Write in Spite of, Not Because Of

 

Lately, I've been dealing with a lot of anxiety. It's been off and on and comes in varying waves of intensity. And I have to admit that it's affected my writing his year. I started out strong with an excellent method that worked for a while.

Then, I had a lot of ups and downs with my writing gigs. One major one disappeared, yet again, sending me into a spiral of not being sure what to do about it. I've managed okay, but there's also been a lot of scrambling to make up the income that has me on edge.

So, not a lot is happening in the creative department.

Recently, and forgive me that I cannot think of where, I ran across advice on how someone responded to a period of stress.

And they said that throughout their day when they recognized their typical stress response, they asked themselves: what would I be doing if I wasn't stressed? How would I respond or conduct my day if I wasn't feeling this way?

And I may be paraphrasing this terribly, but it resonated with me. 

Lately, in response to my own anxiety, I ask myself: if I wasn't battling anxiety, what would my creative efforts look like?

Because a lot of the creative realm requires a stillness in our soul. A listening. And I can't do that if I'm worried about my budget spreadsheet and trying to convince the income column to increase all on its own.

Whether you are battling stress or anxiety, or simply struggling with not being in the mood to write (but wanting to despite that), think of this: how would you express your creative side if anxiety/stress/anti-creative moods weren't on the table?

Then go ahead and create. In a way, you'll be writing in spite of how you are feeling and not because of it. 

Now, it's time for me to go on and take my own advice.

Nicole Pyles is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. Her writing has appeared in Sky Island Journal, Arlington Literary Journal, The Voices Project, The Ocotillo Review, and Gold Man Review. A poem of hers was also featured in the anthology DEAR LEADERS TALES. Her short story, “The Mannequin of Lot 18,” was nominated for Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy for 2024. Since she’s not active on social media very much, stay in touch by following her writing blog at World of My Imagination or her Substack, Nicole Writes About Stuff. 

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2 comments Nicole Pyles, writing motivation

When You'd Rather Just Write (Help!)

Work that you love just doesn’t feel like work, right? Whereas work that you do not love (and in fact may not like even a little bit) feels like a grind. And these days—spoiler alert!—I’d much rather just write than work on the writing-business tasks. 

This startling epiphany came to me recently whilst having a conversation with a non-writer friend who asked about the latest news: 

SHE: How’s the writing going?

ME: Oh my gosh, I’ve just about got all the characters introduced and this time, it’s a poltergeist thing.

SHE: Hold on. This is the new book? I meant the one you finished. How’s the publishing going? 

ME: Oh. Um… 

There’s no need to share the part of the conversation where I attempted to justify the last four months of avoiding the publishing side of Book I like it was infected with the plague. But somewhere in my stumbling around, it hit me like a brick to the head: I’d much rather just write. 

I want to tell more stories about these characters I’ve created. I want to throw obstacles in their way and see how they’ll overcome them. I want to see if they find fun romance or lasting love. And however will they solve this latest mystery? 

And believe me, I am working. I mean, it’s all kinds of work, creating, imagining, writing, revising. I go to bed thinking of storylines and I wake up with new storylines (and solutions!). I have a mountain of scraps of paper around my house, cryptic notes scribbled that later make no sense to me. But as soon as I can manage it, I’m at my laptop, trying to put it all together and writing, writing, writing. 

And then there’s work for Book I that still needs to be done, which even a little rhyming poem can’t improve. There’s a website to get up and social media marketing to build (though my Twitter Troubles have yet to be fixed). And of course, there’s the actual publishing part and all that goes along with that end of the business. Basically, all the stuff my brain keeps pushing over to the “Not now, I’m busy” side. 

Is it any wonder that there are so many publishing companies out there for writers, companies that will handle all those not-so-fun tasks? The bottom line is that most writers love to write and would much rather leave the business details to someone else. Except that bottom line can get very expensive.

