone remarked that perseverence alone may not do the trick. The comment set me back a bit. Hold on a minute, I thought, perseverence is the key to getting it all done despite the many obstacles (lack of ready income, skepticism of friends and family, guilt over burning yet another dinner or forgetting to pick up the kids...the list goes on and on). The underlying point of the statement centred on honing the craft. If, for instance, a writer sends out manuscript after manuscript, only to have each one rejected, the writer's lack of success may not be due to inherent defaults in the stories themselves but in the writer. Perhaps she's making the same mistakes over and over again and doesn't realize it.

I grant this regrettable situation may exist. But don't you think, even at this early stage when most of us are going it alone without the help of an agent or editor, we are nevertheless improving the more we write? I read widely. I learn something from each book I read, about plot, characterization, voice. I can't believe that I will fail to evolve as a writer. Already I want to go back to my recently completed manuscript and tighten it up. Blimey, it will never be perfect.

As to going it alone, are we really? We have our loved ones' steady encouragement, our critique partner's cheerleading—and I promise to finish Chapter 10 in the next couple of days, Imogen—as well as our blogging buddies.

We can't help but evolve as writers. It's as natural as the urge to put pen to paper.