Time seems to be escaping me. I feel like I'm in a dream where fence posts are flying by at an alarming rate. Maybe it's just me, but wasn't it just Christmas? Now it's April.
I've had to make some adjustments in my schedule. Do I continue writing, do I not. Do I continue with the plots in my head, or do I put them on paper?
A few weeks ago I made the decision. I'm putting my pencil (keyboard) away. I'm not writing any more. Besides who reads what I write anyway?
After a few days of "not writing" I realized I must have had a stroke.
That's not why I write..... it's not about "who reads what I write." I write because that's who I am. That's what motivates me. That's what keeps me alive and thinking. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about one of my characters....'will she be okay, or what am I going to do with him?'
That proverbial plot is always on the back burner, simmering until I pay attention to it. My own life experiences change my characters lives too.
After a short vacation, I'm back. Keyboard clacking. Oh, I love that sound!
I can't "stop writing" any more than I can stop breathing.
What keeps you going?
Thank you Alex J. Cavanaugh for creating Insecure Writers Support Group. Today is the day, the first Wednesday of the month. Follow this link to join in.
http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
He sounded like he was in the bottom of a well.
"What's up?" I tried to say in a cheery voice.
"I've finally decided I can't do this any more. I think I need an agent." He blurted out.
"Another rejection?"
He laughed. "Yes. What I want to know is how do you do it?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean?"
"You always seem to be up beat. Don't you ever get rejections?"
I smiled and looked at the stacks on the corner of my desk.
"Do you mean the rejections from publishers I've queried, or just the agents?"
He said, "you're kidding, right?"
No, darlin, I don't think so. I wish!
Rejection is not the same, in my humble opinion, as rejected. Rejection just says to me, we aren't looking for what you're "selling" right now.
I continued, "don't take it personally. They are not rejecting you the person. And maybe they aren't rejecting what you've written. They just don't have a "fit" for it at the moment.
I remember when I was sixteen. I asked Dad to borrow the car. He said no. Do you think that was the last time I asked? I don't think so.
It's the same thing with an agent, or a publisher. Just keep trying. Do the research, look at their web site. See what, or who they are looking for. And most importantly, never give up.
If you get rejected today, work on your manuscript. Don't dwell on the "rejection". Keep working on your craft. Polish your skills.
What keeps you motivated?