So here I am, stuck in this place where I write “WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT” on my monthly To Do list…pretty much every month. It’s not that I can’t do it; it’s just that I’d rather write. And meanwhile, business deadlines are catching up with me. 

What’s a writer to do? How do you motivate yourself to do the work you ought to do when you’d rather do the work you want to do? I feel like I may have written plenty about this exact kind of motivation years ago, but these days? Well, I’d rather just write. (Help!)

~Cathy C. Hall

Photo by Tim Mossholder:

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5 comments Cathy C. Hall, Publishing, social media marketing, website development, writing motivation

If You Write, You're a Writer - Own Your Title

 

Writers are generally shy and introverted people who enjoy the quiet moments in life when they can be still with their thoughts to observe, process, and create. 

We are not usually confident in ourselves or our work, so it’s no wonder that calling ourselves a writer isn’t easy. Trust me, I get it. I was one of those people who had been writing for a decade, almost every day, and still didn’t feel worthy of calling myself a writer. 

But the simple fact is; if you write, you’re a writer. Boom! I see you; because if you are reading this, you are a writer. I know why you follow WOW! It’s because you care about writing. You’re passionate about words and stories and truth on the page. So why aren’t you being true to yourself? 

I had written three manuscripts and entered countless writing competitions before I reluctantly owned my title. 

Yeah, you might have to push yourself. I’m sure it’s going to feel uncomfortable. But trust me, the sooner you start calling yourself a writer, the quicker it will feel right. You must talk yourself into what you know is your destiny. 

By implementing a positive mindset about where you are headed and simply acknowledging what you are already doing – writing, you will be able to own your title. 

And by the time you are ready to call yourself an author, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably feel like a huge imposter again. But that’s okay. Good things never come easy. 

I changed my Insta-handle to @kellysgroi.author this year (after signing with an agent) even though I still have doubts about getting my manuscripts published, and still suffer from imposter syndrome, but I push through my doubts because I know how much I love writing and am determined to keep writing and pursuing my dreams. 

Here’s a reminder of the definition of author: 

Oxford noun – a writer of a book, article, or document. 

Interesting, right? 

Have you written a book, article, or document? 

You are a writer and also the author of that short story, blog post, or essay. 

Come to think of it, maybe I became an author way back when I got my first short story published in the Medium lit journal P.S. I Love You back in 2017! 

So next time you are considering whether you are ready to change your title, remind yourself of: 

How long you’ve been writing. 

How many works you’ve submitted or had published. 

The praise you’ve received. 

The connections you’ve made. 

How hard you’ve worked. 

The manuscript/s you’ve written. 

That author contract you’ve signed. 

What are you waiting for? 

In my humble opinion, it’s better to own your title sooner rather than later. You might be surprised how it makes you feel. Confident. Proud. Motivated. Empowered.

***

Kelly Sgroi is based in Melbourne, Australia. 

Now represented by Beyond Words Literary Agency, Kelly is thrilled to be out of the query trenches and looking forward to what comes next in her writing journey. She's also a content writer at Social Media Tribe and will forever be an enthusiastic member of the writing community. Some of her short works are published by WOW! Women on Writing, Dream Journal, The Endometriosis Foundation of America, Endometriosis Australia, and a few Medium publications. Her debut manuscript is a women’s fiction story about motherhood.

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9 comments calling yourself a writer, Kelly Sgroi, writing motivation

A Thunderstorm Brings out the Best

School is back in person for my daughter who is in 5th grade, and we live about a mile from the school. However, you have to cross a very busy street, and it does take about 25 minutes for a kid to walk a mile (this is a distracted kid who will want to stop and smell the roses). Right now, there are not enough bus drivers for kids who live even much farther than we do, and so this makes us car riders instead of bus riders. Many, many more families are car riders this year because of the bus driver shortage. As you can imagine, on the first day of school, this was a logistical nightmare, and I waited in line for about 30 minutes to drop my daughter off. Then, I prepared myself that the afternoon pick-up would be just as bad.

