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MARY E THOMPSON

it's a curvy road to happily ever after

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Be Brave

Be Brave

August 27, 2017 by Mary

I’m back with another tidbit of advice for all you aspiring authors out there. Be brave!

I was trading messages on Facebook this week with a reader. She shared with me that she’s a writer also, something I didn’t know. I asked about what she writes and if she used a pen name and she shared that she’s not yet published.

She said that she’s anxious about sharing her writing with people. I told her I am, too.

Every. Single. Time.

My lesson for you this week is to be brave. I’m an introvert. I’m also a people pleaser. I want people to like me. And yet I chose a career that requires me to put myself out there and accept criticism from everyone!

It’s not easy!

But every time I get an email from someone who loved something I wrote. Or read a review (the occasional reviews I read) that says something about the book that was amazing. Each one that offers a suggestion. They all mean something to me. Even the reviews that aren’t positive are an opportunity for me. Something that can help me be a better writer.

But I still hesitate when I finish a book. I still wonder if anyone is going to like a book when I hit publish. I don’t think that’ll ever go away. After thirty-four published books, I still get anxious.

But I do it anyway.

If you’re thinking of becoming a writer, or you’ve written a book but haven’t taken the leap yet, find a friend or close family member. No, a friend will not be the best person to give you criticism, but they will give you a bit of confidence. That person will tell you your story is good, hopefully, and encourage you. When you’re starting out, you need a little bit of that.

No, you don’t want someone to lie to you, but you want someone that you know will be gentle with your feelings. Or at least will be able to deliver suggestions gently.

The first person who ever read a story of mine was / is my best friend. She gave me a bunch of notes, but I knew they were coming from a place of love because she wanted to help me. Yes, an editor will want to help you also, but an editor is a paid professional. She won’t hold back. Your friend might just enough not to hurt your feelings.

 

No matter what, at the end of the day, you have to be brave to share your stories. You have to let a piece of you out into the world. To give other people permission to say something you created, something you worked hard on for weeks, or months, or years, isn’t any good. And to give them permission to say it changed their life.

Because when it’s all said and done, those are the emails, the reviews, the comments you remember. Those are the ones that will change your life, not just theirs.

If you have a question, about writing or anything else, send me an email (mary (at) maryethompson (dot) com) with Q&A in the subject, or post it in the comments below, and I’ll answer your question right here on the blog!

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Filed Under: Writer Words Tagged With: Be Brave, Share Your Work

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I love how my kids can take the smallest of things I love how my kids can take the smallest of things and turn them into something beautiful. A daisy for me because it’s my favorite from puff balls and feathers. Makes me smile every day. #momlife #authorlife #daisy #creativekids #inspirationiseverywhere
He's a single dad and new to town. She's his ex, t He's a single dad and new to town. She's his ex, the one he always compared other women to. Now they have another chance. 
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#contemporaryromance #bookboyfriendswanted #steamyromance #smalltownromance #bookporn #readromance #authorsofig #indieauthor #newrelease
Enjoying my Sunday today and looking for the brigh Enjoying my Sunday today and looking for the bright, happy, good in life. #authorlife #authorsofig #buffalony #happysunday
He was the one that got away. Ran away really. But He was the one that got away. Ran away really. But he came back. Almost twenty years later. With a teenager. Wanting another chance. 

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#contemporaryromance #bookboyfriendswanted #steamyromance #smalltownromance #bookgasm  #readromance #authorsofig #indieauthor #newrelease
Ten people were taken from my city over the weeken Ten people were taken from my city over the weekend. Ten people who did nothing wrong. The person who took their lives was filled was hate and took it out on innocent people. #BuffaloNY is the City of Good Neighbors. I didn't know those ten people, but I feel their loss like the rest of my city does. We are all neighbors, and we all hurting. 

My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of Aaron Salter, Ruth Whitfield, Pearl Young, Celestine Chaney, Roberta Drury, Heyward Patterson, Margus Morrison, Andre Mackneil, Geraldine Talley, and Katherine Massey; and with the survivors: Zaire Goodman, Jennifer Warrington, and Christopher Braden.
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