Ute Carbone
  • Home
  • My Books
    • Book Club Fiction >
      • The Fall Line
      • Dancing in the White Room
      • The Tender Bonds
      • Blueberry Truth
      • The Lilac Hour(short story trilogy)
    • Comedy >
      • Secondhand Love (Annie Hoff)
      • Georgette Alden Starts Over ( Annie Hoff)
      • Confessions of the Sausage Queen (Annie Hoff)
      • The P-Town Queen (Annie Hoff)
      • Afterglow (Annie Hoff)
    • History >
      • The Whisper of Time (novella)
    • Anthologies >
      • Shared Whispers
      • Passionate Cooks
      • Recipes from the Vineyard
      • Poets Unbound
      • Poems from the Cranberry Room
  • Inside the Writer's Garret (My Blog)
  • About me
  • Poetry
  • Contact
  • Annie Hoff
  • My Photography
  • Dream River Press

Inside the Writer's Garret

On writing and life, with a little chocolate thrown in from time to time.

#Resolved

1/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
This Bob Satterfield Cartoon is from 1904. Some things never change. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Satterfield_cartoon_on_New_Year%27s_Resolutions_(1904).jpg
Every year, I make New Year's resolutions. Usually, by the time mid-January rolls around I've broken most of them. This year, I've decided to look at things differently. Instead of making a wish list of things, I'm going to work on what I need to move things forward career wise.
                Since this resolutions post is going up the week after New Years, you might think I'd resolve to make better use of my time. It's true that, most of the time, my life is out of balance, my desk is a mess, and I'm late for whatever-it-is.  I've tried hard to balance, to organize, to schedule my days better, but I always end up sideways. What I've decided to do, instead, is to not beat myself up about not being organized and not having a great sense of time. Life often doesn't go according to schedule. And that's okay.
                I have spent some time reflecting on my writing life. I write regularly. I  finish things. I  get my work critiqued and edited. In short, I've passed writing 101. My efforts have let me put five novels and four novellas out into the world. The process of marketing these books, though, and finding readers who love them, hasn't been very successful. I sell very little. I need to figure out how to do this better. I also have six unpublished, finished novels collecting dust on my hard drive. It seems I need to find a way to move things forward.
                Advice is more prevalent than kitty photos on the web. I've been reading and listening until my ears and eyes are ready to pop out of my head. There are a lot of options for writers these days. Choice is a wonderful thing, but it can also muddy the waters. The way forward looks confusing. I have no idea what will work and what won't.  Moving forward is also scary—what if this doesn't work? Then what? This may explain why I have six novels under the metaphorical bed.
                Back when I was teaching writing workshops, I would tell my students to go to the place that scares them, to run along the edge of the cliff. This is where the best writing is, the writing that opens you up, the writing that takes chances, the writing that isn't afraid. I've learned to love the challenge, and each day, when I sit down to my desk, I try to write as deeply and honestly as I possibly can. I've learned to listen to the small resolute voice in my head that says 'go for it.'
                When it comes to publishing and getting my work out into the world, I haven't pulled out the stops. I've let my fear rule me. This year, I resolve to be fearless when it comes to moving my career forward.  This means I have to be willing to go for it, rejection and discouragement be damned.  I have to start listening to the small resolute voice.
How about you? Do you have any resolutions for 2016?

                

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Welcome 

    This writing journey, this life,  is a long road full of pitfalls and wrong turns. Also, incredible beauty, kindness and friendship with those I've met along the way.I'm so glad you're here to share the road..


    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    Categories

    All
    #amwriting
    Cooking
    #life
    #np
    #poetrythursday
    #ShortStories
    Writing
    Writing With Courage

    RSS Feed

    older posts at blogger
    Posts at Coffee with Friends

    Subscribe to my newsletter.

    * indicates required
    Email Format
    More on my Books
    Ute Carbone on StoryFinds
    Find me at Story Finds
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos from Jacopo Marcovaldi, tjuel, tsaiproject, tiswango, g23armstrong