Friday Frights

(Are you a control freak? You know you are!)

It's a strange paradox of the creative life that writers are control freaks, and yet we're in a profession (or aiming to be in one) where so much is out of our control. 

If you’re a fiction writer, you not only imagine new universes peopled with fascinating and flawed characters and particular settings, you are a god reigning over your original creations.

You decide who will live and who will die, who will destroy their relationship with their best friend and who will repair it, who will be adored by their readers and who will be vilified.

Nothing your characters do, from murdering their nemesis to gulping a sip of water, can be done without you. In your own life, when you try to dictate the actions of others--even your puppy, never mind your teenager--you know what happens. In fiction, your characters don’t roll their eyes or scream at you (or pee on the floor right at your feet!). They are pawns you move around your chess board according to your whims.

Writers in all genres hold singular power over their words, syntax, structure, description, metaphor, flow, persuasiveness, emphasis, etc. As we all know, it’s not just what you write but how you write it that can make people feel deeply, think new thoughts, develop empathy for others’ plights, be moved to action, and so much more.

What enviable power!

And writers can't help but exercise this power; it's baked into the literary cake. I bet some of us are even drawn to writing in part to have the control in our creative life that eludes us in "real life."

And yet, unless you’re in the pantheon of can’t-miss bestseller writers, when it comes to getting a book published, a film greenlit, or a play produced, circumstances are very much out of our purview.

In the book world, fears of the unknown can understandably prey upon a writer’s drive and self-confidence. How do I find an agent? What if an editor doesn’t sign on? Should I self-publish instead? If so, will my book reach enough readers? Even if a publishing house publishes my book, will they market it? If not, do I need to promote it? Will I be able to overcome my aversion to self-promotion?

Anticipatory anxiety is anathema to those of us who want to know what the future holds or what we can do differently to determine the success of the work we’re pouring our very selves into. But, alas, there is no guarantee of publishing success. None. (Sorry!)

So, how can we deal with the unpredictability and fickleness of the industries that determine the outward-facing aspects of our creative lives (getting published, produced, etc.)? One of the best ways I know is to try to double down on the inward-facing part of our creative lives: the writing itself. Sounds simple and obvious, but I realize doing so can be a real challenge.

In my own case, maybe because I have a marketing communications background, it’s hard for me to turn off this part of my brain, to be a creative “purist” and banish invasive thoughts about what would make my work more publishable and marketable. But when I become overly consumed with commercial considerations at too early a stage in my creative process, it makes me anxious and unhappy.

Writing, for me, is alternately joyful and disappointing, gratifying and frustrating. But at least it’s mine--to do, to improve on, even to abandon.

And this control freak finds being in charge of my own creative choices the perfect antidote to fear of the unknown.

How do you deal with the aspects of writing or publishing that are out of your control? I’d love if you shared your experiences and tips in the comments below. Thanks, as always, for being part of this growing writers’ community.