Hope Springs Eternal by Allison Symes

Image Credits:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images

I see March as a hopeful month. I admit I’m biased. I had my 60th birthday a week ago. This year also marks my thirty year anniversary of taking up writing seriously. But March is lovely, whatever the weather does, because with each passing day, there are more and more signs of lighter evenings, spring flowers emerging everywhere and so on. It is a month to lift the spirits.

And, of course, Easter often falls in March though not this year. Easter is the definition of Hope Springs Eternal because our hope is eternal.

As writers, we’re not always hopeful, are we? The rejections, the never hearing back (publishers, agents, competitions), the setbacks do take their toll. 

It’s why we need the support of other writers who know this writing journey for what it is - hopeful, tough, and a right roller coaster of a ride. It’s why ACW is so important. 

If you don’t know anyone in the writing industry when you’re starting out - and I didn’t - you need the right supportive writing organisation, where you can start to make those contacts, who will hopefully go on to become supportive writing friends. 

Naturally you will become a supportive writing friend yourself. The writing community as a whole is a supportive one, which is fabulous, but it is always at its best when it is a two way street. 

One of the nicest things to happen to me on my writing journey to date was on realising a few years ago, I could genuinely give good writing advice to a new writer. It made me stop and take stock of what I’ve learned so far. 

I highly recommend doing this because (a) it will be a good boost to your own morale (b), this will remind you of things you’ve forgotten which may still prove useful to your writing, and, more importantly, (c) you will realise how you can help other new writers too.

We talk about passing on the baton in so many areas of life. I know as a newbie writer all those years ago, I wondered if I’d ever get the baton in the first place to be able to hand it on. Encouragement and support go a long way. From those, hope springs. 

I like hopeful writing too. I prefer stories to have a satisfactory ending though I have written some flash pieces with thoughtful and/or sad endings though appropriate to the characters. Those kinds of stories, I’ve found when reading this kind of thing from other writers, tend to make me count my blessings more often, and that’s no bad thing either. 

What did help me feel more hopeful earlier in my writing life was in knowing all writers face rejections and setbacks. I think it is vital to be reassured it isn’t just you. It’s also vital to know what can improve your work to increase your chances of acceptance out there in the big bad world.