In order to accomplish this I had to reboot my focus. Instead of saying that I should be working on my novel, which is more or less a guilt feeling for me. Change the I should to I could be working on my
novel now. This is like giving me a choice. Not a command.
I really do love a challenge. All through my working years, I went on to the next level in order to challenge myself and to step outside of my comfort zone. l truly do embrace change.
As I was pondering these thoughts, it came to me that I needed to get certain phrases in my mindset. Some of my positive quotes were actually coming to be a very important part of my everyday life in getting me rebooted to work on my novel in a timely way.
The first one was to discover what I love to do and just do it. The question to ask yourself is would you do this job if you were not paid simply because you love it. And, I can answer, "DUH!" I am not paid a penny to write. Yet! Would I want to continue? Hell, yes! I am not writing for the money. I am writing because it is a part of me and I love it. It may or may not be taking me to the road of success. How do you define success? Wealth? Power? Making a positive contribution to the universe? I feel the road to success for me is what makes me happy. Simple? Maybe. Yet it is what I am, in some respects. I believe the creative arts such as writers, musicians, and artists are in this category of being passionate about their work. It is all about the "starving artists." Which luckily is not me. At least not yet!
The important thing is for me to continue to, "THINK BIG." Setting my goals high is more important than to set them low and reach them. It is imperative to reach for the stars while keeping my feet on the ground. With that being said, it is also okay to fail. Don't be afraid of failure. As Henry Ford stated,
"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again. This time more intelligently."
My mindset has to be one of action. Not to just sit back and let things happen by chance. Make things happen. I can do that. Keeping a positive mental attitude helps in going forward. It really is the only way to kick it into action. Believing in yourself and what you can do is half the battle.
As a writer, I do know that when I start sending out my manuscripts to agents and/or publishers, that I will get many rejection letters. What helps me in this area is reading about J.K. Rowling and Stephen King. In interviews they talked about how many rejection letters they received before being accepted. I imagine those publishers could kick themselves now. Too bad, so sad!
Sitting back and reflecting on how this process of writing a novel is going for me, I must always remember to follow my intuition. Going to a Writers' Workshop led by a wonderful author helped me tremendously. It gave me a whole new energy to throw myself wholeheartedly into my writing. My intuition tells me that this novel will be finished when I am happy with it. Me first! Then it can be put out there to others.
As of yet, I have not decided on going with an agent or not. Perhaps even publishing it myself on Amazon? The best thing about this whole process is that I am doing what I love and am taking control of what I believe in...ME!
Steve Goodier
No comments:
Post a Comment