I’m not very big on regret, but I’ve been thinking a LOT lately about wasted opportunities. There was a recent opportunity I had that I really thought was going to change the trajectory of my career, and it did sort of. But after one book I was let go and found myself back to square one again. I found out that opportunity ended up being even better than I could have imagined and I think about why I wasn’t able to do what I needed to do to make it work.
I remember reading this in my inbox a few weeks ago and feeling it hard for you. I'm glad you're finding help, and I hope it's going well for you.
I also want to add, until about 2019, I was super down on myself and my writing until my RWA pals turned me on to Becca Syme's work, like her free Quitcast on YouTube.
Turns out, what I thought was my Kryptonite is really what gives me strength. As a deep thinker who values her relationships and also has a rebellious streak, I knew I didn't fit into the whole multiple-books-a-year paradigm. And the wild thing is? It's okay, and I can still write books.
Speaking of ... my mystery is formatted and ready to drop when I'm ready in 2023 cuz that's the date I had my designer/formatter put on the copyright page. Of course, I'm still having "just because it's ready doesn't mean *I'm* ready" feelings. I suspect that may sound familiar to you.
So I'm trying to give myself grace for, to paraphrase something Harlan Ellison once said about characters, making the best choices I can at the time.
I’ve dicked around as much as anyone, and missed plenty of opportunities but I’ve had fun, met a bunch of cool people, and written some stuff I’m proud of. But my career is not my life. I have three wonderful kids and a bunch of great friends. I think I still have stories to tell, but I don’t really worry about a career anymore.
I started with funny mysteries but lost interest. Tried a thriller, and another, but then wrote a book about something that happened in my life and changed our family. It felt so good writing something my heart was into, my heart felt happy writing. Will not work anymore on books that don't have my heart involved. Good luck. You're an excellent writer IMO.
Something Just Broke
I remember reading this in my inbox a few weeks ago and feeling it hard for you. I'm glad you're finding help, and I hope it's going well for you.
I also want to add, until about 2019, I was super down on myself and my writing until my RWA pals turned me on to Becca Syme's work, like her free Quitcast on YouTube.
Turns out, what I thought was my Kryptonite is really what gives me strength. As a deep thinker who values her relationships and also has a rebellious streak, I knew I didn't fit into the whole multiple-books-a-year paradigm. And the wild thing is? It's okay, and I can still write books.
Speaking of ... my mystery is formatted and ready to drop when I'm ready in 2023 cuz that's the date I had my designer/formatter put on the copyright page. Of course, I'm still having "just because it's ready doesn't mean *I'm* ready" feelings. I suspect that may sound familiar to you.
So I'm trying to give myself grace for, to paraphrase something Harlan Ellison once said about characters, making the best choices I can at the time.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!
I’ve dicked around as much as anyone, and missed plenty of opportunities but I’ve had fun, met a bunch of cool people, and written some stuff I’m proud of. But my career is not my life. I have three wonderful kids and a bunch of great friends. I think I still have stories to tell, but I don’t really worry about a career anymore.
I started with funny mysteries but lost interest. Tried a thriller, and another, but then wrote a book about something that happened in my life and changed our family. It felt so good writing something my heart was into, my heart felt happy writing. Will not work anymore on books that don't have my heart involved. Good luck. You're an excellent writer IMO.