Morale Booster

Check in for a morale booster, my darlings. No one is positive 100% of the time. That includes writers, aspiring authors, and established authors. We all experience the doldrums from time to time. Writers, in general, experience their fair share of rejection and that feeling can crush even the most seasoned writer. Add in the difficulties of navigating the traditional publishing world and trying to break into it, and a recipe for dejection ensues. Even those who choose a hybrid publisher or the self-publishing route are subject to a slump now and then. Read on for a bit of motivation and a dash of inspiration.

So, what do we do when we’ve lost our writing mojo? We give ourselves a pep talk. First of all, whether it stems from writer’s block or literary rejection, acknowledge the feeling of dejection instead of ignoring it and letting it fester. Wave in the temporary pain that accompanies the experience in lieu of denying it, then release it. I’m here to help you feel courageous and enthusiastic again. I’m here to ask you to take inspired action against rejection, against writer’s block, against the stress of writing life. I’ve been there. I’ve felt it. I feel you. It’s a horrible feeling, but you must feel it if you want to vanquish it. If I can shake it, so can you. I believe in you. I believe you and your writing have value. You need to start believing that too. Say it loud and proud, “I believe in myself!”

A wise man once said, “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” —Winston Churchill. And we must continue. Don’t let rejection stop you from pursuing your dream of becoming a published author. Rejection is not final, it’s not fatal. It’s temporary. It’s an experience that helps writers grow and get better. First drafts are messy for a reason. You don’t know what you don’t know. The challenge is to learn and shed that weight on your back.

Mark Twain once said, “Stay away from those people who try to disparage your ambitions. Small minds will always do that, but great minds will give you a feeling that you can become great too.” Surround yourself with other aspiring authors and with writers who can relate to the struggles of breaking into the publishing world. Join a book club or online forum to connect. Put yourself out there on social media. Create a blog. Find a writing platform to display some of your work. Welcome others who inspire and support your dreams. Share your knowledge, and cheer for aspiring authors who are in the same writing boat. Applaud your fellow authors who find success. There’s enough room on the shelf for everyone. Jealousy can make you bitter. Don’t feed into the jealousy mindset. It serves no good purpose for you and your work. Be happy and positive for others. Their book or books have nothing to do with your book.

To those beginning the writing journey, learn to empower yourselves. There’s no magic writing spell. Hone your craft, do the research, learn all you can about the publishing world and how to draft a novel. If you haven’t yet found that inner circle of like-minded peeps, don’t hesitate to give yourself the proverbial pat on the back you need.

Positive self-talk is like a magic spell. Lean into optimism, affirm the belief in yourself, and give negativity the boot. Choose your inner dialogue like you choose your clothes every day and come out swinging. When pessimism creeps in, elbow it out of the way and replace those thoughts with upbeat and encouraging notions. Your opinion of yourself matters. Speak to yourself with kindness, confidence, and most of all love.

Avow that you are where you’re supposed to be. Step through the door with confidence. You had a unique story idea and dreamed of turning it into a book. You chose to draft a novel and embark on a scary writing expedition. Writing a book is hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Many who make this decision will never finish. Don’t become part of that statistic. Great effort plus a difficult process doesn’t always equal a terrible outcome, in fact the opposite is true. Talent is incredible, but hard work and determination are what make successful authors. Put in the effort and accept the challenge. You don’t know what other writers are going through, you can’t feel their struggle. You may view others in the author arena as beyond creative and massively talented and you may feel as if you can’t measure up, but that’s only your biased perception.

Don’t compare yourself. When you read a fantastic book, you must realize that you are reading a polished, hugely edited, pristine book. If you read the author’s drafts, you might feel very differently. Remember, only you can author the book that’s in your soul. Do it! Keep writing, keep polishing, keep your dream alive. Don’t give up. See it through. Be mindful of your goal, meditate, and manifest your dream.

Please don’t hesitate to give yourself a pep talk when needed. I know a famous meteorologist who often refers to himself in third person on social media. At first, I thought this was strange but then I concluded that doing so might help writers raise their confidence and self-esteem. Though it may feel weird and take some practice, I’ve found that sometimes speaking to myself in third person lifts my spirits and facilitates stress relief.

TRY SOME OF THESE SIMPLE STATEMENTS:

“Kate is feeling overwhelmed with writer’s block and all the book must-haves needed to ready her book for publication. That’s why she’s staring at the blank page. But all Kate needs to do is face the dilemma and take action. She should acknowledge the icky mood she’s in by creating a mood board, take a break, listen to her favorite music, walk in nature, and regroup. When she comes back to write she will have a clear head and new ideas.”

“Carly is stunned by the amount of rules and publishing terms she needs to learn. Word counts, genre choice, grammar issues, plot holes, character flaws, title options, sentence structure, and querying are stressing her out and causing her to shut down. Carly should take one step at a time. Mapping out a few short and long-term writing goals will help Carly stay on track.”

“Leyla is feeling as if she doesn’t measure up. She’s doubting her ability and wonders what she’s gotten herself into. Leyla can’t do this. She’s an imposter and sucks as a writer. Her book is awful, and she will be found out. Leyla needs to replace her negative thoughts with positive ones. Leyla is a capable writer with potential. Stop comparing yourself to other authors, Leyla. Making a list of five positive things about her work or five writing accomplishments, big and small, will help Leyla to get over this hump.”

Some final thoughts, don’t seek perfection, the perfect story doesn’t exist. Concentrate on the pure joy of writing, of being blessed to have writing as a part of your life. Focus on the satisfaction of writing a story. Zone in on the cathartic feeling experienced when thoughts become words on a page. Recognize the happiness of bringing a story idea to fruition.