Friday, May 8, 2009

NaPiBoWriWee

NaPiBoWriWee went POOF! up in smoke, and all I have to show for it is one completed manuscript, one mostly completed manuscript, and one barely started manuscript.

But I'm not feeling too discouraged. Not yet. It was a rough week, so of course I wasn't able to work under the extra pressure. Getting sick didn't help matters either. BUT I do have one decent book that just needs reworking and one book that I think could turn into something great with a lot of time and effort. And that's two more books than I had when I started.

Some people who don't write picture books don't realize how hard they can be to write. Some of us who do write them do silly things like trying to write seven in one week because we know if we can do it then we'll be better than all of those people who didn't...

But what about doing it for yourself? For doing it because you'll feel good about having started seven or six or five new picture books? Shouldn't we be more concerned with how we're improving our craft than how we measure up to everyone else?

3 comments:

Janet said...

Well, I did finish 7 right at the finish line. They aren't that good, but I think I'll work on a few and see what comes of them. I got kind of burned out. Trying to do too much in too little time.

Dawn Embers said...

Well, I managed four very short ones. But one of them I"m printing out for my mom so that is a nice plus.

Laurie said...

I don't know about being better than all those people who don't.

:-)


Golly Moses. Everybody's better than everybody else at something or other.

Personally, I am best at having the worst garden experience. I'm hoping this year to NOT win the prize for ugliest yard in my whole town.

I am also pretty good at reaching for the stars when I'm not even tall enough to touch the moon.

But, I think it's dangerously bad karma to try do something in order to be better than someone else. It angers God or the gods or something. Anyway, to be on the safe side, I try to keep other people out of my motivations for doing things.

I also am the best at being nervous about doing something that will bring bad karma down on my poor head.