Stuck in the Middle
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So, thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and his awesome co-hosts!!
Last weekend, I went to a local author event. It was a fun gathering of local writers hosted by the library. They treated us all to lunch and we got to mingle with each other and exchange ideas.
Jo Goodman and Anna Egan Smucker were there. Both of these talented ladies are well established in their genres. Jo is a successful romance writer and Anna is an award-winning children's author.
Of course, being the insecure writer that I am- I was bummed that I wasn't them.
Yes, I was doing the envy thing that I always tell people they should never do.
I mentioned to Jo that I wanted to be her. She laughed and told me she started in 1979 and got her first book published in 1984. I still had time.
Then later, I stayed for Anna's writing course. She told us how her last book went through twenty-three rounds of edits to get it ready for publication. And she's working hard to get her next book released in 2017.
So, here's the thing:
I want to succeed yesterday, but the truth is good books and successful careers don't happen overnight. I can't judge myself by where other people are without reminding myself how much work there is between where they are now and where they began.
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Now, how about a good book bargain?
M. Pax's book is on sale this week for .99!War is coming. A horde of merciless aliens poise just beyond the Edge. In a matter of weeks they will devour the worlds.
Racing ahead of the apocalypse, Craze returns to the Backworlds to warn them and plan a defense. Only he can’t go home. Banned from Pardeep Station, he must wage a more urgent battle. His moon is under siege, and his friends are dying.
Bad things come in threes, and the galaxy is no exception. An old enemy returns, attacking moons and defenseless globes, leaving a wake of destruction. Worse than that, they threaten to join forces with the alien horde.
Defeat seems inevitable. Craze may not be able to stop it. Yet home is worth the fight.
In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendants to survive in a harsh universe. This is the fifth book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. A space opera adventure.
I think envy has it's place if it makes us work harder to achieve goals, but not such a good thing if we end up crying in the foetal position on the living room floor.
ReplyDelete23 rounds of edits... I almost feel normal now!
You're right. Being inspired by another's success is good. Allowing it to cripple you is bad.
DeleteI say immediate gratification takes too long
ReplyDeleteLOL. I can always count on you for wisdom that makes me smile :)
DeleteGreat post, Elizabeth. And very true. No one's work comes out perfect right away. Even those authors we love and admire. They're working their butts off just like the rest of us. Lol.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. It is constant work. I have this silly idea in my head that there is this magic hurdle I can get over and it will all be easy.
DeleteWouldn't overnight success be such a dream? But that's exactly what it is, a dream, and not reality. You are so right. It takes hard work and time,—lots and lots of time. And I think you are well on your way!!
ReplyDeleteNow, if I could only say the same for myself... :)
I predict you'll have plenty of success.
DeleteI do like to dream, so I'll keep hoping one of these days, years of hard work will lead to over night success.
This is so true - "I want to succeed yesterday...." Thanks for the reminder that it really does take time to become an "overnight" success. :)
ReplyDeleteSome weeks are more frustrating than others.
DeleteVery true, it all takes time and more time and more time haha
ReplyDeleteAnd when time feels precious, we feel the pressure.
DeleteJo had a heck of a head start on you. I'd say there is still plenty of time for you to reach the level of success you want.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex :)
DeleteThat's something we all have to remember...that it takes time to get where we want to be. I have to remind myself of that too.
ReplyDeleteI think you're on the right path, Chrys!
DeleteI feel that way, too. I look at writers like you, cranking out books, and I sigh. Why can't that be me?
ReplyDeleteIWSG #134 until Alex culls the list again.
I've already told you I think you're one book is better than most who have many.
DeleteSuch a good reminder! I feel like I always tell people "don't compare your writing journey to others"...but then I do the exact same thing.
ReplyDeleteI am so guilty of that Anne Marie! I tell writer friends all the time not to compare, and then I turn around and do it myself. So annoying!
DeleteI've fallen victim to envy of other writers before, as I'm sure we all have. But it really does take time to achieve success, even after being published!
ReplyDeleteMaybe we are all guilty of it just a little.
DeleteElizabeth...
ReplyDeleteNo need for jealousy... You have many successful published books of your own! AND you have a deliciously wicked sense of humor. What more can an author want? Right? lol.
