Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Guest Blogger Jennifer LaBrecque


I first discovered Jennifer's books when I read her Blaze Daring in the Dark. I fell head-over-heels in lust for Simon, and the book went straight to my keeper shelf. When I found out she was good friends with our friend Rhonda Nelson, I knew she'd be a neat person as well. Turns out, I was right. She's super funny, really smart, and nice enough to come hang out on our Playground. She's also a fabu writer, and she'll be giving away a copy of her latest anthology, Secret Santa, to one of today's commenters. Y'all make Jennifer feel at home, okay?

Confessions of an Almost-Imposter

Hey! I’m so excited to be at The Playground. I love playgrounds. Truly. I’ve been known to get in trouble a time or two on a playground. Shocking but true. Fourth grade. Private Christian school. Me and another girl inserting every cuss word we knew (at that time it was limited to the “d” and “s” word) into a retelling of Cinderella at the monkey bars. Someone in the audience snitched. We were hauled into the headmaster who was also a minister. Reverend Woods gave us two options. He could call our parents or we could kneel and pray for forgiveness. That was a no-brainer. God might not be particularly happy with me but it was highly unlikely he’d strike me dead over a couple of bad words. Mama, on the other hand, would positively kill me. And since God already knew, I didn’t see any reason for Mama to find out too. I dropped so fast I bruised my knees.

But, today I’m going to try to behave myself and stay out of trouble on The Playground.

Playgrounds are good places to share secrets. Can you keep a secret? Alright. C’mere and I’ll tell you one. Lots of times I’m not sure if I’m really a “real” writer. Most of the time I feel like an imposter.

It’s true. There are all kinds of things “real” writers do where I fall short of the mark.

A couple of years ago I sat in on a published writer’s gab session at Moonlight & Magnolias. The guest speaker, a New York Time’s author, dropped this. “I didn’t have to do anything to write that book except listen to the voices in my head. And they were talking so fast I could hardly get it down.” I felt like a total imposter. Dang! Five books and that had never happened to me. First, there are no voices in my head. I was sort of glad because most of the time I feel kinda crazy anyway without hearing voices and there’s just not a lot of extra room in my head. But she was a NYT lister and I was a nobody and maybe all real writers heard voices. Plus, I was downright green over that taking-dictation-so-fast-she-could-hardly-keep-up business. I’d donate a body part for just one book like that. For the most part my writing is about the same pace as molasses…on a cold day…in Alaska…in December. No voices. I’m obviously just faking the writing gig.

Next sticking point – “real” writers have a burning, compelling need to get a story onto paper. Uh…not exactly. Once again, I’ve been disqualified for the TNC, True Novelists’ Club. I obviously have stories to write, but it’s more like a nag sitting on my shoulder. Southern-bred guilt trip as opposed to a burning passion.

All the years before I sold, and even for years after I sold, I felt just a wee tad shy of bonafide because I’m not much of a plotter. Okay, that’s a gross understatement. Look up panster in Webster’s and you’ll find my name. I know the beginning, I pretend I know what’s gonna happen in the middle, and I know the end (lucky for me it’s a romance or that’d probably be up for grabs as well). Don’t the legit folks have it all figured out up front?

Then we come to the touchy subject of ideas. Authentic authors are bursting at the brain-seam with plots and stories. They’re veritable idea mills. I’ve got one or two that bounce around at any given time but I’m not exactly overwhelmed by my fertile imagination. (I tend to save that for late at night when I’m the only one up and I hear a noise.) Yet another strike against me.

One word – and be forewarned, it’s a bad one. Revision. I was sitting in a writer’s meeting once and we were discussing our works-in-progress. I shared that I was knee-deep in revision doo-doo. One of my sister writers shot me a sympathetic look, albeit one reserved for a lesser being, and said, “Really? I never have revisions. But then I spend a lot of time getting it right before I send it in. I can’t help myself, I’m a perfectionist.” Perfectionist? And there I was thinking she was something else! Mais non. Verifiable writers get it right the first time. They don’t get seven-page, single-spaced revision letters. Those letters are reserved for us pretenders.

But just at the time I feel as if I’m the biggest trickster, putting something over on everyone, I realize I am a real writer. First, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my writer credentials. Let me assure you I have the neuroses to prove I’m legit. Everyone expects a writer to be neurotic. If I weren’t a writer, then I’d just be a nut.

