Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Facing it.

The other day a lovely friend of mine offered to take my kids for a WHOLE DAY while I worked on my manuscript.  I couldn't refuse the overly generous offer and dropped my kids off around 9:30.  However, when I sat down to my computer I didn't exactly rush to open my manuscript. I sat down at my computer at 10:00.
10:00 - emails
10:05 - facebook
10:07 - pintrest
10:10 - "Ok Charla, I know you're scared but it's go time."

Why was I scared?  Because three months earlier I handed in my non-fiction manuscript to my publisher and heard back from an editor telling me how flawed it was and how I basically needed to pull the whole thing apart and start over.  So this work that I was already feeling unsure and vulnerable about was as bad as my worst nightmares.

This is how I faced and slayed the dirty dragon of self doubt, fear and rejection.


and this,


Ridiculous music that I have no business listening to.  22?  I'm 36 years old and I make myself laugh when I rock out to that song.  And there is no melancholy to be found when listening to Xanadu.    So I just listened to a playlist of totally ridiculous songs and my fears were drowned out by the likes of Olivia Newton John, Taylor Swift and many others.

It was a most productive (and fun) day.

Request:  please leave in the comments section ridiculous songs that melt away your anxiety.  I'll be sure to add them to my playlist and will be cranking them the next time edits roll around.

5 comments:

  1. I listen to the Raconteurs, "Together" when I need a kick in the pants. There's a line that says, "you want everything to be just like the stories that you read but never write." That gets me every time!

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  3. Michael Penn, "No Myth" - tons of good literary allusions in there, and shamelessly good 80's. Also, Katrina and the Waves "Walking on Sunshine" - can't be unhappy or sluggish when that's on.

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  4. At the moment this is my favorite:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj0Ha7Xkw7Y

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