Wistful Wednesday

How Things Change

As I sit here writing this post, I can't help but to reflect upon how things change - and how quickly it can happen. Just two weeks ago, I was at a crossroads in my life where I was actually contemplating whether or not to continue with the pursuit of publishing. Last week, I received a bit of encouraging news when I made it through the first round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest.

This week, I received news that I won another contest that I had entered, this one sponsored by Romance Junkies. What makes this one special is that, after being voted upon by readers - who helped me move on despite the fact that I was in a three-way tie for the third spot in the finals - my story was chosen by Heather Osborn of TOR as the winner. Now I get to send her a partial of my story! Oh, and I won a netbook, too!

So this little bit is not me bragging about my good fortune. It is about me trying to encourage anyone who is - or will be - at the point I was at two weeks ago. If, like me, you were ready to give up because you kept hitting brick walls, if you truly believe in yourself and your writing - don't. Don't give up. You just never know when or how your life can change. Yes, there's no guarantee that either of these things will lead me to greater successes on their own, but they've both served to bring me closer - and to renew my faith and hope in myself as well as my desire to be more successful at writing.

So please, if you feel despondent and ready to give up hope, leave a comment here and I'll try to talk you through it. For here is an instance where I can honestly say, I know just how you feel.

Thank you so much for being a part of the roller coaster journey of my path to publishing success!

Wistful Wednesday

Ups and Downs

If you stay in this business we call writing long enough, you will soon discover that it has more ups and downs than a roller coaster. Some are thrilling as you achieve heights you never thought you could and others are disheartening, causing you to plunge into despair when it appears things will never work out for you.

Just last week (as evidenced in my last post), I was contemplating getting off the wild ride and going back to a tamer one wherein I wrote only for myself and forgot about trying to become a successful author. But then I rode the coaster to another swell as I received some encouraging news: My entry into the YA section of the Amazon Breakthrough Novelist Award, "The Goode Girl," made the first cut. Now this may not seem like a big deal at first because there's still a long way to go in this competition, but for me, it is a big deal. This is the third (or is it the fourth now?) time I have entered this contest and this is the only time that I made the first cut (wherein they whittle down 5,000 entrants to just 1,000). For the first time, I am an actual contender. Sure, I might not make it through the next cut, but that doesn't matter as much to me now because l just by making this one, more people are going to read my writing. And that's what this is all about, after all: Getting people to read your writing.

So, now I must play the waiting game again until March 23rd when the 500 finalists from each category are announced, at which point the public will get the chance to download and rate the entries. Up and down, flow and ebb. Such is the life of the writer.