Second, my husband asked me once if I won the Power Ball Mega Millions thingie (which is highly unlikely considering I don’t play the lotto, but he does), what would I do. I thought about it for about two seconds and said, “The same thing I do now. Write. But I’d hire a bunch of people to do the stuff I hate to do – housework, bill paying, errands – so I’d have more time to write. And I’d buy a house at the beach and a house at the mountains – so I could write there.” Several million bucks and I still want to stare down the blank computer screen? Forget the neuroses. That proves it. Maybe I’m just plain nuts.

But the absolute, bottom-line validation is this: I keep showing up for the party. Revisions from hell? I slog through them. Bad review? I keep my butt in the chair. Nasty comment about my book? I’m still working. Ouchy rejection from an agent? My fingers are still on the keyboard.

Granted, there are times I hold my breath waiting to be revealed as the big faker because there aren’t any voices in my head, the words aren’t flowing off my fingertips, I’m neither the plot maven nor the idea girl, if I have a burning sensation I reach for a Tums, and I’m considering legally adopting Revision as my middle name. But (and that’s my big but – sorry, I simply couldn’t resist) I suppose when push comes to shove, I am a real writer after all. How do I know? Because eventually, despite my excellent procrastination tactics and neurotic self-doubt, I write.

Okay, so what’s your secret? What leaves you feeling like an imposter? What tells you you’re real?


Visit Jennifer's website (www.jenniferlabrecque.com) for more info on her books. And be sure to check out her blog!


40 comments:

Problem Child said...

Hi Jennifer!

As an unpubbed writer I always feel like an imposter. You guys know about it, but it's not something I mention in casual conversation.

"So what do you do?"

Me: "I'm a writer."

"LIke for the paper?"

Me: "No, books."

"Neat. Which ones?"

Me: "Um, well I haven't actually sold one yet."

"Oh." (Long pause.) "So what do you really do?"

But recently I found out that Darling Geek tells the people at his office that I write. (We got a new HOD member that way.) That makes me feel a little less like an imposter.

And the day Amazing Child told a total stranger "My mommy writes books, you know" helped some too.

Playground Monitor said...

Umm... when you order the t-shirts for the Imposters Club, would you get me one in a size medium? Long-sleeved please.

Not only do I not hear voices nor have ideas screaming to be written, I haven't even written a whole book. Well... if you took all the short stories I've written and stuck them together, there'd probably be the same number of words as a book. But every one of those stories had to be yanked from me with the writer's equivalent of obstetrical forceps.

But like you I still keep plugging away, sending stories to that magazine editor's office in New York City, checking the mail box every day for a contract and trying not to feel like a phony while sitting amid my fellow RWA members who have written whole books.

My horoscope said 2007 is supposed to be my best year ever (and I mean E-V-E-R) so maybe the book will appear in '07?

Thanks for coming by to play. I have band-aids in case you skin your knees or oh... cut your finger with scissors. :grin:

Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pants said...

Welcome Jennifer! We're really excited to have you here today.

I feel like an imposter in the middle of every book. I hit this point where every 5 or so pages, I sit back and say to myself...you suck. You have no business as a writer. This plot is stupid, these characters are dumb. You could be doing something productive like watching Law and Order.

Then I slug through it, finish the book and feel pretty good about it. Until someone else looks at it...

Even if I only ever sell 1 book, I want to have that one to hold in my hand and be able to tell myself, if not every other person I've ever met, that I am a writer. A real, published writer.

(Yeah, I know I'm a writer if I write, publication doesn't matter, all that touchy feely pre-published hoo-ha, but having the book in my hand would make it real.)

So Jennifer...could you tell us about one of your worst rejections and how you slogged through it? I think I could use a "you'll live even if you feel like you're dying" story.

SP

Katherine Bone said...

You've got lots of spunk, Jennifer! Great imagery. Thanks for sharing and for being here.

I feel like an imposter, too. Getting married and having children right off, I've always been defined by the word Mom. As an unpublished writer, I deal with loads of guilt. How do I justify the time I spend writing, researching, etc... when I could get a job, a real job, one that actually pays? Or be content to bake, sew, and do all the things I'm capable of doing at home, things that Mom's do?

Voices? I hear them nagging me to finish the WIP but the doubt, the 'what can I possibly contribute?', 'is it good enough?', voice intrudes. Being your own worst critic can be debilitating. How have you overcome those kind of insecurities in the past? And when and how did you get your first break into the business? Was it through an agent or an editor?

Thanks,
Kathy

Kira Sinclair - AKA Instigator said...

Oh my God! I'm not crazy. Thank you, thank you, thank you. :-)
Writing can be such a solitary experience it's nice to hear that I'm not alone in feeling I'm an imposter.

