tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post4424963844907020840..comments2023-09-25T02:24:22.087-07:00Comments on Anne R. Allen's Blog: REALITY CHECK: Mixed Martial Arts For WritersAnne R. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-24190078936466727462015-06-08T03:51:04.154-07:002015-06-08T03:51:04.154-07:00Fragrant—Sorry to hear you've been in a downer...Fragrant—Sorry to hear you've been in a downer. Happens to us all but the good news is that it's almost always temporary. Glad the post helped with perspective. Writing/publishing is not for wimps and definitely not for losers so just keep on keeping on!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-32624824039125097712015-06-08T03:48:41.782-07:002015-06-08T03:48:41.782-07:00Christa—So glad you found the post helpful! Thanks...Christa—So glad you found the post helpful! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Anne and I love and appreciate our readers. :-)Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-5943529831072589602015-06-07T19:15:52.012-07:002015-06-07T19:15:52.012-07:00I can't tell you how timely this post is for m...I can't tell you how timely this post is for me. I have been feeling like crap about what I'm doing (and not doing), and your post, especially the first part, kicked my keister back into a good place. I feel much less like a loser right now. I'm so grateful.Fragrant Liarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14794833071237164396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-20482607673287758932015-06-04T14:07:39.810-07:002015-06-04T14:07:39.810-07:00Great post. Very encouraging and lots of helpful i...Great post. Very encouraging and lots of helpful information! Thanks, Ruth!author Christa Polkinhornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14609212815347152668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-5902336518733450672015-06-03T09:46:53.364-07:002015-06-03T09:46:53.364-07:00Michael—So pleased to learn the post was helpful. ...Michael—So pleased to learn the post was helpful. If we deal from a reality-oriented basis, we can accomplish so much. If we are locked in fantasy, we are doomed to fall short. <br /><br />Sometimes we need time to catch up with ourselves and a slump is one way we give ourselves that time. It might feel bad for a while, but when the slump is over, we are ready to go back to work with renewed energy. Thanks again for your kind words!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-30897119391251079182015-06-03T04:49:18.068-07:002015-06-03T04:49:18.068-07:00Hi, Ruth. Hi, Anne,
This was incredibly helpful a...Hi, Ruth. Hi, Anne,<br /><br />This was incredibly helpful and informative. So many of us DREAM about having that best seller, but we don't realize the various pitfalls. I have heard about several of these scenarios, but never fully grasped how hard an author's life can be.<br /><br />Thanks for the punch in the arm about WRITING. And the reality of not having to write 10K a day. <br /><br />Many of us go into slumps (I'm currently in one), but this post certainly is pushing me to get to WORK....<br /><br />Thanks ladies!Michael Di Gesuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17047267262428143113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-2167597399065142152015-06-02T04:37:45.750-07:002015-06-02T04:37:45.750-07:00Eileen—Thank you from one battle-scarred NYT bests...Eileen—Thank you from one battle-scarred NYT bestseller to another. High five! <br /><br />Dreamers with their sugarplum fantasies of bestsellerdom need to know what's in store because what happened to us can (and will) happen to them. As you say: bottom line is the bottom line and I couldn’t agree more about social media. IME socmed doesn’t sell books. Period. In fact, no one knows what sells books, so there! ;-)Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-90752030164072517232015-06-02T03:37:24.900-07:002015-06-02T03:37:24.900-07:00Wonderful tough-love post, Ruth! We all need a kic...Wonderful tough-love post, Ruth! We all need a kick in the butt from time to time and fat reality check along with it. Your checklist? Almost every one of those worst-case scenarios happened to me at one point in my career. So what? Yell & scream, stick pins in a vodoo doll, and move on. I only stumble when I lose sight of what's most important: the writing. Like you, I don't listen to the "shoulds." Whenever I tune in to the yammering about social media and all the things I should be doing that I'm not, I think of the line from Jerry Maguire: "Show me the money." A lot of those writers preaching the gospel of social media don't have the sales to back up it. Bottom line is the bottom line. Eileen Goudgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01156415980783091338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-63885651230128437702015-06-01T16:36:21.597-07:002015-06-01T16:36:21.597-07:00Lynn--thank you for your comment. Negative moments...Lynn--thank you for your comment. Negative moments come with the job. So do the joyful ones!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-44066517588669445602015-06-01T12:55:19.208-07:002015-06-01T12:55:19.208-07:00You share some valuable information here. I hope y...You share some valuable information here. I hope you're writing despite the negative moments. <br />www.writeradvice.comLynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02221840403009644033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-86676481044632663672015-06-01T12:14:23.284-07:002015-06-01T12:14:23.284-07:00Jennifer—Thank you & glad to see you're on...Jennifer—Thank you & glad to see you're on the road to recovery! Congratulations and good luck with your novel!