—Stephen King, from “On Writing.”
I’m a writer. And the worst thing that can happen to a writer is not being able to write. And lately, it’s been a challenge, in part because I am trying to write a book while also doing my day job. How I ever thought this was a good idea, I don’t really know. There are many people who have done it, and let me tell you as someone who actually knows, these folks are superhuman and amazing. Because it is not an easy thing finding balance between a book project and regular work, especially when writing is what you do for living.
There’s inherent tension. Not only do you want to produce the most compelling book you can, to do justice to the people who have been so gracious to share their stories with you, but you also want to do the same thing with your regular work. And trying to stay focused with all these different pieces of narrative swirling around your head, oof. Let’s just say I have not stumbled on the secret to how you successfully do that without feeling like you are failing on all fronts.
But even as I have been on the verge of a nervous breakdown lately, one amazing thing about this process—and something that I am so thankful for—is that you learn how many people really care about you and are rooting for you and are there for you in what can be a dark hour. You learn who takes the time to read the stories you are able to write and who will go out of their way to tell you that maybe you aren’t the total loser you often feel like after endless hours of staring at a blank computer screen wondering if the words will ever come.
Recently, I read King’s “On Writing” as part of my quest for inspiration and advice about how others have navigated the book writing experience. And while he obviously focuses on the process of writing fiction, it’s a great book for any writer. One section really stood out for me: The part where he credits his wife for the career he’s had, pointing out that if she’d expressed even a hint of doubt that he likely would have given up on writing early on. (She’s the one who fished his first pages of “Carrie” out of the trash and urged him to keep going,)
And he’s right: Just having someone who believes in you, especially when you are struggling to believe in yourself, makes a huge difference. And that’s true no matter what line of work you are in.