More Fun Than a Basket of Puppies

On Writing: Yesterday I finished the edits on the first manuscript. Today I will read the edited pages aloud to make sure everything sounds good. Hopefully that won't take too long, then it's on to second m/s. I came up with a possible secondary plot for this book, since a few beta readers mention liking my heroine's best friend (but I don't have book planned for her.) I might attempt to work it in, but not today. I'll have to mull over the possibilities for a few days.

Oh, yesterday I read an old post on the blog Seekerville (http://seekerville.blogspot.com/) by Bob Mayer on writers feeling like a fraud and believing in oneself. I know this is not unique to writers. I think it must be a human trait because I have seen this mentioned by people in all walks of life. I have felt it myself. When I was young (high school young) I was a ballet dancer. I was pretty good. Went to NYC for auditions and won 4 scholarships to 4 of the best ballet schools (Joffrey, ABT, SAB and Harkness for any ballet aficionados.) So, I had some talent. BUT...in the back of my mind was always this fear that one day a teacher was going to find out that I was only good because I was doing it wrong; that I was a fraud. And once they discovered that and made me do it the "right" way, I'd be no good. I used to have dreams about it.

So, when those doubts start to poke at me on my writing journey, I try to focus on how my writing makes me feel. Am I proud of it? Does what I write and the process of writing make me happy? So far, the answer is yes. My learning curve is going in the right direction. Would I like for other people to get pleasure from reading my work? More than a little kid wants a basket of puppies! But at the core of it, I have to write for me. I have to be happy with the process and proud of the product. That is the part I can control. Anything above and beyond that is a blessing.