Thursday, March 21, 2013

Being Ben Affleck

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When I'm frustrated or annoyed with writing I repeat this mantra to myself: Be Ben Affleck.

Thanks to FaceinHole.com, Ben & I are a cute couple
I've been in lurve with Ben Affleck for most of my adult life. He's tall, dark, and handsome. He's married to a gorgeous, down-to-earth woman, and he appears to be a great dad. But beyond that, he's an artist who didn't give up.

Early in his career, he won the Oscar for Good Will Hunting. Everyone wanted a piece of him - including Jennifer Lopez, which lead to the disastrous Gigli. That movie and relationship was like a pair of concrete shoes. Ben tanked and we didn't hear much from him, except for the occasional political statement.

He moved on with his life, but he never left the industry. He worked quietly behind the camera, producing some pretty great films. Then came Argo. The little film that couldn't.

It did.

And even though the academy (FOOLS!) ignored him in 2012, he was handsomely rewarded with pretty much every other directing award out there.

What does this have to do with me & writing?

Everything.

We, as writers, cannot expect every project, every book, to be a hit. It's unrealistic. I wouldn't call The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling a hit. I have yet to meet one person who enjoyed it. Does that diminish the success of the Harry Potter series? Of course not. But, it's more proof that we're all human. We all err. Our stories sometimes struggle to find an audience.

It's okay.

I think that's the part people forget. It's totally fine to fail once in a while. It's not the end of the world if your sales tank. There is still another project. A novel you haven't even thought of yet could be your next big hit.

My point? If you love writing, don't give it up because you're going through a tough patch. We all have those moments. Last year, my sales were soaring. I was on top of the world. This year sales have slowed. I've found myself getting really depressed about it - but then I remind myself, Be Ben Affleck. I smile. I start typing. I remember why I started writing in the first place: love of the written word.

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

14 comments:

Laura Chapman said...

I loved this post, not only because of my longstanding crush on Ben, but your message was great. You can't give up every time there is a curve ball -- you have to keep going. Thanks for making me laugh and feel motivated!

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

Awesome post, love it! Thank you for reminding me that we're all human. :D

Megg Jensen said...

Laura - I never understood why people thought Matt Damon was hotter than Ben Affleck. lol. Glad to hear you have a crush on him too. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by & commenting, ladies!!!! :)

Liberty said...

Thank you for allowing Ben to rub balm onto my soul!

Liberty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Megg Jensen said...

Liberty - anytime. :)

Melissa Keir said...

Needed to hear this today! Thanks for the inspiration!

Megg Jensen said...

Melissa - I'm so glad I posted it today. I was going to save it for a couple weeks, but I just went with the muse. So glad it helped. :)

Jennifer R. Hubbard said...

Yes, the writing life seems to be a roller coaster far more often than it is a straight ride to the stars!

Megg Jensen said...

It's just a direct route to Crazyville - and I love it there. :)

Lev Raphael said...

I've been a published author for almost 35 years. My career has been like the Dow Jones Index, and sometimes it's truly crashed. But I keep writing and publishing, and telling other writers the truth about a writing life:

http://minichino.com/wordpress/?p=1996

DeenaML said...

This reminds me of an article I read where it talked about how the books that some authors are known for (their "break out books") were NOT their first books (like Gillian Flynn and GONE GIRL...it was her third book). Good to remember! Keep on writing!

Allan Woodrow said...

Great post. It's reassuring to know that I can be just like Ben Affleck, if he was older and uglier and not married to ... oh, never mind.