Alena here, working on my Next Step in my writing journey. I’m still trying to maximize my writing time. For most moms, the kids are back at school but along with that come all kinds of sports and extra-curricular activities. So most of the writing time I get these days are either weekends or late at night, with time throughout the day. I’m still doing the usual; working on my manuscript at lunchtime, break time, between picking up and waiting for kids. A quiet house and uninterrupted writing time is such a rare thing for me. I recently re-discovered my iPod the other day. Now, while it is an automatic tool I take along with me when I’m jogging, it’s not on my list of tools when I think of […]
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Dealing With Disappointment, Part 2: Why Don’t I Feel Better?
Remember in the Sound of Music when after all the Von Trapp children did everything to overcome their disappointment after discovering Maria had returned to the Abby? They sang and tried to brave their feelings only to have the smallest one, Gretta, utter in despair, “Why don’t I feel better?” That same sigh is all too common when writers are disappointed. Even when they try to grin and bear it, they still wind up with a heavy hearts. Your hopes lifted your spirits to an all-time high, only to toss you out of the plane without a parachute. When you plummeted back to earth, you emotionally crashed and burned. Please don’t agree with me and stop reading now. Listen to your heart. Fire in your soul, whether it is from […]
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Dealing With Disappointment, Part One: Ouch! That Hurts!
Many of you recently attended the ACFW annual conference in Dallas. Those who did pinned hopes on getting some sort of exciting news or opportunity. MBT Voices overall received overwhelmingly positive news. So why am I writing this? Because with the sweet comes the bitter. I’ve dealt with and helped people through disappointment for decades. There are some things I’ve seen in the circumstance that contributes to the emotion of disappointment that I want to share. Having Unrealistic Expectations. Truly there are novice novelists who go to their first conference expecting that the biggest publishers in the industry will stand in line to snatch up their masterpiece…that hasn’t quite been finished. Ok, it really hasn’t been written yet, but with a contract in hand, they could stay up late one […]
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Don’t be overwhelmed: A game plan of what to do after a writers’ conference!
Are you home from the ACFW conference? Finally unpacked? I hope you came home filled with encouragement and new ideas on how to make your writing breathtaking. I came home to a clean house and smiling sons. Nice! Conferences can be overwhelming, between the requests for proposals or full manuscripts, new story ideas, craft lessons, marketing epiphanies and loads of new friends. Don’t be overwhelmed. Here’s a game plan of what to do after a writers’ conference: Organize your contacts: Sit down a make a list of everyone you met, from editors to fellow authors, to newbies. Reach out: If they are editors or agents who gave you their time, even in an elevator to listen to your proposal, thank them. If they asked you for a submission, thank them and tell them that you’ll be […]
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