There are days when things are moving wonderfully, days I wake up thinking of my characters and what I need to do to mess up their lives and make my book better. And then there are those days I'm staring at a blank screen and the accusing cursor with no idea how to move on.

Just knowing I'm not alone in fighting those fears makes it easier. Although, the thought that they don't magically disappear with that first sale scares the snot out of me.

Thanks Jen for visiting with us today!

Kathy, Moms bake and sew? That's what I've been doing wrong! *slaps forehead*

Instigator

Playground Monitor said...

...Moms bake and sew?

Well... I made banana nut bread from scratch yesterday but it was easier than listening to the DH ask again why I bought bananas if I wasn't going to eat them. And now I have the yummy banana bread!

As for sewing -- used to do that many, many, many moons ago. Does putting buttons back on count?

PM

Anonymous said...

Rhonda, I'm finally getting comfortable telling people I'm a writer. Hey, it's only taken 6 years to get there. I still hesitate when I'm filling out a form with the occupation blank.

Problem Child, I know just what you mean about the fam helping dispel the imposter. My DH has always LOVED telling people I'm a writer. I still remember the great feeling when Girl, in kindergarten, did one of those craft projects and said her mommy wrote "gud books." :)

Very cool, Playground Monitor, that 2007 is your best year EVER. Do it! Make it happen! And the fact that you're sending things out is what matters. Hey, I'll share one my favorite sayings (can't remember where it came from) -- I hate writing, but I love having written. I'm trying to work on embracing the process more.

Oh, Smarty Pants, I am so with you girl. Instead of helpful character voices smooth sailing me through the book, I've got the evil dragon of self-doubt taunting me. I'm so intimately acquainted with this horrid dragon that I wrote an article for my chapter newsletter a couple of years ago. I think I'll pull it up and post it on my blog tomorrow.

Hmmm, rejection. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Recently, in fact. Sent a proposal to an agent, since I have no agent and I'm looking for one. There was all the blah blah about reading my work with great interest and then the stuff about publishing being subjective. Sandwiched in between was this, "I am not certain that the writing is strong enough." Can you say OUCH? I could use a band-aid, Playground Monitor. I can revise a storyline, can't revise my voice. I truly had the wind knocked out of me for about a day. I sat back and really thought about it. Ultimately, cool-headedly I decided that I disagreed with her. I'm not pissed off. I don't think she's an idiot. I just disagree with her. I still believe in my writing and I still believe in that project. I also made a couple of phone calls to my BentQuillPosse compadres, Rhonda and Vicki Lewis Thompson.

Kathy, I've missed field trips and classroom parties because I was behind and had to hit a deadline. And I'll tell you exactly how you justify it -- you are setting a shining example for your children that goals and dreams are important and obtainable. You're a role model for perserverance and determination. Your children will carry that with them much longer than what you did or did not bake.

My first "break" was when I found and joined my local RWA chapter. That was invaluable and I seriously doubt if I would have published without the things I learned there and the doors it opened because my second break was through a chapter contest where an editor read me. The real merit in finaling in or winning a contest is getting your work in front of an editor or agent.

Anonymous said...

Oh boy, Jennifer. Thanks for joining the playground and posting on the subject of being a "real" writer. Ironically, when I sold to Blaze I started a blog, and the first serious writing topic I posted was titled "The Four Myths of Selling". Myth #1? That selling will validate me as a writer. LOL!!

It's always a pleasure knowing I'm not alone!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, Instigator, to scare the snot out of you but it doesn't get easier with the big "P." Heck, it might even get worse because there's this crazy notion that you should actually know what you're doing.:(

Kathy, when my Girl was about six I was vaccuming and she was staring at me. I turned it off and said, "What?" "I've never seen you vaccuum, Mommy." LOL! But she knew all about me a tthe keyboard. ;)

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm not a writer and never will be. However, I am a reader, reader and reader. I do adore what you and the other ladies write. It so takes me away from my day-to-day or sometimes year-to-year problems. Think - a divorce that took 2 years and in between 10 years of stuff with the ex., 1 1/2 years of unemployment, 6 months of 3 relatives passing away including my dad and then the other stuff that comes along. My hat is off to all you writers who help me and others along the way deal with everyday crap and give us hope. I admire that if you won $1 million that you would still write. If I won $1 million I would still work in some capacity just not full time. I am a faculty secretary and I truly enjoy the variety of things I get to do and the people that I work with. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and dreams. Good luck and I will see you at your blog. Also, what kind of rush it must be to go to a bookstore and see your name there on your publication.

kim h said...

hi Jen, good to see you. keep up the good writing

Anonymous said...

