WRITE LIKE A SEA TURTLE. . .
How to Keep Moving Forward to the Open Waters of Your Destiny in spite of Challenges, Rejections, Impostor Syndrome and More!
Inspiration. . .a trip to the beach
End of summer; last day before starting back to school; we went to investigate and found this:
and this. . . .
The Ocean Isle Beach turtle patrol was helping some stragglers from a sea turtle nest
They had this lovely little runway built for these tiny guys.
Look how tiny!
And look how far . . .
and. . . .
when he gets here. . . . he’s not even quite halfway to their destination.
Can you imagine how far that feels to his tiny flippers on that dry sand??
Watching them was amazing! All these people were cheering; many of us were teary; it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen . . . .
The Connection to the Publishing Journey came later. . .
The experience was so impacting, I had to write about it, so I wrote a picture book . . .
My critique partner, Darla, read it, and over time (and many revisions), we began encouraging each other with little comments about “Sprinkles” and “moving forward”
We sent each other gifts with sea turtles and
Eventually we named our critique group “MOVING FORWARD”.
I began using this analogy with other CPs and CGs to encourage them.
One writing friend, after an email said, “Please turn this into a blog post.”
But then I thought I could tell you and show you and perhaps it would have even more impact.
So, this is what we can learn about writing – from a sea turtle named Sprinkles.
CONTENTS
Writing Seems Easy. . . .
but it’s actually hard & full of challenges – Like a sea turtle’s journey from their nest to the ocean.
01
Easy to be MisOriented
Find your why – your moon, your sea – and then keep moving forward!
02
Take full advantage of every opportunity!
You never know which opportunity/which wave will carry you to success!
03
Stop and rest when you need
Pause and breathe; reevaluate
Then keep moving forward!
04
Don’t underestimate the power of a buddy!
CPs, CGs, and creative friends can help us in many ways!
05
Keep Moving Forward!
06
Ignore the rejections, FOMO, imposter syndrome and keep moving toward the goal!
01
Writing Seems Easy. . . .
People judge – just like these little sea turtles. It doesn’t seem that far to us . In reality it’s hard and full of challenges.
For sea turtles:
For writers:
Play the first video. . . .
02
Easy to be MisOriented
Sea turtles can be misled by house lights and street lights. Writers can be misguided too –
03
Take full advantage of every opportunity!
While our performance does not determine our value, we DO need to give 100% and take every chance for success just like these little guys.
Every path is different and you don’t know what yours will look like until it happens. . . .
04
Stop and rest when you need
Watching these little guys was amazing. They would work so very hard and give 100% effort. When they would get exhausted, they would pause, rest briefly and then start again to continue the long journey.
05
Don’t underestimate the power of a buddy!
Sea turtles need friends – and we do too!
It’s better with friends!
Some protect us. . .
Some guide us. . . .
And some cheer us on . . .
06
Keep Moving Forward!
This is the most important one! When any of the above aren’t going as planned, we have to keep pushing, keep moving forward! Our yes is waiting and our success depends upon it!
Play Second Video. . .
Snippets from the email. . . and my journey
This business is so wonky! It's hard and full of ups and downs! . . . a couple months ago I was riding high. I got my first heart in PBPitch, had gotten ALL of my pieces accepted for Ignite the Spark and then I won the Mighty KidLit mentorship and I had won a giveaway. I felt like I was on a roll. I should have bought a lottery ticket in that moment. LOL Then came all the contest results: KidLit Choice (I was a finalist last year; didn't even place this year.) Valentiny (No Love at all), 50 Precious Words (which I have been a winner or honorable mention every time I've entered) Not even an honorable mention this year. PBParty for the third (or is it fourth) time -- not in the finals (even after the mentorship helping me to hone my entry) All of that riding high had gotten my hopes way up for ALL those things, and they were all duds for me. But in the midst of all those losses, this amazing opportunity was working itself out. I started not to enter PBPitch. I had posted that same pitch so many times before and had never gotten so much as a nibble. What was the point after all?!? But, Hello . . . .a heart. . . an offer. . . .an agent; all from an opportunity I started not to take.
