Lately I have spent more time at the theater than I have spent writing. It happens this way sometimes. I love both the solitary life of writing, and the energy of creativity and talent in a theater. My last post referenced Little Women, Jo’s manuscript and travel. I had just finished costuming Little Women when I wrote that blog.
I recently finished costuming Man of La Mancha. I believe most people are familiar with the story of Don Quixote and if you are not, read the book or see the play/musical. It is a wonderful story. But, as I was sat and watched the beginning, which I watched each night, certain points of the dialogue really struck me. It happens right after Cervantes is thrown into the dungeon to await the inquisition and the Governor finds a manuscript in his trunk of costumes and props. This is Cervantes’ work, his writing, and he does not want it lost or destroyed. The “Governor” asks him if it is valuable. Cervantes' response is “only to me”. The Governor offers to ransom it but Cervantes has no money. Further, the Governor states that it is paper. Cervantes replies “manuscript”. The governor counters, “Still worthless.”
Worthless? No manuscript is ever worthless. Anyone who has written a novel, short story, poem, song, etc knows that their work is not worthless. At least not to them. The same goes for any artist. Perhaps that is why rejection is so hard. I know of no author who was not rejected before an agent or editor saw it as valuable and arranged for publication. But, the road to publication can be a long one and I think at one point or another a writer simply feels worthless. For some, it is the first rejection and others, the twenty-fifth. We also mustn't forget contests. Often, despite the helpful comments, the low score is what stays with you. With so much of what a writer could persceive as negative, thoughts begin to creep into your mind that you had been wasting your time when others see the work you slaved over, lost sleep over and polished to almost perfection as not worthy of publication, a decent score, or in other words, worthless.
If or whenever you get that feeling, kick yourself in the behind. Any creative activity for which you have a passion for is NEVER worthless. It does not matter if you are the only one who is going to read the story, see the painting or hear the music. If it came from you, from your heart, mind and soul, it will never be worthless.
Amy:
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding? Man of La Mancha is my favorite of all time!!! My husband sang "Dulcinea" to me at our wedding; my mom had a cow, but i said no one in Fresno, CA will have seen it and know the context, the words are beautiful.
You are so right; nothing God gives us is worthless, even if just for Him.
Thanks for this post. See my article in my blog on "What is your goal?" which speaks of this same idea.
Jen
Jen
Did you sew the costumes? Sewing is one of my favorite hobbies.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post Amy! I completely agree.
ReplyDeleteSo you're in theater? I used to love my drama classes, and acting. Sigh. You sound like you have a great job!
Amy: What part of IL do you live in?
ReplyDeleteI am in Paris, just west of Terre Haute, IN and 1 1/2 hours east of Champaign. Are you near me?
Jen
Jeanette, I love that your husband sang Dulcinea to you. I knew very little of the show before I began working on it. I believe it is now one of my all time favorites.
ReplyDeleteT. Anne,
ReplyDeleteI did not sew. In fact, I can't sew except to hand fix a repair, but one my best friends acts as the seamstress. Directors know I can't sew, laugh, and still ask me to costume.
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI wish the theater was my job, but sadly it is only volunteer through the community theaters in the area.
Jeanette,
ReplyDeleteI live in Peoria. I think I am about the same amount of time in the opposite direction from Champaign.
I'm so glad to meet another historical romance writer! (From reading through your posts, I'm guessing that's your genre?) And I appreciate your thoughts in your post. It is SO easy to feel worthless after a while! Thanks for the encouragement!
ReplyDeleteHi there! I found you Jennifer Shirk's blog. I must say this post was excellent. I needed a little kick from behind today!
ReplyDeleteJudy,
ReplyDeleteYes, I write historical. I just loving going into the past. I am glad you were encouraged. Thanks for your comment.
Sherrinda,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment. I think we all need to kick ourselves at one time or another. I know I do.
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI linked here from Eileen's site.
Good encouragement here about no piece of writing that comes from the heart being worthless. An editor who rejected one of my books wrote a lengthy letter back explaining some reasons why he rejected it. He was brutally honest and almost (not quite, but almost) apologized for that. But, one thing he said was, "Don't let anyone discourage you. And know that if you write a piece that only appears in a (church) bulletin, but God uses it to bless, or if your books all appear on the best seller's list, either way, you are a successful writer."
That great advice and encouragement came from Denny Boultinghouse of Howard Books.
He said some of the same things you did, so it sparked my interest and appreciation. Thanks.
wb