Writers--Pat Yourself On The Back

Graduations are taking place all over our nation now and into early June. It's a time for grads to look back and see what they've achieved in their school journey. We have a granddaughter in Texas graduating from high school. She went to her Awards Night last week and headed home with a nice list of scholarships and awards. They didn't just happen. No, she worked hard all four years. 

Some of you know that one of my favorite quotes is Don't look back. That's not where you are going. But today, I am going to ask all writers to do so. Consider the journey you've been on since the first time you wrote something. How long ago was that? 5 years? 10? 20? Or more? 

• Was your writing at the beginning of your journey of the same quality as it is today?
• Did you have all the tools in your writing kit that you have now? 
• How many publications did you have to your credit? 
• Were you overly confident? 
• Or were you as frightened as a hen being chased by a fox? 
• Did you know how to go about finding a place to submit your work? 
• Could you take criticism from other writers or editors without becoming crushed or angry?
• Did you know very many of those little 'tricks of the trade?'
• Was your writing clear?
• Did you write tight?
• Was your vocabulary as big as it is now?
• How great was self-doubt then as now?
• Did you really understand the journey you were beginning?

I hope you will take some time to answer the questions above and look at your list of accomplishments, no matter how small or enormous. As we take one small step after another, we sometimes lose sight of the great distance we've traveled. If you're still writing today, I can guarantee that you've made strides and gathered achievements along the way. I can imagine some of you are saying Well, yeah, but they're a lot of little things. That may be true but those little things move you in your journey, too. So don't belittle them. (or yourself!)

Whether you've moved with leaps and bounds or small baby steps, you've made good distance in your writing journey and have achieved more than you might think. Have a treat today in honor of all you've accomplished.