“Do not by any means destroy yourself, for if you live you may yet have good fortune, but all the dead are dead alike.”
~ The Horse and His Boy– C.S. Lewis
Afterward, I spent a lot of time thinking about perseverance and what it takes to “make it” as an author and a writer. Granted, part of that “thinking” time was on the patio with a glass of red wine, but it all counts. Oprah isn’t calling me, but I’ve finished four novels and co-authored a nonfiction book (along with a host of other things) so I have a clue or two on what it takes to finish a book. It probably sounds cliché, but the secret to finishing a book is showing up. Taking the time to write and actually writing.
Just as importantly, you have to keep showing up, you have to keep smiling and you have to keep working it. Even when no one is coming to your table and no one seems interested in what you have to say. In the “life lessons” category, this is true about anything, but especially creative projects whether they be writing or painting or dancing or anything else.
As a writer I have been knocked down and pushed away and have received so many rejection letters I’ve lost count.
This weekend, I’m offering a class at the WVSU Economic Development Center/Digiso on Self Publishing. I’ll be mainly talking about how to publish book-length projects, but we’ll talk about blogs and social media as well. Those are tremendous ways to get your voice heard and build a following.