The High’s

I’m beginning to reach a point in my writer’s life where it seems that every day a new little surprise happens. Sometimes it’s a sudden, unexpected boost in sales of my books. Sometimes it’s being asked to be interviewed by local media or writer’s blogs. Sometimes it’s communicating with a world famous author on a personal level (which happened recently). And sometimes it’s just discovering someone has placed a great review of your work. Here’s another five-star review.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story! December 3, 2013

By jskilestn (Seymour, TN, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Drop Out (Kindle Edition)

Realistic and detailed and inspiring to live life to the fullest. Will bring forth an assortment of emotions but foremost will be to enjoy life, press toward your dreams......and don't let anyone or anything stop you!

*****

All of these highs of the writing life didn’t happen overnight. There were years of sacrifice and self-doubt. There were thousands of dollars spent on editing and critiquing. Hundreds of rewrites and rejections. Months of pure stagnation where nothing happened to further my writing career. But then just when thoughts of giving up meandered into my brain, I’d gain another blog follower, or book sales would increase, or I’d be asked to do an interview. And the high comes back.

My point is success doesn’t happen overnight. A writer may toil for years without experiencing one high, or a writer may experience a high on the completion of their first draft, or even first paragraph, dependant on your goals and expectations of the writing life. The high’s of writing are why we do it. Compare receiving a five-star review from a stranger to downing a bottle of vodka and I bet you’ll find the review-high a better buzz in the long run. You’ll also feel a whole lot better in the morning.