Perfectly Positive Writers

I missed posting yesterday because my one month old laptop offers nothing but a blank screen. I googled the problem on my phone and found more than one solution. It seems this is a fairly common problem but one totally new to me. I was not able to correct the problem so called our IT guy and am still waiting for a call back. Frustrating? Absolutely! But I am trying to be positive and hope all will be solved later today. 

Which brings me to today’s topic. Perfectly positive writers. 

It’s far from easy to push the positive button day in and day out.  Writers need to work at doing that, need to develop the habit. 

When a rejection arrives, we feel disappointed, hurt, maybe angry. Give yourself a short time to get through that and search for the positives. Was it a lesson? Can you put it behind you and move on? 

Do you start a new writing project with a positive attitude? More importantly, can you maintain that positive outlook as you progress? If you begin thinking negative thoughts about the outcome, you’ll think yourself right into failure.  

A while back, I suggested you look in the mirror and practice saying ‘I am a writer.’ Do it again but this time day ‘I am a good writer.’  Do it often enough, an you’ll start to believe it. 

If you start believing in yourself, you might become that perfectly positive writer. 

Your February Writing Life

I am known to be a person who looks ahead, not behind. I'm one who wants a positive spin on most things in life. Why? I've learned that looking back and regretting what youdidn't  accomplish and putting a negative tone on life doesn't do me one bit of good. Why let myself be dragged down by the If only's of the past? 

That said, there are times when it is prudent and helpful to take a look at the recent past. Today is the final day of the shortest month of the calendar year. Before we look ahead to next month, take a few minutes to assess your writing life this past 28 days. 

• What good things happened as you moved along your writing journey? 
• What things dragged you down?
• Did you do anything to change or fix those things?
• Did you assess the how and why of the negatives of your writing?
• What was the happiest moment in your writing life in February?
• Did you meet any of your goals this month?
• How many submissions did you make? (Hopefully, 'zero' is not your number!)
• What did you do to improve your writing life?
• How can you improve that next month?
• How much reading did you do? (A biggie for writers--read, read, and read!)
• Did you help another writer?
• Did another writer help you? 
• Was time to write a big problem?
• Did you create time to write? 
• What was the most uplifting moment of your writing life this month?
• Did you attend a writer's meeting of any kind?

Once you've answered the questions above, you can easily set some goals for March. Next month has three more days in it than this one. A gift for you!

February is sliding away today. Gone are the hearts and flowers of Valentine's Day. No more President's Day recognition. Maybe no more big weather events. It's possible the winter bugs we all seem to pick up will flee.

When March arrives, I will look for crocuses and daffodils to start their journey above grouond, gladdening hearts and announcing that spring is not far away. It's the month we all become Irish for one day. It's the month that teases us with pleasant days only to blow an ice or snow storm our way even though Spring officially begins in the third week. The best part of March is that April is nearly here. 

Whatever the month, put writing in your To-Do List.

Writers--Believe in Yourself

This poster made me think of my writer friend who subbed one personal essay seventeen times before it was published. I wrote about her a couple days ago. If you missed that post, read it here.

I emailed her after the post was published and she was pleased that I'd used her experience as a blog post. She said that I had gotten it right, that the reason she persevered for so long and subbed so many times was that she believed in what she'd written. Undoubtedly, she had faith in herself as a writer and in the essay she'd worked on for so long.

I'd label her a strong, determined woman. Were you to meet her in person, you might not realize the inner strength she has. Outwardly, she is small, and kind, and a lovely person. Inside, there is steel and I learned that through her long submission process and the fact that she never gave up. I have liked her a lot but now, I also admire her greatly.

Will you try subbing a rejected piece again? You will if you are convinced it is a good piece of writing and if you 'believe in yourself' as a writer. No one can make you believe in yourself. Each of us has to do that on our own. We're a committee of one when it comes to that/

One way to come to believing in yourself as a writer is to continually consider your successes. If you were published once or a hundred times, doesn't that say something about your worth as a writer? Sure it does.

When you finish a writing project and you feel satisfied with the end result, shouldn't you think you're a worthwhile writer?

Too often, we tend to tear ourself down instead of building ourself up. How about that old song, words and music by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer that gives us all good advice. The refrain goes:
   Accentuate the positive,
   eliminate the negative,
   and latch on to the affirmative
   and don't mess with Mr. In-between

Good advice to help us believe in ourself as a writer. Try it!

Writer's Gold For New Year's Day

New Year's Day 2016

I love new beginnings! Opening a book to the first page gives me joy. Putting on a piece of clothing for the first time is pure pleasure. Visiting a place I've never been before excites me. The first day of a new year does much the same. 

If you're a person who keeps a journal, you'll open to page 1 today and, with pen poised, consider what you will write. A journal keeper should do a lot of free-writing. Let the words flow from your mind to the page without thinking or organizing. Let them come like drops of rain, one right after the other. You may be surprised at what appears on each page and perhaps inspired.

Today, consider the photo above. To the left are golden Christmas ornaments which reperesents the past year. Christmas was the great crescendo to 2015. Those ornaments stand for all you did in your writing world those past 365 days. You've most likely reflected on your accomplishments and your failures--oh yes, we all have plenty of failures along our wriitng path. You know what worked last year and what didn't. 

In the middle, we see a lovely gold pocketwatch of old which represents Time. Writers battle with time on a daily basis. How much of it do we devote to our writing and how much to the rest of our lives? Much depends on whether you write for a living or are a part-time or hobbyist writer. If we're not vigilant, Time can get away from us. That pretty little pocketwatch can start rolling downhill and gaining speed, leaving us far behind. Grab on and hold tight. Be the master of your time and you'll most likely have a more productive year. 

On the right side of the photo, we see a beautiful gold-wrapped gift box. That box reperesents all that is given to you this next year in your writing world. You're given the gift of friends who also write. They cheer you when you succeed and soothe your feathers when you don't. They understand what non-writers do not. You're given an easier method of finding markets than ever before. No more poring over market guides at a library table or having to purchase your own guide that is outdated as soon as it comes off the presses. Technology gives you up-to-date and easy-to-find markets. You're given a new beginning, given a time to set some goals, given a whole new year in which to ply your craft in the very best way you can. Open the box and savor the contents, then begin using the gifts inside.

Did you notice that each of the three items in the photo are golden? Gold has been man's treasure for centuries. Why shouldn't it represent what we value most in our writing world? It's the best! And so are you, the writer. Wishing you the golden touch in your writing in this next 366 days (yep, it's Leap Year!).