Perseverance

There must be something in the air this month. Kris Rusch blogged about it. Anton Strout talked about it with Sherrilyn Kenyon on his The Once & Future Podcast. And I've talked about it with other writer friends.

How do you keep going when you've hit a bad spot or a low in your writing career?

I'm not the only one who has had health issues this year. Some folks have had financial problems. Others have had family troubles. It's hard to concentrate on writing when your life is going to hell in a handbasket.

But to remain a writer or be a writer, you have to hang in there. You have to keep going. You have to persevere.

That's not to say you can't take a break. It's not any different than the yearlong leave I had to take from law school when DH was diagnosed with cancer. But you have to keep your eye on the prize. I knew I was going back to school as soon as DH was back to work, despite what a couple of my professors thought. You have to believe in yourself. In your skills. In your vision for your art.

It's real easy to get caught in the trap of comparing where you are and where other writers are. But as both Kris and Sherrilyn have pointed out, they've had their ups and downs. They've even had major downs after they both became bestsellers.

However, in any business, hell, even in life, there are cycles. No low is permanent. Neither is any high. But so many writers hit a low that is so bad, they think it will never end. They let the down kill their creative spark, and they quit writing. Or painting. Or playing their guitar.

That's where your determination has to kick in. You don't know how long a downturn will be.  You don't know when it will turn around. If you have the power to know this, please contact me. I'll front the money for a ticket and split the next Mega Millions jackpot with you.

In the meantime, I'll persevere and keep plugging away at my writing. I need to write fifty more books to catch up with Sherrilyn.

Taking Chances

Currently reading - Death's Excellent Vacation by CHarlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner

After sending a whiny e-mail to the crit partners on Tuesday evening, Faye immediate response was "Get back on the horse."

Okay, that's really not a direct quote. I left out the more colorful language. But the gist of her comment is the same.

I pointed out to her that theoretically I'm still on the horse. I'm just hanging from a stirrup with my head bonking along the rough terrain.

And that's where the ever-lauded perserverence comes in handy. I pulled myself up, sent out another query for ZL and wrote a couple of thousand words on the current wip. If you want that publishing credit, you can't stop just because you got kicked in the head. (Ask Jody. She's been kicked in the head for real a few times.)

Next on the list--practice that pitch for the Lone Star Conference.

A Winner in Any Book

Currently reading - Dark and Stormy Knights, edited by P.N. Elrod

I want to give a HUGE shout-out to one of my regular readers--YEAH, PAT!

Two weeks ago, Pat Rosen won the 2010 Golden Heart Award for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements. For those of you who don't know, the Golden Heart is the Romance Writers of America contest for unpublished authors.

So at the West Houston RWA chapter meeting yesterday, Pat received a standing ovation. (Which is much better than the Gatorade shower she would have received at Northwest Houston.) She showed off her award, a gorgeous gold heart pendant. But it was her impromptu speech that really struck my soul.

She compared winning the award with reaching the top of hill she'd been climbing forever, only to realize there were bigger hills beyond where she stood. And mountains beyond those hills. While the award was nice, she couldn't stop on her current hill. She had to keep climbing.

With Pat's realistic but persistent qualities, I know she'll reach her dream.

But in the meantime, sweetie, a little jewelry validation doesn't hurt.