Thursday, December 16, 2010

Another first!

Well, I've written my first guest post. This feels like a rite of passage or something.

My amazing friend Michelle Davidson Argyle asked me to write a little more about the mental/emotional aspects of my writing journey. So I did. Happily. I discuss my new philosophy: Optimistic Realism. (Hey, something had to come out of all those philosophical journeys.)

But the truth is, Michelle's a very cool, very talented, very published author, so you should check her out anyway. :)

10 comments:

Melissa Gill said...

Great interview on Michelle's site. I liked what you said about not letting pessimism sneak in disguised as realism. I can really relate to that.

Renee Collins said...

Melissa-Thanks! And yes, pessimism is tricky like that. :)

Kathryn Rose said...

Very cool! Great post. Found myself nodding as I read. :)

Shari said...

Such an insightful post. This is an incredibly tough business, I think we all know that ... so yes, realism is of the utmost importance. When it comes down to it, though, no amount of acceptance and preparation can completely diffuse the sting or hurt that rejection brings about. These are our babies, it SHOULD hurt when the response isn't what we want. That just shows how much we care. At the same time, though, optimism is every bit as important as being realistic. If we don't believe in our work, why should we expect others to?

I love the part about taking time to accept the pain and live it before moving on. Even if it's just a short while, we owe it to ourselves to feel that emotion before pushing ahead with renewed determination and hope.

Thank you for sharing your insights. They're a perfect reminder :)

Renee Collins said...

Kathryn-Thank you! :)

Shari-Well said! You put it better than I did. :) It's so true that while this is a business, and should be treated as such, we also pour our hearts and souls into our books, so it will never be unemotional.

Michelle D. Argyle said...

Thank you SO MUCH for coming over, Renee! I didn't realize you hadn't guest posted before. I feel honored to have you!

Renee Collins said...

Michelle-It was! And I felt honored to do it. :)

storyqueen said...

Optimistic realism is highly under rated!

Shelley

Miriam Forster said...

Go you and all your firsts! :)

Renee Collins said...

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