I’ve stumbled across a writer who has given me LOTS of food for thought lately.
Seth Godin, isn’t a fiction writer — his area is actually marketing and new media — but I still feel intrigued about what he has to say.
And even though Seth Godin’s expertise is not in fiction, his blog is something you should definitely check out.
One of his books, The Dip, focuses on goals and why/when you should quit them (and they are valid reasons).
What is the Dip? According to Godin, it is “the long slog between starting and mastery.”
Although he never uses the career of a novelist in his book, you could easily see why becoming a novelist would involve a Dip. Many want to write a book but in actuality few ever finish and even fewer get published. Why?
According to Godin, The Dip is where success happens:
“The people who set out to make it through the Dip — the people who invest the time and energy and the effort to power through the Dip — those are the ones who become the best in the world. They are breaking the system because, instead of moving on to the next thing, instead of doing slightly above average and settling for what they’ve got, they embrace the challenge. For whatever reason, they refuse to abandon the quest and they push through the Dip all the way to the next level.”
For me, this current novel has been a major Dip experience. I’ve totally scrapped two previous versions and have had to leave 100+ pages on the cutting room floor. There were many times that I wanted to just give up entirely. But I’m glad that I held on because I have this version — the one that was waiting to be discovered.
So do you feel you are experiencing the Dip right now in your writing? What are you doing to push through to the next level?
Would love to hear some of your strategies.
I “dipped” for years. Honestly, sometimes I didn’t quit because it was easier to just keep going. Other times I kept it up because I knew my writing would have to improve if I continued to hone my craft.
It has paid off, and I’ll be forever grateful I didn’t pull out during that dip.
Sometimes it’s hard to know how to push through to the next level. I think it just something that happens slowly as we keep reading and stretching. But I agree, only a small percentage push all the way through.
Ha, honestly at this point I think envy is the biggest thing pushing me through the dip. I keep thinking, “If other people can do it then so can I!” Whatever works, right? :-)
Caroline: You’ve definitely pushed through your Dip and now you are experiencing the reward with your book contract! Congrats!
Laura: It does happen slowly and maybe this is the reason why only a few people who experience the Dip actually make it to the next level.
Anna: Ah, this works for me too! For some reason, other people’s successes make me strive harder — plus, seriously, if they can do it, so can we. :)
This year has been full of “dips” for me. Setting out on my first revision of a full novel manuscript really threw me for a loop and made me wonder if I had what it takes to keep going.
Now I’m mired in what was a revision, now turned mostly rewrite, and it’s made me ask questions like “Why am I doing this?” and “Do I really want to do this?”
Faith is what’s pushing me through at this point. Faith that I can do it, faith that I can eventually sell my work (by whatever means), and faith that writing is what I’m meant to do. It’s faith I didn’t have earlier in my life, so I’m grateful to have it now. :-)
I love this post and will definitely have to check out Godin’s book.
I am only starting out, and have barely Dipped my toes in when it comes to writing. I’ve abandoned too many things in the past (i.e. drawing) once I became slightly better than average. I hope — and I’ll work hard — to come out on the other side of the Dip with writing. :]
Jamie: Faith is a very good strategy to have. Sometimes, it’s the only that I’ve had. Especially with this current novel project. At times, it literally seemed hopeless. I thought after I wrote my first novel that maybe I was a “one-hit” wonder. But not giving up is going to change that.
Sandy: I think the “love” of something can keep you going. Just like with faith, when you are really passionate about something — you will stick it out — even when it seems like you’ll never succeed. I believe if you truly want something, you can get it. It will just take some guts and hard work.
The other day, I listened to an interview with the author of The Genius in All of Us. He said something very similar. And I like to think it applies to me, too.
We’ll see.
Hey Gwen: You know I’ve heard about this book. I just saw an interview with him and loved what he had to say about talent and success:
“Find the thing you love to do, and work and work and work at it. Don’t be discouraged by failure; realize that high achievers thrive on failure as a motivating mechanism and as instruction guide on how to get better. “
I would describe the ride as more of a rollercoaster… dip, soar, dip, soar. Or maybe I’m just bipolar. :)
Sounds like a great book! I’ll have to check it out – thanks for the link and the info. I’m definitely in the Dip!
Lisa: Ha, it *feels* like a roller-coaster or sometimes even like a bottomless pit.
Jemi: You are in good company in The Dip. Every successful writer memoir I’ve read always talk about how they wanted to give up but didn’t. Keep writing!
I left you an award on my blog today! Thanks for all your encouragement!
Thanks Jana. :)
I’ll go check it out.
I am going to keep pushing through the dip. I find that writing is theraputic and I can’t do without it.
Kristi: I totally agree. Sometimes writing is the only bright spot in my hectic life.
Keep writing and good luck!
I luv this! I’m just coming out of a 6 month “dip” and it was a pretty deep one. I’m encouraged to read this. Thnx for the post!
Christy (via Verla Kay)
Hey Christy! Always great to meet a BlueBoarder on the blog.
Glad that you liked the post. Isn’t it great to know that you’re not crazy when you’re experiencing a “Dip”?
Keep writing.
I really feel for you leaving so many pages on the cutting room floor. But you sound like a person who wants your work to be the best and will do what it takes.
I like this term The Dip & find it is very descriptive of so many people who claim, “I could write a book about this or that” & all that’s as close as they get!
The thing that keeps a writer on course is persistence. Just keep on keepin’ on! :)
Lisa: Thanks for the writer love!
I actually had to step away from the novel project because I thought it was hopeless. But I think I just needed to let my subconscious work. I was “forcing” the story and pushing it into something it didn’t want to be.
I’m glad that I persisted. There’s no guarantee that I will sell this version but I’m definitely going to try!
This post is just what I needed to hear. I’m in The Dip right now, and waffling on going forward or giving up.
Hi Karen: I’m glad that you found the post helpful. Don’t give up! I think writing has one of the biggest Dips there can be.
Stay focused and keep writing.