About fifteen minutes before the pick-up session would begin, one of the worst thunderstorms we've had all summer sprang into action--rain beat down, thunder pounded, and lightning streaked the sky.

When I finally got into the parking lot from the street after about 15 minutes of waiting, I couldn't believe what I saw. One poor school employee had no umbrella or poncho and stood out there in the rain, soaked and directing parent traffic. Two teachers' assistants, with umbrellas that were doing very little to protect these women from the splashing and pounding rain, stood between the cars with their cell phones, typing in kids' names whose parents were in line to let teachers in the building know the order they should organize the kids to hopefully expedite the pick-up. These women were also joyfully handing out, with smiles on their faces, blank sheets of paper for parents to write last names and stick on the windshield to help with future pick-up days. 

And then I saw the principal. 

I am already a huge fan of the principal; she has battled cancer and was very open and frank about it with parents. During the pandemic, she has done an amazing job to keep communication open and help concerned and anxiety-ridden parents, teachers, and kids. But yesterday, her work ethic and character really stood out when I saw her with an umbrella and a nice dress, running back and forth from staff who were rain-soaked and helping kids into cars to the cafeteria, so she could get the kids and direct them to the staff--and all of this was in her bare feet. The heels from that morning's drop-off were long gone. That's right--she was completely barefoot. A river of water had formed in the parking lot at the curb, so everyone's feet were getting soaked. All of this just brought tears to my eyes, and I felt so lucky for my daughter to go to a school, where they care so much about the kids and the families. They worked harder than any school employee should ever have to, and they did that for the kids and parents. 

As a writer, I watched this situation yesterday, and I immediately wanted to write about it. I was deeply touched and wanted to honor these members of the school staff, who are currently under so much stress with pandemic rules and regulations and parents fighting over whether or not their kids should have to wear a mask at school or be vaccinated--and now principals also have staff and bus driver shortages. It's not an easy time to be in education. As a writer, I wanted to find a way to acknowledge this and learn from it.

As a writing teacher, I wondered if I work as hard as that principal was at the rain-soaked pick-up for my own writing students. Do I go out of my way to make sure they feel safe and secure to share their writing, no matter what storms they have weathered? If I haven't been, I want to start. 

As a writing mom who doesn't always make it to my own writing projects each day, I'm often down on myself for the lack of progress I make on a manuscript, and sometimes, it's because I chose to do something with my daughter instead. Writing moms are full of so much guilt all the time--for writing, for not writing, for snapping at our kids when we are trying to write, and they interrupt us. But yesterday, watching those teachers I realized: these kids--they're what's important--and they are only this young for a bit. This is my daughter's LAST YEAR OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Every time I start to feel guilty for deciding to watch TV with Katie at night, instead of working on my book, I will remember the sacrifice her principal made that first day of school and get over it.  

A lot of you reading this may have a loved one starting a new school year, from preschool to college-aged kids and grandkids. Maybe you work at a school, and so you're actually starting a new school year, too. And a new school year always brings about a need to "get back to business" after the chaos of summer--it's almost like another January 1, only this time, the weather is better and the kids are out of the house. 

This post up to this point is trying to say: I'm so lucky my daughter goes to the school she does. That principal and school staff made an impression on me that I wanted to share with you. I did it the best way I know how--with the written word. And I hope that somewhere in this river of words, you're inspired to work hard at your writing dreams, put your family first though, practice some self-care, and if you find yourself in a rainstorm, look for the person who will go barefoot and lead you to safety to help get you out. 

Margo L. Dill lives in St. Louis, MO, with her daughter and dog. Her Writing a Novel with a Writing Coach class is starting back up on September 3 after a summer hiatus. Find out more or sign up here.  For more information about Margo, check out her website, margoldill.com .

