Writing Marathon: Overcoming Disapointment

Sometimes I wonder, really wonder, if I can pull off this whole writing thing. Things go wrong, like missing the SCBWI WIP Grant deadline to attend a funeral. Or I get massive writer's block, like the fact that I've only been rewriting and not generating anything new since before Christmas. Or I get a string of form rejection letter all at once, like the three "Dear Author" emails I received in succession.

My ten-year high school reunion is supposed to happen this summer, and I started thinking about what I'd say about my life to my old high school friends. I've had a lot of opportunities in the past ten years. I have a college degree and a good job. I live in a great city and know some pretty amazing people. But I haven't done the one thing that is most important to me.

I'm not a published author.

That can really get you down.

But then something magical happens. Someone offers you a challenge, like the girls over at Throwing Up Words. Or you see something that totally inspires you, like the eye candy in the new Alice in Wonderland. Or someone unexpectedly sends you words of encouragement, like my dad's email "Keep at it, I KNOW you will achieve your dream as long as you don't give up on it."

That is what keeps me going.

That is what makes writing worth it.