Thursday, November 19, 2009

A LIGHT AT THE END OF YOUR TUNNEL

It never ceases to amaze me where and when encouragement comes. We all have those times and days, when we want to throw in the towel. Sometimes, we don’t feel like doing the work when we have no promise of publication. We all need a light at the end of our tunnel and encouragement from others is a definite light.

This morning my light came via email. I received the most flattering and encouraging compliments on my first novel, THE DEVIL’S PAWN, and they came from a published author (I didn’t think to ask permission to use her name so I won’t, however, if she allows me, I will name her and add her links).

Do you agree we all need a light at the end of our tunnel? What are some of the ways encouragement has come to you? Have you been to the point of quitting, or have quit, only to have someone encourage you, giving you the determination to get back to work?

I can’t wait to read your responses!

11 comments:

  1. Hi M.J.! I saw you on the book blogs ning site. Your books look awesome! I love to read thrillers and will definitely have to order them when I can.

    I agree that we all need a light at the end of the tunnel to keep us going. I guess I am most encouraged when people tell me I am doing a good job. It is nice to hear and keeps me motivated.

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  2. Glad you enjoyed the article. Thank you for following my blog. I love your blog page and it has a great design. I am now following your updates. I was an English major as well. Best of luck with school. I know you'll enjoy the journey. Literature is such a mind opening and eye-opening path of study.

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  3. Hi M.J.!
    It has to be the sweetest reward getting feedback. Congratulations to you. And if it's any 'extra' encouragement;-) I always press that anything you do, do it because you want to do it... because you love it! Make it fun. That's the difference (& benefits) between working (a let's say) 9 to 5 because you have to, versus doing what you love.

    And hey, I'm enjoying your blog. Once upon a time I loved mysteries, which the Devil's Pawn now has my attention.

    RYCJ

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  4. I agree. Feedback is the sweetest reward. Even critical feedback is appreciated. Anything I can learn to improve my writing is welcome. So glad you're intrigued by The Devil's Pawn. I've been hearing good things about it and am very pleased.
    M.J. Macie

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  5. I am very much enjoying my English major! It's a lot of fun and I am reading all kinds of literature I would not have read otherwise, so thanks for the encouragement!

    I passed along a little award/activity to you if you are interested in doing it too! Not sure how to leave links in comments, so if you go to my blog, it's the "Honest Scrap" post. :)

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  6. Feedback is a two edged sword, I agree. But we can't grow without it.
    Great blog, and I'm glad I found it on bookblogs. I started blogging yesterday and suspect I will spend too much time on that and not enough time on the manuscript.

    Best wishes

    http://mesmered.wordpress.com

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  7. You are right and it should remind us to always pay attention -- because encouragement may not always be so blatant! I have had a string of unfortunate things happen lately, and then I found a Starbucks gift card in a long unused purse. I was sure it was worthless but I tried it anyway. It had $25 on it! Now it is almost worthless (he he), but it was the kickstart I needed to keep going, the encouragement I needed to go another day.

    This isn't exactly what you meant, but for me, at that point, it was enough.

    Looking forward to The Devil's Pawn. Thanks for visiting my blog!

    Michele
    SouthernCityMysteries

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  8. Encouragement comes in many different forms. I too found a gift card and thought it had expired (it was about a year old). It didn't.

    What a joy! Sometimes those little things mean so much, even if they just put a smile on a long face.

    Please let me know what you think of The Devil's Pawn.
    M.J.
    http://www.mj-macie-mysterybooks.com/

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  9. Feedback of any kind is good. Positive feedback from an insider is fantastic.
    I have had good feedback from a number of professionals and it has certainly helped me in keeping motivated.

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  10. Good for you! I know what you mean. Feedback gives me the motivation to keep going as well. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to quit because I felt I was going no where. Then, someone makes an encouraging remark and I know all my hard work is not in vein.
    M.J.

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  11. it was the kickstart I needed to keep going, the encouragement I needed to go another day.

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