THE MOTIVATOR

The other day as I was going about my day to day business, I received this picture followed by a letter that has moved me in ways I didn't think possible having started the journey of writing and even more so, the agonizing vulnerability of putting yourself out there so nakedly to critics. As we all know, anyone can become a critic and expert on what others are trying to create. But, you know what? That's okay. I welcome it, as a matter of fact, that's what keeps me motivated to do more, to do better. But this picture, this letter is the true reason as to why I keep writing. I look at her face and wonder what part of the book she is reading that has given her such a laugh? Was it Rowhyn being Rowhyn? Was it the spirited waitresses at Sweet Nothing's teasing our protagonist, Will? I don't know and I love that! I love that she is entertained by something I imagined. I love that she wants to visit the sweet little town I grew up in and visit the bakery. If it can bring business to Galesburg's hard working business owners, than I succeeded. It's definitely not about the money. My mom told me long ago that the percentages of earning a living off of writing were slim and I appreciated her honesty...maybe not at the time, but as an adult all I can say is, "Thanks, Mom." So, I write for the sheer joy of it, the creativity of it and the idea that someone such as Mrs. Bulmanski will get a giggle out of it. But I also write because something in me tells me that I can take this as far as my dreams will allow. My husband calls it visualization--you visualize it, it will happen. When I add determination and stubborness to the mix, it is quite possible that impossibilities become, well,

possible. It does help to surround yourself with people that believe in you and help pick you up when you are down or stop you from having a temper tantrum when you get that first rejection letter from a literary agent. I am not speaking from experience of course! (My husband can be a saint.) It also helps to have friends that have similar experiences in the "daring" department. My childhood friend, Tim, gave me some advice about having thick skin and I am not talking sandpaper thick, but somewhere between crocodile and rhino thick skin. He published a book and received a review claiming his book was the worst that the reviewer has ever read in his seventy plus years on this earth. We both laughed and I told him that I had to read "the worst book" and it wasn't. It was great! That's when you break it down and understand that the review was just an opinion. It's not personal. So, in following my friend's thick skinned advice, I printed out my first, second, third...you get the point...rejection letters and placed them on the desk next to me to keep me moving. Stephen King pinned up his rejection letters with a nail until it couldn't hold them any longer so he replaced the nail with a spike. I keep my visualization board close to me to remind me to keep moving and not ever feel sorry for myself. I surround myself with people that love and support me not just to feed me the good stuff but to also keep it real no matter how much I choke on it. So, no matter how scary, how impossible, how brutal it can be to take the leap, the journey will always be worth it because you tried and weren't afraid to try...and every now and then a complete stranger will remind you of just why you are on the journey. Thanks, Mrs. Bulmanski!