I don't save every email I get--that would explode my storage space almost immediately--but I do keep some. And one of the ways I've been sorting them over the last couple of years was to separate some as "Bloggers/Writer Friends" and some as "Authors." (Yeah, I know it's not a brilliant system, hence the above maniacal laughter).
See, to me--writing/blogging is different than being an author. Being an author means you're published--or going to be. So I drew that distinction in my inboxes and sorted the emails accordingly. But as I was going through those folders this week--trying to make SOME sort of sense of them--I realized something:
A huge, HUGE number of people I'd previously sorted as "Bloggers/Writer Friends" have actually crossed over to being "Authors" now!
O.O
I mean...I knew I'd had lots of friends sell books over the last year or so--but it never really hit me how many of them had, or how many ridiculously cool people I'm privileged to call "friend." And it just filled me with this tremendous sense of hope that I wanted to share with you guys.
Yes, this journey is long and filled with tons of ups and downs and twists and turns. And getting a book published is HARD. But...IT ALSO HAPPENS.
And it happens to regular people, like us. People with a simple dream and a simple blog, writing away and hoping for the best. It happens. And we celebrate with them, because it's this huge, amazing thing they did. But really, they're just normal people who didn't give up and refined their craft and worked their butts off and finally got there.
And it happens to regular people, like us. People with a simple dream and a simple blog, writing away and hoping for the best. It happens. And we celebrate with them, because it's this huge, amazing thing they did. But really, they're just normal people who didn't give up and refined their craft and worked their butts off and finally got there.
And that means we can too!
Who knows when or where or how it'll happen for us--but if we don't give up and keep refining our craft, it CAN happen.
So don't let any bumps or discouragements along your journey get you down. Don't see others' success and think it'll never happen to you. Remember: the ones who've made it were just like you once upon a time. They're just a few steps ahead. But if you keep going, you'll get there. And then I'll be moving your emails to the "Authors" folder too!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Thanks for the inspiring advice. It's so true, but sometimes hard to remember when you're struggling to finish your book or find an agent. I'm happy for my blogger friends who've gotten agents and who are now selling books. It's even more special to read them when you know them as friends. Can't wait till your good news comes.
ReplyDeleteMore bloggers/writers I know have snagged agents in the past year. And that's always inspiring. People I actually know, including my crit partner.
ReplyDeleteA lot of my blogger friends have landed agents recently, and a number are so close to landing a contract. I get excited everytime I hear the great news. And I love going to the bookstore and saying real loud when I pick up a book in the YA section, "one of my friends wrote this." :D
ReplyDeleteGreat inspirational post, Shannon. In my short first year of blogging, so much has changed with so many writers. It's exciting and encouraging. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement, Shannon! We all need to remind ourselves that we can get there, if we just keep moving forward and working towards it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love finding my friends' books in the bookstore, too. :-)
ooh i had the same thought the other day, when i was looking at an old AW thread and a handful of the people chatting about querying and junk were now Published authors! It made me excited for the rest of us, to see where we'd be at in another 3-4 years
ReplyDeleteI separate writers from authors in my blog's sidebar too. Not to be mean, but to celebrate those who have achieved their goals.
ReplyDeleteI have a whole different system for email.
Love this post, Shannon. It's a lovely thought for a Friday. I have a feeling your "title" will be changing before long, too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the talk of pep!
ReplyDeleteNot to be snarky, but I find the term "author" to be a bit snooty. In my head everyone's a writer, but some are pubbed writers. I think if anyone introduced themselves to me as an author, I'd choke on my TGIF pina colada.
Hoping to see you as a pubbed writer soon.
Thank you for this inspirational post! It's always nice to be reminded that there's hope for all of us. :)
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why, but this just set off a flood of tears. I'm sitting here crying like a baby, #1. It wasn't a sad post. It was a hopeful post. Maybe it just triggered my own sense of hope. I don't know. *sniff*
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding us of the possibilities. :-)
Yet another post I needed to hear. Are you gunning to fill the void that Oprah left? After my last agent rejection I sort of curled up into a little ball and have been silently licking my wounds. I've avoided putting my m.s. back out...but now I'm motivated to do it :)
ReplyDeleteThis is so true! Sometimes I think we think publishing happens to "other people," especially if we've been at it for a while, or been rejected a million times.
ReplyDeleteSo when it finally happens to us, it doesn't feel real.
Great post. I always cheer when fellow writers get contracts, agented, published etc. The journey can be long or short, but the support of the community is awesome!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the post. CONGRATS to everyone who has an agent/has been published! You all know who you are.
ReplyDelete: )
Fantastic post to end the week! I'm ready to dive into my manuscript now. ;) Good luck with the email organization!
ReplyDeleteAww, what a kind-hearted and happy post! Congrats to you and all your author friends! And I'm starting to get a little scared of my email - good luck with yours!
ReplyDeleteerica
Girl, I tell myself this every day.
ReplyDeleteYou better keep and flag all my emails so it's easier to move them over when it happens.lol
Have a great weekend!!
That's really uplifting and inspiring, Shannon! Can't wait until your emails get moved into the "Author" file. :-) Have a great weekend - the weather is perfect!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I can't wait for the day that I'll be able to go into B&N and see my name on the cover of a book. *sigh* Someday...
ReplyDeleteSo true! I just LOVE hearing that one of my bloggy friends has snagged an agent, or cut a book deal. It gives me hope, but also--it's just really exciting!!
ReplyDeleteShannon, I *love* this. It reminds me of that quote:
ReplyDelete“Ordinary things consistently done produce extraordinary results.”
We just have to be faithful in showing up. :) Enjoy the holiday!
~Kristin
What a lovely and encouraging observation!
ReplyDelete