DOWN BUT NOT OUT...

 (wikimedia commons)

To all my current and future #DCSPeeps (DECIDE, COMMIT, SUCCEED), welcome to my new series in my continuing effort to inspire, amuse, and entertain you! Each Monday I will select a new word to analyze how it might apply to our writing lives and also give you a peek into my childhood growing up in the swamps of southern Louisiana. 

The basis of today's post happened more recently, so kick back, put your feet up, and check out my story about TODAY'S WORD:

PERSEVERANCE

Two weeks ago I was teaching my adult Taekwondo class and getting my students ready for their belt advancement testings.  One of those students has only trained with me for two months now but last night she displayed the essence of PERSEVERANCE.

We were working on controlled leg sweep take downs where a person would end up on the floor if the technique was performed correctly. This student was taken down by her daughter, who also began her training two months ago, and in the process of practicing the take down the mother bumped her head solidly on the mats.

She wasn’t hurt, but it stung and brought tears to her eyes. Lying there on the floor with the whole class watching my student had two choices…

1) Give up before she really even began her journey to black belt because she discovered there would occasionally be “bumps” to deal with and overcome along the way.

2) Or take a moment to catch her breath, mentally (or in this case physically) pick herself up, and try again.

I was so proud of my student when she chose the second option and even finished the class.

Oh, and did I mention this young at heart lady will be 68 on her next birthday?

There have been many times during my writing career that I use some of the lessons learned in my martial arts training. The skill of PERSEVERANCE is one of them.

1. Writing is a lonely endeavor and easy to give up on when the going gets tough, but I PERSEVERE.

2. Finding the right agent to help me grow as a writer is challenging, but I PERSEVERE.

3. Being brave enough to put my work out there with the chance of being rejected is hard, but I PERSEVERE.

4. I may never see my name on the front of another book, but I can't imagine NOT doing this thing I love so much, so I PERSEVERE.

How about YOU?

Just remember my DCSPeeps, nothing is impossible if you have the right amount of PERSEVERANCE. This writing journey we are all on might have some bumps in the road at times, and we might even fall down occasionally while pursuing our dreams, but it’s all the times we get back up and keep trying that will eventually see us to our publishing goals!

I hope you have an awesome day today because you deserve it!

 

 

 

Children's book author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a 'ninja' writer of children’s picture books, middle grade chapter books and young adult novels by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books. She is also a book reviewer for Harper Collins, and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Donna is a lover of dark chocolate, good stories, and an adoptive mom to 20-pound guard kitty in Knoxville, Tennesse

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WHY REJECTION LETTERS ARE NOT A BAD THING

 (by Lisa Hall-Wilson/WANNA Commons)

Some of you might think I'm crazy. Others might wonder what I put in my drink. There might even be a wild thought it might be time for me to hang up my writing pen.

But just hear me out...

While I've been writing for more than 40 years, I only became a professional writer six years ago. I try to find time for my writing every day. I've sent my "babies" out into the world and dealt with almost every kind of rejection letter out there.

The "no response at all" rejection letter .

The generic email rejection letter letting me know my story isn't the right fit.

Occasionally the personalize rejection letter with kind words of encouragement.

It doesn't matter how we receive it, getting a rejection letter can still hurt our writers' pride. And sometimes it makes us doubt our own skills as a storyteller.

But it shouldn't any more.

While we're never going to do the happy dance over being rejected by yet another agent or publisher, there ARE three treasures hidden inside each one:

THE PERSEVERANCE TEST

Becoming a published author is a long, slow process. Dues have to be paid, sincere industry connections made, and in a way, writers have to prove themselves worthy of their future audience. Writing isn't for the faint of heart or those in it for the quick buck (cuz there aren't any quick bucks to be made I'm afraid!)

THE CHANCE TO EVOLVE

Every rejection allows us to work on our presentation. Maybe our query letters need tweaking. Maybe our agent or publisher list needs updating. Even the stories themselves might benefit from a little more polishing. When we incorporate the lesson found within each rejection letter, we become stronger writers who are one step closer to that coveted book contract.

THE RIGHT TO CELEBRATE

Rejection letters make any successes we receive along the way, no matter how big or how small, all the more sweeter. They help remind us we are stronger than our temporary setbacks. They allow us to show compassion for our fellow writers when they feel their own sting from being turned down in their pursuit of publication.There is also a camaraderie which allows us to do that happy dance even for the birth of a book not of our own making.

