The Writer’s Survival Handbook
These suggestions will help you to keep writing.
In my mind, writing is a lot like waging guerrilla war. Your opponent will always have the advantage. You don’t have to win the major battles. Actually, you don’t have to win any. You just have to put your side in a position to be able to keep fighting until your opponent decides enough is enough and he leaves you alone. This is how George Washington defeated the British. More recently, this is how North Vietnam won its war against the United States.
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The writer must wage his or her own insurgency. First, define what victory is. Let me help you here. Victory is not money. Victory is not publication. Victory must be ”skill in the use of written language”.
Now you need a safe haven, a place to train and resupply your forces and to plan your next operation, your next article. You need a writing space.
To secure your writing space you need a steady flow of income from something or someone. This income must be enough to allow you to write because if it doesn’t allow you to write the insurgency will fail.
Finally, you need the solidarity of other like-minded brothers and sisters-in-arms to sustain you in the difficult days of the struggle, the Triond community.
The greatest danger to a writer is not being able to maintain artistic self-discipline until the day of victory. Of course victory never comes. For skill in the use of written language is a living thing and all living things must be constantly nurtured or they will die.
Writing is struggle. All writers are literary warriors.
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Tags: article, income, money, publication, survival handbook, triond, write, writer, Writing, written language
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October 9th, 2009 at 6:52 am
Well-said and well-written.
October 9th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Interestign point of view
October 9th, 2009 at 7:11 am
I never thought of myself as a warrior. Interesting concept.
October 9th, 2009 at 7:14 am
Great article!
October 9th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Gaining skill in the use of the written language is a reward. How true your words are!
October 9th, 2009 at 7:50 am
Great article
October 9th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Great..well said indeed..
October 9th, 2009 at 9:21 am
That’s an interesting way of looking at it. You are right about needing clear objectives. The support and encouragement of other writers helps a lot,
October 9th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Well said…
October 9th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Well well said, my friend. I will have to come back to this when I am feeling blue about writing.
October 9th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Papa, some people may not associate a writer with courage but the decision to keep writing no matter can be an act of courage.
October 9th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Nick, there is no doubt in my mind that a writer has to be tough and at times has to show courage. A writer must survive in order to get his work done.
October 9th, 2009 at 10:23 am
martie, at times a writer must have courage, stamina, self-discipline and steadfastness just like a warrior. I have to remind myself of this constantly.
October 9th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Mrs. Heart, I think that at times a writer must have some of the good qualities of a warrior to keep writing. At times writing can be very much of a struggle, a fight for creative survival.
October 9th, 2009 at 10:41 am
chitragopi, writing is such an on going journey that the only realistic goal is skill at written language. And of course this means the writer’s work is never done.
October 9th, 2009 at 10:49 am
royee100, Hemingway was reported to have said that, “A writer must survive in order to get his work done.” I think that’s pretty good advice. After all these years I’m still trying to follow this advice. So far so good.
October 9th, 2009 at 10:52 am
When I was younger, I was hell bent on getting my work published. The stress created such writer’s block that my work was stilted and contrived.
Now, I write because I love to write and, if I get paid, as long as I’m writing what I want to write, not what someone else tells me to write, I’m a happy girl and I can think of a hundred different things to write about at one time, and they seem to flow nicely.
You are right; keep your day job or feel blessed that someone else is supporting you because writers usually die broke! Then their work gets published, ha!
I disagree with your last point, however; sometimes good writers do achieve victory. Not always, but there is hope!
October 9th, 2009 at 10:59 am
giftarist, I guess since I’m a Vietnam War veteran I see writing as a struggle in which the writer sometimes needs the same skills to survive that a warrior needs. And still the end is always in doubt.
October 9th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Yes, and sometimes you have to figure out what kind of artillery to use for that article.
October 9th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Frances, I’v stated several times in comments that I feel very lucky that Triond came along when it did and that I found it. One of the things that makes me feel lucky is belonging to the Triond community of writers.
October 9th, 2009 at 11:11 am
This is really good Guy-to look at writing through the eyes of a warrior! I enjoyed this article very much and would never think of anything like this but guess since you’ve “been there”, you could have this kind of comparison. Looks like we are going to get beaten by what’s going on now in Afghanistan and Iraq-oops-not meaning to get political… but our troops need to be pulled out-all of them-and now-and let them duke it out themselves. I think we’ve had enough. Kudos.
October 9th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Very very interesting!
October 9th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Self-discipline is my biggest problem.
October 9th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
cutedrishti8, sometimes progress in writing may seem so slow to a writer that giving up is a real option. As a young writer, I often thought of giving up. Now I’m thankful that I didn’t.