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-37662596843686835362015-06-01T10:32:40.718-07:002015-06-01T10:32:40.718-07:00I needed this today. I've finished an intense...I needed this today. I've finished an intense short project and I"m back at my novel. And while I'm a Perfectionist, you've just shown me I'm an Also-Ran. I don't think I would have considered that, but it hits all my buttons. And acknowledgement is the first step to recovery, right? Thanks for a great post!Jennifer Jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07577950933213062716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-42226646358877009482015-06-01T08:55:07.379-07:002015-06-01T08:55:07.379-07:00G.B.—You're absolutely right! I can format a s...G.B.—You're absolutely right! I can format a simple epub/mobi but am lost with CreateSpace & bundles. Definitely don't hesitate to hire a pro. It's not defeat, it's just that having a grounded sense of what you can—and cannot—do is invaluable.Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-58254905256279076102015-06-01T06:42:43.389-07:002015-06-01T06:42:43.389-07:00Katrina—Love the idea of your Therapy Centre. Prob...Katrina—Love the idea of your Therapy Centre. Problem is, who knows enough to run it so they can help writers with their quirks, symptoms, and glitches? Nominations, please! :-)Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-73344994818234773002015-06-01T06:41:15.803-07:002015-06-01T06:41:15.803-07:00Jacqueline—You used your time creatively. sometime...Jacqueline—You used your time creatively. sometimes the right kind of break is exactly what we need!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-65256277866721684422015-06-01T06:40:20.777-07:002015-06-01T06:40:20.777-07:00Maria—LOL Sounds like you're on a procrast-at...Maria—LOL Sounds like you're on a procrast-athon. ;-) Hope your brother enjoys Brainwashed!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-5287727855528296122015-06-01T06:39:04.673-07:002015-06-01T06:39:04.673-07:00Debbie—Thank *you* for your excellent post! :-) Yo...Debbie—Thank *you* for your excellent post! :-) Your right that fending off distractions/interruptions is the hard part. One of the reasons is that non-writers have NO idea what we do. NONE!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-79511666859064895222015-06-01T06:37:11.889-07:002015-06-01T06:37:11.889-07:00Michele—Enlightenment feels good, doesn't it? ...Michele—Enlightenment feels good, doesn't it? ;-)Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-39844380727102225632015-06-01T06:36:13.752-07:002015-06-01T06:36:13.752-07:00Jacqueline—Thanks! About time writer-bashers got c...Jacqueline—Thanks! About time writer-bashers got called out! Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-59944281748094028972015-05-31T23:35:01.477-07:002015-05-31T23:35:01.477-07:00Oh Ruth, I loved this post so much that... if you ...Oh Ruth, I loved this post so much that... if you ever decide to set up a 'New Age Post-Jungian Mixed Martial Arts Crisis Therapy Centre for Writers', I'll be your first patient!! The thing is, each of the group you mentioned and the sympoms that come along with them sound familiar to me! Now how serious is that?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07986844535231975527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-36252516700899676522015-05-31T22:00:48.597-07:002015-05-31T22:00:48.597-07:00Love your answer, Ruth! (Smiling.)Love your answer, Ruth! (Smiling.)Jacqueline Howetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13522485407848765933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-3927930248087494912015-05-31T21:33:51.833-07:002015-05-31T21:33:51.833-07:00Thanks for sharing and thanks for a good few laugh...Thanks for sharing and thanks for a good few laughs!<br /><br />I painted up a storm today, so as not to think about anything, but mostly so I didn't have to tackle my editing or anything with words. Well, I painted five pictures and now that I got that out of my system, it' time to sit down and write. <br /><br /><br />Jacqueline Howetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13522485407848765933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-46652070579612430162015-05-31T19:17:46.361-07:002015-05-31T19:17:46.361-07:00Thanks, Ruth. I didn't know what POS was eith...Thanks, Ruth. I didn't know what POS was either.Michele Ivy Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04236671295672232710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-79749333136723564042015-05-31T18:49:12.981-07:002015-05-31T18:49:12.981-07:00Ruth - loved the post, as always... had to laugh t...Ruth - loved the post, as always... had to laugh though when I got the procrastination part. Considering that I had squirmed away from writing to read your post! :D<br /><br />Then, I decided to check out the free trial of Scriveners, follow that link, then come back, check out your new book (which I'll get for my brother), then check out the new contests...<br /><br />heh<br /><br />I need procrast-anon!<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13488868288477718587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-66242621261914089272015-05-31T18:13:11.055-07:002015-05-31T18:13:11.055-07:00Excellent post here, Ruth! Like so many others, I&...Excellent post here, Ruth! Like so many others, I'm a procrastinator by nature, so I've learned to stick to a fairly strict daily writing schedule that works for me. The hard part can be in training family and friends to respect the "writing cave". Sure it's easy to get sidelined and pulled in other directions, but I figure it's all a matter of balance. Falling down isn't the problem; it's how quickly you get back up that counts. In my experience writers fall down, get up, rinse, and repeat, more than just about anyone I know. A rite of passage? Hmm, maybe. Like life, we tend to learn the most from our mistakes. Thanks for the terrific information, on-point reminders, and of course the kind mention of my recent guest post over at Molly Greene's blog (Molly gave me the heads up to yours). What goes around, comes around. Well done! Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14716842533070272638noreply@blogger.com