Someone told me at a writers’ conference a couple years ago that every author needs three things in order to get published: (1) Talent. (2) Persistence. (3) Luck. I’ve never forgotten that, especially now that I’m querying. Talent, I think I have—at least several people have told me I’m a good writer. Persistence, yes. Luck…I have to admit, I haven’t felt too lucky recently.
The last several days have been quite difficult for me. I kept going back to that quote from The Blacklist: “There is nothing that can take the pain away. But eventually you will find a way to live with it. There will be nightmares. And every day when you wake up, it will be the first thing you think about. Until one day, it will be the second thing.”
It’s no secret that I’m a huge Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland fan, and one of the things Thomas gave me for my last birthday was a “Drink Me” necklace with some little, white crystals in the bottle—hey, check out the pic…there it is! It quickly became a fun staple to my wardrobe, but unbeknownst me, there was a magical discovery waiting to be made.
When I started this blog, I decided to have an underlying theme of Boldness in the Face of Anxiety. It was actually what my first article was about. The main reason was, and still is, to help and encourage others suffering from anxiety. But there’s also another one…
Okay, this isn’t technically a “fun” fact, but it’s one that needs to be shared…
I see a therapist. Have for several years. Once upon a time, it was taboo to speak those words. In some ways, I think it still is, which is why I’m telling you. Because it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
It’s no secret that the Texas storm last month was pure hell for us. Since February 15th, we’ve been “roughing it” with no running water (our plumber was able to get us a tiny bit a few days ago, though). To say it was hard would be an understatement. But yesterday, a miracle happened—our plumber got the pump working…
Disappointment is a touch pill to swallow, and I’ve received several, lately. Our water situation is at the top of the list. Every time we think we see the light at the end of the tunnel, some boulder comes by and blocks that passage. Let’s mix in PitMad and my agent search journey for good measure because, you know, the water thing isn’t enough. Yeah, I’m being sarcastic, but I need to in some ways because the urge to crawl under the covers and give up is so great. But I can’t…no matter how much I want to.
One thing I’ve never been able to do is open my eyes underwater. To this day, if my head gets submerged, my eyes shut tight. Someone once tried to get me to open them, but you know…I can be a bit stubborn.
#PitMad is tomorrow. For those unfamiliar, it’s an event where, four times a year, writers can pitch their unpublished manuscripts on Twitter. Using the #PitMad, agents comb through the tweets and “heart” the ones they like. A heart from an agent typically equates to an invitation to submit to them, so it’s a pretty big deal.
I used to love it when it rained. The soft sound of drops coming down and hitting the trees, leaves, and grass. The clink, clink it would go when it hit metal. There’s something comforting being cozied-up inside and hearing the delicate patter outside. Actually, I used to love to go out and walk around in the rain, only coming in when my hair and clothes are soaked. All that changed one night in May of 2008.