perseverance

Some days you just want to quit. To walk away from everything, as if that would somehow solve all your problems. But most of us can’t do that, either because we’re good people who would never abandon those who love and depend on us, or because we know the problems would still be there. They might be a different set of problems, but if you’re breathing, you will have problems.

The book I just released, Rookie Justice, had me in tears at some points. I wanted to hit delete and forget it. It was never going to get finished. My muse had apparently had it with the cold weather and hitched a ride to a beach somewhere. While I was here, shivering and struggling for every single word, she was sipping a Mai Tai and digging her toes into the sand.

I tried everything. Hot baths, long naps, going to bed early because that’s always when inspiration used to strike–as soon as my head hit the pillow. Nope, didn’t work. I increased my protein, just in case my brain was starving or something. I took my vitamins and B-12 every day. But no long strings of dialogue ran through my mind, no plot twists–or even a plot–magically appeared.

I had to slog it out. Some days I was lucky if I got a page written in a 4 hour stare-at-the-screen session. Other days, Zynga games seemed a lot more appealing than my hero and heroine. But finally, somewhere around the middle of the book, ideas began to form. Just a tiny thought, or something the hubby said, or maybe it was the threat of us starving if I didn’t just finish the da*%ned book, but they were ideas, and I grabbed them and wrestled them onto the page.

I wanted to quit. I really, really did. But quitting wouldn’t make my problems go away. Another book wouldn’t be any easier. And finishing finally seemed easier than quitting.

So, I now have a new release, and I’m already at work on a new one. Or I’m at least staring at a new screen with a few pages written. 🙂

It’s the sequel to Lone Star Justice.

Have you ever felt like giving up? Did you do it, or did you keep on and overcome the problem?

You’re all invited to join me and 12 other authors for a March Madness Book Frenzy party on Facebook this Sunday, March 15th, from 11 a.m. to midnight, EST. We’ll be giving away books and other prizes, and we’ll have a fantastic Grand Prize for a lucky winner.