The Starving Novelist
 
Most of you probably haven't noticed, but for my one or two loyal followers (lol- "followers" - makes me sound like a cult leader), yes, I've been gone a bit longer than usual.  Last week was crazy, well, crazier than usual.  My kids were out of school because of 'winter break' Monday and Tuesday, and I also started getting sick on Tuesday.  I went to the Dr.'s on Wednesday, and yep, sure enough, I had Strep Throat.  Note: when I get Strep Throat, I GET Strep Throat, meaning, it's not just a little sore throat mixed with a slight fever; it's my tonsil(s) is as white and swollen as a ping-pong ball, and I feel like death.  Needless to say, I could barely write a text message, let alone a blog entry.

To make everything 10x worse . . . I've been committing a big writer's no-no.  I've been comparing myself to other writers (eek!).  The funny thing is, I'm not comparing my books to theirs, but my life to theirs.  I'm reading their 'how I got my agent' stories or their bios, and all I can think is; 'I've never taken those classes, I don't have that degree, I don't have that experiece, I've never read those books, I don't belong to that group, etc., etc.  Seriously, I'm embarrassed to say I actually went to the library and checked out a Jane Austen novel, JUST because it seemed like every "serious" women's fiction writer has read Jane Austen.  Of course, I was bored to tears and only made it through the first chapter (barely). 

I know, this is bad and SCREAMS insecurity.  I kind of feel like I'm back in high school, and I'm looking at all the popular girls and mentally listing all the ways I'm not like them. 

I have to keep reminding myself that there are different paths that lead to the same destination.  True, I was not one of the "popular" girls in high school, but somehow I still managed to have some awesome friends, succeed in college, get a good job, and meet an awesome guy (my husband).  So, even though I don't like Jane Austen, I can't write a novel in a month, and I don't an MFA in creative writing; I can still succeed as a writer, and come hell or high water, that's what I plan on doing.