Hi everyone. Thanks for stopping by, especially my regular readers. I'll be on blogging break for about a month due to outside circumstances. Please also excuse the longer response time to emails and updates on FB and Twitter.
But if I could leave you with a few thoughts before I go, it's these:
1) Write because you love to write. Write the stories you wish were out there and that you would love to read.
2) Expect bumps in the road to publication. No one has a magic portal to bypass them. Sometimes the best research and preparation still doesn't smooth the path.
3) Learn all that you can. Share what you've learned with others.
4) Develop relationships with other writers, not just business interactions.
5) Remember that sometimes the ugly snakes of subjectivity and timing will cross your path and even impede it. Don't give up. There is no such thing as a perfect writer or a perfect story. Often people don't know what they want until they come across it.
6) There is no point of arrival. We attain milestones. There is no happily-ever-after, even if that's what we write about.
7) You do have something to contribute to the writing community. We all want it to be a bestselling novel. Usually that's not the case. You may be the best critique partner ever, or a social media guru, or simply a shoulder to cry on.
8) There is no one true pathway to publication. There are guidelines and a plethora of advice out there. But no one has a correct map. Each person's journey is different, and that's okay.
9) Don't give in to despair, depression, bitterness, or hate. You will have flickers or episodes dealing with these emotions. Don't let them take you over. Don't let them drag you down. No matter how impossible or hard it may seem, take one more step forward. And then another. And then another.
10) Reflect upon what you have learned from your writing journey. You may not be where you want to be, but that doesn't mean the time was wasted. What did you get from your research? What relationships did you gain? How much stronger are you as a writer now than when you started? What wisdom is now part of your personal arsenal? Treasure these achievements.
But if I could leave you with a few thoughts before I go, it's these:
1) Write because you love to write. Write the stories you wish were out there and that you would love to read.
2) Expect bumps in the road to publication. No one has a magic portal to bypass them. Sometimes the best research and preparation still doesn't smooth the path.
3) Learn all that you can. Share what you've learned with others.
4) Develop relationships with other writers, not just business interactions.
5) Remember that sometimes the ugly snakes of subjectivity and timing will cross your path and even impede it. Don't give up. There is no such thing as a perfect writer or a perfect story. Often people don't know what they want until they come across it.
6) There is no point of arrival. We attain milestones. There is no happily-ever-after, even if that's what we write about.
7) You do have something to contribute to the writing community. We all want it to be a bestselling novel. Usually that's not the case. You may be the best critique partner ever, or a social media guru, or simply a shoulder to cry on.
8) There is no one true pathway to publication. There are guidelines and a plethora of advice out there. But no one has a correct map. Each person's journey is different, and that's okay.
9) Don't give in to despair, depression, bitterness, or hate. You will have flickers or episodes dealing with these emotions. Don't let them take you over. Don't let them drag you down. No matter how impossible or hard it may seem, take one more step forward. And then another. And then another.
10) Reflect upon what you have learned from your writing journey. You may not be where you want to be, but that doesn't mean the time was wasted. What did you get from your research? What relationships did you gain? How much stronger are you as a writer now than when you started? What wisdom is now part of your personal arsenal? Treasure these achievements.