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4 comments back to school, Margo L. Dill, teachers, writing motivation

One Step Can Get You Unstuck

Sometimes, we can all feel a little stuck. Being stuck can look like writer's block. It can look like a lot of unfinished projects. It can also look like never putting our butts in the chair. What do we do when we’re stuck? 

I’m not going to define exactly what I mean by stuck. We all have different versions of what this means. But if you're reading this right now and nodding along with me, then think of the way that you are currently stuck. And let’s try to do something about that. 

Lately I’ve been feeling very stuck in a few areas of my life. I decided life is too short to live this way. It’s too short to not make progress on a book. It’s too short to do a job that I don’t enjoy. It’s too short to continue with commitments that are not fulfilling. When I had this moment of clarity, I decided to do something about feeling stuck. It was just one small movement toward a better future. But as soon as I did it, I felt better. 

This summer, I’ve been working with three writers who are all writing for middle grade or young adult readers. Each one of them was feeling stuck this past week. I’m not sure if it had to do with the moon, the dog days of summer, or just a writing funk. But all three were stuck. 

Then on our biweekly Zoom call, each one of them reported they were unstuck and had made progress. So what happened? 

One of the writers couldn’t figure out how to write "the next scene" in her novel. She had worked on the chapter far longer than she wanted to. After talking to another writer, she decided she would try moving the timeline PAST this scene. She labeled the next chapter "3 weeks later," became unstuck, and solved her problem. 

The next writer was stuck on one scene also. She couldn’t figure out how to transition between an event she had happening in her novel and a more important event that needed to happen in a few scenes. She wasn’t writing. So instead of making excuses for not working on her manuscript, she decided to write a scene that was not in chronological order. As soon as she did this, it freed up her mind. She realized how to transition characters from point A to point B--she made forward progress. 

The last writer had a bit of a plothole. She wanted a surprise to happen in her science fiction teen novel. But the surprise really wasn’t making a lot of sense for that story world. When critiquing her work, I pointed this out, and she felt a little stuck. Then she realized why--she wasn't writing as the character--she was almost writing as herself. The main character was acting out of character, and it created a plothole and a stuck writer. As soon as she realized this and fixed it, she was back in business. 

If you’re feeling stuck, the number one thing that will not work is to do absolutely nothing. But if you can muster up the energy to do one thing differently whether it’s in writing or your job or relationships or commitments. Most likely, that one small thing will propel you into forward motion! The horrible feeling of being stuck will be gone. 

Pigs like to be stuck in the mud on a hot summer day. But that's not us! We aren't meant to be stuck. Take one step in a different direction and see what happens. 

Margo L. Dill is a writing teacher, coach, publisher, author, and editor living in St. Louis, MO. Find out more about her at https://www.margoldill.com or https://www.editor-911.com. Check out her classes in the WOW! classroom. The next one starts the first Friday in September.

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7 comments Margo L. Dill, writing coach, writing inspiration, writing motivation

Slow and Steady Still Wins The Race

It was a glorious Easter this year, and what made it extra special was the gathering of all my family at my house. Yay! 

But that called for extra special cleaning AND cooking on the Saturday before, which looked a little something like this:

Clean the downstairs where all that gathering would be (which took a couple of hours even though it’s only me and Libs here and I basically occupy the same 10 square feet every day). 

Rest for an hour. Or so.

Fix the muffins and the pasta salad (which took another hour or so ‘cause there were two kinds of muffins and I didn’t really know what I was doing, pasta salad-wise). 

Rest for an hour. Or so.

Clean the kitchen and an upstairs bathroom (‘cause there’s always some Junior Hall who can’t wait five minutes and insists on going upstairs to use the facilities). 

Put my feet up for the rest of the evening and watch TV. 

Now, there was a time I could do four consecutive hours of cleaning on a Saturday and then go out to the ballpark to watch a Junior Hall’s game and then have a cookout that evening, wash a load of clothes (because the uniform, right?), and stay up long enough to watch SNL. But those days are done, friends; that time in my life when I could go for hours like the battery bunny are over. But that doesn’t mean I’m done. I can still get ‘er done, just at my own pace. 

