“Alright, I’ll go in there for Dorothy. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch. Guards or no guards, I’ll tear ’em apart. There’s just one thing I want you guys to do…talk me out of it.”
We’re all familiar with the sweet cowardly lion from the movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” I mean who didn’t smile when he raised his big fluffy paws and said, “Put ’em up, put ’em up?” Or when he said, “I do believe in spooks! I do believe in spooks! I do, I do, I do, I do!” and yet he soldiered on with the rest of his oddball gang. How could you not love his devotion to Dorothy? And didn’t you just melt at the end of the movie when he said, “I never would have found my courage if it hadn’t been for you?”
I think the reason we all like the cowardly lion is because we can all relate to him. Whether you want to admit it or not, we’re all a little cowardly. Every day requires random acts of bravery, from all of us. People with severe depression bravely face each morning when they get out of bed. Introverts tuck away their anxiety when they find themselves in a situation that requires them to (gasp) talk to a stranger. I face my fears every time I get in my car and drive to a new destination, not sure if I’ll find my way or make a terrible mistake along the journey and get hopelessly turned around, backwards, mixed up and lost. Not that that’s ever happened mind you. No sirree.
Going to a job interview requires courage. Having surgery requires courage. Being in a position where you must do some public speaking, be it in a courtroom, a boardroom, a classroom, on stage, wherever, requires courage. Asking someone on a date requires bravery. For some people just going outside requires courage. Heck, even answering the phone takes a bit of bravery. The world can be a scary place.
Being a writer requires some serious courage. It’s not easy asking someone to read that first draft. What if that person hates it? What if they laugh at me? What if it’s not good enough? It’s even scarier when we hit “send” on that query e-mail, because now we’ve put ourselves out there. We’ve opened the door for “professional” criticism. Nobody likes criticism.
Suppose we survive those first steps and now we are faced with hitting the “publish” button on that uploaded manuscript. There’s no going back now. Now, the book is out there. Total strangers are going to read the words we’ve bled onto those pages. What if they hate it? What if I get no reviews or worse yet, horrible reviews? What if someone finds it so bad they shame it on social media?
When you prepare ads to market your book and click that “Pay here” button, we really have to channel our inner Lady Macbeth and screw our courage to the sticking place because now our pocket books will be hurting. What if nobody buys the book? What if we filled in the boxes wrong and we spend our money on an ad that will never be seen? What if we really don’t understand all of the CPM and CPC and CTR terminology and make terrible decisions when it comes to running the ad? What if? What if? What if? It’s not just intimidating, it’s downright scary.
But, just as the cowardly lion embraced his fears because he loved Dorothy, so can we. If a writer ever wants to become a published author, they absolutely MUST be brave. Bravery happens when we acknowledge our angst and face it head on. We have to, because, what if we don’t fail? What if readers do like the book? What if our ads are correct and they do pay off? What if our GPS is right?
So, be like the cowardly lion and find your Dorothy. Find the person, place or thing that gives you strength and courage. (Hopefully that’s not drugs or alcohol.) Find it. Embrace it. Cherish it. Keep it close so that when you need it, you too can say, “Alright, I’ll go in there do it for Dorothy.”
What gives you guys courage? Do you have your Dorothy? Any suggestions for the faint of heart who need a little boost? Any and all suggestions are welcome.
Word of the Day: Machzor
Fun fact about me: Wizard of Oz is one of my all-time favorite movies.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, November 2019. Images by Google Images and giphy.com.
Stay connected with news about my books and other fun stuff by signing up for my newsletter: http://bit.ly/JansenSchmidtNewsletter
My newest release On Hallowed Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/2KONmnf
On Common Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/2BBu7bb
Yes , I agree every step we take in life needs a little bravery. I am lucky I have a Dorothy, my hubby. No matter what I do in life I know he will love me for what And who I am so , when I make a mistake , as I often do, I am only human after all, he will always be there to pick up the pieces. Therefore I have confidence to get through most things knowing he will be there to hold my hand as he always has through every trauma I encounter. I know this sounds cheesy but it is the truth . He is a quiet person and has a calming influence and certainly good for me and I feel blessed. How I would face all the shipwrecks in life without him doesn’t bear thinking about , so I won’t. We all need a Dorothy in life. We are all a little insecure at times and always a blessing if we have someone that makes us a better person. I also love the wizard of oz and I am never to old to watch it . ❤️❤️❤️❤️ P.S. I also think that when you go through serious traumas that life throws at you, it makes you stronger and gives you a different set of values.
LikeLike
I love that Bob is your Dorothy. Spouses are not always the best support system for certain things, but knowing they have your back is important. I know Bob adores you and will always be there for you, as you will for him. You guys are a great team.
