In my last post, I talked about surviving criticism and disappointment. Today, we explore another way to grow from setbacks.
Case in point: I was so sure my WIP was a perfect fit for a certain small but prestigious publisher. This will be my big break!
Then I received the typical, canned auto-rejection.
At this point, I had barely submitted anything and was naive enough to believe that if you’re rejected by one or two publishers, you must be a hack.
The frustrating part of querying is that they never tell you exactly why it’s rejected. It may have nothing to do with your writing.
Maybe they just accepted a similar story. Maybe your story included elements that weren’t suited for their audience. Maybe the editor didn’t have their coffee yet. It’s like throwing darts in the dark.
But the next time I submitted the story:
About 6 months later, I got an acceptance from a cool indie publisher.
A year later, the story made it to the semifinals of two large competitions.
Last year, it was published with a cover by a wickedly talented designer and two blurbs from legendary writers.
NOTE: These posts are inspired by The Artist’s Way, a 12 Step Process to recovering your creativity by Julia Cameron. You can read all about it here.
CREATIVE ABUNDANCE
In my post The Problem with Writers and Money, we talked about relinquishing the old poor, starving artist cliché. Today we talk about living a life of luxury.
And it’s not what you think…
FROM THE ARTIST’S WAY
All too often, we become blocked and blame it on our lack of money. This is never an authentic block.
The actual block is our feeling of constriction, our sense of powerlessness.
Art requires us to empower ourselves with choice.
At the most basic level, this means choosing to do self-care.
by Julia Cameron
Authentic Luxury
We don’t have to book a 5 star hotel or buy the a $300 bottle of wine to get a sense of luxury.
We can take a mundane task and turn it into a moment of luxury.
Instead of rushing through your daily shower, bring a blue-tooth speaker and a scented candle with you.
It is surprising how adding a few more sensory delights transforms mindless routines into a luxurious experience. (You will probably get some great ideas too. Great ideas always pop up in the shower).
Or, try this—next time you’re at the store, buy one small thing for yourself that isn’t on your shopping list. Nothing practical or needed. Pick out something out of the ordinary and frivolous.
A while back, I bought a wine-colored wool fedora. Not practical in scorching Panama, but I like owning it, and it could be used for a future author photo.
Before that, I ordered two Klimt prints for my office from Great Big Canvas. I can’t tell you how luxurious and inspiring it is to write surrounded by my favorite fine art.
There are endless things you can order online purely for your own pleasure.
Ship them to your home, and it’s like receiving a gift from yourself. How thoughtful of you!
Your turn to luxuriate
You can create a sense of creative abundance all around you by becoming intentional about how you shape your experience.
Treat your life as a work of art. Get creative.
What would your weekend look like if you could design it?
Because you can.
Let’s do it right now.
CREATIVE LUXURY CHALLENGE
For this coming weekend, write a list of 10 things you could do to feel luxurious, like …
Order a fancy fountain pen.
Buy yourself a bouquet of roses.
Order new athletic gear.
Luxuriate in an afternoon of unstructured time.
Go out for a gourmet gelato.
Pick one or more items and enjoy.
Work your way down your list in the coming weeks.
Would you like to join us for more exercises like these? Treat yourself to becoming a better writer. Sign up here!
Don’t approach you’re writing with the mindset that someday you’ll write something incredible. Now is your time. Today could be the day you write that story that gets you the big break you’ve been waiting for.
The words you write today could be the beginnings of your best work. They might bring you to the person you need to meet, or the publication that gets you in front of the right eyes.
They might deliver you to the reader who becomes your biggest fan. You never know when you’re going to write the words that change everything.
All you have to do is show up.
Take care of your body and your brain so that you have the best chance. Get in that chair and do the work.
Be ready because today might be the day!
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Have you entered our short story contest? Get your stories ready. The deadline is June 21st, 2019. LEARN MORE.
