Tag: failures

What Failure Can Teach Us About Writing

Failure is something that can happen to any of us at any time. Failure is something that we all try to actively avoid, failing, being a failure, is something that we don’t ever really want to admit. Failure sucks, but it’s a part of life.

Lately, I’ve felt like a failure in several aspects. I’ve been pursuing my bachelors in nursing for several years now, and ultimately through several factors some I could and some I couldn’t control, I’ve dropped out. I’ve been writing a novel since November and have had the same goal for that novel since January of this year. I have a decent job, but I feel like I’m failing at having a personal life or working on any hobbies outside of work and sleep.

By several accounts, I could be considered a failure, school isn’t going well, writing isn’t going well, personal life isn’t going well, but there can be several different views of failure.

School– Yes, I have essentially dropped out with a “six month suspension”. At the same time, I have been telling the school for months that there is no way I can complete the projects that have been assigned in the small amount of time that was given, along with working a full-time job. I have wanted a break for months. Now I have it. Now I can try and relax more.

The Novel- This novel is something I have been working on since November and had the same goal since January. It’s been months, but I haven’t stopped writing, I’ve just been going at a slower pace. I’ve had the same goal, and haven’t reached it yet, but I haven’t stopped. I’m still writing, no matter how slow the process goes.

The Job- It will be six months that I’ve had this new job as of April 1st. In that six months, it seems as though my plans and hours and duties have changed almost hourly. I was trained under one company on all different shifts, scheduled on all different shifts, both days and nights and anywhere in between. Now we’re with a new company and new management and new hours and even MORE training. Yes, my social life and my hobbies are suffering, but at least I have a job. I just haven’t had a chance to settle and create a solid schedule yet.

Failure is everywhere, and anything can become a failure, if you let it.

Sure, I can look at school as a failure, but it’s been stressing me out since I first started and working through and gaining more experience I’m wondering if even being a nurse is what I want to do.

Sure, I can look at writing the same novel for months and months as a failure, but I’m still writing and doing my best to get through the novel. Everyone goes through slumps, and this might just be mine currently.

Sure, I can look at my social life as a failure with this new job and the extra hours and training, but I have a job and I’m learning valuable skills, and making connections. Sure, it sucks right now to spend half my week sleeping and working and the rest of it catching up on sleep, but it won’t be forever. Eventually things will calm down.

So what does all of this have to do with writing? Failure is everywhere in writing.

It’s when the project isn’t going well, so you give up.

It’s when you send out a piece and it gets rejected.

It’s when your work doesn’t get much views or reads, or acclaim.

Or it can be.

Giving up on that project that doesn’t work can make way for a better project.

Getting rejected can allow you to send your piece somewhere else, somewhere better.

Not getting many views, or reads, or acclaims can allow you to learn how to improve and get more acclaim on the next piece.

Failure is okay, as long as you use it to your advantage.

Failure is only failure if you don’t learn from it and keep moving forward to improve.

I’ve had a lot of failures in the past few months, of so it would seem, but I’m not going to let them stop me.

I’m going to keep moving forward.

How about you?

The Importance of Goals

Without something to strive for, to work towards, we are stagnant. No matter what your preferred calling is, whether it be your occupation, your hobby, or maybe even a little of both, goals are necessary.

For several years, I have had goals, both writing goals, and goals in other areas of life. I’ve had both long and short term goals, which in some cases can be interchangable.  Sometimes, short term goals can morph into long term, or vice versa. If a long term goal feels unattainable,  break it into smaller short term goals. For example: If the goal is a burst of confidence by the end of the year it’s not something to start the first day of December. Some goals take time, and that’s not a bad thing.

Sometimes we’re not ready for our goals, we’re scared, or shy, or we don’t have the means to complete them just yet,  or the time and patience. That is perfectly fine, sometimes we have to fail a few times before we succeed. That’s part of learning and the human experience.

If we all succeeded the first time we tried something, we would never learn anything. We would not grow, or advance as a society. Failing is perfectly acceptable, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Of course, we never really want to fail, but sometimes it is inevitable. That’s why I am going to share some of my goals, both that I succeeded and failed in.

Let’s start with 2009. I was in my first year of college, trying to get through Anatomy, Psychology and College algebra. That was the first year I found out about NaNoWriMo (nanowrimo.org), which takes place in November. You know what else takes place in November? Finals. I had to make a choice between preparing for finals and writing 50,000 words, or fail both. I chose finals, and I succeeded in furthering my progress in my long term goal of nursing. Did that stop me from doing NaNoWriMo the next year?  No way!

In 2010, I got into the CNA program and succeeded.

Then I had to wait three years for my acceptance into the LVN program. Three years is a long time to wait for your goal, and for a while, I lost track of my goals. I like to call those years my “dark ages” and for good reason.

2011- I was dating a guy for most of 2011 (let’s call him Poland). Thing went well for a while, and them my feelings for him died when I met another guy who I deemed more my type (let’s call him Hilter… It’s going to be a complex metaphor). Because of the conflict the rest of my 2011 sucked and I nearly failed classes I needed for nursing school because of it. I was writing a novel at the time and I nearly didn’t finish that either.

2012- Hitler didn’t work out, so I dated Himmler for a month,  and that was like being stuck in a work camp, and after him Goebels, which was one of the worst mistakes of my life. I dropped more classes that I needed (and that counted against me later), I screwed up my sleep schedule, and I nearly jeopardized my chances of getting into the nursing program at all. I was aimless, I had forgotten my long term goals. Even my short term goals and my writing suffered.

And then 2013 came,  I got into the LVN program, and I succeeded. Sure, there were pitfalls In that year too, but there were also triumphs. I made it through all three semesters,  I wrote, I reached some short and some long term goals. I learned about myself and I was able to succeed once I put my mind to it.

2014 was even better. I worked my ass off through the RN year, I met the best man I have ever been with, who I love more than I ever thought imaginable, and I wrote ten (10!) short stories, finished a full length novel and faced my fears and submitted something to a writing contest. I could not have done any of that if I hadn’t struggled through those “dark ages”.

Goals, whether we succeed or fail, teach us something about ourselves and others.

What goals do you have?