Wednesday, June 7, 2017

IWSG: Doing Things You Think You Can't Do


Hello and Happy June! Today is the day for the monthly meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group, founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.

Kennecott, Alaska
I took a bit of a break from the blogging world and focused on writing in May and I'm thrilled to say I had a great month! I finished the first draft of A Killing in Kennecott, my sequel to Polar Day. Of course, I have TONS of revising to do and there will no doubt be many more drafts, but I am excited to get this far. I have been so blocked and unmotivated when it comes to writing for such a long time now that I had reached the point were I thought I'd never be able to finish a story again. So it meant a great deal to me to realize I still could!


That was one of the things I did in May that I had told myself I wouldn't be able to do. I also finished my beginner's running program and ran a mile without stopping. That was a HUGE deal for me! I haven't run since high school, and then I didn't do it willingly. I had started this program more times than I could count and never made it past the second week. But it turned out I was wrong about being able to do that too. Now I'm working on the 5k program and loving it! Running has helped me so much with my anxiety that it's been a godsend. I plan to run a 5k race in September to benefit the Red Wolf Wildlife Sanctuary, so I am going to be focused on the training program all summer.


Finally, I had an amazing evening in Marysville, Ohio, where I was invited to be part of the Friends of the Public Library 2017 Author Series. I was so nervous as the date of my presentation approached that I was totally freaking out and I was certain it would be a disaster. Instead, it was one of the best nights I've ever had!

The Friends group took me to dinner and as soon as I met them at the restaurant my nerves disappeared and I had a wonderful time. After dinner we went to the auditorium and I gave my talk for 30 minutes, and I was amazed that I got through the whole thing without feeling nervous. I even managed to ad-lib and go off the script I had tried to memorize. When I finished, people came up to buy my books and I actually sold out of all but one of my titles! I was amazed and couldn't have been happier. After being so nervous I nearly made myself sick thinking about the event, I drove home with a huge smile on my face.

So May was my month for doing things I had told myself I couldn't ever do. I'd like to be able to say I'll never tell myself that about things I've never even tried, but old habits die hard. Still, I'm going to think about my May whenever that doubting voice tries to take over my head.

Hope you all had a good month as well!

47 comments:

  1. And now I have a huge smile on my face!

    Congratulations on all of those accomplishments and the best of luck on the 5K training for September. :)

    And the tortoise crossing the finish line? Love it! As do some other critters I know.... :)

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  2. Congrats on the draft and the mile - awesome work on both! And I'm so happy your event went well - positive stories like that make me think I might be able to do something similar one day :-)

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  3. Congrats on all the accomplishments, Julie!
    Good luck with the 5k program! Sounds like you're in a good mental space, so I'm sure that the September race will be a huge success.

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  4. Awesome! I'm so glad the event went well and you were able to meet your writing goals! (And maybe a little jealous too...;) Exercise is definitely a blessing. I'm looking forward to being able to do it safely again. For now, I'm a totally justifiable wuss. =)

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  5. Awesome the story is finished! And that you had a great event at the library.
    Good for you for running. I was never a fan, but now I run five miles a day. Not sure how that happened...

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  6. You have been busy. Congratulations on all your accomplishments. Great post.

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  7. Oh, Julie, May sounds like a fantastic month for you. Congratulations on all you have achieved. You truly are an inspiration, and you are so right. Never tell yourself you can't do something, because clearly you can, as you are made of awesome. Cheering for you, (loudly).

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  8. You did a lot! Congrats on finishing your draft, the running program, and for doing an awesome job at the Author Series.

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  9. Fantastic, Julie! Good luck with the 5k. I had worked up to the 4th level, but I can't seem to get beyond that yet. Have a terrific week! :)

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  10. Julie, it sounds like a wonderful time. I'm so glad your nerves disappeared and you were able to enjoy yourself!!! And selling out of almost all of your books is awesome!!

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  11. Also, I forgot to say, congrats on getting your first draft done!!!!

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  12. Wow! Congratulations on your first draft finish, your awesome author event, and your 5K! Way to go, Julie!

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  13. You've had an exciting month. I hope you have many more in your future. :-)

    Anna from elements of emaginette

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  14. It sounds as if you've had a very successful and productive May! Congratulations.

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  15. Wow, what an inspiring post, Julie! You are knocking it out of the park. Congratulations!

    What running program are you using? I'm trying to get back into it too, but when I haven't ran for a while, it's tough.

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  16. Woot woot! That is an awesome May! I hope June is just as good!

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  17. Holy moley! What an awesome month May was for you. Wait, no. Scratch that. YOU made it an awesome month. Congratulations on all of your achievements. I'm so happy your career is going so well, and really proud of you for getting into a running routine. Good luck with that 5K. With what you've accomplished so far, I have no doubt that you'll nail that race in September. Go, you!!!

