I have a confession to make. I’ve struggled the last few weeks to get this post written. After taking my husband to Duke Cancer Center for ongoing treatments and a week of storm-induced migraines, I was too exhausted to even think — let alone write. Several times, I attempted to share about that exhaustion, but nothing sounded quite right.
Then, a few days ago, a fellow KidLit author, Emily Holi, posted a thread on social media that left me tears. It was exactly what I needed to hear at just the right time. Don’t you love it when things like that happen? Well, Emily graciously gave me permission to share it on this blog.
I hope this encourages you as much as it encouraged me on a week when I was struggling to write. Here’s the thread that Emily shared:
I’ve always loved writing, ever since I was little. I didn’t start pursuing trad publishing until my MS diagnosis in 2021, and it has been such a gift to me. It was an escape from reality during a really difficult time in my life, and I was/have been so grateful for it.
Ever since then, I’ve been writing like crazy. I’ve written two middle grade and four young adult novels. I’ve written a dozen picture books and over 30 articles/satire pieces. I was lucky enough to sign with a great agent, and we went on sub together. It was all so exciting — a dream coming true.
But going on submissions was incredibly hard on me. Rejections were difficult, sure, but I had so many near misses, too. I was bummed all the time, but it wasn’t just that. I was also becoming jaded and bitter. It was exhausting. It was so — not me.
I’m tenacious to a fault, and I never even considered giving up. But then, the universe sent me a very clear impossible-to-ignore sign. It wasn’t a sign to quit, but a sign to pause. Reluctantly, I did it — I paused. And since that pause, I’ve learned a lot.
In this uber-competitive industry that we’ve all yoked ourselves to (for better or for worse 🤪), breaks aren’t really encouraged. They can feel like defeat. like the rest of the lit world will pass you by if you stop and rest. Friends, this simply isn’t true.
It’s just a lie we tell ourselves. If I rest now, then X will never happen. If I don’t keep pushing, then Y will never happen. Says who? We’re writers, remember? We write the endings. Put down your sad violin and rest, if you need to. It’s gonna be fine. I promise.
Here’s your daily reminder, if you need one: you are still a writer even if you’re not writing right now. You CAN put your dreams down for a bit and pick them back up later. Resting is not quitting. Resting can be a wonderful, beautiful, restorative thing.
I’m not writing right now (okay, maybe I’m writing A LITTLE), but I’m also 100,000% not done. I’ll be back (terminator style, minus the robots). I’m just — ahhhh — resting. Not quitting; just resting. Waiting. Fighting against my tenacity. Saving my ideas for later.
All that’s to say, world, meet baby Holi #6. We’ve got a few more months to go, but we are so, so, SO excited.
Until then, we’re resting.
The best things in life are worth waiting for.
Emily Holi is an author, short fiction/satire writer, disability advocate, mom of six, and grilled cheese connoisseur. She currently balances writing (at her kitchen counter) with constant-laundry-folding, magnatile-tower-constructing, and round-the-clock-sandwich-making. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyHoli13 or visit her website at emilyholi.com.
Photo credits: Marick Piwnicki and Jan Huber on Unsplash.
CAROLYN BENNETT FRAISER 