FACING SELF DOUBT

For the past couple of weeks, I feel like I've been standing in the eye of a hurricane; calm and clear-eyed while the world swirls around me. I have no reason for a sense of malaise. No illness. No drama. No lurking doom. With the exception of never-ending rain in Florida, it's actually been (metaphorically speaking) nothing but clear skies and beautiful sunsets.

Wonderful things are happening in regards to the book, such as being a featured author in both www.bookreadermagazine.com and www.bookworks.com (if you'd like to read the items, just type in my name and it should call up the articles).

A couple more weeks and we'll be at the Florida Writers Conference in Orlando and we'll find out if Begotten With Love moved further up in the standings. Even if it doesn't advance any further than it is right now, being a FINALIST in the Royal Palm Literary Awards is exciting and something to crow about.

I'm looking forward to the conference: excellent topics Thursday through Sunday, individual book signing Saturday morning, and awards dinner Saturday night. But I can't seem to allow myself to enjoy the possibility that I may have won . . . !

Which makes me wonder aloud: As writers, do we become so used to rejection slips that we do not know how to enjoy the dream of being a winner? Are we so used to hawking our wares at 99 cent sales or trumpeting free days that we forget all the years of work and dollars spent to offer a quality product for the reader? Do we begin to equate these pennies with our self worth? It's not only possible but probable . . . and fortunately, for most of us, a fleeting moment of self doubt.

Am I excited to be a FINALIST? You betcha! Do I think I will win? As with all the finalists, I have a chance. Will I win? I don't know. But until the day it's announced, I can dream.

I hope all of you will dream big as you finish your novel or shop it around. Work hard and reach for your goals. Set them high. Celebrate when you accomplish even a portion of what you've planned and as our GPS tells us when we take a wrong turn (if need be) -- recalculate.

Jo Ann V. Glim is a seasoned veteran of freelance writing and author of the book "Begotten With Love."  To learn more:

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