When You Fall Off Your Horse...

…get right back on it. It works with riding horses and it works in the writing world as well. Yes you can choose to walk away from a horse and never get on one again. Yet to become a successful horse handler, you have to return to the saddle, conquer your fears and keep on riding.

It is the same in the writing world. If you want to publish, you have to continue writing. The words don't magically appear on the screen but you have to sit down in your chair, put your fingers on the keyboard and continue to write and tell stories.
Over the last few weeks, I've not been posting articles about The Writing Life. I've missed writing these entries and with this post, I'm getting back on track with them. I've been on the road speaking at two different conferences in Wisconsin and Texas. 

Plus I've been on the phone and emailing different authors about their specific projects with Morgan James Publishing. I'm happy to report that wonderful books are being published through Morgan James and authors are getting their books out into the marketplace. 

In about ten days, I head to Author 101 University in Las Vegas. If you are going to be at this event, then I look forward to seeing you there. If not, I encourage you to begin planning now to attend the next one in Los Angeles in early March 2014. We expect 400 to 500 people at Author 101 and lots of great networking and teaching and learning happens at these events. 

If you've taken a break from your writing and not been published recently, what can you to do start again? First, it's OK not to be writing all the time. Give yourself this permission. When I was not writing, I have been reading different books, attending workshops and taking in information. It's hard to give out day in your writing day after day without filling up with new information. Reading good books can be a critical part of your every day growth plan.

Second, when you have stopped writing, start again. Like the old cowboy who has been bucked off his horse, you dust yourself off, put your fingers on the keyboard and begin writing again. While my work hasn't appeared here, I have been meeting other deadlines such as my column Book Proposal Boot Camp for the Southern Writers Magazine (an excellent bi-monthly publication).

If you quit and walk away from publishing or writing, then that is a valid choice. It is not where I've been living and breathing for over 20 years.

If you have gotten bogged down with writing a long piece of writing such as a novel or nonfiction book, I encourage you to write shorter magazine articles. A change of pace is good for any writer. If you haven't written any magazine articles or need a refresher, I encourage you to read this article that I pulled together on this topic.