The Write Quotes: The Emotional Writing Journey

Book excerpt: These inspirational and practical quotes come from 500+ podcast interviews with hard-working, award-winning, and New York Times bestselling authors in more than 33 U.S. states and five countries. In Book 7, authors share their honest reflections on The Emotional Writing Journey. These quotes are evidence that whatever emotions you experience as a writer, you are in good company. Authors quoted include David Baldacci, Steve Berry, Lisa Jewell, John Hart, Sophie Cousens, Ron Rash, C.J. Box, Craig Johnson, Wylie Cash, Kristy Harvey, Brad Taylor, Charlie Lovett, Judy Goldman, Chris Fabry, Amber Smith, Tracy Clark, John Gilstrap, Kimmery Martin, A.J. Hartley, Clyde Edgerton, Jill McCorkle, Jason Mott, Cathy Pickens, Gavin Edwards, and many more. The sections of this book are arranged in a careful order, starting with the struggles of rejection and ending on a high note with perseverance, because perseverance is really what every writer needs: that focused commitment to the work despite all the highs and lows that can go with it. As Craig Nova says, “…the bottom doesn’t last forever, and the top doesn’t last forever.” What can last forever, though, is your words. New York Times bestselling novelist Steve Berry says, “From 1990 to 2002, I wrote eight novels. Five of them went to New York publishing houses, and they were rejected a total of 85 times. It was on the 86th time that I made it, 12 years after I started. So my road to publishing was a very long process.” And Chris Fabry, an award-winning author who has published more than 80 books, says, “If you don't want to get hurt, don't write. If you don't want to have layers of your own soul exposed to people who say, didn't really connect with that, don't put the words down there. Because you will be rejected.” Writers are fortunate in that this thing they love to do can be so wonderful, and so powerful, that even when it sometimes makes them crazy—they want to do it anyway.