Taking the Plunge.

I wonder if other people have the kind of week that feels both productive and extremely lacking in equal measure. This week has been like that for me, plugging away at my editing whenever I have the chance, yet falling severely short on the social media front. 

The writing will always be the most important thing to me, but there is no escaping the fact that building a following is extremely helpful when it comes to the point of getting your work out there. If you've managed to build enough interest and positive connections online, there are bound to be some people who would buy your book. Although I said a few weeks ago I was going to take the social media side of things more seriously, I admit I still haven't got the hang of it yet. Maybe I need to take to Twitter and ask the #WritingCommunity what kind of tweets from authors inspire them to engage the most, because I'm at a loss.

Having said that, my last blog post got a lot more interest on Facebook than any of my previous ones, and I put that down to the fact that I shared it to the Inner Circle Writer's Group. Maybe I need to put myself out there on that platform more often. I've also subscribed to the magazine now so just trying to build up the courage and the inspiration to write something to submit as a feature. Though it doesn't pay yet, being a relatively new magazine, I need to start somewhere when it comes to gaining experience, boosting my confidence and getting my work out there. It's all part of building that following I keep banging on about.

With all of us as beginners, I think it's really easy to procrastinate and find any excuse not to put something out there. It's fun to think of all the things we could do and which publications we could write for, but then fear can just dash it all away if we let it. I have all these ideas but, when it comes to the point of actually writing something for submission, I bottle it.

The trouble is, those of us who do that cheat ourselves out of some much needed affirmation. We could do it if we would only stop getting in our own way. Then, the possibilities could be limitless. Those first steps of submitting to various publications are scary. We're afraid of rejection, harsh comments and generally not being very good. But what if we get past all that negative self-talk and are actually really good? One success would lead to another, our confidence growing like a rolling snowball.

The worst that could happen is a rejection or simply not hearing anything back at all. Yes, that might have the opposite effect of a confidence boost, but the outcome doesn't have to be all negative. It would undoubtedly be a knock at first, but these things are also learning experiences. They teach us how to handle rejection without taking it too personally and help us to grow a thicker skin. It's all good writing experience too. We can keep trying until we find a way that works for us. It's all part of learning and growing and developing our craft.

So, as I mentioned, I've been cracking on with editing my novel. Round two of edits is just about done. Round three will be hot on its heels, but it's also time for me to bite the bullet and write something to submit in the very near future. If you're in the same boat and keep putting this off, I urge you to take the plunge with me. Post your links on one of my social media platforms too. I really would love to read what you get published, whatever it is. I'll keep you posted on mine.

V.

Poem: Quarry.

Laptop - Check.

Poetry collection - Check.

A half-decent command of the English language after all this time - Check?

Gin and tonic (large)- Check and check (and check.)

Let's do this.

Hi everyone. It's been a while since I last posted. We're approaching the two week mark now, the longest I've ever gone without posting. An inability to think of anything to write about plus a bout of depression coupled with extreme exhaustion have taken over lately. That's not gone, but I've decided that the best pick-me-up is going to be productivity, so here goes.

I still can't think of a thing to write about that seems relevant to where I'm at. I do have ideas ready for when the time feels right, but that's not now. Instead of doing a rambling post about what's currently going on with my work (that would be not much) I'm going to take the opportunity to share a piece of my poetry. While I've done this on social media before, I've never done it on my actual blog.

The piece I've chosen feels special to me this week, because it's about a disused quarry near my home where like to walk. I wrote it only a couple of weeks ago. This week, it has been fenced off for building work and I may never be able to go there again, depending on how much is built on and whether or not it continues to be fenced off afterwards. While I'm sad to have lost this place, I am so grateful that I had the inspiration to immortalise it, if only for myself. The photos I have shared with this piece are photos of the quarry which I've taken myself. It was important to me to show the actual place as opposed to using stock photos this time.

So, here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

Quarry

There is a place I sometimes go,

but no...

Why tell you when I can show?

Walk with me through the cursed streets,

down a littered snicket;

different rubbish every day.

