Have I lost a part of myself through the pandemic? Absolutely. I feel like I lost the part of me that is "woman." Not mom. Not wife. Woman. There was very little time for "me" through the hard times. It is instinctual for me to worry about everyone else first. I was a nurse by trade before having children, so once I traded in taking care of patients for taking care of my kids, I just transferred that need to care for others onto them. I need to make a conscious effort to do for me, which is where writing comes in. To complete a novel during a pandemic with feet constantly underfoot, I had to be disciplined on my writing and drink a LOT of coffee. The quiet times early in the morning or late at night usually the latter, I'm a night owl) is when I do my best thinking. I wrote my synopsis at 1 AM and a few edits with my editor later, it was ready to go. I wanted to thank you for the article about rejections. The constant theme of "trying" throughout all the stories resonated with me. Getting the rejection letters is tough. Like "I just want to crawl back under my covers" tough, BUT I'm trying. I am trying. And one of those nos will lead me to that yes.
Thank you for sharing this. I think it's even more difficult for people stealing that time for a creative endeavor, where there is that expectation that the final product will lead to something--publication or a new job or something that can be sold in shops. There's this knee jerk reaction to rejection of "that didn't work, I fought for the time to do or make this thing and it didn't work." But of course it's not true, because nothing is that cut and dry or linear. You accomplished the task of writing the book or making the piece of art or whatever you've been working on, and that result happened. You accomplished something huge by finding the time to devote to your own interests, you learned through the work, and rejection is temporary and just one piece of the bigger picture. It could just mean you need to connect with the right person, or that something needs a little tweak or the right time. I'm glad the link to the rejection letters was helpful, because I think it's *so* important not to give too much weight to any one part of the process, including a rejection. Keep trying, because it will pay off.❤️
Have I lost a part of myself through the pandemic? Absolutely. I feel like I lost the part of me that is "woman." Not mom. Not wife. Woman. There was very little time for "me" through the hard times. It is instinctual for me to worry about everyone else first. I was a nurse by trade before having children, so once I traded in taking care of patients for taking care of my kids, I just transferred that need to care for others onto them. I need to make a conscious effort to do for me, which is where writing comes in. To complete a novel during a pandemic with feet constantly underfoot, I had to be disciplined on my writing and drink a LOT of coffee. The quiet times early in the morning or late at night usually the latter, I'm a night owl) is when I do my best thinking. I wrote my synopsis at 1 AM and a few edits with my editor later, it was ready to go. I wanted to thank you for the article about rejections. The constant theme of "trying" throughout all the stories resonated with me. Getting the rejection letters is tough. Like "I just want to crawl back under my covers" tough, BUT I'm trying. I am trying. And one of those nos will lead me to that yes.
Thank you for sharing this. I think it's even more difficult for people stealing that time for a creative endeavor, where there is that expectation that the final product will lead to something--publication or a new job or something that can be sold in shops. There's this knee jerk reaction to rejection of "that didn't work, I fought for the time to do or make this thing and it didn't work." But of course it's not true, because nothing is that cut and dry or linear. You accomplished the task of writing the book or making the piece of art or whatever you've been working on, and that result happened. You accomplished something huge by finding the time to devote to your own interests, you learned through the work, and rejection is temporary and just one piece of the bigger picture. It could just mean you need to connect with the right person, or that something needs a little tweak or the right time. I'm glad the link to the rejection letters was helpful, because I think it's *so* important not to give too much weight to any one part of the process, including a rejection. Keep trying, because it will pay off.❤️