Writing - A Love Hate Relationship by Terri Weldon

Terri Weldon

Over the weekend I looked back on my writing journey. By traditional standards I’ve not been successful. I’ve had one book published and countless rejections. There were times the rejections made me want to quit writing. Last year was an especially trying year for me. I reached a point where I wondered if I’d ever see another book published. I just wanted to give up. Thankfully, with the help of a few good friends I made it past that hurdle.

Oh, I still haven’t gotten another book contract, but I’ve made good strides and I have a different mindset now. Plus, I’ve had some good feedback on my writing. I placed well with two manuscripts I entered in a contest and I had a request for a full on a different manuscript from a publisher. Now all those things may lead to nothing and while they were nice affirmations I’d like to think I’d grown as a Christian and a writer. Maybe if I ignore the pity party I threw when I failed to get a request from a publisher and agent I REALLY REALLY wanted I can say I have. Let me tell you, that was quite a party. Bet you’ve never seen such an awesome pity fest. LOL.

On a whole the part of writing that made me hate it was when my middle sagged so bad it dragged the ground. Or when I was halfway through the book and all out of plot. Or when I needed to write 60 thousand words and the end came at 50 thousand. And let’s not even talk about the critiques that said your heroine is so mean she’d kick a puppy. Ouch! These are the times that make me want to bang my head against the keyboard. Let me interject a quick note here, I’ve worked hard to soften my heroines. They are no longer so mean.

But there are times I love writing! That moment when a new idea zings into my mind or when the research for a series becomes fun and exciting. When the middle of the book doesn’t sag and the glorious moment when I type THE END! Those are moments I love, but nothing is better than when I’ve typed a scene and I go back and reread it later and those are God’s words, not mine. Because I see His mercy in that line, an understanding He can offer, not me.

So while I still have my love hate relationship with writing, I’d have to say these days I love it far more than I hate it.

How about you? Do you have a love hate relationship with writing? What drives you to hate to write? And if you’ve managed to overcome the hate side and it is all love please share how you did it. I’d love to hear your responses so please leave a comment about your experiences.

****

Purchase Link

Misty Winslow is determined to find her prince, and she meets the man of her dreams through an Internet dating service. Or is he, because the new dentist in town also sets her heart aflutter.

It's love at first sight for Tyler Davenport, but before he can finish his first root canal, Misty is involved in an exclusive online romance with Wes99—Tyler’s online persona. How can he tell her he’s the man she’s been waiting to meet, and how rational is it for him to be jealous of Wes99! Soon Tyler's pulling out all the stops to woo Misty.

As Christmas approaches, Wes99 and Tyler both ask her to meet them under the mistletoe. Which man will she choose?

Terri is a lead analyst by day and an author by night. She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing in the hand bell choir. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering as the librarian at her church. It allows her to shop for books and spend someone else’s money! Plus, she has the great joy of introducing people to Christian fiction.

She lives with her family in Oklahoma. Terri has three dogs – a lovable mutt and two adorable Westies.

Terri is a member of ACFW and OCFW, a local chapter of ACFW. Her dream of becoming a published novelist came true in November 2013 when Mistletoe Magic, released from White Rose Publishing. To learn more about Terri visit her website at www.TerriWeldon.com.

Your Current Adversity: Is It Facing Giants or Something Closer to Home? by Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy

ad·ver·si·ty

noun 

difficulties; misfortune

ORGIN:  Middle English: from Old French adversite, from Latin adversitas, from advetere, ‘turn toward.’

Well, huh. Who’d have thought adversity originally meant, “turn toward.” Most of us writers want to turn away from losing 2000 manuscript words. To flee from submitting a manuscript with the word just occurring ten times in the first scene.

We’ve heard our tribulations grow us. A great truth. Maybe creators of Latin thought “turn toward” meant “to face your giants and grow.” So what was my recent Saturday all about?

Adversity at the University

Saturday morning, I settled into my writing space. The Internet was as slow as an editor getting back to my agent about my manuscript. I’d accomplish little. And, I forgot I’d promised to go with my husband to the Wake Forest basketball game, to depart in two hours.

