Discouragement

Another block for a writer's motivation is discouragement. 

And there are a lot of ways a writer can become discouraged. If you are a novelist in a boat similar to mine, you have a few books out, which don't seem to be going anywhere.

Things which discourage me:

Rejection by a publisher. I know. You have to expect this. You receive far more rejections than you do acceptances. So, if rejection is debilitating, success as a writer will be impossible. However, a little rejection, or a lot of it, can stall you and give you the opportunity to evaluate where you are and what you need to do to move forward. It can also be renewing.

Another thing that discourages me, and this may sound absurd, but when my editor cuts things I like. Or if she is less impressed with my work than I am. I realize that cutting up my manuscript is what I pay her for and that if I don't agree with her, I can keep what I want. But, her purpose is to my my manuscript better, and while it sometimes hurts, taking her advice is, well, good advice.

This last week has been discouraging with my book cover for, "Shooting Stars". It had nothing to do with the manuscript I have been editing, but every time I got the notice from Create Space that my book cover didn't fit their template and that parts would be cut off, I got more discouraged and ended up ruminating on what was going wrong, more than what I could be doing right.

However, after the fifth submission of my book cover, I got the notice that it was accepted. Hooray! Now, I can move ahead with a book launch later this month. Suddenly everything is bright and encouraging.

Writer's Block or Just Tired?

I don't know if I need motivation or if I need to take a day off.

Yesterday I really didn't want to write. It was Saturday, I'd slept in late to catch up on lost sleep, and felt nagged by my son. He does that when I'm trying to sleep in. He never sleeps in... (grrrr)

They, whoever they are... well, I guess they are all those people who are making a living at writing, or making a living at telling people how to be writers... Sorry. They say that to be a writer you need to write everyday, even if it's just something you'll throw away. But, does that mean we never take breaks?

I'm trying to try out everything 'they' say, so, I guess I should write something everyday.

My son finally nagged me into taking him to Toys R Us. On the way, which is all the way across town, I thought about "The Pariah" podcast. Episode two was really lagging without any real conflict. I figured out how to improve it.

I also wrote my 100 word story for the 100 Word Weekly Challenge at www.oneadayuntilthedayidie.com. The prompt was "Value". I recorded it and posted it.

In the end, there were two things I wrote.

So, is the way to sell my books "to write everyday"? We'll see.