Comments on: “Who Says You Can’t Get Stoned?”

By: Alanna Klapp

Alanna Klapp — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:17:21 +0000

Hi Jennifer! I couldn’t agree with you more! I did the same thing, instead of going to college to study creative writing, I studied fashion merchandising (I did minor in creative writing so I’m glad I did do that) because I could “make a living at it.” My “plan” was to get a job in the fashion industry and write on the side. Do you think I’m doing that now? I worked in the fashion field for 2 years (during which time I didn’t write at all) and I was miserable. Now I work as an accountant in a manufacturing facility and I’m trying to work up to making a living part-time as a writer. The goal after that is to write full-time, but there are days, many days, when it all seems impossible. Thanks for this post. Who says, anyway? I’m so sick of hearing how hard making a living as a writer is to achieve, and it’s so refreshing to read the exact opposite on this blog. Best of luck to you with all of your writing!

By: What Are You Feeding Your Brain? « Tenacious Me

What Are You Feeding Your Brain? « Tenacious Me — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:51:40 +0000

[...] sounded to me as if someone has been asking “why?” a lot – love it! Also, the idea of challenging your beliefs was another concept I’d read about recently via Jennifer Blanchard’s Procrastinating Writers [...]

By: Eliza

Eliza — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:02:08 +0000

Huzzah!
This is so, so true. Really, the biggest thing holding us back is ourselves, and our willingness to believe things that we’ve been taught to believe. I still find it difficult to believe that I can make a living as a full time fiction writer. And occasionally words to that effect will come tumbling out of my mouth. But, more and more often, I’ve been very conscious to say the opposite.
Not “if” I become a full time author, but “when”. As in “When I’m making a living as an author, we’re going to need to hire an accountant!” This said shortly after I biffed up our ‘easy’ taxes…
My biggest problem right now is not believing I have the talent/skill it takes to tell a good story. Working on it, though.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:40:55 +0000

That is one of the reasons I love Allison Winn Scotch’s blog. She basically dreams big – that’s how she does it. And look at her now! Five years ago she had never published a novel and now she is a NY Times Bestseller with three books out there!

By: Laura Lee Bloor

Laura Lee Bloor — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:41:48 +0000

Love it! Whether its writing goals or other big goals and dreams we have, I’ve noticed I’ve definitely had to make changes in my mindset/thoughts/beliefs. You’re so right that some of this stuff (ex: “That’s not in the cards for us”) is so second-nature to us, that it takes a while to even recognize and even longer to undo. But the more you challenge your beliefs, the easier it gets.

By: Christina

Christina — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:33:37 +0000

Thank you for this.