Blinders

School is starting soon! Well for my kids at least. And yes, I'm excited. My schedule will be back. I can breathe. I love my kids tons, but I need some writing time. The one thing that's hard is blocking that little thing called the internet. It's pesky, isn't it. It teases and looks so inviting, but you must look away and not be tempted. It can be a total distraction, which leads to no time to develop a story. So what do you do when you're stuck on an manuscript problem and you see an email pop up only to learn that it was an advertisement, but it made you think about another social site that you need to check to see if so and so got a book deal? Shut it off. You heard me. I see your eyes are bulging and you're hyperventilating. It's not the end of the world. Seriously.

It seems like we get all our info off of social media (including yours truly). It can be addicting and totally put you off your game. Not only is it sucking up time and keeping you away from creating, it can damage your self esteem. How? As happy as I can be for others when they triumph, it can hurt a little if you have nothing to say about numero uno. In your mind, you may think you're making no progress because there's nothing new with you. But understand everyone is at a different level. They all are traveling down different paths at their own pace, and so are you. Stop and take a look around you, at you. Have I learned this lesson over and over? Yes, but it's worth repeating because we get stuck into the everyday hum drum and it may feel like you're going no where, but everyone else is miles ahead. Bologna. Yes, I used a lunch meat or you could see it as an Italian city, which ever you choose. Moving on.

You have to shut it off and put your fingers to the keys. Even if you have to go to the box directly and switch it off. Give yourself a certain amount of time without it. You'd be surprised at how much you can accomplish. Then reward yourself--chocolate, ice cream, internet time . . . yes childish, but effective. I use the same tactic with my kids. They want video game time, they must read or do math problems to earn time for it. So I should do the same for myself.

Who's up for the challenge?

I will be in the querying trenches for a while. I'm not sure how long I can fight, but I have two novels that are ready. So, my blogging will be spotty. I'm not querying both at the same time. That would be crazy. I plan to do one then the other while writing my fourth novel.

What's new with you?

Have a great day!!

Trying to beat down fear.

Fear. Everyone fears something. You can't tell me you don't (if you don't tell me how). I have typical fears--fear of heights, spiders, the monster in my closet . . . See where I'm going with this. But I also have the fear of failure, rejection, blah, blah, blah. Heard it before, right?

As writers, we have tons of fears. Some of us can hide it better than others. When I first started this journey, my lack of "experience" made me, shall I say, naïve. So, I found myself more confident than I probably ever been. As time went on, and I gained more knowledge and experience, confidence started fraying and even breaking off to catch the breeze. It's odd, but something that I need to catch again.

It's not that I can't take the heat, I'm scared out of my skin to get back out there. Fear of rejection and that anything I produce is never perfect (yes, perfectionist here) is mostly the problem and it's freezing up my brain. I sit down to write and can't. It's frustrating and annoying. So I need a kick in the tushy. That's right, my tushy. I need a huge slap in the face to get motivated. To push through the blockade that's keeping my creativity hostage. Because lately, I've barely made baby steps. I'm trying to revise, and to be quite honest, I think I'm making the dang story worse (over revising possibly). I need to stick to something, ignore the internet and all opinions, and kick some story writing butt.

So give me your motivations. Your advice on pushing through and sticking to it. And how to scare the fear out of you.

Have a great day!!

Moving on.

Yeah, it's been a while and I missed IWSG. What's happening to me? Anyway, life has gotten in the way a little. I went on vacation with the family and any millisecond of time I get is writing. And yes, I'm still writing. I have a nervous pit in my stomach because I'm debating on whether to query any time soon. It's like a stroke of anxiety created a force field in front of my confidence. It's not easy to step back into the ring when you where defeated.

The thing is you have to get back up and fight. I know what I write is never "what they are looking for." But deep down I can't give in because I'll lose and it's game over. Who wants that? Why let others define what makes you happy? It's all subjective no matter how you look at it. Someone will always have something negative to say. It's their opinion.

It seems I always take the hard way no matter what I do. So I have to accept that it will take me longer. That's all. It will take me longer to find the one "who gets it." At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Trudge forward with my head high and stand behind what I write. If no one likes it, oh well, move forward and write on.

Alright, so who attended WriteOnCon? Great conference!! Thanks to all who helped put it one.

Have a great day!!