Do You Have Commitment Issues? by Nina Faye Morey

Do you struggle with unfinished writing projects? A survey by a popular writing blog revealed that 72% of writers answered “yes” to this question http://thewritepractice.com/finish-projects/. I can certainly count myself among them. Several unfinished Works in Progress (WIP) patiently wait in my computer files for me to return to them and revive our once loyal and loving relationship.

I start out with the best of intentions when our relationship is fresh and uncomplicated. I make a solemn promise to stick with my current WIP through thick and thin. In spite of my strong commitment, it doesn’t take long before things go wrong. The WIP begins to display its faults and no longer looks as attractive to me as it did when we were first courting. Once our relationship starts to fall apart, I begin to have doubts about whether this WIP is the right one for me.

Before I know it, our relationship has slid further downhill as my WIP grows stubborn and irritating. I find myself becoming more negative and critical towards it with each passing day. Soon I’m easily tempted to stray whenever other appealing ideas whisper seductively in my ear. It becomes increasingly difficult for me to resist the urge to throw myself into these promising new relationships. After all, if I tie myself down to this WIP, I’ll be passing up the chance to take advantage of all these other wonderful opportunities.

However, by now I’ve started to feel rather guilty about breaking up with my current WIP. Perhaps I should shoulder some of the blame. So what do I need to do to avoid this temptation to stray and stay faithful to my current WIP? Well, perhaps I need an attitude adjustment. Maybe it’s my behaviour that needs to change if we are to be successful in sustaining our relationship. So I decided to do some research to discover what was at the root of my commitment problem and develop some strategies to deal with it.

My research helped me recognize that my tendency to flirt with seductive new ideas was the result rather than the cause of my commitment phobia. Two particularly persistent troublemakers were those evil twins, procrastination and perfectionism. Together they conspired to keep me from remaining faithful to my current WIP. Their bullying behaviour was disruptive and dispiriting. It distracted me from my WIP and deterred me from achieving my goals. Fortunately, two of my oldest and dearest friends, patience and persistence, showed up to rescue me from their clutches and set me back on the “write” path.

In addition, I discovered it would take a lot of dedication, determination, and discipline on my part to maintain and nurture my relationship with my current WIP. However, there’s no need for me to struggle with all of these commitment issues on my own. Fortunately, I know that I can pray to God and ask Him for help and direction. If I listen for His voice and trust in Him, He will guide me along the “write” path so I can fulfill my commitment to the WIP He originally chose for me.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left,

your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,

“This is the way; walk in it.”

~Isaiah 30:21(NIV)

So now when those tempting new ideas come calling, I politely take note of them. However, I keep my promise to stay faithful and ensure that my heart and calendar remain open to fulfill my commitment to my current WIP.

To Market, To Market by Sharon Espeseth

I keep a record of my submissions and pieces published. Over time, I've had approximately 100 pieces of writing published in a variety of magazines. Across the top of my submission notebook, I write the headings:

          Date, Title, Market, Contact person, Method of 
               Submission, Returned, Accepted,
               Published, Copy Received, Expenses, 
               Payment.

Using a suggestion from a past Fellowscript, I colour-code what happens to each article, poem, or story I submit.
       
          Yellow means gold for payment.
          Pink means red for the red light of a submission being 
               rejected.
          Blue means sadness for a rejected query.
          Green means the green light on a query.
          Orange means your piece was returned for any reason 
               besides rejection--like no reply,
               publisher no longer exists, etc.
    
The Rule of Two is another tip I picked up from an InScribe Conference workshop some time ago. I can't remember the speaker, but I do recall him saying he always has two items submitted. If one comes back rejected, he still has one hopeful writing piece 'out there.' He knows he needs to get another one sent.

Looking over the past year of submissions, I realize I didn't follow this Rule of Two. I hereby resolve to adhere to the rule again. In the past, I have made it a rule of three, four, or even five, because, if I am serious about writing, those are reasonable goals to score.

Another thing I learned from my submission notebook is that I have developed a working relationship with a few editors, but I have not maximized my opportunities with them. Some business gurus operate on the 80/20 rule. Briefly stated this means a business person--let's say a writer-- will generate 80 percent of his income from about 20 percent of his clients; the remaining 20 percent of his income comes from a number of less profitable clients.

Here are some markets that have worked for me, sort of.

Although the Western Producer has published several of my stories, I believe I have under-served this market. Their editor believes in brevity and she has coached me on journalistic style, but I have let my pen drop by not sending more pieces her way.

Grainews are using more regular columnists, which limits, but doesn't eliminate opportunity with them. They did publish a 100-year farm story I wrote, for which they paid fair compensation. Good Times only pays for poetry with a literary journal, but they offer exposure. Esprit published one poem of mine, but why haven't I sent more?

For the Western Catholic Reporter, I have written a few news stories and a few meditative or inspirational pieces. Just before Christmas I queried the editor on two items. One of my stories has been published and a news item should be coming out soon.

The Edmonton Journal used to be an acceptable market for me. By writing for their Voices and Offerings columns, plus doing book reviews, I had checks of $50.00 to $75.00 coming in regularly. Even small checks add up. A few years ago, they stopped paying for freelancers like myself. I still write occasionally for the Journal as I believe writing with a Christian worldview should be included on the Religion page. I also send writing there to maintain my readership. The editor of this department welcomes my writing, but the Journal won't budge when it comes to payment.

I've had a few stories published in Celebrate Life, an American pro-life magazine. Because my husband and I have three adopted children, I like to write anything that shows adoption as a preferable option to abortion. Celebrate pays well and I enjoy working with their professional and congenial editor.

Although some of you will be much further ahead in your writing careers, I hope my sharing a few of my writing experiences will make you, who are beginners or reluctant, more determined and more confident to send your writing to market, to market.