And it occurred to me that writing is a bit like that. Or rather, a lot like that. There are times in our lives when we can go, go, go with our writing projects. Whether it’s because we’re intrinsically motivated with a high degree of creative energy and that spurs us on, or we have more flexibility in our schedules to give more time to our writing, the bottom line is the same: we have periods of super-productivity. 

But we also have times in our lives when our productivity sags, perhaps even to none at all. We hit a writing desert when ideas are sparse and our motivation is even sparser. Or maybe it’s jobs or family or friends or health concerns that take up every hour in the day. There’s little energy left for creative endeavors, particularly when we feel like there will be little if any reward if we use our precious spare time on the arts. 

But that doesn’t mean we’re done, either. It’s not easy to toss away that compulsion to create, to bring our ideas to life in words or whatever. It might mean going in a new direction, or it might be time to take a break. But mostly, it’s just finding our own pace and accepting ourselves where we are. ‘Cause whether it’s cleaning and cooking for the people we love or pulling out a much-loved, years-old manuscript for a fresh look, we can get ‘er done on our own terms, in our own time. 

I may be a turtle these days, but I’m okay with that. Slow and steady still wins the race!

~Cathy C. Hall

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4 comments Cathy C. Hall, creative spurts, self-acceptance, writing advice, writing motivation

It's Okay to Make Mistakes

Repeat the title of this blog post to yourself as many times as needed. Why? Because one of the biggest obstacles writers face--no matter where you are in your writing or publishing career--is getting over the fear of making a mistake. It can paralyze you, no matter where you sit on the pefectionist spectrum.

I didn't always know that it was okay to make a mistake. I have spent so many wasted hours worrying about the mistakes I did make and the mistakes I would probably make. Those wasted hours are ones I cannot get back. They were unproductive. There's absolutely nothing I can do about them.

But I can tell myself now that it is okay to make mistakes. If I self-publish with a cover that is slightly wrong for my nonfiction book, that's not the end of the world. It's okay if I price my book too low or too high. It's not the worst thing ever if I miss opportunities to put some people on my e-newsletter list. (This paragraph of all the mistakes I may make during indie publishing or I have made during traditional publishing could go on and on and on, but I'll stop at three. The rule of three is a good one to use when listing examples, but that's another blog post entirely. And now, I made a fourth mistake, rambling about other topics during a blog post.)

I had this realization (of it being okay to make mistakes, in case you have no idea what this post is about after my rambling) after listening to The Six Figure Author Podcast. This podcast with three indie authors who have made six figures in a year during their indie author careers is fun and inspiring. (The hosts are Lindsay Buroker, Joseph R. Lallo, and Andrea Pearson.) They share their mistakes as well as their successes, and that's important. They share how ideas that used to work don't work anymore. They share how they LEARN from their mistakes.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

That's the thing. It's okay to make mistakes if you learn from them. Okay, I'm not trying to be hard on you here. Listen, I've made the same mistakes countless times. I was just explaining to my daughter the other day on a pandemic walk (that's what I call our daily walks now) the saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I was explaining it because I have recently been fooled twice, and I was frustrated and grumpy.

But look, if I put my book up on Amazon and I follow all the information that I have now to the best of my ability, and it doesn't sell, that's okay. I know some strategies to try to improve sales. What is absolutely not all right is worrying that I will do it wrong and make mistakes and never put it up for sale. That is unexcusable, and I will not let that happen.

I know some of you worry about making a mistake, such as:

• Did I start my essay the right way? Did I revise it enough? Is it really ready to enter the contest? Am I experienced enough to enter a contest?
• Should I publish traditionally or self-publish? If I self-publish and fail, will anyone ever want to traditionally publish me again?
• Am I querying the right agents?
• Do I have the right to write this piece I wrote? 
• Will anyone be mad at me if they read this essay I wrote about my truths?
• Is the world ready for my memoir?
• Am I writing for young adult or middle grade? Should I use profanity in my writing? Will I be banned?

