Slogging Through and Enjoying the Old Hobby

Update:

After a few wonderful hours of immersion in my songs for the story that Sonny will narrate for me, I put him aside and took up an editing project for another writer. I've been working on it for a few weeks now and it will probably take another month or so.

I've received two of my reader's critiques back and I am waiting for the third. The first two gave great suggestions and thoughts. Thank you to those two readers! I have my work cut out for me. I won't be working on my story until the other editing project is done though.

Reflection on the Writing Process:

This week a few people asked how often I work on writing. I hesitated for a moment. Then I gave the true answer. I work on writing almost daily. The catch is that sometimes I am writing, sometimes I am outlining, sometimes I am researching, and sometimes I am editing (for myself or others). Writing is such a large and layered process that even if I am not literally creating chapters daily, I am still working on my writing.

A few years ago I sent out a few (and I mean few) queries to agents. I think it was three. I got the basic email back saying that they had received it and that was that. I have never tried since and I don't know if I will again. They say the average writer has to send out dozens, if not hundreds of queries to find the right agent...so I am not (and was not) particularly discouraged at the tepid response. I only really wanted one agent house to represent me anyway. They were one of the few that I felt matched what I wanted (and they were in L.A. not New York).

But, I truly don't know if I will seek out publishing in the future for other reasons. First, while I've been writing stories for almost ten years now, I still have much to learn. My writing may not be good enough yet.

Second, I have no idea how I would feel if more than a few close people ever read my stories. In some ways, it is akin to being naked in a crowded theater. Being a true introvert, I find the idea terrifying.

So sometimes I feel a little strange admitting that I work on my writing almost daily. It is a rather flagrant use of my precious personal time when I don't really plan to do much with it in the end. I am not sure that most people understand how a person could spend so much time on a hobby...and that is what writing is for me. But, I honestly cannot help it. I enjoy it too much to leave it alone.