Computer Woes Force An Attitude Adjustment

I was just about to start writing my blog post yesterday when disaster struck. A big red warning page popped up and a woman with a lovely, cultured sounding British accent told me Microsoft needed me to call right away to fix a major problem. If I didn't call or deleted the page, they would have no choice but to completely disable my computer. I knew it was a scam but I also knew I couldn't fix it myself. My attitude took a dive from what it had been earlier in the morning when I was looking forward to a great day.

I took my laptop to the tech department at our local Staples store as a friend had told me how pleased she was with their fix-it guys. The tech got the nasty page closed and then ran a scan to see if any virus or malware had been left. Of course, it had. He told me they could remove it and clean up the computer system for a mere $169.99.  My attitude dropped lower. It was obvious that I had no choice in the matter so I asked him how soon they could have it for me. "Tomorrow morning," he said. 

On my way home, I decided I needed an attitude adjustment.  Feeling the way I did was not going to change a thing and would only make me feel worse. I had a good talk with myself--quietly in my mind. Didn't want other drivers to notice a deranged woman chattering away to herself in the car! I came to the conclusion that it was nothing I could have changed on my own. I was a victim of a scam, but at least, I didn't fall for it and send them many, many dollars. And, I found help even though I had to pay more than I felt was necessary. So, in the end, I came out on the winning side.

As writers, we can wear a bad attitude like a ragged winter coat. It's easy to pull on that coat when we get rejection upon rejection or when we are completely unsatisfied with what we write. Before long, we are thinking Nothing I write is worthwhile. I'll never make it in this writing world. Other writers are rungs above me on the ladder to publication. 

Keep thinking thoughts like the above and you will stay on the same rung for a very long time. You aren't going to make much progress when you allow those rejections to flatten you. You won't go very far if you stop trying to make your writing better. You don't want to get in such a funk that you hate the first draft you write so you delete the whole thing instead of waiting a few days and revising and editing until it becomes better.

Nothing about your writing will change unless you make some differences in the way you look at your writing world. A couple of my friends tease me about being a Pollyanna, the fictional girl who always saw the positive in whatever happened. I learned a long time ago that being positive brought better results than being a Negative Nellie. 

The next time your writing world isn't going as you hoped, take a deep breath, have a quiet mental chat with yourself and count the good things. It's not always easy to dig through the muck and come up with the positives but, believe me, it's well worth doing.