Pitfalls -- Despair

Hi folks, tons of stuff hitting this week end so this will be short but heartfelt.  I've seen authors at the point of despair and feel like I'm teetering close right now. So how does this pitfall work? It's the feeling you get after hundreds of submissions, hundreds of more queries, a number of almost published moments, and a ton of personal notes from many, many, publishing professionals that your works are PRETTY GOOD, but not good enough, for a number of reasons.  I will tell you what I do to deal with it.

I keep working. You just don't go this far and give it up. It's not good sense.

I also do little things that perk me up  -- go to an open reading, try writing something I haven't tried before, and daydream  about the moment when someone says yes to my work. The only thing I'm sure of -- despair is a choking emotion, and it must be negated.

I fight for optimism. I keep a file of notes people have written to me about how much they enjoy my writing. I reread those. I talk to my writing friends about how I feel and this often cheers me up. I think about people who have persevered in much more trying circumstances than mine.  I think about the future the most, instead of the past. Last, I hope. I let that thing with feathers perch in my soul.

Here is the deepest thing I know to do. I ask myself if my stories might make a difference. The answer is the one thing I am sure about. I think they will, and so I don't give up. I believe. That is all I can do.

Hope you climb out of the pit of despair if you are in it. I am sure of this too: if you quit, you will not succeed. :) Keep trying.

Here is my doodle: "Diving Bird"  This was copied from a petroglyph in New Mexico. I like that the soul of the bird is a smiley face. 

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself. Lucille Ball