Uncle!!!!!!!!!

I'm so sorry you feel this way. I hope you get some good news soon. Recovering from a death in the family can take a long time. I still get overwhelmed from my mom's death over three years ago. You just keep moving on--and keep submitting that novel! And don't forget to start the next one while you're submitting. You'll get some good news soon. I know it!

Jen DZ

I know what you mean about the anniversary thing.

Do the things that you love to do, and things will turn for the better, I'm sure of it.
Then you'll be instead.

Don't get disheartened, Branwyn. The tough moments shall pass, as will the rejection spell. Just don't give up. And as Caro suggests, keep working on the next project. Things will work out.

Good luck

Sury

Kill that voice ! Kill it now, I mean it. Shove a muzzle over it and put it in a closet.

Now, give yourself a break . . . I know what those anniversaries are like, and when they hit, it's best to put down anything you're doing and let it wash over. Try something else for a bit, like your gardening, until that issue passes.

Then, pick up your newest novel and write again, and keep submitting. You have to take time for these issues, don't ignore them or pretend they aren't there, but don't let them win or take more of your life than they deserve. Otherwise they'll either interfere with your writing, or clog it up altogether.

But do not, under any circumstances, let THAT voice tell you what you can, can't, should or shouldn't do.

Ever !

Okay ?

I'm sorry Branwyn. Don't give up! Or, take a few days off and come back, but don't give up!
I hear that little voice, too, but I usually tell it "Oh yeah? You want a piece of me? I'll show you, ya little &^*%#@! Bring it on!"

bad news

Branwyn said:

Maybe it's the time of year. It's coming up to the one year anniversary of my sister's death. I'm spent, used, tired, frustrated and sad.(oh and broke)

My get up and go, got up and left me a long while ago and I'm just one raw nerve. I just can't take anymore bad-negative news.
As much as I do feel my novel is as good as anything out there now (in my genre) I feel like a prize fighter that's too punch drunk to realize he's had the sh!t kicked out of him.

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On the down side, how's the punctuation in your novel? Too much of a bad thing can kill any novel, and your comma use is a bit beyond the pale. Be terrible to see a good novel fail becaus eof poor comma use.

On the up side, remember the inscription on Solomon's ring; "This, too, shall pass."

I'm sorry you're having a difficult time right now. Take a break if you need to. Working in the garden is great for that. And then get back to it, when you're ready. Don't give up.

Perhaps you could even write something for your sister, in her memory or as a form of therapy. ???

*hugs*

I know. I looked at my hubby last night and said "It is never going to happen..." and he said SHUT UP! Don't ever say it again.

Gee, Branwyn, sure sorry you're feeling so down, but take it easy and hopefully you'll feel better very soon.

Branwyn, if it's any comfort, my sequel is guilty by association. I'm also the comma king of disaster. Cheer up, my dear. It's a long road ahead of us, but we're still fit and feisty.

Tri

This may sound counterintuitive, but for me, the one thing that helps me get crazy for writing is to deny myself writing for a couple of days. Put it away. Do some other things, things you love. Anniversary dates can be so difficult.

I find that when I don't allow myself to write, I can't stop thinking about my WIP and start really jonesing for it. By the time I let myself write again, I am so eager, I blister through a couple thousand words without a break.

Hang in there. Don't let the voice of doubt win. James was just trying to give some constructive help. You might ask a beta reader with excellent grammar skills to take a chapter or two and go over it with a fine-tooth comb to make sure it's as good as it can be.

One last word of advice. I don't read form rejections. No--seriously. I just skim, tell that it's a form and put in the rejection stack. Personal notes, I read. Don't agonize over the wording (Not right for my list, Don't fee passionate about it, blah, blah, blah.) Ignore the boilerplate language. They have to say something when rejecting you (and me and all the rest of us).

Good luck and be good to yourself.

Branwyn,

Work on your next novel, and keep submitting the first. If the first doesn't sell, in another six months or a year, then you'll have the second book to make the rounds. Jim MacDonald says his first novel is still in his desk drawer and he does not want it to escape.

I had the rare pleasure of getting a rejection from a publisher and an agent in the days immediately after I sold it to someone else. I had a whole new outlook on rejections on that occassion, and you should not miss the feeling when it comes.

Regards,
Scott

I'm sorry, Branwyn. And I totally know the feeling.

::uploading good chocolate, libation of choice, and squishy teddy bear::

keep on writing and submitting, hun, and tell yourself you have no choice but to push on. i haven't been published yet and am scared to death, but writing is in my blood. please don't give up on your novel and keep developing new ideas in the meantime.

Branwyn, I'm so sorry to hear of your sister's death.

Grief is a rotten period of time and you're trying to work on your WIP.

But let me ask you a question. Have you journaled your feeling over your sister's death? If, you have wonderful! If not, it is a way to vent your pent up feelings on your current frustrations, cleanse your soul and allow your fogged and cobwebbed brain to clear enough to get back to your WIP for a while.

Also pent up frustrations need to be vented physically. Make sure you vent when you need to! Have a good cry and take a warm bath with your favorite oil or bubbles.

I only say this because I've been there, done that, and have that nasty t-shirt. It's been 5 years, now for me, since my husband's death. Sorry, if I went to far, the grief facilitator came out of me, trying to help since the anniversary is coming up.

I'm sorry. They say the 1st anniversary can be even harder than the initial loss. Give yourself some time right now away from your novel. You are not in a good place. You need some me time. You can always go back to your novel in a couple weeks, or a month, or even longer...it will be there waiting for you. I'm sorry to hear that you are going through this. Don't be hard on yourself.

I'm so sorry, B. My dad died 3 years ago...it's a hard road. *Hugs*

Branwyn said:

Thanks-- I find it hard to work on #2 because I hear this little voice that keeps whispering, "Why bother?"

I wish it would go away!

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I feel this way, too. And I'm not sure how to make it go away. I have great ideas going through my head, and I might even start something, but it's hard to keep that momentum going, hard to find the will. If you happen to find a sure fire way of getting over that, send it along.

I second the journalling. When I'm at a pause point (not block because block implies I have no ideas. Sometimes you're just not ready to write something) I find that journalling, just about daily things and feelings, or even journalling about ideas I've had, helps. At the very least it keeps me in the habit of writing.