learn from your mistakes – Almost An Author

Risky Business

As March winds down and brain injury awareness month comes to an end, we are approaching the 25^th anniversary of my accident. Looking back, I can think of a lot of obstacles I’ve had to overcome by living a life as a brain injury survivor.

Aside from physical limitations, there is a high risk for strokes, aneurysms, and seizures. Unfortunately, I’ve endured three major seizures since the accident. And each time I return to the same helplessness I felt the first morning in ICU.

I remember the nightmare of my new normal and the changes I’d have to make. I had a choice, to make changes or suffer for the consequences of taking unnecessary risks, below are some of the changes I’ve made in the last 25 years.

No more partying, drinking, or smoking.
Getting more sleep to let my brain heal and help me to focus.
Limiting my caffeine intake.
Drinking more water to keep my brain and organs hydrated.
Being more deliberate with my actions and not wasting time.

To be honest, before my accident I thought I had all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted, I was ignorant of how fragile life is and the risks that come with it. I learned the hard truth that nothing in life is guaranteed, we need to know the risks.

As writers we must apply the same principles to our careers, success isn’t guaranteed, but there are steps we can take to minimize unnecessary risks as a writer.

Risky Business

Most people don’t think of a writing career as risky, they have a romanticized view of the industry. Aside from obvious health risks from being sedentary most of the day, there are financial and emotional risks.

One poll found that 80% of Americans want to write a book, however, it also states that only the top 2% of writers make a good living from the writing. Do the math, 78% of people who want to write a book, cannot earn a living from writing, the odds are against us. Thus, pursuing a writing career is a risk.

The truth is most people like to dream, but few people can do it successfully. Even fewer can afford to take the risk, one that may not ever pay off. They try to write, but when they fail, they quit.

After my accident, I wanted to get back to my “normal” life and be able to walk again. I tried my hardest to focus and walk but ended up falling off of the toilet before ever getting out of the ICU unit.

That is when I first experienced the reality of living with a brain injury. Three months after I left rehabilitation, I fell off a bike. Again, I didn’t give up and now 25 years later I can bike up to 60 miles at a time. Still, I am aware of the risks.

I recently fell off my bike for the first time in decades, as I watched the blood pool from the scrapes on my leg, I smiled because I knew the risk and the reward. So, I got back on my bike and finished the 14-mile ride.

The writing life comes with its own risks and setbacks, many of which can be just as discouraging as falling off a bike. According to the writingtribe.com below are…

Seven Challenges Writers Face

Dealing with writer’s block
Not feeling creative enough
Being isolated frequently
Not being productive enough
Having money problems
Not having enough confidence in yourself
Not getting enough rest[i]

These challenges can be seen as either a risk or part of pursuing your calling as a writer. Whenever I talk with other disabled persons, especially brain injury survivors, I try to encourage them that getting back up after a fall helps us get stronger both physically and mentally.

When I was growing up, I was told that if I wasn’t making mistakes, then I wasn’t learning. Learning is a process and making mistakes is good because they allow us to do better next time.

As a brain injury survivor who has suffered seizures and other physical pain, I can attest that pain is the greatest teacher. This is why our parents physically disciplined us when we were little kids. If we kept doing wrong, we kept getting punished. It may sound counterproductive, but the pain helps us mature.

Keep Learning!

One of the hardest parts of being a writer is being rejected by an agent or publisher, it will happen, repeatedly. Rejection can happen for many reasons: bad writing, boring concept, or bad timing. Writers must learn how to disconnect ourselves from the rejection, it’s not about us and sometimes not even about our work.

Agents and publishers are looking for specific projects, voices, and platforms. Rejection simply means our projects don’t have these specific characteristics to be represented. Instead of being discouraged by rejection, writers need to learn how to learn from it and let the rejection work for them.

Some benefits of writers’ rejection from the writingcooperative.com.

It’s feedback to do better next time
It prepares you for the next level
It makes you realize that you are human
It makes you stronger

After my accident I had to learn a lot of things the hard way—I can easily lose my balance, I can’t feel the left side of my face which causes food to fall out of my mouth. So, I needed to learn how to focus more. Every day I must keep learning more about myself and bounce back better.

“Suffering provides the gym equipment on which my faith can be exercised.”
Joni Eareckson Tada

Keep that in mind if you’re struggling in your writing career because it is a risky business!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJonhson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

MIstaken Identity

The other day, I was reading a book from reputable publisher and noticed a mistake—a misspelling of a fairly simple word.

It was like nails on a chalkboard.

I got my start in copyediting and still serve as a student newspaper adviser, so I tend to notice EVERYTHING—a missing comma, a misplaced modifier, a misspelled word. These issues “stick out like a sore thumb,” as we like to say here in the mountains of Kentucky.

One of my favorite quotes is,

“Learn from the mistakes of others; you can never live long enough to make them all yourself.”

I would give you some attribution, but no one, not even Google, seems to know who said it. According to the “experts,” it could have been Groucho Marx, Eleanor Roosevelt, or Woody Allen. Wouldn’t that make a fine dinner party?

For years, I have taught the “new attendees” class at our statewide writers conference, and my main objective is to be transparent and to discuss my mistakes. And, oh, have I made mistakes!

Sometimes I think I am the “King of Writer Mistakes.” Here are some highlights:

I have submitted things that weren’t ready for other eyes. I arrived at my first writers conference with a printed copy of what I thought was the next red-hot bestseller. I figured someone would offer me a contract by supper on the first day of the conference, and I would return to the event the next year as the keynote speaker, with my published book in tow. Well, that STILL hasn’t happened. I finally realized I needed more training and more information about the industry. Many, many years after that first conference, I am still learning.
I have approached editors/publishers/agents without a proper pitch and plan. At my first big-time conference, I made appointments and had no idea what to do during them. I had no one-sheet and no planned pitch. I’m sure those people look back and chuckle. With many conferences under my belt now, I realize the importance of pitch and planning (Hey, that sounds like a book—don’t steal my idea!).
I have chosen not to follow up on offers to send in my work. Yes, I have been one of those people, who got an invitation to send samples to an editor but didn’t follow through. I’m still kicking myself. I have allowed fear and a sense of unworthiness keep me from connecting. One particular (unnamed) person intimidated me so much I almost quit writing. I have realized editors, agents, and publishers won’t actually eat you, and rejection won’t kill you.
Speaking of rejection, I have let it keep me from pursuing my goals. One year I had a promising “bite” from an editor. I submitted my work and almost immediately received a stinging rejection. I didn’t write for months after that. I have learned rejection is part of a writer’s life, and I can’t let it get me down.

So learn from my mistakes, and keep writing and pressing on toward your goal.

God’s strength is made perfect in our weaknesses, and I am certainly living proof.

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.