I Didn't See It Coming...

 

 

 

In the martial arts style I train in, TaeKwonDo, we do something called free sparring or padded fighting.  It's a way of perfecting our skills in defending ourselves against an attacker.  Unlike these two, we wear protective gear and use light contact which takes far more control of mind or body than just slugging it out. But sometimes you don't see a punch or kick coming or you don't block in time and you get hit where you least expect it.

 

I remember early in my training when I was still working out with my son.  He always had superior skill to my own but I enjoyed sparring with him because it challenged me to think on my feet and deal with whatever came my way.  One day, however, we were sparring during class and I must not have been paying attention as well as I should because I let my guard down...I dropped my hands...as he was doing a roundhouse kick and I stopped his attack to my head...with my MOUTH.  Needless to say that was a lesson learned from the split lip and permanent scar I have from being able to say "I didn't see it coming".

 

Writing can be like sparring sometimes...

 

We try to arm ourselves with strong writing skills, workshops, and books on how to perfect our craft, but sometimes it's not enough.  Sometimes we don't see it coming and we are hit by those pesky writing demons hell-bent on trying to beat us down.  Things like rejection letters, writer's block, self-doubt, and others sneak in a punch or a kick until we feel like all we are doing is crouching in a corner, cowering. 

 

But we have got to remember we are stronger that that!  We come from a long line of champion authors who are in our corner.  Encouraging us.  Cheering us on.  Lifting us up and reminding us we chose this path for a reason.  Simply put...we have no choice but to write.  It's in our blood...in our very souls...and no silly, self-made demons can deter our focus on this path to publication.

 

So I say bring on the rejection letters...it only proves my work is making it's way in the real world and one day it WILL find a home.  Bring on the writer's block...it will challenge me to be more creative in how I look at my work and maybe it is a gentle message to take a few moments to renew my own spirit before carrying on.  And I refuse to be brought down by self-doubt when I can reach out to this wonderful writing community I am a member of...I KNOW my "sparring" partners have my back and will lift me up while encouraging me to step back into the ring.

 

The only thing I have to worry about is this guy...

 

 

 





Take Pride In Your Pride

It's human nature to want to belong to the pack.  Practically hardcoded in our DNA to seek out social interaction from the day we are born.  Animals feel it too.  The urge to become part of a larger group, even when it results in a pecking order.  Lions are known to live and hunt in groups called prides.  Guided by the wisest alpha male, these prides of lions can maintain generations of family members through tight bonds and familiar relationships.  This writing community is like that pride of lions.

We take care of the new cub writers and help them assimilate into the larger group.  Through nature and nurture we welcome our newest members into the community.  We smile at their first hesitant steps because we well remember our own first steps on this path to publication.  We nudge and encourage until one day we see those new writers begin to grow into their writer's voice.  

Wisdom comes with time and lessons are learned along the way.  Soon those newbies aren't cubs anymore, but young authors who carve their own path in the writing wilderness.  Sometimes they challenge the leaders of the day with various outcomes, but it is done for the greater good of the group and leaders can change with the seasons.

I look around this writing community and realize I am no longer that newborn cub who gazes in wonder around her.  I am a member of a pride of writers who are fiercely loyal to their own.  I am still young on this journey and have much still to learn.  I am comforted by the knowledge others are watching over me.  Ready and willing to lend a helping hand and offer words of support as I grow into the writer I was meant to be.  Take pride in your pride for nowhere else will you find a family quite like this one.

Run with the pack and enjoy the ride...unless, of course,  you are that lone wolf with something to howl about...