Attitudes and Positive Affirmations

Attitudes make all the difference in the world. I've been exploring my own attitude about being a writer and how it affects my work. I've discovered that the poorer the attitude, the harder it is to write a good story. Lately, I've discovered a definite lack of positive affirmations to build me up and give me the courage to write. I constantly question my writing skills.

Am I really writing on a level that portrays what I'm trying to say?

Am I good enough to put my work out to the public?

I see other writers that are able to say their work is good. Why am I afraid to do this? Sometimes I lack confidence in myself and will find myself running self-criticism in my head. This is called your inner critic. An example of this is when I recently won third place in a writing contest. My reaction was: What? Did only three people enter?

I've been told that all writers go through periods of self-doubt and lack of confidence. With this in mind, I can lean on the fact that all writers have been through what I've experienced. Therefore, I've decided to give myself an exercise and attack the inner critic with a barrage of positive self-talk.

1. I am an aspiring writer, climbing up the ladder and learning as I go.
2. I can only be who I am and the more I write the better I will become.
3. As my urge to write increases, my desire for more knowledge expands with it. This will make each story more in exciting and appealing.
4. I am not alone, even though as a writer I write alone. My friends and colleagues support me with their critiques and friendship.
5. I am a good writer. Each stage of growth proves that I grow and become better all the time.

Even as I write these positive affirmations I feel my inner being becoming stronger and lighter. The heavy burden of intense criticism is peeling away like the layers of an onion. What's left is the honest critiques that we give ourselves as writers.

If you are suffering from an inner critic that is hammering at you, try writing some "love notes" to yourself and see what happens! 

Insecure Writer's Support Group

I've been away from my blog for more time than usual as I finish up the last few chapters of my final novel in my Dragon Stone Trilogy and I re-write and edit a short story for a book. I apologize to my readers, since it is you who are left hanging.

I've been at a loss for what to post the last couple of weeks. My mind has been wavering on wondering why I should continue to post and what is it I could possibly have to say. Today I will tell you I'm feeling overwhelmed by edits and re-writes that make me wonder if my work is up to par. Perhaps all writers go through this stage while trying to get a manuscript published, and I shouldn't get too worried about it.

Whatever the reason, I can't wait to come up for air so I can take a breather. I'm swamped with chopping adverbs and re-arranging sentences to make the best presentation. Now, even when I'm writing a single paragraph of a letter, I find myself doing re-writes.

Do I feel insecure today? Absolutely! But the famous saying, this too shall pass, is hanging on my lips as I struggle onward.

Coming soon: Dragon's Fury (Dragon Stone Trilogy, Book 3)
 
Darius, the seventh son of the King’s new acolyte, is wanted by the King. Escaping arrest, he’s given a dragon stone and a dragon egg to guard until the egg hatches. Taking the egg to the desert, where the Zandir place him under their protection, the dragon hatches and becomes a loyal friend and fierce protector. The Great One, Zandir’s voice of the gods, gives them a mission to save the kingdom of Mar and reveals the well-kept secret that there is one left alive of the true King’s line. The Queen of Mar has been in hiding with the Zandir. But the false King refuses to go quietly and is exposed as an evil sorcerer that has been traveling through the timelines, taking what he will.