Wednesday, December 3, 2014

IWSG: Progress & the Power of Positive Thinking

Oh my gosh, I apologize for my blogging delay.  Life has handed me a crap storm of crazy and I've been doing my best to stay afloat.  That said, it's already December.  Damn the year's practically ran me down.  Anyhoo...it's time for Insecure Writers Support Group brought to you by Alex J. Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts, are Heather Gardner, T. Drecker from Kidbits, Eva E. Solar at Lilicasplace, and Patsy Collins!

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!

Tapping into the expertise of over a hundred talented authors from around the globe, The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond contains something for every writer. Whether you are starting out and need tips on the craft of writing, looking for encouragement as an already established author, taking the plunge into self-publishing, or seeking innovative ways to market and promote your work, this guide is a useful tool. Compiled into three key areas of writing, publishing, and marketing, this valuable resource offers inspirational articles, helpful anecdotes, and excellent advice on dos and don'ts that we all wish we knew when we first started out on this writing journey.

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?

Have a great rest of the week!

Mina Burrows

18 comments:

Bob/Sally said...

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. :)

J.L. Campbell said...

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.

Chrys Fey said...

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

Dianne K. Salerni said...

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?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

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.

The Happy Whisk said...

Why are you so hard on yourself?

Sarah Foster said...

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.

S. L. Hennessy said...

I think it's wonderful when we have people in our lives who help us stay positive, especially when we're struggling!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

It's good to look back and realise how far you've come. I love your positive thoughts.

mshatch said...

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.

Michelle Wallace said...

To me, 15K is a lot of words!
I'm also a believer in the power of positivity!

Stephanie Faris said...

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!

Tammy Theriault said...

you inner voice rocks! and I imagine it being a sultry and velvety... :)

Unknown said...

I'm going to pick up a copy as soon as I'm on my laptop. Cool post, Mina.

Mark Murata said...

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.

Elise Fallson said...

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. :)

Michelle Wallace said...

Happy New Year to you and your family, Mina!!

Arlee Bird said...

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