October 9th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
PR, an ecouraging word at a critical moment is sometimes all we need to climb over the next hill.
October 9th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Madison, sometimes hope is all a writer has to help her to keep going. I believe the act of writing itself is often a sign of hope. Hope has sustained me for a long time. It still sustains me.
October 9th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Marie, lately I’ve published several articles over the past few days; and every time it’s time to come up with new content I get a little nervous about coming up with something new. I always do; but that doubt is always there no matter how small it is.
October 9th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
mo, I guess sometimes it helps me to think of writing this way. Often you have to use anything to keep writing.
October 9th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Sourav, sometimes a writer has to be tough and gentle with their own self at the same time. This article is about being tough.
October 9th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Mary, I use to have a problem with self-discipline; thank goodness now I can’t keep from writing. I guess that’s progress.
October 9th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
I never thought of it that way! And writing is indeed a skill that is constantly being nurtured and refined. I really enjoyed this, Guy. You have given me hope! Thank you.
October 9th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Lady Sunshine, writing is very much a struggle and as in any struggle you have to be smart and tough.
October 9th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
I always follow the master. I was reminded of the famous “Art of War” by Sun Tzu. There’s really no interesting thing to talk about but perspectives. That’s how to pick a chicken as a subject and elaborate million ways to skin and cook it. Thanks for sharing my friend.
October 9th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Excellent advice. well-written. All writers are literary warriors! like this quote. going to write it on an index card.
October 9th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Inspiring Guy, another article worth reading!
October 9th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I have always enjoyed reading and writing. But the money is a good incentive.
October 9th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Hi Guy,
Food for thought. I totally agree with you that writing is struggle especially in those times when “nothing” comes to mind. Well written article. ~ Ricky
October 9th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
deep blue, an old saying goes, there are no new stories only different ways to tell the same story. I guess that’s what I did.
October 9th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
marlene, I was listening to the radio a few days ago and the song “The Warrior” by Scandal came on. Maybe that’s where I got the idea.
October 9th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Iggy, I thought the idea was worth putting down on paper. I’m glad you found the article useful.
October 9th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Ruby, money is a great incentive. It’s just that for years I made no money so I had to find some other reason to keep going.
October 9th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Rick, we all need something to keep us writing. These were some of the things that kept me writing and still do keep me writing.
October 9th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Interesting analogy. I like the idea of writers as literary warriors. We’ll risk it all for the sake of art. Lovely piece.
October 10th, 2009 at 3:34 am
It is soooooo true. Writers are like warriors. we all need strategies and plots before fire our ideas in a well organized manner. I can see that a blank page looks like a battlefield for me. Great piece!
October 10th, 2009 at 4:12 am
Sometimes I can’t think of anything.Agreat piece.
October 10th, 2009 at 5:13 am
I love your analogy of writing being like war because, hell yeah! It actually is! I love how you’ve kept it running throughout the because we are like warriors whose main weapon is creativity but if we want to win we must constantly use it. Again more valuable words of wisdom for you corner, Guy!
October 10th, 2009 at 5:30 am
“Writing is struggle. All writers are literary warriors.” How very true. Thanks for sharing your interesting point of view which I found very persuasive.
Love and peace
Tony
October 10th, 2009 at 5:37 am
I loved this line of yours:
“The writer must wage his or her own insurgency. First, define what victory is. Let me help you here. Victory is not money. Victory is not publication. Victory must be ”skill in the use of written language”.”
It is the expertise in language which is your weapon…and you definitely have it! Keep this going!
October 10th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Great advice Guy. Love the short, sharp format. Easy to read, digest an understand. Although it is a battle sometimes, it is usually with yourself,but disguising it as a battle with unknown forces works too.
October 10th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Great article. Guerilla Warfare..never thought of it like that. Keep writing, you are amazing!
October 10th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Like any conflict, writing can bring out the best and the worst in us.
October 10th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Interesting
October 10th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Good points.But a writer needs the money to survive in order to write.I think it’s a circle
October 10th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
great i love it would u check out mine?
October 11th, 2009 at 1:46 am
Guy,
Very glad you wrote this article. I hadn’t even considered myself a warrior. But you are right. We are all warriors. If we didn’t spend our time trying to get published, then we would be failures. But lucky we all have found Triond. I now can say, I’m a writer. After reading your article I can now say I’m also a warrior. Without Triond I don’t know what I would be doing. Writing is like an addiction. Its in the blood. If I don’t write for five minutes, I feel like I’m getting ready to explode. Excellent article.
Randy
October 12th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Very well written! Us writers need to stick together and help each other out!
October 16th, 2009 at 1:29 am
Well said.
October 16th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
As usual, your articles are awesome. I really liked this one.