Lost and Found: Focus. Mine.

Lately I’ve struggled to find my focus as an author. Oh, I’ve been somewhat productive, but every accomplishment has been hard won in so many ways. Every word I’ve written has felt forced, every edited page as though it’s taken days.

There was a time when I loved writing. In so many ways it was like breathing to me. Everything that happened in life, for good or bad, was material for more writing, and motivation to finish yet another manuscript. And then I moved. And life took over. And writing fell down the priority list out of necessity.

The problem is those necessities have since calmed—we’ve really found our feet in our new place—and my inability to write should have ceased by now. The new problem is that I’ve fallen out of my good writing habits, and into bad ones wherein I am easily distracted by the internet, books by other people, church responsibilities, decorating, and…well, just about anything that can possibly be a distraction. Except cleaning. (That’s a downside too.)

And I’ve decided it’s time. Time to reorganize my thoughts. Time to reset my habits. Time to take control of my writing again. Time to be more productive.

After reading this post (thanks Elana!) I am reminded that taking control is really not as hard as I’ve convinced myself over the last year and a half. It’s simple. And it’s up to me.

So yeah. I’m off to start work on a new manuscript while I wait for edit notes on Birthright. I have a good idea, and I think I can actually turn that idea into a story. It’s all about focus, and I think it’s about time I found mine.

Have you ever lost focus on your goals for a long period of time? How did you find it again?

The Problem with Pedestals.

Is that they aren’t made for people.

And people—no matter who they are or what they do—should never try to stand on a pedestal. Nor should we force others to stand one.

Because anyone who does will inevitably go splat at some point in time.

I’ve met a lot of people in my life. Important people. Famous people. Knowledgeable people. Brilliant people. Humble people. Beginners. Finishers. The strong. The weak. The selfish. The determined. The impatient. Saintly people. Serving people. Rich, poor, and middle-class people. But I have yet to meet a single person who is not absolutely human, who is not on a journey of some sort, and who is not searching for enrichment, fulfillment, and/or happiness.

Humans make mistakes, progress, and choices.

I admit some of us manage to rise above adversity and find success better or quicker or differently than others. But those who try to stand on pedestals—or who are put there by others—always, always have a lot further to go when they fall.

I know I’m not perfect. A long way from it. No one else is either. But if we can manage to eliminate those darned pedestals, maybe the important people in our lives won’t have to fall so hard. Nor will we have to hurt so badly when we trip.

Personally, I don’t want to stand on a pedestal. But if you absolutely insist, you’re welcome to seat me on a throne. I’ll never complain about that!

A Funny, Some Encouragement, and Perspective

First, a little funny for my friends fighting in the query/submission trenches.

Next, a little encouragement.

Some perspective. 

No matter where you are or where you go, it's always possible to find a lucky star (or starfish, as the case may be). 

And no matter how hard things get, the sun will keep rising and setting, and so will you.

 

And now that I've fulfilled my job as cheerleader, get back to work. 

Carry on! 

Life After Success

Last week my friend Carolyn asked if her blog readers believe people change once they have succeeded in achieving important goals. This is not a new question for me, but for some reason, Carolyn’s has stuck with me all week. It’s on my mind, apparently.

I told her (and her readers) that I think to some degree, everyone changes. When you set a goal and reach that goal, it's inevitable that something inside you grows and becomes more than it was as you were looking to achieve it.


However, it is up to the individual person to decide what they do with that change. Will you let it go to your head? Will you treat people differently? Will you allow all your time to be swallowed by new things? Will you make or find time for the people or projects that matter to you, even if you can't see a benefit?


Some of us will be fundamentally different once we find that success for which we've so long reached.


But some of us, even in changed circumstances, will remain fundamentally the same. We may be busier. We may have more things on which to focus. We may even have to reevaluate where our priorities lie. But we will still be that person who once struggled to reach a goal. And we will strive to NEVER forget how we got there or how difficult that journey was.


I pray every day that when I find my success, it will change me only for the better, and that I will never, ever be tempted to forget those people who have been so important to me.

(Yep, that’s pretty much my blog comment, word for word.)

What about you? Have your current successes changed you at all? In which ways? And do you think future successes will continue to change you on a core level?

The Inevitable Question: How’s Your Writing Going?

I don’t know about the rest of my writer friends, but I’ve decided it’s inevitable that whenever I end up at a gathering that does not include other writers, someone will ask how my writing is going. And it’s really obvious that the people who ask this question mean well. Most of them are truly interested in hearing news about my progress.

The problem is that most of the time there is no quick, easy way to answer this question with much detail. Am I still writing? Yes. More than I ever have. Am I still submitting? Again, yes. Have I finished another novel? Yep. A few. When are they coming out? Uh…someday. Maybe? I hope. Am I still looking for an agent? Yep.

