Authors that inspire you...

I had asked my facebook pals to give me some ideas for the blog and a friend of mine mentioned this.

Considering this topic, I realized that had I written this blog a couple years ago, my answer would have been very different than it is today.

You see, a few years ago, my idea of inspiration in author form was a mangled jumble of off-the-charts sales and prolific writing abilities.

A few years ago, I would have said Stephen King or Nora Roberts or even Janet Evanovich. Because inspiration, to me at that time, was the idea of authors being rockstars.

Success is not just about hitting the bestsellers list ten times...

Having been an author now for a couple years, I gotta say, SURE. I would LOVE to sit on the bestsellers list. I would love to say that there are enough copies of my books in print to circle the globe a few times.

But that isn't what defines success for me now. In writing, like many of the arts, the race is against yourself. A friend of mine did a blog about running marathons that really rang true to what I am trying to say. You may not cross that finish line first or be the one rolling in the dough... But winning is hitting your personal best. Only you can define if what you are doing is working or not.

So knowing this, that the race is against myself not against Stephen King or Nora...

Do I still strive to reach the stars?

YES. Because feeling proud because you are willing to sit at the keyboard everyday is great. But you still have to have that idea that makes you press onward...

Mine is that someday lots of people will read my stories. People who reach for the stars walk in stardust...

Being prolific

This used to seem kind of unattainable as well. I have since learned that if you sit down at the computer every day and write between 5-10k words... Prolific isn't hard. Prolific and sellable are two very different things. Not everything I write sees the light of day.

But the more years I spend doing it... the easier it has become to turn on my internal editor and catch stuff that I never would have years ago.

The more years spent writing... the easier it is to sit down and fall into the world of storytelling. So this doesn't mark success for me anymore, either.

Who does inspire you now?

I have met lots of authors, working in the trenches, and watched them go from outline to submissions. I have been their friend and heard about the hardships they deal with everyday and barriers they are knocking down in my industry. I see them out there daring to grab their dreams by the asses and say, "Heel bitch."

That inspires me. So when I am sick and trying to get through edits, any number of you are there with me. When I am hurting because of personal issues or trauma... I know they are with me.

And if that shit isn't keeping them from reaching for their dreams, what kind of wimp am I to consider taking the day off from writing?

(As a matter of fact, as I type this I am very hopped up on cold meds. So if I have rambled... I blame the people over at Nyquil.)

I am not going to list their names... But I think that the authors I am referring to know who they are. (*hugs to you, kick ass author friends*)

And I admire that. It inspires me.

What inspires you?