Take a deep breath, tell yourself it's okay to make mistakes, educate yourself, and then trust yourself that you are doing the best you can do. And if you make a mistake, you will fix it and learn from it. That's all you need to do.

It's okay to make a mistake. 

Margo L. Dill is a writing coach, teacher, editor, and writer, living in St. Louis, MO with her 9-year-old daughter and one-year-old pup. You can find out more about her here. You can sign up for her novel writing course each month here. 

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6 comments creative inspiration, indie publishing, learning from mistakes, making mistakes, Margo L. Dill, mistakes are okay, writing coach, writing motivation

Some Answers to the Current Most Common Writer Questions During the Pandemic

photo by Marco Verch

Here are some questions that might currently be on your mind:

1. How do I write when the world is in chaos? 
2. How do I write when my daily routine is destroyed?
3. How do I write when I'm never alone, when someone is constantly needing me, and when I hear "Mom" or "Dad" or "Honey" or "Woof, Woof" a million times a day? 

Can you tell I've been asking myself that last one for the past month? 

I've written before about how we have to allow ourselves some grace during this time. Some of us need to physically heal. Some of us need to deal with anxiety and frustration. But I also thought it important to suggest some ways that you could possibly work writing into your life right now--a couple things that are working for me, and others that I've seen on social media or heard on podcasts. These will work for any work-in-progress or even a new project.

Ideas for Writing Progress During the Pandemic: 

• Write before "they" get up or after "they" go to bed: This is what is currently working for me. For example, I woke up yesterday morning at about 6am and had two glorious hours to work on editing the book I'm trying to indie publish (very soon) (fingers crossed). Even the dog slept by my side while I worked! 
• If screen time works...don't feel guilty: I struggle with this, trust me. My nine-year-old daughter is playing her tablet more than ever before; but honestly, it's the only time that she's not talking to me or making a lot of noise. She has headphones on, and I can't hear anything. It's bliss. (If the dog would only understand this is also quiet time.) If you need a chunk of quiet time, it really is okay to put some headphones on your kiddo and let them watch an hour (or two, three, four (winks)) of YouTube videos of other people playing video games. I read a great article about how all screen time is not the same. You can find that here, if you'd like. 
• Do what you can when you can: It's no secret that one of my favorite writer podcasts is "The Self-Publishing Show" with Mark Dawson and James Blatch. They had a terrific episode, out yesterday, about writing during the pandemic, and Mark had some great ideas for working on your work-in-progress. He mentioned bringing a voice recorder (your phone!) on daily walks and dictating while walking--either words of your manuscript or notes about your characters and plot. If that doesn't work for you, he mentioned bringing a notebook to jot down notes. Then when you do have time to write a few hundred words, you'll have already thought about what you want to write. It's a method that worked for my critique partner, Camille Faye, and how she wrote her first novel, Voodoo Butterfly while also being a stay-at-home mom. You will want to check out that "The Self-Publishing Show" episode, which you can listen to on a podcast app or watch on YouTube here. 
• Connect with other writers through Zoom or Skype or whatever you fancy: Tomorrow, I'm attending a virtual writing retreat with my critique group from noon to 6pm! (You better believe my daughter will be thrilled to hear this when she hears she will get extra tablet time!) My critique group member, Tricia L. Sanders, a cozy mystery writer, did this type of virtual write-in with her mystery writers' group and said we should do it, too. So we are! Look, if Zoom can be used for happy hours and Easter and Passover dinners, then it can be used for a writing retreat. For 30 minutes at the start of the retreat, we'll get online together and talk about our goals and projects. Then on the :00 and :30, we'll sprint or edit for 20 minutes and then record our progress in our private FB group. For the other 10 minutes, before the next sprint/editing session, we'll stretch our legs, snack, or take the dog out. Then back at it again. This will force me to make the time to work on my own stuff. And I'm not sure if my daughter and puppy will last the whole six hours, but let's say they even last half that time--I will feel like I got so much done; and plus, I'll connect with my critique group members!  

