How an Epic Fail Can Be A Slinky of Goodness

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Any rejection: a word, a look, a letter, or an action digs into our hearts like a dagger. The hardest armadillo shell can be penetrated with one slit. 

Epic fail.

This is the moment when we must choose to heal or allow infection to take us down.

I can empathize with any of you. I have seen rejections, and I've been sprinkled with the occasional compliment. And like you, the punch of a rejection can hold me down longer than a compliment will raise me up. I'd much prefer to be like a slinky or super ball, forever bouncing back up, but this is NOT an easy job.

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So what can we do about it?

First of all, choose to be healed. (There won't be a second in today's post because allowing a rejection infection to take us down will not be an option).

Let's look at the different forms of medicine available to put the spring back in our writing spirits.

1.  The Balm- [def according to dictionary.com: anything that heals, soothes, or mitigates pain]

At any moment a negative thought about writing pops in your head, apply music that makes you want to dance, look at photos of people you love, watch a HAPPY chic flick, go for a walk, call your friends-NOT TO LAMENT but to hear something positive, hug ANYTHING (this includes hubby, kids, pets--probably not goldfish, stuffed animals, etc). 

2.  The Injection- [def according to dictionary.com: used for medicinal purposes]

Can you feel the sting? Yes. This is the rejection. The one filled with corrections, red, new places to start the story, changes for the title, names of character, need more this--less of that, etc. 

Photo by Mary Vee

Being a writer requires sensitivity. We all desire to write, sell our books, and have readers enjoy/rave about our stories or articles, However, if we become locked in to our own ideas despite the marketing numbers, we fail to provide the very product readers yearn to have.

Yes, we should write the story in our heart.

Yes, we should write what we know.

But like salt and sugar these are essential ingredients to an overall product. They do not stand alone. 

Even a book written just for you deserves to be written with the utmost quality. You are special, too!

The good news about an injection is the sting WILL go away.

3.  The tablet/capsule- [def according to dictionary.com: a small globular or rounded mass of medicinal substance, usually covered with a hard coating, that is to be swallowed whole.]

The hard coating is our help. It comes in the form of prayers, friends smiles, hugs, kind words, etc. This will not take away the nasty tasting medicine that is to follow, but will prepare our hearts and give us strength to endure what is to come. 

Typically, a fluid is used to aid the tablet/capsule consumption. Jesus is our living water. He doesn't take away the pain, but He will ease the moment. Talk to Him. He is there beside you, holding you up.

4.  Therapy-[def according to dictionary.com: an act, hobby, task, program, etc., that relieves tension]  

a. Did you know that it takes a spark of happy to write something happy? Name a person who means a lot to you. Good. Now--yes, I am bringing a medieval idea here to the page--hand write that person an encouraging note. Or share, in handwriting, some good news with the person. Ooooo this is tough, right? I know. Coming up with any positive words is like squeezing water from a dust devil, because we only want to be miserable right now. Trust me, no pain, no gain. The easy part will be to send the note once you've rewritten it without the scratched words. 

b. Run a mile. A whole mile? Yep. Run? Okay, you can jog or even walk briskly. Get the air bursting into your lungs to cleanse the hurt. You are gonna feel so good!

c. Read the comments in the crit, judge's remarks, editor's notes-ONE AT A TIME. Chew on their thoughts. Look at your copy. Consider the intended lesson, not the color of the type. Can you fix, change, reword your work to address the issue? If your spirit is spent after addressing this first thought, set the crit aside and do number 1 above. If you have been inspired by the change, go to the next remark on the page.

d. If you ever need a place to be encouraged, prayed for, given kudos for any size accomplishment come here to the Writer's Alley. We are bursting with cyber hugs, smiles, and all around encouragements, because we have all been in your shoes. Some, like me, still are :)

How can we get the slinky of goodness moving today? Do you have a need? A prayer request? A praise you'r bursting to share?

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If you found any typos in today's post...sorry about that. 

Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes young adult mystery/adventure Christian fiction, is honing marketing and writing skills, and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

Willing to Change

Have you hit a road block in your story? Not the kind where you don't know what to write next. The kind where the pieces to the puzzle are there in your mind, you just can't sort things out? 

You had a plan. You thought about the scene the night before. It seemed to play out right in your mind but when your fingers hit the keys the action didn't make sense anymore?

What happened?

You did the research. Have oddles of information available on your desk and the Internet. You get up from the chair and pace the room. Go downstairs for a cup of tea or coffee and rumble your fingertips on the counter. Why isn't it working? What's wrong?

