Views and REviews...

Having your work on Amazon for the entire world to see is -  well honestly, a bit scarey.  Your heart and soul has gone into work that may or may not appeal to the masses.  They may hate it, throw cyber tomatoes at you- or they may say it is the best thing since Kindle was introduced.
Either way, you are asking for feedback- good or bad, on something as personal as your inner thoughts.

So lets put that piece into perspective-  you are walking into the office naked- and everyone has a stack of score cards-  judging your dips and dents- holding up their assessment of you.

Am I being dramatic?
Maybe-
But it does feel similar. 

Yes, yes, I know it is my choice to put myself out there.  I could choose to keep my work on the shelf for the next generation- but  what fun would that be?  :)

So when reviews come in that are not as glowing- not bad, just not as loving as you would wish, it is a tough pill to swallow.

Not because "I wasn't perfect", on the contrary-  it is because many people take that review and begin the dissection process.  What could I do better?  What can I change?  I thought that point was clear, why wasn't it?  Did I really drop the ball?  etc     etc

And then the sick masochistic side of us as writers-

put more work out there-  more work that can be seen, reviewed, criticized and -the entire true goal- made better- at least we hope.

Blog Crawling...Searching through the blackness for Inspiration

Often I find I need little inspiration or ideas for my writing.  Stories and characters come, sort of splinters of people I know or have known, relationships I have had or read about, but today as I sat down to put my dusty keys to work- I've Got Nothin'.

Alas, I began to search the web- crawling through blogs, searching for ones with catchy titles, song lyrics or movie lines,  my usual suspects in my inspirational arsenal.

Interesting reading I came across.  Little glimpses into peoples minds, lives and in same cases pasts. 

That got me thinking.....

The best view is often from the rear view, afterall that is when we truly have perspective, appreciation and full understanding of the lessons we have come through.  The gifts we originally saw as painful scars, now heal up into beloved beauty marks.  I was once told, the only way out is through and so often I find that is the key to getting through when life is rough.

But what about when it isn't?  What about when life is finally feeling right, when your universe is finally spinning in formation with the rest of the galaxies and you have a moment to reflect.. (mercury did go retrograde today, maybe that explains my travels down memory Lane....I digress)

I found my state of reflection a joyous walk down the two roads in the yellow wood, one of my favorite paths to travel down by the way, bringing up such gratitude for every little thing that had brought me to this place today.  Every mistake, every heartbreak, every betrayal -made today what it is  -truly magical.  Without all of the skinned knees we wouldn't have the lessons and education that make up stronger souls, better people and well, let's face it-a better society. 

Do I live in a world filled with glitter and rainbows?  Lost in my fictional fantasy young adult land that I allow my mind to hang out in so often? 

Maybe, but I feel a thank you is in order to all those who have taught me so much.  Who have helped chisel the pieces of my mind into the machine (gumball machines are still machines!) that it is today.

So after my crawl through the darkness of saying nothing, and feeling I had nothin' - leave you with this little quote:  Think of it as an inspiration, a reflection if you will, of a work now beginning to take shape in my mind... or better yet, live your life to be this.  You would be surprised at how many of you already are this person and just don't know it.....

"How Lucky Am I To Have Known Someone Who Was So Hard To Say Goodbye To"

Now get on with your life, and know you have made a difference too.