I hope one of the ideas above can help you during this unprecedented time of anxiety, isolation, and change. That's the thing. This is unprecedented! So if you're struggling, well, of course, you are. I have had days where I felt on top of the world, and like I've got this--no problem. Then other days, like right before I sat down to write this, where I felt like I could not make it another hour in these conditions, let alone six more weeks (or more if summer camps are closed). 

If you 've been doing something that works, and you're writing and making progress on your projects, please share with us below.

As you've probably heard said so many times before in the past month: We are all in this together.

Margo L. Dill is a children's and young adult author as well as a writing instructor and coach. Her next class for WOW!, Writing a Novel With a Writing Coach, starts on May 1. To sign up, go here. To check out Margo and her books, go here. Sign up to receive the first chapter of her novel and a coupon here. 

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5 comments covid-19, Margo L. Dill, pandemic, writing inspiration, writing motivation, writing routine, Writing Through Bad Days, writing through difficult times

In This Time Of Change, We are Here and Want to Celebrate Your Success

At this time when things feel so uncertain, give yourself grace. It's the best gift you can give to yourself. Don't compare what you are doing to someone else. Trust me, I have to remind myself of this every day when I see some of the amazing things that some moms are doing at home. Or when I hear that a writer is still managing to meet their word count or publishing their books. My friend posted this meme "It's okay" on my Facebook wall this week.

Here's the thing: not only are some of us scared and possibly sick, plus isolated, we are also undergoing all kinds of change--change for us, for our partners, for our children, for our coworkers, for our friends and family. Everyone is under change. And what's that saying?

Change is hard.

Our routines are changed. Maybe you're used to writing at your local coffee shop, and now have to stay at home where it's noisy and chaotic. Maybe you're used to writing once your kids go to school, only now you are home with them all day, every day. Maybe you and your partner share an office, and now are both home at the same time, trying to use it. Whatever the change is big or small, it takes time to get used to it.

So please, allow yourself some time to breathe. If you can write on your typical schedule, that's awesome! Keep it up. If instead right now, it's easier for you to read--that's a way to work on your writing--you're reading in your genre. Even if you're on Facebook, discussing writing with some other writers, that's networking! Look at the positive things you're doing, and do not beat yourself up for the things you aren't able to manage to do right now. It's okay.

Breathe deeply.

We're still in full swing at WOW! if you want to join us. Currently, Angela and I are working on the query letters we received by March 15 and are narrowing down our decisions this weekend. So some of you will have contracts for articles! We have classes starting in our WOW! classroom. We still need Friday Speak Out bloggers--need a platform? Need a place to express your feelings right now? Check out any Friday post and then write your own.

We have contests to enter and judging to do. In the summer and fall, we'll be taking more queries--start brainstorming now. We are a paying market! Next time  I blog, I'm planning to talk about querying us and provide some tips; but if you want to start preparing now, I did a podcast interview with Shelly X. Leonn and LL Montez at The Writers XL podcast. I talk a lot about writing and editing in this interview; but if you're specifically interested in how to write for WOW!, then start listening around the 17-minute mark by clicking here or download the podcast episode where you typically listen to podcasts.

And finally, we need your SUCCESS STORIES! 

In a couple weeks, you'll be getting a  really cool newsletter in your inbox from us (sign up here at the top of the toolbar, if you aren't on our newsletter list yet), and we would love to put your success stories in there, too. Since the beginning of 2020, who has something to celebrate in your writing life? We want to hear about contest wins, publications, goals met, blogs started, new jobs, and more. Please try to keep it under 100 words. Also, include a link if it's something that is online. We really do want any success stories, including things like: "Under self-isolation, I managed to meet my word count each day."

