You are not your writing
While coaching a couple of writing students this morning, I found myself repeating: "YOU are not your writing". This is an important point, and it's worth discussing.
If you can't stop yourself identifying closely with your writing, you'll get bent out of shape easily.
For example:
* If someone tells you "Not for us at this time", you'll tend to read stuff into the statement, rather than taking it at face value, and moving on.
* If a buyer, or agent or editor ignores your email message, you'll tend to think they're ignoring you, rather than realizing that they're either too busy to respond right now, or they didn't receive your message.
* If a prospective client rejects your proposal, you'll wonder what's wrong with you, instead of thinking there's something wrong with them, and moving on. :-)
* When someone critiques your writing, you'll get defensive, instead of considering their comments objectively.
* When a client or editor asks you to revise, you'll get annoyed, instead of simply shuffling the project onto your To Do list and revising it when you have time.
Big Tip: When you're a new writer, it may be impossible for you to develop a professional's equanimity until you have more experience, so be patient.
As you become more experienced, you'll gain perspective and will identify much less with your writing.
You'll realize that:
* Any piece of writing can be improved, and you'll value others' comments and input;
* Editors are just people, and they're wrong at least as often as they're right;
* You know much more than you think you do;
* You wrote yesterday, you'll write today, and you'll write tomorrow, because writing is what you do.
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coaching
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