It’s the best of times; it’s the worst of times.

What are your writer highs (the good times)? And what are your writer lows (the crappy times)?

The highs? Definitely when on a role. When the inspiration strikes and you just can’t type fast enough to get it all down. And during that process, I would send a chapter at a time to my friend and she’d write back with her reaction to what was happening so far. That almost real time feedback was awesome. I loved it.

I’d say the other good time would be when it’s published and you can talk about it, share it and answer question regarding your book to different sites/bloggers. When bloggers come up with creative questions about your book, that’s when it’s fun. Standard questions, after a while, become boring. But still, having your book promoted on different sites and seeing what comments roll in can be fun.

But the low times?

When I run out of steam or inspiration. I really want to write, but just don’t have that excitement. And that’s something I’m trying to learn. Can it be sparked? Or is writing sometimes pushing through and forcing yourself to write something, anything, as long as you stay in it?

Also, the comments, the reviews. While it can be fun to read if someone truly enjoyed your work, it sucks when they don’t. And while they could simply say “I didn’t care for it”, some reviewers take it upon themselves to make their review as cutting as possible. I’ve seen this done to other authors and I don’t agree with this approach. You don’t like it? Fine. Say just that. But why attempt to tear down the human behind the book? To me, the point of reviews is not just to guide others to purchase (or not), but also to serve as a critique for the author. To give them a hint of what worked and what didn’t.

Sorry I missed last month’s post. It was a rough month and I had to say goodbye to my furry friend of 10+ years. She’ll be missed, but she isn’t in pain any more. Here’s a picture of her and her favorite activity: playing fetch with anyone who would play with her. Also, keep away with the ball.