Then, through the trees

and spring bluebells.

Half-built stone wall,

mossy carpet from which ferns grow.

Here is a dirt path.

The trees grow sparse

and, through them, the old quarry

spreads from here down to the tracks.

Hear the trains toot and click-clack.

Follow me to a rocky ledge.

The suburbs and city stretch out ahead.

Feel the wind tear at your hair,

carrying the screeching revs 

of dirt bikes below.

It will be peaceful when they go.

And see the landscape over which they ride,

steep hills, blind bends,

fly-tipped rusting obstacles here and there.

But here too we can see new growth

since man ceased taking the lands resources,

leaving the whole place stripped, exhausted.

Young trees here, buddleias there.

Wildflowers, thistles, the landscape's repair.

I am this place. This place is me.

My soul's metaphor for all to see.

© V. H. Stone.

Stronger Together.

Happy Yorkshire Day! Yes, it's the 1st August and CampNaNoWriMo is over again. I reached my 10000 word target with one hour and twelve minutes to spare. I hope your NaNo month went well too.

As soon as I'd finished, I took to social media to connect with other writers and had a beautiful Twitter conversation with someone about our achievements. She did amazingly, achieving a 75000 word target. (Wow, right?) My 10000 words was was dwarfed in comparison. An unhelpful and irrelevant way to look at it, but that's how I saw it for a moment. Surely anyone with the ability to write so much in a month would look at my minuscule achievement with derision. 

Not so. 

Inevitably, people tend to be kinder to me than I am to myself. (Not difficult.) I'm way too hard on myself about everything. It's my way of preparing myself for the occasional brush with a particularly unkind person. This was not such an occasion. In fact, our conversation made my day. When we'd spoken about our goals and what we'd been working on and I'd explained the fact that I also have my day job and parenting to do, she said:

"That's amazing!! Congrats on your accomplishments! Love that you're balancing life and making wonderful things happen. You're a rockstar!"

A rockstar. What a beautiful thing to say. These kind words came from Laura Winter, whose Twitter handle is @_winterwriter. Her book, Soul Obscured, is available for pre-order. Please do check her out.

We all know that compliments feel good, even if we're kind of awkward and get all flustered because we don't know how to take them. I think we all have to admit that it's great to receive recognition for hard work and anything else we take pride in. A lot of people, myself included, dish out the compliments to others to make them feel good, but we neglect to give ourselves the same treatment. It's hard for us to dwell on our successes. It's like we think our heads will get too big if we congratulate ourselves on a job well done. 

But kind words about our efforts cheer us on. They give us the boost we sometimes need to keep going, particularly at the most difficult times. I don't think, as writers and artists, we can ever have too much support. I don't know about you, but the real support comes from people who are in it too; people who know what it's all about. That's not to say that others aren't supportive. People are just more likely to engage in conversation about pursuits they know about and have an interest in themselves.

That's why we need to do what we can to support other writers and artists. That can mean offering constructive feedback, discussing projects together, spurring people on with encouraging words, offering ideas if asked, and even sharing their work. Only by opening a dialogue with other artists can we help each other out in the ways each individual needs most. 

Indie authors can always use connections and a little help with promoting their work. I read a tweet yesterday about the stigma that's still attached to self-publishing and the reaction of pity people receive when they tell someone they've taken that route. We have to get past this assumption that the only reason people self-publish is because their work isn't good enough to be traditionally published. Maybe it's because they don't want to give a 15-20% cut to a literary agent. Maybe they're good enough at marketing to make it more lucrative for them to go it alone. Maybe they just want to be independent, not beholden to anyone else or obligated to use the publisher's ideas of how their work should be presented. Each piece of work should be judged on its own merit by the reader. We need to do away with the snobbish belief that if it's not traditionally published it's no good. Let's support indie authors as much as we can.

A community, even a virtual one, might mean the difference between a person achieving their goal and becoming discouraged. How much more likely are you to push through difficult times with some support behind you? So, whenever we see an opportunity to lift someone, pay them a compliment, help them with their promotion, let's do it. We're stronger together.

V.