Friday, November 23, 2012

Are You a Worrier or a WARRIOR?

This question was dropped in my spirit last night as I lay in bed. As a writer, there are tons of things to worry about and consider on the road to publication and eventual "success" (a relative term at best). The myriad of questions for writers leads down a treacherous path of worry, stress, and even depression which all lead to apathy, inactivity, and the destruction of our dreams. The ultimate goal of worry is to destroy our faith--not just spiritual faith, but faith in ourselves or our own visions and goals. Some of those dream-killing questions include:
  • How do I know if my work is any good?
  • Why am I not seeing results in my writing like others?
  • How can I market my writing when no one is interested in it or me?
  • When is it time to quit on my dreams?
Any worrier can attest to the fact that worry leads to more worry. It doesn't stop unless we draw the line and make it stop! The solution is just moving forward. We can reach a destination if we are always stopping at rest spots along the way. We have to keep moving!

I submit to you these bullet points from motivational speaker Craig Harper about worriers and warriors.

Worriers:
  • Find things to stress about
  • Are generally reactive (not proactive)
  • Over-think the shit out of everything
  • Are people-pleasers (and not in a good way)
  • Avoid the things they should address
  • Allow fear to run their lives
  • Don’t stand up for themselves
  • Hope things will (magically) work out
  • Love routine, predictability and familiarity
  • Beat themselves up often
  • Procrastinate
  • Apologize unnecessarily
  • Waste emotional energy on stuff they can’t change
  • Waste time, talent and opportunities
  • Are exhausting to be around
Warriors:
  • Take chances
  • Are prepared to get uncomfortable
  • Make the tough decisions
  • Persevere when most would give up
  • Ask the hard questions
  • Don’t look for permission, sympathy or approval
  • Explore and exploit their potential
  • Finish what they start
  • Talk less and do more
  • Are solution-focused not problem-obsessed
  • Acknowledge their flaws without any hint of self-loathing
  • Don’t shirk responsibility
  • Are inspiring to be around
  • Are adaptable and cope well with change
  • Fight for what they believe in
(craigharper.com)

The only way to overcome the plague of worry is to cut it off, to slice it out of our minds, to burn it up from our psyche, to kill it--like a warrior would do. Whatever your worries are (and mine), let's agree to fight them today until the bitter end.

Whenever I think of warriors, I think of these two men: the iconic wrestler the Ultimate Warrior and the epic King Leonidas from the movie 300. These men personify the warrior spirit although they are fictional. Whoever is a warrior to you, I challenge you to get their picture in your mind when worry creeps upon you. What would they do? They would fight!

Therefore, I give a war cry to all my writers. Despite the many tough questions, obstacles, and shortcomings in this industry, don't throw in the towel. Embrace the warrior spirit and WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Why I Love the Classics

I had the opportunity to write a guest blog entitled "Why I Love the Classics" for the Cola chapter of the South Carolina Writers' Workshop.

http://columbiawritersworkshop.blogspot.com/

Friday, November 16, 2012

DVR Dilemma

A revelation that I have too much TV experience.

DVR Dilemma

Fast forward
Now rewind
Ok fast forward
No now rewind again
Ok forward
NO YOU PASSED IT
Now back again
Wait forward some more
Now back a little bit
Right there!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

They Want My Manuscript...Now What???

My mother taught my sister and me when we were growing up to always keep our rooms and our house clean so that if we ever had an unexpected visitor, then we would not appear slovenly.

I recently "tested the waters" of the publishing market to garner interest in my novel about the rise and fall of a college campus ministry. After sending a query to a publisher about my novel, they have asked to view the manuscript. There is definitely a certain excitement and satisfaction that comes with this news. It validates the endless hours of imagination poured on pages. It manifests the goal writers have initially before they set pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. It breeds confidence in our abilities, talents, and gifts to expresses in writing the issues of life in stunning detail. One dilemma exists with this new development in my progress: the novel remains unfinished! With that aforementioned excitement, validation, and satisfaction, an anxiety is now present. There is an "Oops!" in my conscience that exists because I never truly thought there would be much buzz when I sent the query.

I instantly flashed back to my mother's cleaning method. When I began the novel, I was writing some each day which became every few days...which became once a week--you get the idea. Now that I have a "visitor"--better yet a suitor--to see my work, it is incomplete and not what I desire it to be.

Therefore, the best advice for any writer--as I now have learned--is to keep writing! Away with the insecurities about who wants our work or what entity will reject us next. We must keep writing! Away with excuses for not getting to a place where we can devote our time to our passion instead of explaining why we are writers with no evidence of our work. Away with the fear that people will not "get us" or will not understand who we are and why we write. We must keep writing! Whatever is preventing us from achieving our goals and seeing our dreams manifested, we must escort those things out of our path, out of our minds, and into the same pile where our rejection letters lie. We must reject the rejections! We must make the insecurities insecure!

In essence, the manuscript request was a wake-up call. Who knows if it will be accepted, but being caught with my house not in order has again set my passion for writing ablaze. We never know when the moment we have been waiting our whole careers for will be laid before us, so we must be ready.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some "cleaning" to do...