Lori, lol at your first blog about the myths. Have you had someone ask you yet, "When are you going to write a real novel?" :) I have. More than once.

Sassy, thank you so much!! That's so nice to hear. That makes me feel very un-imposterish. (Is that a word or did I just create a new word? :0)

Rhonda, we're all indebted to Beverly then because you write great books! Of course, so does she! I love her books!

Hi, Ginger! Your comments alone make it worth staring down that dragon. And I hope things are going better for you cause you've had a rough time of it.

Beth, I know what you mean about reading when you should be doing other things. I really, really love losing myself in a good book. It just doesn't happen as often as I'd like. :)

Meljprincess said...

Hi Jennifer,
Nice to see you here at The Playground. I have purchased my copy of SECRET SANTA. However, I missed HIGHLAND FLING! Oh, the agony...I couldn't get out of the house to get it and you know those books only stay on the shelves for a very short time. The good news is I have a couple of Amazon gc's and I plan to order it. I was so freakin' mad that I missed it! Remember we discussed it over at Access Romance? Good times.
As for my secret...well, it's a secret and for once I'm keeping my trap shut. However, I can relate to some of the writing comments.
I know I told you this once, Jen, but it bares repeating...I absolutely loved BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE...
Friends, you must read this book if you haven't already! It's excellent.

Anonymous said...

Do your ideas come to you one at a time? Like you have to write one before the next one will gel?

I'm worried I'll never be a productive writer because my ideas come so slowly.

Maureen said...

I like your post. The voices in the head was too funny. You make me think of parenting when you ask about feeling like an imposter. You meet the same type of women when you're raising kids. The perfectionists, the ones who just know what to do and the ones who have a plan for every stage of said childs life.

Anonymous said...

Melissa, nice to "see" you again. Yes, I remember you at Access Romance. Hope you like Highland Fling. And thanks again for the kind words about Better Than Chocolate! I never get tired of hearing that someone likes my books. :)

Meggie, my ideas often come when I'm in the middle of a book. That's sort of a good thing and a bad thing because the grass is always greener on the next project -- meaning I want to drop what I'm doing and work on the new idea. But the good part is I've got an idea to go to when I finish the current project.

It seriously is rather daunting to me that I don't have more ideas tumbling to get out so I can appreciate your concerns, but don't let it stop you from writing. Margaret Mitchell only wrote one work of fiction (well, aside from a story she wrote as a teenager).

Jennifer Y. said...

Welcome and great post! I loved, loved, loved Highland Fling btw. My grandmother actually bought it for me. She offered to buy me a book and I picked that one. When she looked at the title and cover, her eyes went wide and she just stared at me like I had two heads. I had to remind her that I was old enough to read it. I don't think she realized I loved romances.

So my secret...hmmm...I can't really think of any...I am pretty open...I guess the fact that other than my immediate family no one in the rest of the family knows I read romances...but that is because they never ask. I am not hiding it and would gladly share it...some seem to have a low opinion of them though. Like others I am just a reader...don't have the courage to write anything...Hmm...maybe another secret is that I'd rather spend money on books than clothes or even food. I am not much of a girly-girl and none of my friends could understand when we went to the mall why I would rather go to the bookstore than shop for clothes. I sometimes had to pretend to be interested though so I would hurt their feelings.

Oh, and I dream about the books I read...like mini-movies...that is another secret.

Jennifer Y. said...

I meant so I wouldn't hurt their feelings.

Anonymous said...

Jen, I'm with both you and Maureen. Impostering at motherhood cause I just do what seems right, but I'll never be the "green," perfectly done mom who gives wise advice, provides the perfect organic lunch, and knows just how to foster a genius IQ. But I love my kiddos, and they've turned out to be kind, lovable, honorable people.

And then there's writing. We've talked about this before, but the "process" is never the same, the voices aren't always reliable, and sometimes that revision letter brings bad news about the stuff I never dreamed was off and praises the things I thought would have to go. So, I clearly don't know what I'm doing.

But then there are the days when the writing flows--on paper--not just when I'm in the shower and don't have a keyboard handy. When I can't tell who's talking--the voices--or if I am the voices, and they are me. When I'm so buried in the story that I forget to move until my body forces me. And I look up and time has passed, but it's all been story time for me, and I have to fight to come out of the life I was living in the story. Now that's when I'm a real writer!

