As part of my daughter’s recovery after an emergency operation to remove her appendix, we watched Victorious. Every day. For two weeks. Every single episode, at least twice. We even bought the soundtrack. Not only did I learn every song, word for word, I actually learnt a valuable lesson about my own writing.
In the ‘Bird Scene’ episode, the main character, Tori, who is a student at a prestigious Hollywood Arts drama school, had to perform a scene to pass a test. Her first performance seemed to go without a hitch, but she failed. The second performance, she added more props and delivered her lines equally well, but again, she failed. The third time, Tori added props, staging, lights, costume, the works, and at the end of the scene she asked her teacher: “So, did I pass?” The same question Tori had asked at the end of her first two performances. The teacher said no. This time, she responded that she thought he was a great teacher and all but she had worked very hard on the scene, she did the best she could, gave it everything she had so even if he didn’t like it, she was pleased with her work and her performance. Her teacher began to clap. Finally, she’d passed the ‘Bird Scene’ test. She believed in her work with absolute conviction, and that, in fact, was the test.
I’ve come to realise (obviously the hard way) that this is how I have come to feel about my own writing. Not everyone will like what I write. But that’s OK. The most important thing is that I work hard, I continue to learn my craft, apply those skills, and write the best poem, novel, play or post I can. Simply because I love the writing process. If someone likes a post, subscribes, becomes a member, publishes my work or puts on one of my plays, that is fabulous. However, it can only ever be the cherry on the cake. The most important part is not asking: Did I pass the test? The most important question is: Am I happy with what I have written?
So, rather than being crushed by rejection or a subjective judgement, check only with your instincts. Did you work hard on it? Is it really a great piece of writing? If your gut says yes, don’t remove a character, word or line that you know is right for your work. Equally, don’t be forced to add a character, word or line that isn’t right for your work, even if it is the editor asking you to. Rachel Hollis, the brilliant author of ‘Girl Wash Your Face’, said that the publisher asked her to include sex in one of her first books. It was around the time Shades of Grey had become popular. However, Hollis knew it wasn’t right for her to write in that way or to include that in her story, so she declined their suggestion and went on to sell her book to an audience that was right for her work. Believe in your work with absolute conviction, but first make it the best it can be.