You knew everything went well until this scene. Crit partners gave reasonable kudos with basic grammar tips to previous chapters. 

Now that the cup of coffee/tea is half gone you start to wonder if something is missing. Maybe an ingredient had been missing all along. Something no one caught until you hit this scene. 

Writers sitting around Tracie Peterson's dining room table mulled over this question at a Rocky Mountain ACFW meeting. As we chewed on the question, each person at the table thought of something they could have added, taken away or simply changed to ignite their story to a higher level. 

One person said, "All I had to do was add a character at this point. It solved everything."
Another said, "I had to delete a character that started hogging the story. Didn't realize it until this point."
Another said, "I had to go back to the beginning and reconfigure all my work. This story, I realized, needed to be written in first person. It took a lot of time, but when I made the change, the story became magical."

What are other sneaky, low down rascals that have rooted into your story and need to be weeded out. Or maybe you have a shy component, hiding in the background, waiting for you to give permission to step into your story.

Rattle the cages. Bring fire to the firecracker. Throw off the protection and let your work blast into readership. Add, take away, change the setting, change which person you write, change your hair color (whoops that isn't part of writing). 

If you have been following my Why Writers Should Read series you may ask, "Good grief, what book stirred Mary's soul this week?"

Okay, I'll tell you.  I read Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock. FYI, You'll need a box of tissues for the ending.

You probably know Terri is an accomplished authoress, having mastered the wordsmith craft.  

Terri wrote Kara's story first person in such a compelling way this book would have been only half as good had she chosen third person. 

Terri, a New York Times Best Selling author, wove a Biblical story so completely into a today setting it flowed like a droplet in a stream. No one could accuse this work of being preachy.

Terri didn't hold back in the negative scenes. She painted them real. Sometimes I had to put the book down because my heart cried for the character. She did not sugarcoat anything, yet she carefully said only what needed to be. She did not overplay anything for effect.

Why should writers read? Well, because we can learn from great writers like Terri and then return to our work, not broken, not discouraged, not down trodden, but revitalized to emulate their example and to provide the good work for newer writers.

What component have you found that needs to changed or what could you add to put the spark in a chapter or what could you take out to smooth the rough plot terrain?

I'd like to invite you to join me in this next two week book reading challenge. Choose a book and let me know. mimary_vee@yahoo.com

Also, I am hosting a book give away on my website this Friday. I will be giving away a copy of Covenant Child. Hope to see you there. www.maryvee.com

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photo courtesy of amazon.com and freedigitalphotos.net

This blog post is by Mary Vee

Mary lives in Montana with her husband and loves to hear from her three college kids. She writes contemporary Christian fiction with a focus on the homeless population and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website www.maryvee.com

 Step into Someone Else's World 

  

Ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids http://www.mimaryvee.blogspot.com/

Email: mimary_vee@yahoo.com

Winner of Exemplary Program for American Christian Schools International: Grocery Store Ministry for the Hungry

What's Up The Street For Next Week?

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Sometimes the time comes to say goodbye. We have to expect it in a way, because it's the cyle of life. We either have to move on or priorities need to be rearranged.

And while we are sorry to make this announcement, we wish our fellow Alley Cat, Wendy the very best in her writing life. In the plans God has for her. Plans of good and not of harm to give her a hope and a future.

So, please leave a comment wishing Wendy well and know we will be watching for monumental success from you, Wendy!! ;-) She'll be back once in a while for a guest post, so we aren't completely losing her.

Wishing you the BEST, Wendy!

New year, new week on the Alley. What's up??

It's the contest season and Angie has guest Naomie Rawlings on the Genesis contest. Check back on Monday.

Prayer is an intricate part of the writing life. Julia brings this topic to the blog on Tuesday.


Sarah brings tips on how to be a better blogger on Wednesday.


Thursday will be Wendy's final post for the Writer's Alley.

Cindy explains how to make a scene truly magical, by breaking down specific elements on Friday.

Sidewalk Talk

You can keep up with Wendy on her blog: Thoughts that Move, Twitter and Facebook.

You can now email the gals at the Writer's Alley and hear back directly from one of us! (not that we think ourselves celebrities or anything...) AND if you have a question, do share at this email: thewritersalleys(@)gmail(.)com We have some fun surprises in store for the questions you send, so don't be shy. ;-)

Hang in with us, we're still the same blog and will be proactively looking to bring in a new face as God leads.