#keepgoing - on moving forward when you feel stalled

Happy Friday, Operation Awesome!

Some of you Twitteratis may have noticed a hashtag circulating through the writing community earlier this week - #keepgoing - in which writers tweeted about the ways in which they've moved forward, even when this time last year, it felt hopeless.

The reason I think the discussion was so important is that everyone needs that encouragement once in a while. I'm sure there are some rare specimens out there who haven't had a single hiccup in their road to publication, but for the rest of us, there's always something. Whether it's agent-hunting, the submission process, low sales, bad reviews, a tough editorial note, or even a smaller, harder to articulate problem, any number of these things can stop you in your tracks.

#keepgoing reminds us that no matter how it looks now, you never know how your career is going to change if you keep pushing on. But how do you do that when you feel stalled?

Here are a few things that work for me:

- Switch it up. Obsessing over the project that's making you anxious is like salting the papercut, especially when that project is at a point where it's beyond your control. But sometimes it's not a project that you're querying or on sub with, sometimes it's a WIP that's just completely blocked, to the point where you wonder if you can even write anymore. In those cases, sometimes you just need to stick with it and push through, but other times, a shiny new Word .doc can be the perfect palate cleanser. It depends on what works best for the project, and your own personal process.

- Talk it out with people who understand.  Writer friends are the best in times like these, because we get it. You don't have to stop and explain anything to them, and together you can untangle the mess that is your thought process. It's good, in this case, to recognize what you need - whether it's a cheerleader, a nice brutal critique, a plotting buddy, or just a good old-fashioned venting session. Or just someone who will distract you with a nice bottle of wine and some silly TV shows.

- ... and remember to talk to non-writing people as well. Because it's always important to have perspective. My friends and family are just proud of me for finishing a book at all, regardless of how my career goes, so it's good to have the reminder that that's pretty neat on its own!

- Remind yourself that in this business, no effort is wasted. The frustrating part, of course, is when you can't immediately tell where those efforts will pay off - but whether that project isn't as dead in the water as you think, or helped you improve more than you'll ever know, every word you write is helping you somehow.

That's what helps me personally, OAers. How about you?

Have a great weekend, and hang in there!

Sliding Down the Longest Chute: Norma Johnson-MacGregor

Note from Kelly: This wasn't my best writing week of all time. My good friend Norma Johnson-MacGregor offered me some words of solace, and I asked her to put them into a guest blog for Operation Awesome.

Sliding Down the Longest Chute

This time last year I was flying high. I’d worked hard and landed a reputable agent, my manuscript was on submission to editors and I -- naively I can now see -- thought it would only be a matter of time before I received the elusive and coveted prize many writers aspire to obtain, the book deal.

To say the least, I was on cloud nine.

Then, a few months ago, I received a double whammy. That manuscript was unable to find a home at the several houses the agent had submitted it to and my next manuscript failed to spark the agent’s fancy. I was released from our contract.

Just. Like. That.

In retrospect, I can see that this was for the best. However, at the time I felt as though a gaping hole had just opened beneath my feet, causing me to tumble into an abyss. I was shocked that I hadn’t been given the opportunity to present another manuscript and further surprised at how quickly our relationship had begun and ended. Since then I’ve had my eyes opened -- painfully so -- to just how fragile agent/writer relationships are and how subjective and uncertain the publishing business is in general.

I have collected the pieces and moved on with a new work in progress. I’ve received countless advice and support from fellow writers. I’ve realized that in publishing, as in many things in life, the most we can do is accept the situation for what it is and move on, move forward, continue looking at the horizon and striving to make our wishes come true, no matter how unlikely it seems.

And yet, something haunts me that I’ve never quite been able to shake -- how much the process of trying to become a published author has damaged my writing self-esteem. I find myself constantly plagued with a case of the ‘why bothers’. Why should I bother trying to get my work ‘out there’? It’s hard. As hell. And those tumbles to the ground hurt, gosh darn it! And now that I’ve had an agent, I can’t help but feel like tarnished goods, like ‘who’s going to want me now?’

Sometimes, even though you know this is the standard ‘trial by fire’ rite of passage that many writers go through, it feels like you’re an island alone, and no one could understand the lows you’re experiencing right now.

I wish I had prolific advice, I wish I had a story of triumph, but I don’t.

The most valuable thing I have learned, is that all you can do is continue on even though it can be heart-breakingly difficult and you, too, may become plagued with a case of the 'why bothers'.

I read Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder -- I really like her stuff. Anyway there’s a part where the main character, Brooklyn, and her brothers are playing Chutes and Ladders that really stuck out for me:

…When I land on the square and slide down the longest chute of the game,
Matthew says, "I hate that one. Sorry, Brooklyn."

Everyone hates that one. It's the square nobody wants to land on.
But it's there. And when you land on it, you slide down,
practically to the beginning, and all you can do is keep going,
wishing and hoping for a ladder to push you back up

As I think of that I realize losing Lucca was my chute.

After that, I gave up, so sure a ladder would never show up.

When it's my turn, I roll the dice.

I'm not giving up.

Now, the topic of this book is far more serious than losing an agent. The main character’s boyfriend dies. That’s her chute. Still, when I read this, I thought that losing my ex agent was my chute. After that the ‘why bothers’ and I became good friends.

I don't know about the not giving up part yet...when I feel brave enough to start querying again, if that project gets shot down I may throw in the towel…for a little while. I don’t consider myself to be a wimp but I am human!

But what happened to me (and probably some of you reading this), losing an agent, suffering through doubts and failed submissions, that's definitely the 'square no one wants to land on'. The ominous one that takes you back to square one, leaving you with no other option but to wish and hope for better things to come.

If you have had a bad experience, just know that you’re not alone in your doubts and fears, and you’re not the first writer to have had the rug pulled out from under you. If you want your dream to come true, keep trying. That’s the only thing you can do.

A friend said this to me once when I was trying to decide whether or not to go back to University (which, thanks to his support, I did and ended up graduating with a Master’s Degree):

Don’t look at the ground because you’ll never see your full potential.

Don’t look at the stars because you can never touch a star and you’ll only become discouraged.

Look to the horizon, and go…

-- Norma Johnson-MacGregor