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This has been one of those weeks. Not because of any one thing. Not even because of that many small things. It's just been a tough week. There are times when I read through something I've written and it's beautiful and engaging and I love every word. And there are days when I want to take my laptop, throw it into a fire and watch all my dreams burn to ashes (an image that works better when I actually write on paper ;) Some weeks, it's just hard to keep those dreams going. It's hard to continue to have faith in myself and in doing what I love. Wretched artistic temperament.
But I am an optimist by nature. I can't stay down forever. To pull myself back up, I read Souless by Gail Carriger, a delightful read! I obsessively cleaned the area surrounding my fridge (I think I could eat off the floor beneath it). I went to the Los Angeles County Fair with my family. Yes, LA has a fair. And yes, it is that strange. And I signed up for an intensive 1st five pages workshop with Adventures in Children's Publishing. (You can win an ARC of Amy Kathleen Ryan's GLOW if you comment on all five workshop entries.) Still feeling a little down, but it's a start. It's not enough to let those feelings define me. I have to keep going, keep moving. I have to keep the faith.
Any other ideas on keeping the faith? How do you cheer yourself up when you feel like your goals are unattainable? How do you motivate yourself to keep moving when you feel like giving up on your dreams? Let's encourage each other. 'Cause I don't know about you, but I can use all the encouragement I can get!
Aw, sorry you're having one of those weeks, Jenny. I know exactly how you feel.
ReplyDeleteAnd OMG LA has a fair?! One more thing to add in my list of things to do the next time I'm around that part of the country.
I usually just listen to music on my iPod and free-style dance (in the safety of my own bedroom, of course) whenever I feel down/lose faith in myself. I actually have a whole playlist dedicated to "pick-me-up"s, since if my iPod is in free shuffle and it lands on one of the songs for my WIPs, I'll probably feel even worse (when things aren't going well with them). I also have motivational songs in there too, like Muse's "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and various Kpop songs.
I also like to watch romantic comedies or just movies that I know are really good/engrossing to keep my mind off of my own projects. I actually went through this whole phase last year when I was drafting NOCTURNE where I would just watch all the movies (or try to, anyway) on the AFI's Best Films list, just to get my mind off of the blahness of my own life.
Oh, and chocolate/ice cream always helps. But they don't work wonders for your body...>_>;
AND YES. Social networking through Twitter and Blogger is always great for encouragement. If you need encouragement, feel free to just drop me a message on gmail or Twitter. Not to sound cheesy or anything but we ARE all in this together. ^_^
Hope I helped and I hope you feel a lot better soon. :)
Thanks, Lyla! Just what I needed :) Some times I just feel like I keep putting things out there and I'm getting NO response. I actually considered changing Gabriel's name this week because I keep hearing that my story "feels familiar" and doesn't stand out enough. I just want one person to get as excited about it as I am! Which isn't really fair because I've had a lot of beta & CPs get into it, but I still feel like I'm trying so hard and not getting anywhere. It's so hard to keep my mind off of writing when I get into one of these moods, but I think I might bust out a movie tonight. Or watch the season finale of Haven since I had to DVR that. A little SyFy always cheers me up!
ReplyDeleteJenny, it always sucks when one of those moods hits. I feel like I'm in one every other day, and then I see a post like this and it reminds me that everyone goes through this. I think I sometimes forget that its hard for everyone, and that its not just me struggling with my words.
ReplyDeleteSo thank you, for that little reminder. And even being someone who's only read the few pages you've posted on your blog, I feel like your story DOES stand out. It's interesting, and draws you in, and someday there's going to be thousands of people who feel the same way.
So don't let the WIP get you down. You're talented, and sparkling, and it always cheers me up to visit your blog. :-)
Thanks, Megan. Your blog is always so wonderfully upbeat, so that means a lot coming from you! It's always good to know other people are suffering with me ;)
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