And, yes, it does take TIME... I started actively writing over five years ago I am still unpublished. But it will happen someday. In the meantime I get to enjoy other authors' work and hope to learn as much as I can from them...
It does take time, and it does take a lot of hard work.
DeleteThanks for always being such a sunny dose of positive energy. I love it when you stop by. <3
Okay, I won't feel so bad then. I'm not really into the envy thing, but I do feel like I should be getting better and faster at this than I am. Twenty-three edits from an established, successful author. Everyone has to find their way.
ReplyDeleteBut you are getting better and more awesome. I saw your review in IndyTale. You aced it! Way to go lady.
DeleteI think it helps when you read how hard it was for "successful" people to get where they are now. As you say, you're in the middle of the journey....
ReplyDeleteI do like to hear stories about how hard they worked. It gives me hope.
DeleteNothing wrong with a little envy. It can help drive us forward--as long as you don't let it get out of hand.
ReplyDeleteA little is good, but I can take it to mind numbing extremes.
DeleteSo true! We want success now, but those we envy had a bunch of behind the scenes work we don't always see.
ReplyDeleteAnd there is always a lot of work going on behind the scenes!
DeleteSounds like a fun get together. You might not get any further though, the dwarves are hunting you with forks and torches because of your crime.
ReplyDeleteThe dwarves found me, Jo!! I am guilty as charged. And o
Delete(And only partially remorseful.)
DeleteI get envious from time to time, but then I think of what I'd be sacrificing in return, and I'm not willing to pay the price just yet. In the meantime, I'll plod along at my slow pace. :)
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head. That's my drawback too. I love to write, but it does not and will not trump some things I hold dear and must attend to in real life.
DeleteI get that sometimes, every time I read a great book I scream "How didn't I think of THAAAT!!" ah well, we need to be smart about our careers and you mentioned a very smart advice.
ReplyDeleteI'll read a great book and just feel like a complete and total hack. Then I'll read on in an interview where they admit to hard work, and I am inspired!
DeleteJust remember you're so amazing that it's barfable. BARFABLE!!
ReplyDeleteAnd that's why I love you and don't call the police when you look in my windows. <3
Delete23 rounds of edits? My book is really not good enough to read it that many times...
ReplyDeleteNow that made me laugh. Anyone with that much humility and humor has to have written an excellent book.
DeleteI'm thinking M. Pax story could be real.
ReplyDeleteI need to read that story. It's on my Kindle. I just need more reading time!!!
DeleteIt all looks like "overnight success" but usually isn't :)
ReplyDeleteI need to read some of the books on my Kindle!!!
Hey Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteAh yes, IWSG aka "I Was Seeking Gary", does try and help you maintain some semblance of balance. In my case, a delusional balance.
All at your own pace, Elizabeth. I know I don't envy any human writer. As for a certain dog writer, that's a totally different story :)
I'm outta' here...
Gary :)
I could easily say I envy you because you get to go to these function and meet said authors! :) Plus you already have books published... Let's just say that I want it yesterday too, but it's going to take a lot of tomorrows!! LOL. Love you girlie. Have a great night. Eva, IWSG co-host
ReplyDeleteThere are so many people I envy but then I admire them as well so I guess that's a good thing! There are people out there who envy me too though as I have a pretty awesome life! Swings and roundabouts, right? :)
ReplyDeleteI interviewed an author yesterday who just published her 25th book. She's 27 or 28. She sold her first four-book deal to Simon & Schuster when she was 18 years old!!! She also started college at 16, though... I think each of our journeys is just so different, it's impossible to compare.
ReplyDeleteI read another bloggers post about this subject from a different view, how often folks as a writer stupid questions and make it feel like anyone can write a book. So stand up straight E. You are an author, and a darn good one! There will always be someone "better" than you and "worse" than you. So be the best YOU you can be!
ReplyDelete"Good books and successful careers don't happen overnight." I keep telling myself (and others, like my husband and non-writing friends). I want to believe it. But sometimes it seems that all the work you put in is just time down the drain because you get nothing back from it, and you'll just be swimming upstream forever. Yet I keep plugging away...
ReplyDelete