Motivational Quote #17

I thought I would try to be early this week. Time is so precious lately and I didn't want to disappoint anyone by not posting on Saturday.

In November 1855, Lincoln wrote a letter to Isham Reavis. In this short letter Lincoln advises Reavis to get the books (law) and read them until he understands them. The last line of this letter includes the quote below:

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."- Abraham Lincoln

The letter was then signed, "Very truly Your Friend A. Lincoln"

Lincoln's letter was in response to an earlier one from Reavis, who had requested a student's position in Lincoln's firm--which Lincoln declined because he was gone too much to be helpful to Reavis. In this letter Lincoln advises him to study on his own and is telling Reavis that his own determination to succeed is more important than anything else.

That can also be said of the aspiring author. Nothing can hold you back if you are determined to succeed. Now, that might mean you have to push yourself to ask for critiques from fellow writers. It might mean you have to actually submit your polished manuscript to an agent or publisher. It could also mean that you need to take some classes to hone your craft before you're ready to move any further.

But whatever it takes, you have the power to do it. And if you don't believe me, won't you at least take Lincoln's word for it?

Motivational Quote #4

I'm posting this a day early because it will be a busy weekend and I don't want to forget my writing friends.

"Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed."-Abraham Lincoln

Discouragement. We writers deal with that a lot in our business. We get discouraged when our work is rejected by editors; we feel discouraged when a critique indicates weaknesses in our story; we know discouragement with every passing day as we remember that our name isn't on a book that is strategically placed on a shelf in our nearest Barnes and Noble.

And yet, if we saw these moments as opportunities, our outlook may be very different. How about seeing that editor's rejection as acknowledgment that he's only saying it isn't right for him, not that it's wrong for the many other publishing houses out there too. Could it be possible that a critique filled with constructive criticism gives us a chance to make improvements to our manuscript prior to submitting it to a potential publisher? And maybe, just maybe, the reason our name isn't on a book yet has more to do with it not being the right time and the right book than that we don't deserve it.

Lincoln is not telling us that discouraging moments will never come our way. He is suggesting that we not let those moments take ahold and steal our dreams away.

You have the power to change how you view these moments. You can see failure or you can see opportunities for improvement. Your point of view can be part of what brings you from the realm of the aspiring author to that of the published author!