tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313130055534395503.post238859544919232507..comments2023-09-17T06:13:58.403-04:00Comments on Unshakeable Hope: Why I'd Like to Stop Reading Agent Blogs (and Why I Won't)Heidi Willishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18420802651029097379noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313130055534395503.post-87850825175684362142008-05-19T14:26:00.000-04:002008-05-19T14:26:00.000-04:00JKB - Your Buddhist view isn't that different from...JKB - Your Buddhist view isn't that different from my Christian view, that God has a will for me, and that what He wants to accomplish will be.<BR/><BR/>And I'm okay with that, even if it means not being published. If it's the process that is important in my life I'm content to learn and grow from it.<BR/><BR/>At least this is what I keep telling myself!<BR/><BR/>There is an element of talent, in this business, and an element of luck and good fortune (or God's grace), and an element of hard work. Many writers have one but not the others. It takes all three to some extent. <BR/><BR/>In the heat of the post I was discouraged by the sheer volume of misfortune. Or maybe that's all I focused on, because there was a lot of complaining about queries, and I frankly don't get too spun up about that. I think it's rude not to reply, but I understand it happens, and I certainly don't expect someone to spend time to write out why they are rejecting someone, so I glossed over all of those comments with a slight shrug.<BR/><BR/>Staying positive in the face of such odds is difficult for me, and because I see people spending years and years chasing after a dream they really don't have the talent for. I don't want to waste the time I have. I want to make the most of life.<BR/><BR/>I am writing now because I love it, because I have hopes that I can make a difference through my writing, and because I have hope I will someday be published. If I get to the point of resenting the industry and the people in it, and feeling bitter, I will find something better to do.<BR/><BR/>Time is short. It is precious. It is too short and precious to be spent complaining about things we have no control over.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your encouragement. I'm looking forward to hearing how your rewrite went, and the querying process goes for you.Heidi Willishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18420802651029097379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7313130055534395503.post-82914279331731445622008-05-15T16:47:00.000-04:002008-05-15T16:47:00.000-04:00Heidi, I was just thinking this today...and I thin...Heidi, I was just thinking this today...and I think my Buddhism direction in the thought process might help you as well.<BR/><BR/>We decide how we want to react to these things. Of course the situation is handed to us, and of course most things in it will be out of our control. <BR/><BR/>I truly think that what is meant to be will happen. Who knows if they have to take that path for a reason? Or the rejection they got, or bad experience they had, was also for a reason? I think it's hard to say, and of course you can argue it many ways. <BR/><BR/>But my thought is this: I will continue to read the blogs. Their situation is not my situation. I can learn from theirs, and make my own decision as to how I will handle myself. There is valuable information there, as you say. <BR/><BR/>Stay positive. I believe in you. <BR/><BR/>:)<BR/><BR/>(And thus ends my rather buddhist-y post today.)JKBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13176569393506563218noreply@blogger.com