Affirmation is my Albatross

We all know that writing is a long waiting game, whether you're yet to be agented or published, on submission, or awaiting reviews for your published work.

In these stages, it's common to look for sources of affirmation. I'm lucky to have a group of people who support me when things get challenging, but sometimes, affirmation becomes my albatross. I get so consumed with the external--what people think, and confirmation that I'm doing all right--that it's easy to get desperate when affirmation doesn't come my way.

Unfortunately, this makes me look a bit like John Cleese in the beginning of this Monty Python YouTube clip (language NSFW).



And here are some other reasons why having affirmation as my albatross is a bad idea (the fact that John Cleese has his around his neck is probably no accident):

1. I look desperate. ("Alllbaatrosss!")

2. It's extremely unsatisfying. ("I haven't got any choc ices, I just have this albatross.")

3. Sometimes I get defensive. ("Don't you oppress me, mate!")

3. And at the end of it, I'm still left with a gigantic bird that weighs down my psyche. ("Of course you don't get f*#king wafers with it!")

So here's what I'm going to try. I'm going to look within, and find what matters in my bones, no matter whether the affirmation comes or not. Namely, I'm going to ask myself the following:

1. What are five things I've accomplished?

2. What am I most proud of?

3. What do I value most?

4. What keeps me going when things get tough?

Often, when I answer these, I find I'm further along than I thought. Plus, it helps me keep focused on the writing itself (a great source of internal affirmation). With these tools, I'm optimistic that I can eventually drop my albatross for good.

So what about you? What is your albatross? In what ways does external affirmation (or conversely, disavowal) affect your writing life?

Bread Crumbs & Tying Things Together

I'm currently in the beginning stages of sending Open Thy Heart to betas, and being as this is the second in a series, I've found that not only is there the usual plot/writing stuff to do, but there's also a whole lot of tying things together. Like...

Re-introducing the characters. Reminding the reader as to who feels this way about whom, and why. Pointing out the problems in the previous book and gently refreshing the reader's memory on how they were resolved, and more.

This time, I'm on a bit of a deadline, and have found that the usual, no-rush timeframe of, well, getting this done whenever I want, isn't working so well. (Sad face.) Which means... coffee! (Just kidding. Sort of. Okay, not really.) Which (actually) means... lists! There is nothing more assuring and satisfying than crossing items off a list, especially that very last one, and boy do I have a list to go over. My editor once referred to the little clues given throughout the book that lead to the big revelations later on as "bread crumbs", and I love this description. So, my list currently consists of the laying out of bread crumbs. More importantly, making sure they are

1) consistent throughout the story

2) consistent for the characters

3) leading to proper revelations

4) keeping with the overall plot

5) keeping with the overall plot not only of this book, but with the series

I probably forgot something, but these are the most applicable. How about you? Is there a certain way you look at your storyline to ensure everything's tied up by the end? I'd love to hear about it! :)

(For another good list to go over whilst editing, check out Abby's recent Gesture Clutches.)