I have seen the endless prerequisites required to become a successful author. You must get an agent, submit your work, set up your platform, suck it up they reject your work, start a newsletter, cultivate your voice, love reading, build your street team, read everything in your category, manage your brand, decide on your genre, learn your craft, daydream, and find your compelling reason for writing. What am I forgetting? Oh yeah, you also need to create something brilliant. The list is long, daunting and impossible to master in a short timeframe.  No wonder people quit.

I made a radical decision. I plan to ignore the mandatory requirements and helpful advice, opting instead to compose stories. There is a saying that states, “when the student is ready the teacher will appear”. I trust the devices and skills will arrive at the point in my journey when I need them. I intend to keep an open mind, learn whatever I can today and continue to write with the tools I have.

What is your favorite writing tool?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I’m not a patient person. My modus operandi is setting huge goals and compiling long to-do lists as I schedule my daily and weekly tasks.  Friends and family council me, telling me I am too optimistic, too unrealistic and too driven. They caution me to decrease my breakneck pace, saying I will burn out and quit.

I have a slow speed. Sometimes I downshift into low gear. I recognize it is necessary and healthy to disengage and relax and I take days away from my work. I can do nothing… for a while. Extended periods of rest and relaxation increases my stress, it grates on my nerves, my anxiety escalates, and I can’t sit still. I pace the floors, roaming from room to room, desperate to find an activity to keep my hands and mind engaged.  I know I will attain my goals because I cannot stop.

How do you relax?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Each morning a zombie rises, moaning and groaning it stumbles downstairs. The zombie staggers to the coffeepot. Water splashes, coffee grounds litter the kitchen like confetti on New Year’s Eve. It grumbles and waits, then fills a cup with wake-up juice.  A sip of the black witch’s brew and the transformation begins. My eyelids separate, and the world comes into focus. I see my goals on the horizon.

I consider my options. I could swim, build a boat, rent a wave runner, find a ferry, or buy a ticket on a private jet. The exact method is whichever one moves me forward, advancing me closer to my goal. I know I must act because I am not content to stand on the shore and dream.

How will you cross the sea?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Last week was a trial, a test of the strength of my determination. The wave threatened to crash over me. Everywhere I turned I encountered trouble, obstacles, and predicaments. I resisted the temptation to bail. I found myself in a tight slot, navigating the barrel and trying hard to avoid being axed. A heavy wipeout was not on my agenda.

I survived. I am tired and hopelessly behind schedule. Assignments stand piled high, taunting me. This week I will begin work earlier and stop later. With dedication, I hope to get back on track.

How do you persevere during tough times?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer