Dead ends
How to start all over again
I launched my first debut book out to friends and family. I invited the whole world, only a few faces showed up. The place, the theme, the props, the food- they were all there for everyone. As the day was nearing, only a few responses so far. I knew it wasn’t the big thing i was expecting it to be. So i prepped myself beforehand. I was not surprised when the turn out was, indeed, as i expected. However, i still made it as a writer. Wrote a book, published and launched it. I made my first big step as an author. I kept on writing, submitting my work to literary contests, applying for writer’s residencies all over. Early this year, i started this journey. Get my work out there in the world. I have been writing all my life though. The path i chose are for the relentless and lonely dreamers like me. It is a slow process in real time. No immediate response but when you do get one, it may not be what you want to hear to hear. A rejection. A kind pass. Not good enough. Not quite what we’re looking for. Not the right genre. Not the right word count. Too many great works. I heard it all. Each “no” is like a nail to my already weary heart. I paused. I let it sank in. I called it a night.
Sometimes, it takes longer than a day, a week, a month. Battles fought from within, body and soul. Plenty of times, you ask yourself why. The words come, but the body refuses. Pride always comes first. Exhaustion? Maybe. Frustration? So be it. At the end of the day, you come up empty. That’s the worst feeling you can have. So, you pick up your pen. Write your way until you feel better.
Dead ends.
That’s how i deal with it.
What’s your take?
How do you deal with dead ends?