The Summer Olympics are just around the corner and I started watching the selection process for the women's gymnastics team this weekend. A sign in the Karolyi gym caught my eye.
The same holds true for any kind of artistic endeavor. Maybe, as authors, we don't have the rock hard bodies of those tiny jumping machines, but if you could peer inside our minds...
Like most everyone else, I have dreams and goals, updated with each milestone I hit. With books 14 and 15 coming out this year, my new goal is to reach the 25-book mark at RWA, for which I'll get a pin. The pin doesn't matter, it's the goal that counts.
When I take a moment to look back, I can't believe how far I've come in such a short time. Admittedly, it hasn't been an overnight success, since every dime I make goes back into advancing my career, but someday soon, I hope to give myself a paycheck. But where would I be if I'd let my dreams of becoming a published author scare me? Since 2012, when my first book came out, my career has been a snowball, starting off slowly and getting a little bigger each year, with each book. I've made some really good friends, I've figured out that there's no such thing as being a complete author, since there's always more to learn, but you do your best and make each new book better than the last. And I've finally found an outlet for all those voices that have been rolling around in my head for years.
Yes, my dreams back when I began this journey scared me, but I decided to face the fear and forge ahead. I'm so glad I did, since my life since has been filled with the highest of highs as well as some not so fun lows. A lot of people say they want to write a book, but few actually finish one and send it out for people to critique, or offer a contract. At least I can say I did it.
Fifteen books...Wow! I'm in awe of your achievements. I'm at Book 4 and planning to write and release one book a year. Thanks for reminding us to forge ahead in spite of our fears. Best of luck, Becky :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joanne. I got such a late start in this business, I feel I have to step in double-time to make up for it. I still have a ways to go.
DeleteI have this quote on my white board - "Dreams don't fall into your lap - Make it happen." Lilliana Hart
ReplyDeleteAnd if anyone knows about that, it's Lilliana--one of my favorites.
DeleteGood for you, Becky. We all need to forge ahead in spite of our fears, and not let them stop us.
ReplyDeleteI've known you from the start of your journey, I'm in awe of your courage and talent. Fear is what's keeping me from hitting that send button - fear of success as much as rejection. You are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYou've made the journey with me, Barb, I agree. And when the time is right, I'll walk alongside you as you make your journey. Thanks for being such a good friend.
DeleteThanks, Becky. What a great topic.
ReplyDeleteLots of lecturers at our workshops at RWA tell us, and so do our editors, that we should keep writing and have patience. Well, I've been published for many years now, almost ten books, and nothing has happened. I can't help thinking, even though I've got lots of great reviews, that I need to improve as a writer. I've tried everything I can to advance. And, quite frankly, I see those doing much better than I am in sales. They're writing stories that don't keep my interest past the hook of the first few pages. So in this black hole of apparent SFR failure, I continue to write and edit my stuff because I simply love the experience of growth. I'm just worried that without what the society around me calls success, I'll lose friends and family who may be feeling twice as rejected because I'm spending time on something that might make me happy, but that doesn't even bring in the dollars that could spell moderate success to a writer.
I hear you, Susan, and the self-doubt seems to be the bane of our existence as authors. I too wish I could point to sales as a measure of my success, but so far, I'm in the same boat you are. But my plan was never for overnight success anyway, so until I can get to the sales benchmark or top the USA Today best seller list, I'll keep plugging away.
DeleteThanks, Becky. I'll take heart in your encouragement to plug away.
DeleteS
I read that being an author is a skill no one can completely master as it is ever evolving. I think we are wired to compare ourselves to others but rarely is it a fair comparison because we tend to compare our weakneses to others strenghths. Like comparing a first draft with a polished finished manuscript. It is not a fair comparison. I think that's why new writers don't think their work is ever good enough. I have heard from many Chapter members that everyone's first draft sucks. That gives me such great hope. No one ever writes in the acknowledgements that their own superior writing skills was all that was needed. They thank others for their help. I don't think we could do this job without help. It's great when you help others but when you open yourself for help you are allowing them to feel great too.
ReplyDeleteWonderful thoughts, Caroline. We are all in this together, and need to rely on others from time to time to prop us up. Nothing wrong with that.
DeleteThanks Becky, inspirational! Holding on to my dream.
ReplyDeleteTema Merback
Writing as Belle Ami