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)? ;)

Boldness--Cupcake Style

So, Blogging Buddies, I did it!!

I shared my writing with my largest audience ever!  Terrifying and exciting all at the same time.  Why do you suppose that is?

Anyway, I wrote a drama for our church's womens' event called "Celebrate You!".  The skit was about how we're like cupcakes.  (Have I ever mentioned before how much I adore cupcakes?  I've decided cupcakes are my writing trademark.  Everything I write at least mentions a cupcake.)  We all have our own individual flavors and we shouldn't be afraid to hide it.  But we do.

Anyway, the event was on Friday.  Over 100 people witnessed my writing unfold upon the stage.  There were laughs.  People clapped at the end.  I would consider that a success.  But what I consider the greatest success is that I was bold enough to write the thing, to give it my pastor's wife to see if she thought it fit with the theme of the event (obviously she did) and the rest is history.

Which has me thinking a lot about why it's so scary sharing our writing with others.  Is it because we're afraid of criticism and rejection?  Of revealing too much of our individual flavors?

I'm at a place with my writing where I either continue to keep it to myself, or I share it boldly.  I have a query letter I'm polishing to begin that fun process on my manuscript.  I have another writing project I'm half-way done with and I want to get feedback on before I get too far into it, but then I'm afraid of what others will think, so the project remains half-written.  I think it's a lot easier to keep that cupcake wrapper on, then to take it off and reveal our flavor to the world.  But that's not living a bold life, just a safe, boring one.

All right, enough with the rambling.  What do you do to overcome your fears and step out in boldness and share your writing and your flavors?  And am I only one obsessed with cupcakes?