Writing Challenges
The biggest challenge most writers face is writing. Whether it is finding the time to sit down for a period to hammer out the words churning around in our heads, tearing ourselves away from the ‘business’ of writing, including promotion, social media and editing, or balancing our writing time with the demands of a job or family. Oh, and let’s not forget our worst enemy, writer’s block. Anyone who’s been there can tell you, writer’s block is akin to losing your car keys when you have an important meeting. You know the keys are in the house somewhere, you just can’t find them. It’s the same thing with writer’s block, you know the words are locked inside your head, dying to come out, but you don’t have the combination for the vault.
In light of all of these trials, a reasonable person would ask the question, why do writers continue to write? If they’re like me, it’s because they have no choice. At any given time, there are dozens of characters, plots, and twists, crowding my head. If I didn’t get it out, I’d risk going crazy. I’ve often heard my fellow writers say that they didn’t choose writing as a career, it chose them. I couldn’t agree more. There will be days when it seems like nothing is going my way. My characters aren’t staying true to their voice, my editor tells me a manuscript needs to be re-worked because it is ‘too similar’ to something I’ve written in the past, or I didn’t meet a self-imposed deadline. Fortunately, for me, the good days overshadow the bad. It’s the days when my characters make me laugh out loud or shed a tear or two that makes it worthwhile. Or my personal favorite, when the revised version turns out even better than the original version and I’m forced to admit that, my editor, like my mom, often knows best. Not that I’d admit that to either one of them!
When I decided to make a career change from nutritionist to writer, I weighed the pro and cons. At the end of the day, being able to use my creativity to bring characters to life is a joy and a privilege. I think writers, like artists, and musicians are blessed with a special gift or unique talent that was intended to be shared with the world. So when the challenges seem over-whelming, I try to take a step back and remind myself it’s just another de-tour on my journey. As long as I stay the course, I will eventually find my way.
Feb 24 Tour Intro
Fang-tastic Books
Feb 25 Guest Blog
Roxanne’s Realm
Feb 26 Guest Blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
Feb 28 Guest Blog and review
Lissette E. Manning
Feb 29 Guest Blog and review
Feb 29 Guilty Pleasures Post
March 1 Guest Blog and review
Cocktails and Books
March 1 Guest Post
Lisa’s World of Books
March 3 interview and review
Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
March 5 Interview and review
Journey with Books
March 6 Promo and review
A Chick Who Reads
March 7 Interview
Kay Dee’s Place
March 8 Guest Post
Ravencraft's Romance Realm
March 9 Interview
Sarah Ballance
March 10 Guest Blog and review
For The Love of Reading
March 13 Guest Blog and review
Read 2 Review
March 15 Spotlight
Deep In the Heart Romance
By Cheryl Douglas
Release Date – February 2012
Trey Turner may be topping the country music charts but his life has been going downhill since his wife left him five years ago. He’s desperate to make amends for the mistakes he’s made and convince Sierra their love deserves a second chance.
Sierra Brooks is happy for the first time since her divorce. She has a career she loves and a fiancé who loves her. Unfortunately, her fiancé isn’t the only man professing his love. He may be able to offer her safety and security but will she decide to risk everything for another chance with the man who broke her heart?
About the Author
It took me thirty-seven years to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. I thought I'd found my calling. In fact, I worked as a nutritionist for twelve years before I finally admitted to myself that while I enjoyed my work, I couldn't imagine doing it for the next thirty years.
My sub-conscious knew that I wanted to be a writer long before the conscious part of my mind decided to get with the program.
While my sub-conscious was hard at work creating character profiles, plots and storylines, my conscious mind was telling me it was crazy to give up a successful business on the off-chance one of my manuscripts might rise to the top of someone's never-ending slush pile. After years of listening to that negative voice, I was finally ready to stop making excuses, face the fear and follow my dream of becoming a full-time writer, no matter the outcome. I'm so thankful I did.
I love bringing my characters to life and I am so grateful to have readers who love those characters as much as I do.
When I take a break from writing it's to spend time with my husband (a.k.a. my real life hero), my son, and my writing partner, Tia, a spirited Havanese who enjoys tapping her paw on my keyboard whenever I need a little comic relief.
www.cheryldouglasbooks.com
1 comment:
Thanks for much hosting me today!
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