Anonymous said...

(Excuse me for going off topic, but meljprincess, how nice to see you! It's been a long time.)

CrystalGB said...

I feel like an imposter when I see how some people who work keep their homes looking so nice and not like a tornado has hit. How they do this I don't know.

Katherine Bone said...

...when my Girl was about six I was vaccuming and she was staring at me. I turned it off and said, "What?" "I've never seen you vaccuum, Mommy." LOL! But she knew all about me at the keyboard. ;)

That's so funny, Jennifer! Thanks for the quick lift.

My fear is that something someone said to my mother long ago will come to pass. She was told, "You are talented at many things but you aren't really good at one specific thing because you do too much." I've driven myself hard, to be the best Mom, volunteer, etc... Now as I try to do something for myself, I feel guilty for putting the other 'stuff' aside. It's sure good to know that following my dreams is a good example to my kids. I appreciate the reassurance.

Question. I've entered some contests for the first time. You mentioned that you disagreed with what an agent wrote about your writing because you believed in your voice and the work. As I prepare myself for the criticism to follow, what advice can you give me on how to handle the varying opinions sure to arrive at my door? And what ways have you handled rejection in the past?

Kathy
(who went to see the Phantom of the Opera 11 times after suffering a major rejection last year.)

Minna said...

Lol! Crystal, I know exactly how you feel!

Lois said...

Well, I don't think I'm much of an imposter and no real secret. . . the funny thing is I'm just as shy online as off. LOL :)

Lois

Problem Child said...

I'm a complete imposter as a mom and wife.

Moms cook and sew? Ha. I think Kathy must have something more than my 100 Ways to Fix Mac-n-cheese in mind. Sewing...well, I can do amazing things with a stapler and some safety pins (made a whole Halloween costume that way one year!)

I'm not a very good wifelet, but DG hasn't filed for divorce yet :-)

But everyone's happy and healthy so I guess I've done the job for another day.

Anonymous said...

Maureen, ain't that the truth? I defintely have those parent imposter moments.

Hi, Jennifer Y! I remember you from AccessRomance Tell Tales. So glad you liked Highland Fling! It's always nice to hear that. Love that you'd rather shop for books than clothes. My idea of a fun Friday or Saturday night is to close B&N. ;) Very cool that books become movies in your dreams. Real actors and actresses or no?

Anna, I think it's realy hard to have a clear perspective on our own stuff. And yes! I love when the story flows and you lose yourself in writing it. Just wish it happened more often.

Crystal, I truly resnet those people cause I don't manage it at all. Usually looks as if a small tornado just came through my house. Blech.

Kathy, I do think it's important that you're following your dreams and that's setting a great example for your children.

Advice on those varying opinions you're about to get? That's a tricky, slippery slope to navigate. I'd suggest a couple of things. First, try to distance yourself from your work -- not easy to do. Second, see if you're getting the same comments/type of feedback from more than one person. If so, that probably has some truth/merit to it. Still, run it by a trusted critique partner and see what they think. My final piece of advice -- anything that carries even a hint of venom or meanspiritedness or sarcasm -- dismiss it instantly and give it no weight. It's not constructive criticism, it's just someone being nasty. Hope that helps.

Hi, Lois. Glad you popped by. It's not easy to come out of lurk mode when you're shy.

Anonymous said...

This is a great post. I have imposter syndrome, I suppose. I'm epublished, and a lot of people don't take that seriously, so I get asked pretty often when I'm going to write a real book. I have high hopes (and a ton of determination) to sell to NY in 2007, but after the last year in the epubbed world I'm pretty sure I'll still be fighting the doubt demons. Am I good enough? Was this book a fluke? Can I do it again? I've met so many writers the last year, epubbed and print, that say they go through the same thing that I seriously doubt it ever goes away.

Playground Monitor said...

Mother imposter. HA! Been there, done that. I guess now I get to be a Grandmother imposter? :grin: Hopefully I've learned from raising my kids and will do a better job at being Grammy.

Of course if we were perfect at motherhood and threw the perfect parties, we'd be Bree Van de Kamp on "Desperate Housewives" and we all know she's married to a murderer! ACK!

PM

ReadingIsSoMuchFun said...

Hello Jennifer,

I am glad to see you are here to join us YaY! Have a wonderful day here.

WoW you sound so much like me during school. I was a bad one and never wanted to listen to the teachers. I guess I was hard headed and probably still am or just stubborn.