Snippets from the email. . . and my journey
It's a twisty path, friends. . . .Today I have an agent and a potential book sale (it's not official or announced). There are no guarantees. Tomorrow or next week or next month I could be singing a different song. I have a dear CP who had an agent and we were so excited for her. Her agent had health issues and had to step away from agenting. There was no one to pick her up and now she's back in the query trenches.
Snippets from the email. . . and my journey
1. It's hard not to be jealous and envious when others (even friends) have success that you want and are working so hard for. What I found was the more I cheered others on, the more I genuinely felt sheer joy over their success. And you can feel both at the same time -- joy for them and sadness for you. Those feelings CAN coexist. But, the more I was genuinely excited for others, and looking for friends' names on the winning lists, the less sting I felt of my own. It may not work that way for everyone, but it definitely worked for me.
Snippets from the email. . . and my journey
2. You lose 100% of the chances you don't take. Sometimes when I get those really hard rejections/passes, I take a small break. Eat some chocolate, drink some wine, have some ice cream (Can you tell I'm an emotional eater?? LOL).Maybe take a walk, take a weekend . . . But don't quit. Take a little break if needed, but get back on the horse -- and don't wait too long until it feels comfortable not to put yourself out there.
Snippets from the email. . . and my journey
3. Find your why. If you write for the accolades, then probably best to stop now. It's risky and not everything will get accolades. If you write to get published, that's unpredictable. Crowds are fickle. If you write because you must, if you write because it's like breathing, if you write because it's how you process and heal and express, then do that. Learn about craft, find your niche, figure out who you are as an author, and then do that with all your might, all your heart. Never forget your why. Why do you write? Write it, frame it, make it your screensaver on your computer. Meditate on it every day. For me, I'm a woman of faith, so I have a life verse, "May my words and my thoughts be pleasing to you, Oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer." It guides what I write -- not only my stories, but my Twitter, and everything I say and do. It's my why. Basically, I want my words (written and spoken) to make the world a better place. Can I do that without being published? Yes, and I hope I have been for the 4 years that I've been busting it on this journey (and for all the ones before that when I didn't know as much about writing.) And, if for some reason publishing doesn't work out, I hope I'll continue doing that. It's different for all of us, but find your motivation, find your why, and then do it. Dolly Parton said it this way, "Figure out who you are and then do it on purpose."
Snippets from the email. . . and my journey
. . . .Know that all the passes/rejections/not yets are preparing us, thickening our skin, building our immunity so we can handle the subjectivity that will get hurled at us when we ARE published.
Stacy McAnulty has been super-successful but she got a terrible review from Kirkus for her latest book about Pluto. Does that make her less of a writer? Nope. She's having to shake that off and keep moving forward.
Here’s the link if you want to read the full thread.
https://twitter.com/stacymcanulty/status/1637589103087702016
Everyone has to deal with rejection, passes, bad critiques/bad reviews. . . . .they’re not fun, but they help us in the long run . . .
Snippets from the email. . . and my journey
One of my favorite stories that I've written (and one that will possibly never get published because the market is flooded) has become my mantra and my mascot. A couple summers ago, my husband and I saw sea turtle stragglers, helped by Turtle patrol out of their nest. They are so tiny. And that journey from their nest to the surf seems so short to us, but it is arduous for them! It was the most amazing thing I've ever witnessed to watch these tiny sea turtles flip and scooch over hot sand, flip themselves over, go the wrong way, almost get eaten by seagulls. Those little guys would work so hard and only move a little ways. They'd pause and rest and keep on scooching. So many barriers, so many dangers, so hard, but they just kept moving forward. Even when they reached the surf, there were those teaser waves that scooted them fast and furious and then dumped them right back on dry land. But eventually if they kept moving forward, they found themselves in the current and they could make it into open water. That is us. . . You've made it to the surf. You've had some teaser waves. Keep moving forward until you catch the current. . . . You'll get there if you don't give up!
Snippets from the email. . . and my journey
Keep moving forward my friends!
I love you! You're all amazing people and amazing writers!
Do you -- on purpose! Find your WHY and then just keep flipping and scooching until the surf spins you into the chaos of the publishing world!
THANK YOU