IWSG (April 2018)

 

Thanks to Alex and this month's co-hosts:

Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Renee Scattergood, and Tamara Narayan

First off this month, I am pleased to report that I have completed the draft I have been working on! Yay! At times, over the last few months it has been hard to imagine getting to this point but my confidence in myself feels renewed and I am eager to start working on the draft now. To give myself a push in the right direction, next week I am going away for a few days peace and quiet on Dartmoor so hopefully I will have less distractions and the luxury of some dedicated writing time. I can't wait!

I also hope to get in some walks on the moors soaking up some atmosphere and, of course, fresh air.

Therefore, this month, I am feeling a little less insecure than of late. Long may the feeling continue!

All of which leads nicely on to this month's optional question . . . 

When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?

It can be hard sometimes to keep on pushing yourself to find the words and commit them to paper or screen. This is exactly how I have felt for the last six months or so. Despondency set in and the little voice in my head kept taunting me with self-doubt . . . the one that yells; 

You'll never be good enough. You're deluding yourself if you think you can succeed. See, another rejection, which just proves what we've been telling you . . . 

It wasn't just a bit of drizzle either, some days it felt like I was in the middle of a raging storm!

BUT, I did dig deep and push on and now the sun is starting to poke its head through the rain clouds. I'm not sure I've got any magic secret to pass on, except the total and unwavering desire to succeed one day. I knew I had to finish this draft if I had any hope of having a new manuscript to sub. I did take a break, life and other issues got in the way anyway for a while, but as soon as I was able, I sent the partially written draft to my kindle (I find this a great way to read as it gives me a different perspective) and read through what I'd got. And guess what? It wasn't nearly as awful as I thought! There was definitely something there and slowly I started to make some notes and then it gathered pace. I won't lie, it was hard work, but if you want something badly enough you got to keep going. 

Whilst all this was going on, I was still sending out other completed work and, hidden within the rejections was some really positive comments and feedback which also gave my confidence a much needed boast. Sometimes, just knowing you have been close to an offer is huge. It really made me think, I can't give up now! So, I would say, if you can send out work, whether that's short stories, poems, or novel length pieces, do it. . . because you never know what may just lie around the corner.

Wishing you all a happy writing month.