NOT YOUR USUAL SUSPECTS

A group blog featuring an international array of killer mystery, suspense, and romantic suspense writers. With premises and story lines different from your run-of-the-mill whodunits, we tend to write outside the box. We blog several times a week on all topics relating to romantic suspense and mystery, our writing, and our readers. We welcome all comments and often have guest bloggers. All our authors can be contacted separately, too, using their own social media links.

We find our genre delightfully, dangerously, and deliciously exciting - join us here, if you do too!

NOTE: the blog is currently dormant but please enjoy the posts we're keeping online.


Julie Moffet . Cathy Perkins . Jean Harrington . Daryl Anderson . Nico Rosso . Maureen A Miller . Sandy Parks . Lisa Q Mathews . Sharon Calvin . Lynne Connolly . Janis Patterson . Vanessa Keir . Tonya Kappes . Julie Rowe . Joni M Fisher . Leslie Langtry

Monday, October 10, 2011

PERSEVERANCE

PERSEVERANCE by Kathy Ivan

per•se•ver•ance
noun
Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Synonyms
Doggedness, steadfastness. Perseverance, persistence, tenacity, pertinacity imply resolute and unyielding holding on in following a course of action. Perseverance commonly suggests activity maintained in spite of difficulties or steadfast and long-continued application: Endurance and perseverance combined to win in the end. (dictionary.com)

This afternoon I went to the annual Buns and Roses Tea for Adult Literacy. This event is held every year to raise money to fund further education and help adults and children learn to read. A most worthwhile cause. New York Times and USA Today bestseller Jodi Thomas spoke. She's a fabulous speaker and talked about her road to publication. As she spoke the above word kept popping into my head over and over.

Perseverance—It's what she had. It's what each and every one of us needs to have day in and day out as writers.

Read that definition again. It's the perfect description of a writer, whether published or unpublished. In spite of difficulties. In spite of obstacles, even in spite of discouragement or maybe in some cases because of discouragement. We persevere. We write the next word, the next sentence, page, and chapter. We maintain our course when life gets in the way, when we have a headache, the job wants to take up all our time and energy, or the kids have so many activities you begin to feel like a taxi service.

We plow through when we get rejection letter after rejection letter. We maintain our love of writing even when the contest judges' scores tell us we aren't good enough.

We PERSEVERE. We ENDURE. We WRITE. We do it because there is one person out there waiting for that special story you and only you can tell and if your story touches just one single person, it makes it all worthwhile.

We have a story to tell. We have characters to breathe life into, heroes who are larger than real life, and villains so evil they make our skin crawl. Nobody else can tell your story better than you can. As the line from the movie Galaxy Quest goes--Never Give Up, Never Surrender. As writers, that's what we do--never quit.

15 comments:

Maureen A. Miller said...

We PERSEVERE. We ENDURE. We WRITE

What an inspirational blog, Kathy!

Wendy Soliman said...

We do it because it's who we are and we can't help ourselves and so, yes, we persevere.

chris keniston said...

great post! if that's not enough to make us put our fingers to the keyboard I don't know what is!!

Toni Anderson said...

Every playlist I have contains Bruce Springsteen's NO SURRENDER :)
Great post, Kathy :)

JB Lynn said...

Kathy were you poking around in my dresser?? I have a bracelet that says persevere and a "Never Give Up, Never Surrender" t-shirt. On days when I'm down I put them both on, lol.

Marcelle Dubé said...

Thank you, Kathy. I really needed to read this today. Good post.

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

You are so right about this, Kathy. If I had let the judge's awful comment about "Why are you writing?" get to me and not pushed through...

I wouldn't have eighteen short stories published.

Good post, PP

Wynter said...

This is the mantra of so many authors. Love your post!

Kathy Ivan said...

wOW! Thanks for the kind words everyone. Been dashing out to the airport and doing the day job today, so I may get behind on the comments, but thanks to everybody who stopped by. I appreciate it so much.

Liz Lipperman said...

What an inspirational blog, Kathy. It reminded me of that saying I heard a long time ago.

DEDICATION + PERSPIRATION = PUBLICATION. (or something like that!!) Anyway, we have to keep writing because let's face it, we are in charge of our own destiny. You can't sell a blank page or an unfinished manuscript...well, Nora can!!

Clare London said...

This really spoke to me, Kathy, thanks for the encouragement. It's that 5% inspiration / 95% perspiration thing, isn't it? And - I think - the difference between writing only for fun and making it a career.

Kathy Ivan said...

Thanks again everyone for dropping by NYUS. Yesterday was a @#%@tch of a day, so forgive me for not being around as much as I shold have.

I appreciate everyones comments and know that we all PERSEVERE and will all meet our publishing goals.

Angi Morgan said...

Great post, Kathy !!
"Just keep singing...."

~Angi

Rita said...

Chiming in late but had to say this is wonderful. Thanks

Diane Kelly said...

Well said, Kathy! And so true!

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