Kelly Gibbons, artist and writer, about me

Monday, January 26, 2004

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things go wrong that you must not quit.

"Don't Quit," Author Unknown

Ok, so it is not profound. It's cute and upbeat and just what I need: another reminder that this is how it is trying to get to where you want to go. When there is trouble that means work harder. That is exactly what I plan on doing.

The end of my week was a constant reminder that things go wrong. I almost more embarrassed than mad about them. One of the worst things that happen was the realization that the children's book manuscript I sent in to a publisher will not be published--unless of course I shell out the dough.

Before I sent it, I checked it out. It seemed legit. Obviously I looked in the wrong places. Well I sent the manuscript with some sample pictures (yes I illustrated it too) about 3 weeks ago. I was so proud of myself. Then I heard back from them. "Please send all the pictures." I happily obliged. They must have had some interest to ask for more. Then I heard from them again. "Please send more info on your self--a writer's bio." Again, I happily obliged. Now I started to believe this was something that was going to happen. Boy, was I wrong.

I was just surfing the net on Friday, looking for writing leads, and I came across a web site that had a "Writer's Beware" page. I checked it out, and there were pages and pages of complaints about the publisher. I was crushed. It really sucks to think you have some chance and then realize what a fool you have been.

This and a few other things that I am choosing not to share right now made me start thinking how foolish I have been. It also made me realize that I've been patting myself on the back and acting like I have done so much with my writing when the fact is I have done diddly-squat!

Once again I'm sitting in the same spot I have found myself in a thousand times (when will I ever learn) and thinking I have two choices: give up and go home or suck it up and move on. I will move on, a bit more cautiously though.

I have also decided to put my efforts where they are really needed. I will be working, reading, writing, researching and studying more instead of blogging and cheerleading. Oh I'll still be hitting my daily reads--I've really come to enjoy these, but you might not see me leaving messages or advice. I think I'll save the advice for the one who needs it most: me.

posted by Kelly @ 1/26/2004 08:37:00 AM

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