All these answers are the same ones I’ve been giving for a while. In the eyes of the people who ask that question, nothing has really changed. I’m still chasing an impossible dream.

But in reality, everything has changed. I have more finished projects, and am preparing at least one for querying/submission. I am a better writer than I was two years ago. A LOT better. I write faster. I am more focused. My characters are more developed, my plots clearer and more compelling. Most importantly, I feel more confident than ever. I KNOW I’m making progress. I’ve come a long way since I started. And I’m so excited about this progress. About my personal possibilities.

Still, there’s really no way for a non-writer to understand this progress in the ten to thirty second question-answering allowance. So I am usually reduced to something like, “It’s going well. Making some great progress.”

For now, that answer is going to have to be good enough. And I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that someday I’ll have news they can actually understand.

What about you? How do you answer that question?

Snippets of Writerly Wisdom (part 1) Snippets of Writerly Wisdom (part 1) Snippets of Writerly Wisdom, Part 1

I’ve decided that writers and artists are possibly the smartest people on the planet. We may not actually be building rockets and flying through space, or curing cancer, or even the flu, but we are open to any and all possibilities—even when the odds are stacked against us. (And dudes, we totally WRITE about all those things.)

I have heard some of life’s best wisdom from the mouths of authors/artists who are talking off the cuff. Panels, as you will often find at symposiums and conferences where writerly-types gather, are a great place to find valuable little snippets that make you think.

This week, I thought I’d share some of the snippets I picked up at my most recent symposium foray. Today is writing Wednesday, therefore, the following quotes will pertain mostly to writing. (And on Friday, I’ll share some that apply to life for everyone, not just artists, yeah? Okay.)

“You can’t create a villain just to fight the hero. The villain should never be evil just because your hero is good.” ~ (Sorry, I don’t know the name of the person who said this, but I thought it was good.)

“A good place to start is to decide to finish. “ ~Jess Smart Smiley, author of Upside Down, a Vampire Tale

“Art is making lines on paper and choosing where they go.” ~James A. Owen.

“Suspense and tension are not the same thing. Every book doesn’t need suspense, but they all need tension.” ~James Dashner, author of The Mazerunner series.

“Any time your character faces a choice between two goods or two bads, they are choosing who they’re going to be.” ~Clint Johnson

“Your goal is not to create reality, but the illusion of reality.” ~J. Scott Savage author of Farworld

“Creativity is about what is calling to you, what you think about a lot, what you want to talk about a lot.” ~Sandra Tayler

“Get into a rhythm where you finish one book, then set it aside for a bit and work on something else. It’s how you grow. “ ~Brodi Ashton author of Everneath

Lots of good stuff, right? I’m sure I’ll be blogging more about some of it in weeks to come. But for now, I hope you saw one thing that reached out and grabbed you.

Who Do You Know?

Have you ever thought about your favorite actor or recording artist or author and wondered what special person in their life had the “right connections” to help that particular person succeed? Because, as we’ve all been told a bazillion times before, it’s all about who you know, right?

I used to hate that statement, because it made me think that since I didn’t have a rich relative or famous friend, I couldn’t possibly reach success levels that others had. Also, it inferred (in my mind) that the successful person was only successful because of who they knew, rather than because of their own talent or skills.

Maybe for some people that’s accurate. But not for the majority.

When I started writing, I didn’t know a single soul who actually wrote books for a living. In fact, I didn’t know anyone who wrote anything for money. I didn’t even know anyone who wrote as a hobby (to my knowledge). And I had NO idea how to get started. All I knew was that I wanted to write a book. Just one. And it didn’t have to be published, because I wasn’t going to tell anyone—not even my husband.

We all know how big that snowball got. And it’s still rolling. Several years later, after numerous conferences and classes, I have lots of author friends. I’m acquainted with publishers and editors. The list of people I “know” in the industry is long.

But has knowing them made me successful?

If by successful you mean a NYT bestseller, making big money on royalties, and waiting for word on a movie deal that will smash all previous book-to-movie conversion records, than the answer is no. Not yet.

But if by successful you mean have I grown as a writer or author? Have I honed my craft, put time and efforts into learning all I can? Have I gained knowledge from having my work critiqued and in turn critiquing for others? Do I have support from the writing community? If you are asking any of these questions, then the answer is absolutely a resounding YES!

Has knowing the right people helped me get a contract faster? Depends on how you look at it. I have not yet signed with an agent, and I do not yet have a national book deal. But I do have two books published in smaller houses, and I’ve grown in leaps and bounds since I started.

So. What are my odds of success? No idea. But I will tell you, they’re a whole lot better today than they were six or seven years ago. And yes, it is because of who I know.

Go figure.