September 4, 2014
Hi Friend,
As I look at this picture of myself holding one of the first copies of my YA fantasy novel, I feel vulnerable, proud, and am thinking, "Oh boy! What now?!"
And that was 3 years ago now.
I'm still nervous about sharing my fiction. My stories feel so personal, especially my young adult adventure fantasy, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer. Henrietta is a part of me, you know? That story has been living in me for over 20 years.
One of my clients said it so sweetly... She said, "Us shy writers who want big lives have it the hardest."
I smiled. "I think we signed up for this gig. At least I know I did."
That is my belief for all of us shy writers who want big lives. That we signed up for this and so we are well-qualified to have our big lives and be okay with being shy writers.
Perhaps this shyness makes us humble. Perhaps this shyness makes us just get to work and be excellent writers.
Whatever gifts being shy brings us, I know one thing.
I know we can use our super powers of creativity and persistence to succeed.
I have to believe this, otherwise I'd just sit on my couch all day, eat potato chips and watch Firefly reruns. (Well, I do this sometimes.)
I'm not happy sitting on my couch all day, every day. I want to have an impact in the world. I want to write wonderful, compelling, delicious stories.
I also want to help others. So here we are. I believe we can bloom where we are now. Read on for more about that...
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