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  18. Wow you have been busy. Sounds like you had a lot of fun too.
    Congratulations!
    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

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  19. I hated running back in high school. We used to have to run one mile every year and I absolutely dreaded it. Then I ended up rooming (in college) with a couple of guys who were into running. Eventually I was running three miles every day. Who would have believed it. Congratulations on the mile run!

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  20. Julie, I am beyond proud of you for making that mile! You go, girl!! I think I'm good walking on the treadmill for 25 minutes. Pfft. You've inspired me to up my game! Congrats on your writing too. Such awesome stuff. :)

    Elsie

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  21. Hi, Julie!
    I am SOOOOO THRILLED for you! How excited to accomplish so much in a month. Congrats~

    Thanks for your lovely comment on my blog. I really appreciated it. Life is tough right now for me, but each day is a new beginning. Once I clear my head from all life's DRAMA and find a place to finally call home, I will dive back into writing.

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  22. Fantastic news all the way around! Congratulations!!

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  23. So glad that you had a great time! :)

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  24. Glad you got so much done in May. And doing things that you don't think that you can do is such a confidence booster.

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  25. Congrats on finishing the draft!!! There is nothing like finishing a book. There's always lots of work left, but there's just something about the first draft that feels amazing. And so glad you had a great time at your event. I have anxiety really bad, and it's always hard to do events, but it ends the same for me...with a smile. YAY!

    www.jessicatherrien.com

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  26. My May certainly wasn't as eventful as yours! I would really like to do some kind of author event one day. I actually enjoy public speaking and telling stories, it's just a matter of finding the right audience that would want to listen to me prattle on...

    IWSG June

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  27. What a banner month for you, Julie! Congratulations. I have a mild case of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and exercise is so wonderful to tamping down my worry.

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  28. Hi Julie - amazing to read ... brilliant - glad you're writing again and that the story is finished, though editing .... that'll happen! Fantastic about the running - that's really good news ... and here's to September and the 5k programme - enjoy. While the event - sounds amazing ... being able to talk for 30 minutes is a good stretch -excellent setting you up for others ... fantastic - and as you say a good May month ... cheers Hilary

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  29. Congratulations! You had am amazing month and it sounds like you are on a role. Keep at it. Your confidence will continue to grow!

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  30. So fun! I sometimes dream of getting to do adult things (like dinner) centered around being an author. Sounds much more glamourous than bringing toys with you, and hoping your kid isn't being too loud. =) Glad the presentation went well! And I really like that title for your sequel.

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  31. Sounds like you beat all the doubts! Congratulations! So delighted to learn of a new book coming soon! You Rock!

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  32. Your book talk event sounds wonderful, and finishing a story is even better. Congrats!

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  33. Well done on what you achieved in May. :)

    That sounds like a great event! I love it when people put your worries at ease like that. They must be a great bunch of people.

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  34. What an amazing month for you! Hooray! I hope June continues to bring more running and other good things.

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  35. Congrats on getting that first draft finished and on your successful event! We all need supporters out their cheering us on. And also on that first mile without stopping. I got back into running last year. It has made such a difference with keeping my head clear and dealing with anxiety. And sometimes, in working out writer's block. Just keep those finish lines in sight, writing and running.

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  36. Congrats on all your recent accomplishments! Really excited that you've completed a draft for A Killing in Kennecott. Love that series so much! And wow, that event in Marysville sounds so amazing, for sure. Glad the night ended up being so rewarding, especially after your nerves tried to convince you the opposite would be true! (My nerves are often the same way, LOL.)

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  37. Wow, you have so many fantastic things to celebrate Julie. You should be so proud of all of them. Congratulations, hooray for you!

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  38. That's fantastic! We do tend to tell ourselves the worst case scenario and get worked up into knots over the silliest things. Of course, it's great to feel the relief after things turn out okay or even better than okay. Glad to hear of all the positives in May. I'd like a month like that in regards to writing. Maybe this summer.

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  39. Julie, not only did you get over your fear of public speaking, but you held your audience's attention for a half hour! That was not an easy feat. Congrats on all of your May accomplishments which include: writing, running and public speaking. It couldn't happen to a nicer person!

    Julie

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  40. Congrats on finishing that draft. I always feel that once I've done that, I can fix whatever problems there might be. Good luck revising!

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  41. Being invited to speak is such an honor, and it sounds like you nailed it!

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  42. Yay! It sounds like you had a fantastic May! I tried doing the Couch to 5K, but after Week 3, I realized I'm not a runner. My short legs and short stride mean I walk about as fast as I can run. Heh. But I do love the elliptical.

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  43. Congrats on finishing the draft and for finding your writing mojo! I'm thrilled that there'll be a sequel to Polar Day. Also, so glad your speaking engagement went well. I would be just as nervous.

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  44. Congratulations on finishing the draft-- I hope you've taken some time off :).

    Damyanti

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  45. Yay on the writing and the running and the presentation. Good for you! You're very inspiring. Keep it up!

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