Stake Your Claim

From time to time, we all need encouragement and recognition of our accomplishments. It gives us that extra boost to believe we are good writers and we have something to offer.

But, not all writers necessarily have that kind of support. We want people to be happy for us; our family or friends. You might not get the reactions you were hoping for.

Christina Katz, author of the best seller Writer Mama, says in her recently published e-book, Write For Regional Parenting Publications, "There is really one key person who should be happy about your writing career success and that person is you.”

There comes a time in your writing career when you have to come to terms with this truth so you don't slow down or give up. Decide to be happy with your successes even if no one else is.

Over the years, I have found times when I had to set a stake in the ground of something I knew to be true - never to waver again. And being personally happy about my successes has been one of those stakes.


This is going to look differently for each of us. But the one place where we all start, is believing you have something to offer. It means your passion should not be tampered with. Tweaked, yes. But if we find that fire being quenched because no one seems to encourage you or appreciate your successes, you will become discouraged and perhaps give up.

It took me awhile to grasp believing in myself. It seemed like arrogance, but it's not. It's simply knowing what you can do well and doing it. Once that is established, you are tied to this truth and will be firmly established.

Stake your claim to you. There are no disqualifications! If you are writing, it's because you love to write. Inside of you there is something people want to read. 
  
~~~

Photo credit:  cobaltfish / Foter / CC BY-SA


While homeschooling the last of her 8 children, Kathleen Moulton rediscovered her love of writing. She enjoys writing magazine articles and is recently published in NextStepU. You can find her passion to bring encouragement and hope to people of all ages at When It Hurts - http://kathleenmoulton.com/



10 comments:

Suzanne Lieurance said...

Hi, Kathleen,

What a great reminder! I'm lucky because my husband and family have always encouraged me to write and follow my other passions. But I know many other writers aren't so lucky, so it's good to remind them that they need to keep writing and not worry about pleasing everyone else all the time.

Happy writing!

Karen Cioffi said...

Kathleen, this is a great reminder. My family doesn't encourage or discourage me to write. I don't think they quite understand what I do. :) But, they are happy for my accomplishments.

T. Forehand said...

Good advice, and sometimes we are our worst critics and lack the self encouragement we need to be happy with what we write. Thanks for sharing.

Heidiwriter said...

I'm glad you "discovered" your own worth! This is sometimes hard to do if you don't have a support group around you.

Anne Duguid Knol said...

I always find inspiration in your articles, Kathleen. Thanks for another great piece of advice re the lack of self-confidence that besets all writers at one time or another.

Magdalena Ball said...

Wonderful Kathleen. I think that that this is one of the most difficult and critical aspects of being a writer - finding that sense of worth and knowing that you have something to add to the mass of great work already out there.

Kathleen Moulton said...

Thank-you all very much for reading and for commenting. I am encouraged ; )

Kathy

Carolyn Howard-Johnson said...

This really is great advice. Follow your passion. If you write what is trending, by the time you get it written, something else will be trending. And you won't have had any fun doing the writing!

Best,

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Excited about how much the new edition of the Frugal Book Promoter (expanded! updated!) can help writers with the tried and true and the new media, too. Now a USA Book News award-winner in its own right (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) it the original edition was also a Reader Views winner and an Irwin Award winner.

Mary Jo Guglielmo said...

Great advice Kathy. We have to believe in ourself first, eventually other people will come along for the ride.

Kathleen Moulton said...

Thanks ladies!

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