IWSG: Dreams and Fairy Dust Won’t Pay the Bills… Or Will They?

~ J.S. Pailly

Today’s post is part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, a blog hop where insecure writers like myself can share our worries and offer advice and encouragement.  Click here to find out more about IWSG and see a list of participating blogs.

As some of you already know, I’ve been going through some stuff.  It started back in December, and the real life problems have just kept coming ever since, one after the other.  It’s been truly unfair.

But I’m recovering, finally.  Those real life problems that have been plaguing me have been resolved, most of them for the better, a few for the worse, but at least they’re resolved and I’m able to move on.

The challenge now is that, during my times of trouble, I seem to have picked up a whole bunch of new writing insecurities, and a few old insecurities have resurfaced as well.  It’s not so much my writing process that I’m worried about but rather my ability to turn writing into a profitable and sustainable career.

Fortunately my muse, who came to my rescue in last month’s IWSG post, has returned to give me some sage advice.

So is my muse right?  I sure hope so.  I’m still dealing with a lot of anxiety, most of it financial in nature, because of the turmoil I just went through.  But I’ve promised my muse that I’ll set that aside, at least while I’m writing, and have faith that so long as I put my best into my stories everything else will somehow turn out okay.

P.S.: I want to mention, because a few people have been asking, that I really wanted to participate in the A to Z Challenge again this year.  I had a plan.  A really good plan. But given the circumstances, I think it’s best if I save it for next year.

14 thoughts on “IWSG: Dreams and Fairy Dust Won’t Pay the Bills… Or Will They?”

  1. I love your post title. It makes me smile. I went through a huge life explosion 4 years ago and it’s not good for the mind or heart. Time heals. Sending you lots of good thoughts and prayers. Let the muse lead. Mine came back too 🙂

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    1. Thanks! I guess a lot of people have to go through this from time to time. I think the thing that worries me the most right now is that I’ll be just as unprepared the next time. But it’s true that the muse never goes away, and I suppose I’m glad I learned that at least.

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, it’s frustrating when things just keep piling on. But things are starting to improve for me, and I can clearly see that right now. I hope you’re able to pull out of your low moment. Stay strong!

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  3. I’ve had the same plan for the A to Z challenge for the last several years, and I still haven’t gotten around to entering. 😦
    Glad to hear you’re recovering. You’ll figure out what you need to do eventually..

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    1. I had a really great time with A to Z last year, but a big part of that was being able to prepare some stuff in advance. I couldn’t do that this time around, so I’ll try again next year. It is a really fun and rewarding thing.

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  4. Selling books isn’t easy, at least not in the kind of volume you need to pay the bills. I think it’s best to view writing as a mountain to climb – you start at the bottom and see how high you can go. If you make it all the way to the very top, that’s fantastic, but the climb itself should be enjoyable. Bring some safety ropes with you, ready for when the slope gets steep. And remember that sitting in base camp looking up is a proven strategy for how not to climb a mountain!

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    1. Makes sense. Nice use of metaphor! I’d say it turned out I didn’t have the right climbing gear, so I had to sit in base camp for a while, but now I think I have what I need. It’s time to get back to climbing that mountain.

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