Howdy-Do, Mama Writers!! Hope your Friday is treating you right!

 

As many of you know, I’ve been gnawing away at my MS for quiet some time now. I had a goal to enter the Golden Heart last year, but watched that timeline disappear faster than a box of Little Debbie Peanut Butter Bars. Yep, I let real life and distractions like, um, other writers’ books snag my attention.

 

I don’t think I’m the only person to fall victim to such trappings as laundry, shuttling kids, meal planning, bills, Sookie Stackhouse books and TrueBlood! Real life happens and sometimes it knocks us with an ole one-two to the kisser. Hey, that’s life and it ain’t ever going to get easier. So, if life is the variable in the equation, that means I get to determine the constant. In this case, my constant is determination.

 

Behind every successful person is a moment where the rubber met the road, so to speak, and they got gazelle intense about achieving their dreams. Mine came last week. I received an email from an author friend of mine stating that her editor was not only critiquing pitches, but taking them! All I had to do was click over to the blog and pitch my opus in the comments sections. Holy $#@*, right?! A dream come true!

 

Yeah, here is where my “DOH! DOH! Moment!” came to pass. I didn’t have a pitch ready, because I had nothing to pitch! A half-written book is just that– a half-written book! So, I lost an opportunity because I hadn’t stepped up to the plate and put the time in swinging away. Awful baseball analogy, but you get the gist. :)

 

So, what’s a gal to do after she’s drowned her self-pity in Diet Coke and left over birthday cake from her 3 yr old’s party? I got frickin’ gazelle intense, that’s what!

 

No more putting my writing time on the back burner because something else comes up. I will make writing a priority. Life will always be there to throw lemons at you. It’s up to you to dodge the little buggers. I vote for making lemon custard filled pastries and pressing onward! *wink wink*

 

So, I’ve ramped up my battery and dived back into the program. No more Scarlet O’Hara or Snow White syndrome! Tomorrow ain’t always a given and waiting for Prince Charming to come to you isn’t nearly as fun as chasing him. All I need is 700 words a day, five days a week, and I’m on track to meeting my goal of entering a complete and polished MS in the Golden Heart this fall. That’s right. I’ll finally have written The End and after having a huge celebration for that milestone, I’ll be bellied-up to my key-board gazelle intense once again on finishing another one.

 

It’s not always easy admitting when you’ve taken detours, well, actually if you let me drive inevitably you’ll be taking detours because I have NO sense of direction or ability to parallel park, so I guess the  moral of this story is STAY THE COURSE AND FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS and not me on a road trip! ;)  But on the flipside, make sure you’re not so rigid you can’t roll with the punches. Don’t worry, we’ll get there together! Here’s my theme song of late, hope it sets your gears to motion, too! Darryl Worley’s Sounds Like Life To Me!

 

C’mon, fess up! I know I ain’t the only one! What goals are you chasing and how do you stay the course?

 

Have an awesome weekend Mama Writers! Get your three days of R&R started right! Head on over to my blog, The Lovestruck Novice, and scope out ANNA CAMPBELL’s guest blog! She’s talking all about secret identies and has offered up a free copy of her new release, MY RECKLESS SURRENDER, to one lucky commenter! Hope to see you there!