Dearest Readers,
How have you been?
How has the month of May been treating you?
I am squeaking this Self-Love Sunday note to myself in right under the wire.
Why? You may ask. Did I not find myself being as kind to myself as I *cough *cough usually am? (Insert eye roll here.)
May has been a busy month for me as I have been entering my writing into certain competitions whose deadlines all happen to be two weeks spaced apart in May. Tomorrow is the final day to enter one of them. This one I am excited about the most to enter my (probably not very good) historical romance novella.
Historical romance, particularly during the regency period (a shocker to you all I am sure since I named my blog after thee Jane Austen), is the genre that captures my heart in its entirety. And I quite love them all (even the bodice ripping ones *gasp)!
So May has been a bit up and down for me especially from the perspective of not feeling like my writing is good enough to get me very far in the competitions to my hair pulling (and not in the “fun” regency romance kind of way) at the difficulties I continue to experience trying to format my writing from a google doc to a .docx. Who knew that a Chromebook and its fondness for apps would somehow hold hostage the page numbers from the Microsoft app when a person actually tried to download it to send? Well this lady does now. Thank goodness I was able to access a “dinosaur” HP laptop whose kindness in being used showcased itself in the ability to correctly insert page numbers.
So this month’s self-love Sunday note goes like this:
Dear Me,
Phew! It has been a bit bumpy with all you are trying to
achieve. You should be proud and I definitely am in your
attempt to put your writing out there. The old adage being
along the lines of: ‘you’ll never know until you try.’
Be proud that you tried. That you put yourself out there when it
can be terrifying. I will repeat: I am proud.
Banish those thoughts of, ‘what if it is not ready?’
You can edit and re-edit your story into oblivion.
In your eyes it may never be entirely ready.
Taking the chance is never something you will regret.
You have never felt so at peace within yourself as you
have the past few weeks with your brain filled with the
words of a once upon a time and your fingers tired from
stretching speedily over the keys.
It may never make you money but writing is what you
are meant to do. It makes you whole.
Keep writing!
Love,
Yourself
I shall leave you here literary lovelies and hope your June starts off with sunshine and cups and cups of tea! Or whatever warm/cold beverage you prefer.
xo
Honesty Austen
Postscript: What would you tell yourself in a self-love note no matter the day, the week or the year you are experiencing?
Honestly Austen 