Writing Coach Rule #1 – when crafting a new scene, map it out, start writing and then put it away. DO NOT read what you just wrote, just keep going.

I’ve already broken Rule #1. I could not finish writing today and leave well-enough alone. So when I finished my daily quota (yep, there is a daily word count quota) at 2:34am, I decided I would read it before I sent it to Cheryl for review. And I learned instantly why she told me not to do that. I was sad, I thought my writing was mediocre at best and I really hated how that scene played out. I felt like an amateur and I questioned why I even bothered to pay for this time in the mountains, as if I had any business trying to become an author. So I prayed and asked God to at least help me sleep and try not to feel defeated.

I shared this feeling with Cheryl first thing when I woke up the next morning, forcing down the lump in my throat. She handed me a cup of coffee and said we would discuss it over breakfast. Her advice led to this blog – she said to capture everything I’m feeling right now, journal it, share it with others and savor it as part of my journey. I think she actually even told me to enjoy it – ha! Truth be told, I think the prayer worked too, because I didn’t feel defeated, I felt rested and determined to make it better. Cheryl gave me a few pointers to tweak in my scene and I fixed about half of them in an hour’s time – progress!

So I’m including this journal entry as a reminder to myself that nothing worth doing is going to come easy. That I have worked really hard to have success in my career and to know what I know how to do now. It wasn’t always second nature – it took years of training in a lot of different roles to get to where I am. Even as a mom I didn’t have a clue when we brought our first child home; I wish I had a “do-over” for some of the mistakes I made with the first that seem so simple now with the third child… So it will be with writing, and anything else I choose to do in my life. I’ve decided I’m going to learn to follow some rules, break some other ones, ask for help when I need it, and just keep trying.