So I say bring on the rejection letters. I KNOW in my own heart I'm a good writer. Just because one of my "babies" haven't found a home yet doesn't mean it isn't loved. And when the time is right, someone else will learn to love them as well!

The 5 Things Needed To Win The World Cup...And Succeed At Writing

I know a lot of people are watching the soccer field battles going on around the globe right now. Everyone has their favorite team and I'm sure plenty of friendly wagers are being placed on who will ultimately win the World Cup.

There are also a number of people pleasantly surprised to see the USA team defeat Ghana and now are gearing up to cheer them on against Portugal.  Being the writer I am and not a huge follower of ANY sport, I found myself analyzing the games from an entirely different viewpoint and discovered there are a number of reasons a particular team came out on top each time.

1. SKILL

These teams are not amateurs but seasoned professional athletes. They spent a lot of time honing their skills and any victories earned have come from hard work at perfecting their craft. Writers prepare for the challenge of winning at the publication game by studying and fine tuning the art of storytelling until their skills as a writer are razor sharp.

2. SPORTSMANSHIP

Most of the time you will see athletes act in a respectful and courteous manner, even when they lose.  They can still feel a disappointing loss while congratulating others on a well earned win. Writers who whine about a negative response from a publisher or agent sometimes forget the walls have ears and others are watching...and many will be looking for a professional response at all times.

3. TEAMWORK

World Cups are never won by ONE person. It takes a group of individuals depending on each other to help and support one another all the way to the top of their game. Writers can depend on peer groups, critique groups, agents, editors, and publishers as well as friends and family to help them along the road to publication. And when the time is right, those same writers should lend a helping hand to those following in their footsteps.

4. PERSEVERANCE

I wonder how many times the players on the USA team have missed a goal during practice? How many times they have made a misstep and fallen? Did they just lie there, drowning in their tears of frustration or did they get up and try again until they succeeded? There will ALWAYS be writer's block, rejection letters, poor sales, etc. It is what we writers DO when that happens which determines our success at our chosen career.  Whether we become a door mat or get back on our feet separates the winners from the losers at this writing game.

5. LUCK 

Despite all the other areas a world class team may excel in, there will still always be a level of pure luck in claiming that World Cup trophy. All the stars need to be in alignment and somebody needs to be holding that lucky rabbit's foot because when all is said and done, soccer is still just a game and there are no guarantees in sports. Just look at the USA team. Odds were very much against them that they would beat Ghana and look what happened. Writers can't control being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time but they CAN increase their chances of winning the writing jackpot if they perfect the other areas...

My Mother's Gifts

My mother, Ferol Emma Ownby Lavergne, would have been 88 years old today.  She was born and raised in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas during a time when the men worked hard to provide for their families and the women worked even harder just to survive a sometimes harsh world.

She was one of nine siblings who scattered to the four winds once they grew up.  There was the aunt who moved to Washington State not far from Mt Saint Helen.  Mother visited in 1980 after the volcano erupted and brought me back a souvenir bag of ashes.

Then there was the uncle who moved to Oklahoma to run a country store not far from the Cherokee Nation Indian Reservation.  Mother would take me there every summer and it was there that I learned that I was part Native American.


But it was the other gifts my mother gave me which I cherish more than any of the material things she gave me over the years.  Gifts like commitment, perseverance and imagination... 


For reasons unknown to me, my mother married my father on a whim.  She didn't love him and I'm pretty sure he didn't love her.  It was a broken hearted rebound story with a relationship that endured almost 30 years of ups and downs. My mother spent the rest of her life devoted to her family.  Watching her strength to endure at times what needed to be endured gave me a gift that I have had to call on many times during my own lifetime.


We moved constantly when I was growing up.  Staying one step ahead of poverty caused us to change homes over the years, but the one constant I could always depend on was my mother's vegetable garden.  While I hated working in the garden during the heat of a muggy Louisiana summer, I understood the necessity of such a thing for our family's very survival.  Creating a garden at some of the places we lived wasn't always easy but my mother never gave up.  Working beside her day after day as she struggled to put food on the table taught me perseverance.  And it was that gift I used to survive a serious medical condition three years ago which could have crippled me for life if I would have let it.

But the greatest gift my mother ever gave me was a love of reading.  She was a Zane Grey fanatic.  I don't know whether those books reminded her of growing up on a farm during an untamed time in American history or if she just wanted to be taken away from the dullness of her every day life by escaping into a good book.  Either way, she encouraged me to read at a very young age and I discovered books when I was four years old.  My sister and I would walk the mile round trip to the local library and load up with as many books as we could carry.  To me, books were treasures to dive into and to this day I surround myself with books of every type.  My mother's love of reading fed my own imagination and is probably the reason I am a writer today.

