First, a big thank you to everyone for the outlining help yesterday. I read until I wanted to gouge my eyes out. Literally.
And hey, I did a letter to myself over on Anna Staniszewski's blog. (I love her last name, but don't ask me to say it...) The letter goes along with today's post, actually, so give it a read if you have time.
Let's face it, we all have to deal with disappointment in our lives. Maybe you didn't get that job. Maybe you didn't get into that special college. Maybe your that boy you like asked someone else to Homecoming.
Maybe the agent who read your full said no. Maybe this has happened more than once. Maybe you've shelved your novel. Maybe you're wondering if you're good enough to make it in publishing.
Let me just say that it's craptastic, and I know how you feel. I deal with disappointment too. All the time. So what do we do to get over the loss?
Here's my method:
1. Get off the computer and spend time with the people who matter most.
2. Put on my favorite Hugh Grant movie.
3. Make caramel popcorn.
4. Give myself time (this is an important step -- don't skip it).
5. Come at the disappointment from a different angle.
By doing these things, I surround myself with people who love me unconditionally, I give myself distance from the problem, and then I approach it in a new way.
I find that this usually helps me a lot. I recently had a disappointment related to my writing. I followed this method, and I'm happy to say that I think I can think rationally again about the problem.
And it's not really a problem at all. Just something I have to work with. And hey, working with something is better than nothing, right?
Right.
How do you deal with disappointment?
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