Let us know! Motivate your fellow writers and celebrate. You can email these to Margo at margo (at) wow-womenonwriting.com or write them in the comments below. (If Margo does not reply, try margolynndill@gmail (dot) com.)

Take care of yourselves, wonderful writing community.

Margo L. Dill is the managing editor at WOW! Women On Writing. Her next classes are Writing Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction: A Study and Workshop  , starting on March 31 and WRITING A NOVEL WITH A WRITING COACH: One-on-One Instruction , starting April 3. Find out more about her writing and editing at https://www.margoldill.com. 

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7 comments author success, Margo L. Dill, submissions to WOW, success stories, writing motivation, writing through difficult times

Don't Forget What You've Accomplished or I Wrote a Book

by Chris Schroeder (Flickr.com)

All right, Muffin readers, I'm here to encourage us all a little today. A lot of my recent posts have been about indie publishing or the writing process, and I thought I'd take a break from that and get a bit simple. Here's why.

The other day, my book, Finding My Place, was sitting on the kitchen table. I recently wrote a prequel for it and got great feedback from my critique group, but there were some details of this story I couldn't remember. So I'm rereading to make sure my prequel is in alignment. Anyway, there's my book, on the kitchen table, and I had this overwhelming proud moment of, "You know what, I wrote a book. And I had it published. Plus, I go to schools and kids and parents buy it. It's not even half-bad."

Then the next thought: Why am I so hard on myself? Why am I almost apologetic that I wrote a book, got it traditionally published, and want people to buy it and read it? Why do I downplay it when people say to me: You wrote a book. Cool! 

Well...I haven't talked to a therapist about that yet, but my guess is that I'm submerged in the writing culture where a lot of people have written a book, and some have had more success than others, more success than me. So, since so many people I know have done this same thing, maybe it doesn't seem like such a big deal.

But to the rest of the world, not in the writing culture, writing a book and seeing it through to publication is a great accomplishment. And it should be to us too! We should not be apologetic that we want to share our creation with the world, that we want to find readers, that as children's writers, we want to get into schools and share our message and our books.

I told myself that day, "It's okay, Margo. You should feel proud. Of this book and all your books. This is tangible proof of a goal you set and accomplished."

But I'll be honest. I have to keep telling myself that. I'm a people pleaser by nature, and I'm trying to be a reformed people pleaser. It's hard. So I worry about everything I say and do way too much! Trust me, my friends are always saying things to me like, "Overthink much?"

When I have to ask schools if they pay for authors to talk or ask teachers to send home my book flyers or ask my newsletter list to write a review for me, it's excruciatingly difficult, and I have to force myself to push send. But I do it. I do it because I know it's what needs to be done for success and that other authors are doing it. I do it thanks to the book, You Are a Badass, which is so encouraging. I highly recommend it for anyone who has any of the difficulties I've talked about in this blog post today.

If you submitted a short story this week, that is amazing! If you finished your book manuscript, jump for joy! If you are holding a book you wrote in your hand, wow! Honestly, just wow! Yes, you'll have to get back to the hard work and turmoil of being a writer, but for a minute today, celebrate the amazing goal you accomplished. I know for sure that there are thousands (at least) of people with half-written manuscripts or who haven't even typed one word of a book idea. And you are no longer in this group.

Now, after you've toasted yourself, get back to work. And don't be afraid to ask someone to buy your book!

Margo L. Dill is a children's author, writing instructor, freelance editor, and WOW!'s managing editor, living in St. Louis, MO, with her daughter and dog. To find out more about Margo, check out https://www.margoldill.com. Margo's next class is Writing a Novel with a Writing Coach and starts on March 6! 

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10 comments advice for writers, children's author, Margo L. Dill, marketing, Novelist, Writers Block, writing motivation, You Are a Badass