On Progress & the Power of Positive Thinking
I didn't exactly do NaNo although I did try to keep up with the pace. In the end, I added about another 15K to my novel. Not bad, but definitely not great. Still, I have to admit it's progress. As for insecurities, my one insecurity is this: My blog anniversary is next month and that ultimately means I've been at this writing rat race for close to a dog's age. It's all a bit depressing when you think about it. What with the time and effort that goes into writing novels and my not having one thing to show for...That said, it was mid November when I had these destructive thoughts and let's be honest...it was more of a pity party than anything and then suddenly, I had an errant thought—probably a gift from the man upstairs now that I think about it. As I was chastising myself for my lack of accomplishments, the voice spoke, "Hang on a second. You actually do write for a living and have been doing so these last few years. Is it exactly what you want? Not exactly. But you are making a living off it and well...that's something, isn't it?"
After my inner voice spoke, it got me thinking even more. Even though I'm not exactly where I want to be, I have had some success. It's professional writing for my clients and not fictional for myself, but it's still something. And that my friends gave me hope! I'm so thankful I got that positive message. I totally needed it.
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond is here! Okay, I got my copy. Did you get yours? Hurry!
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Goodreads.
That's it for IWSG. What type of progress did you have last month? What about the IWSG guide? Have you picked up a copy?
18 comments:
I was a little late in posting as well, but for good reason - I had to prioritize last night, and I ended up editing my novella until the laptop battery died. :)
Hey, Mina, we do tend to beat up on ourselves. I've been grousing about the fact that I moved away from full-time to part time, but I'm not getting as much fiction written as I'd like, but the fact is, I am making ends meet by writing non-fiction, so we always have things to be thankful for. Keep plugging away, that's important.
15K is wonderful! Far more words than I managed to write in my WIP, which was probably less than 1K. Haha! And making a living as a writing is definitely something to be proud of! :D
It is ridiculously easy to get sucked into negativity. I was feeling pretty negative myself this morning. But when my husband asked me what was wrong and I listed all my worries -- they were all about things that haven't happened. I'm just worried they might.
So, you make a good point. Why aren't I feeling positive about the good things that ARE happening instead of focusing so much on bad stuff that MIGHT happen?
You've accomplished far more than you realize! Not many people write for a living in any capacity. And your blog is certainly successful - you have more followers than I do, that's for sure.
Why are you so hard on yourself?
Hey, progress is progress. I wish I had written 15K last month. Maybe things aren't exactly where you want them to be, but you're getting there. You've already accomplished a lot.
I think it's wonderful when we have people in our lives who help us stay positive, especially when we're struggling!
It's good to look back and realise how far you've come. I love your positive thoughts.
I'm glad you were able to find the good. Sometimes that's hard and sometimes it takes a while to see it. And 15K is nothing to sneeze at! I know I didn't write that much last month, dammit.
To me, 15K is a lot of words!
I'm also a believer in the power of positivity!
I it makes you feel better, I started writing around 1995 and didn't land my agent until 2009...even then, my first book only came out THIS YEAR. So persistence definitely pays off!
you inner voice rocks! and I imagine it being a sultry and velvety... :)
I'm going to pick up a copy as soon as I'm on my laptop. Cool post, Mina.
Edgar Allan Poe only became really famous after he died, so it's good that your post only started with his portrait, then went beyond.
Candace says you need to quit your bitching and kick that damn inner critic in the keister. You are great at what you do (I would know), so don't ever forget that. Now, go out and drink a few glasses of eggnog for me and have a wonderful Christmas holiday and New Year. Big hugs to you and hopefully I'll have some stuff for you to read after the holidays. :)
Happy New Year to you and your family, Mina!!
Hope all is well with you. Are you posting elsewhere or just on a blogging hiatus?
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Post a Comment