As soon as my iPhone Personal Hotspot located service, I hoped I could work in the car during breaks from reading a biography to John. During our two-hour trip, I clung to a sole comfort. The vendors at the game sell the best Butter Pecan ice cream around.

The salad I consumed at lunch, made my stomach queasy. I spent much of the game in a women’s restroom stall, beginning to believe the graffiti. Wishing I had an out-of-order sign to hang on my end stall to keep it available, I ventured out to the half-time crowd.

My husband walked toward me. He thought I’d gotten lost. I confessed I’d gone up the wrong ramp just before he found me. With a sympathetic look on his face, he offered to stand in line and buy me ice cream. I imagined what one bite of anything would do to my stomach, and I turned down BUTTER PECAN ICE CREAM!

True story. With a bit of writers’ license concerning the graffiti. Had I experienced a day of adversities? Difficulties? Misfortunes?

Facing Giants Instead of Demon Deacons

Sometimes adversities call us to stand up to giants, as Joshua and Caleb did in Numbers 13, even though the Israelites refused to. But sometimes we create giants that cause our suffering. Saturday, I generated giants.

• I work full days five days a week. I’d vowed weekends would be reserved for time with John. A slow Internet should’ve been a small deal on a Saturday.
• I enter everything into my weekly schedule. Everything. Why’d I fail to record the basketball game? Did I hope it’d go away? I created a giant that had nothing to do with adversity and much to do with my attitude and poor planning.
• Knowing I’d eat sugar-heavy ice cream at the game, ordering salad and water was a good idea. Queasiness was my only true adversity.
• I faced that queasy giant by turning down my favorite ice cream. On the way home, I felt good physically and learned a lesson about priorities and scheduling.

PS. John made calls and took care of the slow Internet. Go John! Go Wake Forest!

What have you called adversity that was a giant you created?

 

About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Now retired actuaries, Zoe and her husband evaluated the financial risks for insurance companies. Nick, in Zoe’s debut novel, Calculated Risk, is an actuary. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops at JoyWriters on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John.

Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

Calculated Risk
by Zoe M. McCarthy

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books  

Your Attitude is Showing by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Drama Masks

It's 2013! Want to have a great year? Are you ready for a brand new start? It's all about attitude. Here's some great advice about how to keep a positive attitude from MaryAnn Diorio. Happy New Year! ~ Angie

Have you ever wondered why some writers can face rejection with a smile while others cannot? Have you ever noticed that some writers deal with criticism graciously while others get all bent out of shape? Have you ever been amazed that some writers share their expertise freely while others are reluctant to help aspiring writers?

In each of these three instances, one common denominator stands out. Have you figured it out yet? It’s attitude. A writer’s attitude determines his responses toward other writers and toward editors, agents, and publishers.

Attitude is the way one looks at himself and at his world. For the writer, attitude is the way she looks at herself as a writer and the way she looks at her writing world.

Contrary to popular opinion, attitude is not determined by what happens to us. Attitude is determined by our response to what happens to us.

When you get a rejection letter, do you mope or do you hope? Moping will get you nowhere; hoping will get you sending that query or article out one more time. That one more time may be the acceptance time.

When your critique group points out something that needs addressing in your story, do you take it to heart or do you tear them apart? That critique may be what gets your story published.

When a newbie writer asks you for help or advice, do you pour it forth or do you horde it? That newbie may be on the verge of quitting and needs a little boost to go on.

Your attitude is usually quite obvious to those around you. When your attitude is upbeat, you make life easier for everyone, including yourself. But when your attitude is negative, you make life miserable for everyone, including yourself.

The wonderful news about attitude is that we can control it. We can decide the attitude we will take in every situation.

How has your attitude helped you or hurt you in your writing career? What advice would you give us for keeping a good attitude as we face the challenges of the writing life?

MaryAnn Diorio

Dr. MaryAnn Diorio writes compelling fiction that deals with the deepest issues of the heart. Her latest story, A CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING, will be released by Harbourlight Books, a division of the Pelican Book Group, in December 2012. You may contact MaryAnn at www.maryanndiorio.com.