Survivalists and Authors Wear Heavy Boots

Why boots, you ask. Simple: if you're on the right track then you're walking a rough terrain. As writers we may appreciate a smooth expanse of paved road where things go our way, but that doesn't help us strengthen our writing muscles. We need challenges. We need to trek the hills.

What are the hills? Those are the mountains we climb not because they are there but because we wish to stand at the top of them. We write the story that pushes our boundaries whether creatively or emotionally. We trek across that floodwater filled wash that can sweep us away with one false step, because we love to feel our hearts pound and to know that we will not be stopped by fear.

At times we lose our way. The trees all look familiar and the forest around us creeps closer. We worry that our story is cliché and the characters are boring. Is this book too similar to what we've written in the past? We start to doubt our eyes and worse, our hearts. This is the point where a survivalist will tell you to stop and take a deep breath. Above all, do not panic. Think!

You're a writer. You were born to create stories, and whether one person or a million people read your books, they are stories only you can tell. This is the gift of free-will that can lead us to the right path. 

Yes, you'll get your share of bumps and bruises, but that's what comes with shaping your own destiny. There will be good reviews and bad. There will be manuscripts accepted and manuscripts rejected. Still, we dream of that NYT Bestsellers list with our name at #1. We love the hunt for those glowing 5 star reviews.

We fight and survive, because these stories are from our hearts and must be told. We do not fear pain or tears, for we are born of both and know how to heal. We will trek those unforgiving hills of publishing and become the professionals we are meant to be.

Mary Corrales

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