Cupcakes and Writing: Turtle

Turtle Cupcakes: Persevering

Ahh, nothing like chocolate and caramel and pecans to create a scrumptious and savory treat.  And that turtle atop the turtle cupcake in that picture is so gosh darn cute.  Kinda wishing I had that kind of creativity right now to create such awesomeness.

But anyway, the turtle cupcake reminds me of two aspects of the writing life, and both have to do with perseverance.

First: Slow and steady wins the race.

You remember the story of the tortoise and the hare, right?  Well, he didn't let the hare stop him in his own race, which is something I probably would have done.  I probably would have thought, "Well the hare is gonna win, why bother keep going?"

But he did.

I enter writing contests and don't win, but I see some of my blog buddies win.  And I want to give up.  But eventually I determine to keep going.

I get ANOTHER rejection letter, and see a blog buddy get an agent or get their book published and I want to give up.  But eventually I keep going.

I get writer's block and want to give up.  But eventually I push through it and keep going.

Slow and steady wins the race.  And though the slowness can be discouraging most of the time, sometimes, it gives me the opportunity to appreciate the journey.  I sure am learning a lot along the way.  About writing and myself.  And I will keep going.  Because maybe, just maybe, I will finish the race.

Second: Turtles have to be bold to get anywhere.

I mean, think about it.  They carry this nice hard shell on their back.  It's always with them and they could stay inside it forever and never get hurt.  But, if they want to get anywhere, they have to emerge.  They have to be vulnerable and poke those little arms and legs and head out of their shell.  And then they have to take one slow step after another, their extremities continually exposed to danger.

As a writer, we have to stick our hearts out there every time we share our writing with someone, or we send out a query letter, or enter a contest.  And the potential for danger is always there: a criticism, another rejection is always a threat.  But, if we ever want to get anywhere, if we want our story to do more than just live in our computers, or sit in a desk drawer, we have to be bold and take risks.  We have to keep on taking step after step, even if it means we are exposed.

What setbacks have you faced?  And what motivates you to keep on persevering?   And what do you think of turtles (the cupcake and the reptile)? ;)