I feel like an imposter everytime a recipe I am trying turns out to be delicious and edible! I have become a very good cook after some trial and error. My fiance still teases me about when I used to burn rice, but at least the meal tastes good now!

Happy Holidays Everyone :-)

Hugssss
Linda.H.

Katherine Bone said...

Thanks for the advice, Jennifer! I appreciate it. I'll try to remember what you said when the results start coming in.

Being an imposter? I've worked so hard being THE MOM for so long that I think sometimes I find it hard to be myself. Has the Mom become the imposter posing as me? Or has the individual, with talents and dreams, posed so long as the Mom that she's forgotten how to be herself?

Yes, I did all the sewing of the Halloween costumes, the goodies for Homeroom class, made sure home backed cookies or brownies waited for the kids when they came home from school, yada yada yada. That was important to me. You know, Martha Stewart and all that. Now that the kids have grown, I've relaxed a little. You stop having babies and suddenly you wonder what comes next? The kids are almost out of school and suddenly you realize that you have to move on. Fighting for something to call your own is down right hard and sometimes I find myself floundering.

Question. Other than after having your work rejected, has there ever been a time you felt like giving up on your dream because it was inconvenient or easier to do?

Kathy

Problem Child said...

Looks like things are winding down...

Thanks soo much for being here today Jennifer! We'd love to have you back any time!

Angel said...

Okay, now I feel like a real heel. It looks like I haven't been here all day, when I know I posted around 3pm this afternoon. Where did it go?!?!

Thanks for being here, Jennifer! I've really enjoyed the post and comments (even though mine disappeared into the internet).

Angel

Anonymous said...

Loribelle -- Imposter syndrome. I like it. I'm gonna have to use that again. And whether your're epubbed or print, I think it's an issue.

PC, I have to confess that I'm not winning any wifelet awards, in the traditional sense, either.

PM, Linda, and Rachael -- so now we have grandmother, cook, and reviewer imposters as well. Rock on. ;)

Rachael, that's good to know that you like to hear from writers after you've reviewed their book. I never knew.

"has there ever been a time you felt like giving up on your dream because it was inconvenient or easier to do?"

Kathy, pardon me while I catch my breath from my wild, hysterical laughter. Many a time. I think writing looks so easy to a lot of people -- ya know, you just sit in front of a computer and do it. I get really frustrated with myself when I can't seem to get it right or I'm not sure of the direction I've taken or a number of other things. Obviously I eventually work through those things. :)

Thanks for having me here at The Writing Playground today!

Anonymous said...

Angel, no worries. I posted a comment around 4:30 and it got eaten up by the blogosphere. I hate it when that happens!

ReadingIsSoMuchFun said...

LoL Jennifer Yes it looks that way. I love to cook and I am always looking for new ideas and recipe's. I love the internet I search for lots of recipe's :)

It was a pleasure having you here with us Jennifer. Hope you come by again.

Happy Holidays To You All.

Hugssss
Linda.H.

Katherine Bone said...

Thanks for coming to play, Jennifer! It doesn't look like you skinned your knees today.

I really enjoyed your witty responses to everyone's questions and comments, especially my own. Thanks for the encouragement! And for laughing at my last question. While I don't wish doubt upon anyone, it's good to know that doubt is not limited to the unpubbed. (We are normal! Yes. Chant with me everyone!) We are...We are...NORMAL. BoomBoom Ba! BoomBoomBa! (Fading Queen music)

Wishing you continued luck with your writing and that you come back to the playground soon.

Kathy

Anonymous said...

Coming late to the party, but I am SO feeling like an imposter at the moment. Have to pick something to send for a crit and I keep thinking everything sucks. I may have finished 6 manuscripts but at the moment my mind keeps saying that was just luck and there's nothing remotely entertaining about a single one of them.

The only thing that tells me I'm real, mmm, I'd say when my dad asks how the latest book's coming and says not to disturb the writer. Took a long time to get him to come around to me writing :o)

Anonymous said...

I swear, I've only got a couple more things to say :).

Linda, we get lots of recipes off the 'net.

Kathy and Lis and anyone else that might be interested -- my Weds blog is Staring Down the Dragon -- deals with self-doubt. Drop by and give it a read if you've got a minute.

I loved being here! Thanks so much for having me and coming out to play. :)

Meljprincess said...

Hi Anna!
I'll e-mail you. We haven't spoken in ages! It's good to "see" you.

Anonymous said...

Rachael, she may just not know whether she should or not. That'd be me -- clueless as to review etiquette.