It's Insecure Writers Support Group day!! Where writers from all over the world get together to spew out all their insecurities, then help each other mop them back up. (A lovely visual, yes?) ;) Find out more about this wonderful, amazing group here.
Big thanks to the IWSG founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and his awesome co-hosts, Hart Johnson, Chemist Ken, Candilynn Fite, Terri Rochenski, Clare Dugmore, and Lilica Blake!
My biggest writing insecurity right now is about the next step. I'm thankful for what I've achieved thus far, but there's always a next step. Right? But what should it be? I want to get an agent, I want to see a book by me in a bookstore, but sometimes I wonder if those steps are too high. Sometimes I think I should aim lower. Then I get mad at myself for not believing I can get there. And then, later, I start all over again, thinking that those things aren't going to happen for me and I should be okay with that.
So yeah, same old, same old, right? I've read enough of these IWSG posts to know I'm not alone, and that helps so much. :) We all seem to go through these bouts of "Reach for the sky!!" followed by "What is wrong with you?! Why did you think you could do this?!"
So the plan is to keep reaching upward, and to be happy with wherever I land. :)
On a different note, I'm participating in Krista McLaughlin's Romantic Flop bloghop today. In celebration of the release of her debut novella, BREATHLESS, she is hosting a blog hop as a fun way to spread the news and share some laughter!About the hop:
Awkward romantic moments. We’ve all had them. In the beginning of my novella, Lainey has a delightful awkward first meeting with her love interest, Jon. This blog hop gives everyone a chance to share an awkward moment they’ve had with someone they had a crush on, whether you eventually married the person or never saw them again.
Oh my goodness, I have a lot to choose from. Seriously. From klutzing out at dinner and accidentally chucking a fork at my prom date, to having my ex call me over and over again while on a date with my brand new boyfriend, (who's now my husband.)
But I'm going to tell you about my first kiss with my first real boyfriend. We were at a last-day-of-school party at my house, (it was the end of tenth grade) and we snuck off into the woods. He had finally gotten up the guts to lean in for that kiss when we saw bright flashes of light coming from between the trees. He jumped up at lightening speed. A second later we saw my older brother and his girlfriend-who was holding a camera. They laughed their heads off as my poor bf and I turned eighteen shades of red!
I suppose the thing is to never give up and keep trying, Rachel. There is so much competition now, and agents who won't take more than three each year out of the 100,000 mss they receive.
ReplyDeleteKeep trying.
LOL, oh that is so not what you want to happen during a first kiss!
ReplyDeleteOh, you bring up a big one. And it's one that I've struggled with for a long time, only in reverse. So many people tell me to just submit my work to small publishers (or more frightening) *just* self pub (as if that's really easier). And then I start to worry that they might be on to something. Like maybe I should just focus on getting my stuff in print rather than getting in print with a publisher whose books are carried in Barnes and Noble. Why can't it be "Write book, pick path, publish as desired?"
ReplyDeleteWell, I think you should stick with it. If you want your book in bookstores, then go for it.
Your brother seems to have the same sense of humor as mine.
ReplyDeleteDon't you go selling yourself short girlfriend. You have bucket loads of talent that should not be wasted. Aim high. You won't know unless you try.
Oh big brothers. Glad I'm the oldest and Rachel *wags finger* haven't you seen enough movies set in the woods. Always aim high and I wish you all the best.
ReplyDeleteThat Is the big one isn't it? The one we all feel, but try to forget we feel. :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely aim high!
ReplyDeleteYou won't know what you can achieve unless you try!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think that my plan of letting all my dream happen organically, without goals, is holding me back :)
ReplyDeleteI ask myself the same question all the time. I'm just waiting for something to fall into my lap. It could happen, right?
ReplyDeleteI've definitely gone back and forth about what happens next, but remember to enjoy the moment! You're published and you are a wonderful writer! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for participating in my blog hop! I love your first kiss story - I would have been super embarrassed! Thanks for sharing! :)
I am blushing thinking about you n' your boyfriend. My father was friends with the town cop..the head of the police department. A police car saw my green Ford at the town wharf and shined a huge spotlight on us making out. Knocked on the windows, flashing more lights..yeah, memories! When we rolled the window down, he said, "Ellen is that you?" He knew who it was-it was my father's car.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with the goals I want to set for myself, too. Even for simple, daily things, I tend to second-guess myself and decide to aim lower, heh. Good luck reaching all the things you're aiming for, no matter how high they are! :)
ReplyDelete