A delicate paper garden rises from an open book in a dreamy, handcrafted scene.
It’s been a while since I made a post. There’s a reason. Life…
Writers block is a real thing. Sometimes life just steps in and fogs up your mind. It makes it hard to even focus. Then the anxiety steps in, robbing you of all of the creativity until you just give up. But then, just as you think you’ll just pack it up and never be able to write again, something triggers that creative part of your brain.
I have spent years writing almost every day, then poof, nothing. The stories would flood my mind so intensely that I had to keep a notebook in my purse to write it all down. Then life stepped in and robbed me of that part of my life. It was numbing to say the least. There would be small moments, then nothing.
A couple of days as I sat watching a video on TikTok it happened. The writer part of my brain woke up from the fog. The stories started flooding in. Writing had always help me combat the anxiety, but then the anxiety decided it wanted that part too. Well, this week I decided that anxiety wasn’t going to win.
With each word I typed, the brain fog began to clear up. So, I took a deep breath and stepped up to the ledge. Saying a prayer, I jumped… Now I just have to pick up where I left off. It might take me a bit before I’m back to my old daily word count, but I’m making progress. So, get ready… I’m back!
With that, I’m sending out good wishes and May God Bless You…
How do you explain it to someone that’s never written or published anything? In three words, DESPAIR…HOPE…PUBLISH. It’s the three stages that most writers go through. And sometimes they repeat themselves as though on a reel.
Despair – The moment you’re so excited about getting the words on paper, but then you hit a wall. We all do at some point in the writing process. It’s like a given that the wall will show up and sometimes you hit it so hard that you worry about a concussion. Then despair can hit again when you put your work out there and get rejected at every turn. Or sales don’t seem to do as well as you’d hoped.
Hope – That moment when the idea comes into your head. You have the hope of a book that will astound the world. Also, the feeling you get after you bust through the wall of despair. And then again when you send your work to a prospective publisher and you wait. It’s the hope that keeps you moving forward.
Publish – Ahhhhh…. That moment when you hit the publish button and all is good with the world, then all three emotions run rampant. But there’s a relief in publishing your work. And if you’re luck enough to get an amazing publishing contract with a big publisher, then true relief takes over.
It’s amazing the emotions that run through your mind as you start, work on and finish your manuscript. So, let them run, but never let them run you off from your dream.
Good Monday morning! As writers, we have to make decisions that hurt. When editing our hard work, we have to cut out parts that took hours to type. But it’s necessary to make the manuscript flow. It hurts…
Not long ago, I was working on my manuscript and something felt wrong. But I couldn’t figure it out. The more I wrote into one part, the worse it felt. About three chapters into the bad feeling, I did something that most writers face, I deleted three whole chapters. I really think my fingers bled as I did it.
The fact was, once I deleted the three chapters and started back up writing, it felt right. Although I’d deleted over 6000 hard earned words, my manuscript started to flow again. It was worth the pain and agony of deleting those words.
Sometimes as writers, we do things that don’t make sense. We make mistakes, we correct them, then we move one. But there is one thing for certain, with every red slash of an editors pen, a little piece of us grows stronger. The editors red mark lets us know that the story goes on, even without the deleted words.
So, edit without mercy and write with intention. It’s in a writers blood to continue with the story. Never give up and never surrender even when the red slash of the editors pen rips your heart into pieces.
As always, good writing and May God Bless You…
P.S. Here’s a link to the book I spoke of above. It hit the top 100 on Amazon in the first three days!
Good morning! I’m getting excited about the upcoming release of the second Mail Order Bride book. The first book, A Light Upon My Heart became a bestseller and is one of my favs. So, to start out Tuesday, I’m posting a short teaser.
Another thirty minutes passed and she realized that maybe she’d been left at the altar, so to speak. She pulled her money purse onto her lap and did a quick check of her coins. If she was careful, she could maybe get a sandwich for the road and a ticket on the stage back to Denver. She should have enough for at least that. Just as she placed her small purse back beside her, a shadow came across her.
“Are you planning to buy a ticket back home?” A deep voice said from beside her trunk.
Grace looked up, not seeing the man’s face well due to the sun was at his back, blinding her for a moment. Then as she shaded her eyes, she saw him clear. He stood taller than even her father, and was wearing a brown cowboy hat that tilted down, hiding his eyes from her view.
“I’m not sure at the moment.” Grace didn’t know if this was Samuel or a stranger. Whoever it was had dirt and dust covering their pants and boots. She gave him a once over, unsure if this man was Samuel Andrews or not.
“Sorry to hear that. I had planned on being here before the wagon train arrived, but one of my cows decided to go into labor this morning. Needless to say, I was needed at the ranch longer than I expected.”
“So, you’re Mr. Andrews?” Grace squeaked, unable to push the dread from her tone. Somehow she didn’t know what she expected, but a dirt covered cowboy wasn’t it.
“Mr. Andrews was my father. I’m Samuel.” Samuel pulled his cowboy hat from his head, giving her a good view of his handsome face.
Grace admired his chiseled features. His eyes were bluer than the sky behind him and his tousled ebony hair was shiny and clean. She moved her gaze to his hands that held the cowboy hat. They were tanned and work roughened. She realized that she was being rude by staring at him.
With a sigh, she stood to her feet. Well, this was it. She extended her hand to him, “I’m Grace Kincaid.”
“I assumed as much. I’ll put your trunk in the back of my rig, then we’ll head out to the ranch.” He didn’t take her hand, but picked the heavy trunk up as though it weighed nothing. Then he left her standing there with her mouth gaped open. His heart was aching as he turned away from her.
Gus came out of the store, wiping his spectacles with a handkerchief. “Little lady, you might better follow him. He’s not one to wait for anything or anyone.”
“Oh, well, thank you.” She nodded at the kind man and hurried across the sidewalk. He was propping on the wagon when she started toward him. Her gaze was on him, and not the uneven ground below her feet. With a cry, she stumbled, ending up at his booted feet, dust billowing around her as embarrassment flooded her face crimson.
I hope you liked reading about Grace and Samuel’s first meeting. This couple has stolen my heart. Both of them have broken hearts, and they have a tough time finding common ground. This sweet romance will make you laugh, cry and sigh…
Stephanie Hurt - Romance Author 