Why I just love blogging

I've been hearing from some of you (most recently from Laurie this past weekend. Hi Laurie!) that my blog is helpful and encouraging to those of you who are aspiring authors. Though I prefer to think of it as "pre-published." ; ) I always told people that it wasn't a matter of if I got published, just when. It's so important not to give up. Probably one of the most important qualities for a writer is stubborness. ; )

When I was "pre-published," I always loved reading articles where authors told how they worked, the problems they ran into, etc. Somehow hearing all this made me feel that since I was going through the same things as a "real writer," that I actually was a real writer. (Believe me, if you write, you are a real writer.) On my computer display is a sticker that says "If they can do it, you know you can." That little sticker has been a world of encouragement, especially when I was getting close to getting an agent, then close to getting a publisher, then on my first edits as an "almost" published author. That sticker is still there, and it will stay there. Getting that first book on the shelves is an indescribable feeling. But believe me, the angst, anxiety, whatever you want to call it doesn't stop there. I've discovered this for myself and from talking to other authors. It continues with each book, each draft, each chapter. The need to have each book be better than the one before, to raise the bar, raise the stakes.

My blog has been a world of help for me, too. Kinda like free writing therapy. ; ) Just putting into words the problems, the roadblocks, the doubt, and even the damn-I'm-good moments. Those moments are rare and fleeting, but wonderful when they happen. ; )

Lisa