I miss you. Hope to see you soon. (We’re actually talking about a trip overseas.)
Have a great rest of the week.
Patricia
LikeLike
Woohoo!
I can’t imagine the courage it takes to self-publish. I still feel the nerves when I publish a blog post! LOL!
LikeLike
It’s an exciting kind of scary. Exciting that you finally have a book out there in the world, but scary because so do millions of other people. Getting that book some attention is the really hard part.
And you should never be nervous when blogging. People adore you. I’m one of your fans. I may not always have a chance to comment, but I do admire your dedication to the task. Keep it up my friend.
Patricia
LikeLike
You are so nice, Patricia! You made my whole week!! (((Hugs)))
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m one of your super fans too! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so right that it takes courage in this hard world, sometimes just to face the day. And with us sensitive writer creatures, putting our creations out there into that scary world to be judged is terrifying…and that doesn’t even include the marketing, which is a nightmare in itself. But not putting our stuff out there would be worse, allowing the fear to control your actions and hold you back would rob the world of a creation that only you can make, whether or not anyone else approves. You can’t make everyone happy, guaranteed, so be brave, no matter what…and whenever you want to feel better about your stories, go to Goodreads and read the critical reviews on some of your favorite authors’ books. Even the most popular authors have haters – you’re in good company!
LikeLike
I thought with my second book it would get a little easier, but nope, it doesn’t. Every book is its own beast with its own set of problems. My first book is finally gaining some momentum as far as sales, but my second one is dipping lower and lower on the sales rank on Amazon. It’s a sad sight to see.
But, chin up. Soldier on. I’ll go on for Dorothy!
Thanks for visiting and for your encouragement. I know you understand the process.
Patricia
LikeLike
My running gives me that excited kind of scary feeling.
Whether it be 3 miles or 26 miles.
Obviously I do it for me (the personal challenge and the adventure) but my hubby is my Dorothy, and on occasion a good friend whom I have shared my training anxiety with.
If it wasn’t for these people, sometimes I wonder how I would get through it mentally, especially when running over 5 hours non-stop.
I feel very blessed to have these special people in my life. ♡
LikeLike
You see – having a Dorothy makes it all worthwhile. I’m glad your husband is your support system. Running is not something I could ever do – unless something big and scary is chasing me – so I admire your commitment. Running for 5 hours is just superhuman. I love seeing all of your running adventures on social media so keep posting your successes.
Thanks for sharing your success story. It makes us all feel like we’re all a little bit the same.
Patricia
LikeLike
My writing friends are my “Dorothy” along with my readers (few there are). Knowing someone is waiting for my next book is definitely motivating! Recently, I was interviewed on TV about the business trying to go in across the street from my house. It was a last minute thing and the neighbors were all at work. It was terrifying, but I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity so I did it. I was thankful I didn’t look stupid and they took a decent sound bite. The neighbors who’ve done so much for us were definitely the reason I did it!
LikeLike
Well it sounds like you already have your new neighbor Dorothy. Good for you. I know I have a couple of people waiting for my next book too (surprising one of them is my dad – who’d’ve thought?) and that’s inspiring. I’ve also had a couple of unknown people sign up for my newsletter lately and that makes me smile. I’m starting to build a following. We’re small but mighty.
Thanks for visiting. Keep up the good work in your neighborhood. And keep up the writing fight. It’s not easy being in this author business. We all have to stick together.
Patricia
LikeLike
Hi again, Patricia. I somehow missed this post but here I am now. Excellent telling of the rigors of writing. You and Susie Lindau are two followers whom I look up to and respect very much. You both seem to have the same amount of perseverance and drive that it takes to author a book.
I walked away from my book and blog for a couple of months to recharge. I’ve restarted the book from scratch but thanks to your guidance and several articles I have been reading, I am well into it now. I think it will be a much better product.
I also hope to blog more effectively henceforth. Probably not weekly but at least a couple a month.
I was looking at a riverboat cruise from Memphis to New Orleans online. Looks very interesting with one of the stops, of course, in Vicksburg. Would love to see your digs. I think it will be a tough sell formy Patricia though. She’s more in to European river cruises (we’ve done a couple). We’ll see.
LikeLike
Hey Al, thanks so much for the kind words. Susie is definitely a go-getter. She has more energy than me. I’m blaming cancer still. That crap takes a long time to bounce back from. But, really, that’s just an excuse.
I hope you guys do get to Vicksburg. It’s an interesting city with lots of history. Not the same “old” history that Europe has, but our own history none-the-less. Let me know if it happens.
As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by. My blog never closes so whenever you can get here, is the perfect time.
Patricia
LikeLiked by 1 person