For all the gifts my mother gave me as I was growing up,  I just want to say thanks.  I'm sure she wondered if her children would grow up strong and not be tied down to the life she was forced to live.  No worries...I'm doing just fine.

Happy 88th birthday, Mom, wherever you may be and hopefully you are still enjoying a good book...

The Power Of One

Some people are afraid of standing out in the crowd.  Of being alone.  Of being unique.  Some people don't even realize the awesome power of one...

Everybody can handle the good days...you know the ones...the coffee is already waiting for you when you get up,  the eggs and bacon are cooked just right, and you are way ahead of meeting the deadlines you have set for yourself. Nothing but blue skies and a spring in your step as you head out to greet the day.  The power of one is within you and strong, my young Jedi warrior...

But what about those days when the dark forces seek to destroy your confidence?  What about those days when you feel like the power of one is somehow weakened by the struggles of dealing with the ups and downs of everyday life? Kinda hard to turn on that light saber when the batteries have gone dead, isn't it?

It's days like those that give me a chance to take a breath.  Just stop a moment and realize that while the world may be spinning all around me and meteors are headed in my direction,  I am not without forces of my own.  As a martial artist, I have the energy of twelve years of training to strengthen my resolve.  Perseverance is one of the tenets of TaeKwonDo that I repeat every day and it is not just a word to me...it is a way of life.  As a writer, I have the gift I have been given to not see the world just as it is, but to see beyond into a world of endless possibilities if only I take that first step.

And as a human being, I realize the power of choice is mine alone to do with whatever I want.  I can choose to let life's disappointments get me down or I can create a way around the mountain.  I can choose to believe what others say about the power they think they have over me or I can show them differently.  I can choose to accept the path of most people where defeat is an acceptable way of dealing with what life wants to throw at you, or I can gather the invincible strength within me and simply announce to the world what the incredible power of one can do!

And if THAT doesn't do the trick...I'll just call on the Power Rangers...

The Long And Winding Road

Yesterday I received the good news I've been waiting almost a year to hear.  My poor broken house was finally getting fixed.  The battle between the insurance company and myself was over.  It had been a long, winding road to a final resolution and the only thing that helped me be successful at this endeavor was never giving up.  I also began to think that maybe this was how I should approach my writing.  

Before I teach a class each night, my students must repeat the tenets of TaeKwonDo which includes the word perseverance.  I tell them that perseverance means to never give up.  No matter how many times life comes along and knocks them down, they need to keep getting back up and keep trying.  It's the same with writing.  I started my new writing career about the same time a tree fell on my house and I had no idea both journeys would be so challenging.

A year later, after many twists and turns, I am much closer to my goal of having my home restored and one step closer to becoming a published author.  It hasn't been easy.  There was much to learn and overcome.  But I kept my eyes on the goal ahead of me.  When I thought I had no more fight within me  I turned to my friends, my family, this wonderful writing community and drew on their strength to keep me going.  I often wonder how I will ever be able to thank them for their solidarity in my time of need?

It's the reason for this blog.  To remind others...and myself...that no one ever said becoming successful at this writing thing would be easy.  The road to publication is long and winding with many stops along the way.  It can get frustrating at times and some writers may start wondering if it's even worth all the time, sweat, and tears they put into it.  I say yes.  I say keep your eyes on the goal before you and never give up.  Perseverance and success are more entwined than you might realize...

Act Like A Black Belt

You just knew one day I would compare my two passions, didn't you?  My school is preparing for our spring tournament competition next weekend and it got me thinking about my writing.  But then again, everything gets me thinking about my writing.  I'm thinking writers should face a new manuscript like preparing for a fight.

Make sure you are ready and keep your guard up.  If you can't think, you can't create.  Train with the best through classes, workshops, and conferences to enhance your writing skills.  Practice writing every day to remain prepared for that big moment when your creativity may be tested.

Take a leap of faith that you know what you are doing.  If you call yourself a writer than act like one!  Don't make excuses for any lack of published works.  A book deal doesn't indicate the ability of a writer, just their luck in finding the right match for their work.

Black belts train for years to hopefully achieve an acceptable level of skill.  They fall down many times along the way and learn patience in the process.  They live and breathe perseverance and so should writers.  You never know when you might get the chance to make that winning score in the world of publication and you need to be ready for it!