It's your choice . . .

by C. Michelle Jefferies

About halfway through November it became obvious that we were going to be having Thanksgiving dinner at our house. It seemed like a no brainer at the time. A two hour drive for most of the participants rather than a four hour or six hour drive to the other potential dinner place. About half way through the massive 'deep clean the house and prepare dinner for lots of people' I started thinking "What did I get myself into?"

There was food to assign, buy, plan, and prepare. Dishes, table cloths, and napkins to be washed. Decorations to make and projects for the little ones to plan.

To be honest, I was feeling a little overwhelmed.

As I finished the centerpiece project with my little guys I stood back, admired the leaf adorned mason jars and imagined how they'd look on my table with the china and crystal goblets.  The image of the table graced in elegant dishes and food made me smile. I made a decision right there and then. To have a positive outlook about the situation I was in. The one I'd willingly put myself in.

The dinner was perfect, the food was wonderful, the table looked stunning. Everyone was happy and content. The effort and attitude I put into the event paid off. Even when I looked at the pile of dirty dishes in the sink the memories of the amazing dinner overrode the thoughts of the clean up.

The question is, do we apply the same principals in our writing?

Do we look at our time writing as drudgery? Instead of it being time to be creative and let our muse flow with amazing ideas?

Do we dread the editing process? Instead of looking at it as the opportunity to make the story better?

Do we avoid things like writing synopsis, query's and submitting for fear of rejection?     

Whether we treat our writing as a job or a hobby, do we approach it with a feeling of happiness or dread?

A wise friend reminds me from time to time that "we get what we give." That if we want a good experience that a lot of it depends on our frame of mind and intent going into it. For example, if we sit at the computer to write dreading writers block, or revision we're going to most likely have a negative experience. Or, if we sit at the computer or send off a submission with a positive attitude we will have a much better experience.

What is your choice?

~The path to wisdom is not always straight.