Heather's World

Whew, my break is finally over. I took a few months to let my writing settle before another revision and this time, I did a totally ban on anything related to writing. No character development, no writing classes, nothing. It was one of the more difficult decisions that I’ve made concerning my writing. I struggled with losing a few months of precious time that I could never retrieve. I had to weigh my options. A few months ago, no matter what I did, I felt my writing was not improving. Every time I read the same chapter, I’d convince myself that there was a better way to write it. Nothing I did seem to further my progress to complete my final revision. I tried setting it aside but my new manuscript wasn’t progressing either.

It was time to face some hard truths. I was burnt out. Reality was setting in and juggling my daytime job, my family and my writing was wearing on me. It was time to take a break. The decision didn’t come lightly. What if I didn’t ever come back to my writing? What if I stuck that manuscript in my drawer and never looked at it again? It’s a risk because as most of you know, trying to succeed with your writing is a struggle with setbacks at almost every turn. It would be so easy to just give it all up and walk away. I think every author has questioned whether the effort was worth the reward.

I laugh. I don’t have an agent or a book deal yet. Notice I said yet. Yes, I’m still an optimist. Some may say that I haven’t succeeded in getting the reward yet. But you know, after these few months, I’ve realized that I’ve already received my reward. It’s seeing my work on paper, knowing that I’ve worked hard and eventually, I’ll get my manuscript where it needs to be. Even if it’s not finished yet, I’ve created characters that are mine, crafted by my imagination. Some authors may better than me but no one will ever be able to create my same characters. They’re mine. Yes, my break taught me to look at my writing in a new light. It taught me that I wasn’t ready to give up yet. It taught me that writing is what I want to do. The past week, I’ve accomplished so much on my manuscript. The desire is there and I realize that it never left. Life was telling me something, it was telling me to believe in myself.