So I’ve been revising . . . revising a work that I have revised A LOT. And I want to tell you something:
It has been hard.
I’ve spent a lot of time just staring at the screen, begging my characters to do something, because I had no idea what should happen next. I have spent a lot of time not staring at the screen, lost in deep, deep thought as I’ve reconsidered, oh, pretty much every scene. And then reconsidered it all again.
And mixed in there, there’s been a bit of typing, babysteps of progress, and slowly, slowly I’m getting through.
I’ve asked my husband more than once, “Why do I like this again?” Because in those moments when the plot feels impossible, and the characters feel flat . . . things can seem a bit bleak.
But then I came across this quote from Muhammad Ali:
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit.
Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'”
-Muhammad Ali
True champions push through the hard times. They don’t stop just because things aren’t roses and kittens all the time. True champions realize that the reward is greater than the pain.
I will never get one of those belts with the ginormous gold buckle on it. And I may never even get a publishing contract for this book. But when I finish, when I get to that point . . . I will be a champion.
Because I was stronger than the doubts and the fears that tried to hold me back.
What are you battling against right now?