Tags
#AtoZChallenge, A-Z Blogging Challenge, Camp NaNoWriMo, Celine Dion, opportunity, say yes, taking chances, Thomas Edison, writing, writing tips
Y is for Yes.
We all want to be successful in our chosen careers. We all want to be the best. Yet sometimes we fear taking chances to get to where we want to be. We fear the unknown.
In 2015 I did a season of saying yes to everything crossing my path (writing related, don’t get funny ideas).
It made me a better writer. I joined a writing group (it fizzled out in the meantime and a new one was created to fill the void – a better one BTW), I wrote tons of short stories and won a few competitions, I learned how to blog and how to tweet, I took part in NaNoWriMo for the first time and I made a couple of writing friends.
I continued saying yes to all things writing in 2016, adding a lot of new things to my routine and it paid off.
I’ve continued to say yes to new opportunities in 2017 which led to guest posts on other blogs (look out for updates on this next month) and stories being accepted for anthologies (I’ll blog about this closer to D-day).
I’ll admit it’s scary.
But what do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there’s solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?– Celine Dion, Taking Chances
Very scary.
But saying yes when opportunity knocks on your door can lead to awesome new horizons.
Success doesn’t just jump out from behind a tree and say “Voila!” – you have to write, submit, be rejected, rewrite and go through the whole process again and again until you’re successful.
And yes, you have to pace yourself or risk burnout. But if you say yes to opportunity, it will make you a better writer and it will enrich your career. (Yes, yes: this works for whatever your chosen profession is, it isn’t just for writers.)
I hope you found this journey interesting. Tomorrow, we’ll look at Zen… What’s your experience been with saying yes?
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Heidi Kneale (Her Grace) said:
Very good reflection.
I once gave myself permission to say yes. Eventually I got to the point of realising that when I said “yes” to certain projects, part of that saying yes meant that I had to see the project through to the end.
This did mean that sometimes I had to say no to subsequent projects, simply because I only have so many hours in a day, and I had to honour the yes I’d already agreed to.
Her Grace, Heidi from Romance Spinners
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miladyronel said:
Absolutely. Finishing what you start is very important. Sometimes it does mean that you can’t say yes to everything – we don’t have time-turners like Hermoine did in the Harry Potter books 🙂
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mhsusannematthews said:
I don’t think I could say yes to everything that crosses my path, but it would be neat to try. Find me here. LINK
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miladyronel said:
There’s this saying that if first you don’t succeed, you try and try again 🙂
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debscarey said:
I did this for a year – and it wasn’t writing related but life. Obviously I didn’t say yes to anything that would cause me physical or emotional hurt but, otherwise, everything. It was quite a year and I am so glad that I did it. I still find taking chances tough, but I hold that year’s experiences close and make the best judgement I can.
Bunny and the Bloke
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miladyronel said:
It sounds like it was quite an experience 🙂
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Nick Wilford said:
You’ve achieved an amazing amount in two years! Clearly, this open-minded attitude can pay off wonderfully. Great post.
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Nick 🙂 Whenever it feels like I’m not really getting anywhere, I remind myself of how much I’ve accomplished by just doing the best I can.
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aslifehappens60 said:
wow! This is such an inspiring post , Ronel . Thanks for sharing your uplifting thoughts .
Best wishes ,
Moon
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miladyronel said:
Thank you 🙂
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Juneta said:
Great post. You go, cheering for you.
‘Enjoyed reading. Happy A to Z Juneta @ Writer’s Gambit
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miladyronel said:
Thank you so much, Juneta 🙂
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jazzfeathers said:
That’s a good policy, I’d say. I tryto say yes to as much as possible in the writing fields. Not everything turns out as I’d like, but it’s experience 😉
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – 1940s Film Noir
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miladyronel said:
Thank you 🙂 We try and we learn…
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Keith's Ramblings said:
As long as you’ve nothing to lose say yes to everything that comes your way. How often have you said no and regretted it? Grab everything going, even if it sounds impossible. More likely than not you’ll surprise yourself.
Another day in Amble Bay!
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miladyronel said:
Absolutely! Thanks, Keith 🙂
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Donna (@Girl_Who_Reads) said:
I always try to say yes whenever presented with the opportunity to try something new. Sometimes I like it and others once was enough! Girl Who Reads
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miladyronel said:
Awesome 🙂
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Barbara In Caneyhead said:
While I don’t say yes to every thing that comes my way, I do usually consider it before agreeing or rejecting it.
Perspectives at Life & Faith in Caneyhead
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miladyronel said:
Sounds like a healthy attitude 🙂
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Shawna Atteberry said:
I definitely need to learn to say yes. The main reason my writing career keeps stalling is because I freak out then stop. I definitely need to say yes and take some risks.
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miladyronel said:
You’ll be amazed at how good things can get if you take risks 🙂
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jlennidorner said:
That is fantastic advice right there! It can be hard to grab writing opportunities when they come. “I don’t have time right now,” or “that’s more words than I can write well in that time frame.” But sometimes you just have to put it out there and let the chips fall where they may. Not everyone is gonna like it, but hey, never know, someone might.
J — Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, Debut Author Interviewer, Reference and Speculative Fiction Writer
http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com
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miladyronel said:
Absolutely. Besides, you can’t make everyone happy with your writing – but as long as you are happy, that’s good enough 🙂
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saracsnider said:
I’ve also found that the times I’ve taken risks with my writing (serializing a story on my blog, for example) has usually paid off, and I’m glad I’ve done it. Congratulations to you for your successes! That’s fantastic. Keep on saying Yes! 😀
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Sara 🙂 Taking risks is scary, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.
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Louise@DragonspireUK said:
Thanks for this post 🙂 The reminder that success takes time was something that I needed to hear this week: I became a bit demoralised with my draft.
I used to say yes more often, but after I let down a group project because I couldn’t commit enough time, I realised that I have to consider my other commitments before I say yes.
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miladyronel said:
I needed this reminder too 🙂 It’s okay to say no sometimes – we can’t do everything at superspeed (we’re not the Flash 😉 ). As long as we see projects through we’ve said yes to, it’s okay not to do everything that cross our path.
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Louise@DragonspireUK said:
Good advice 🙂 It’s better to say no than to over-commit and feel terrible when you have to drop something, although I wish I did have super speed like the Flash sometimes!
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hilarymb said:
Hi Ronel – this is a great post and it’s good to see you are moving forward and getting writing opportunities … it can be easy to say yes, but we need to make sure that yes is a yes .. and not back out … it’s better to be positive towards the ‘yes’ – but hold off committing completely … cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/z-is-for-zebra-zoo-and-zedland.html
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Hilary 🙂 Be positive – that’s great advice!
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Kerry E.B. Black said:
I am glad you take chances, and what a blessing to “know” you ! Your A to Z series is excellent, and your unfailing encouragement inspires. Thank you!
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miladyronel said:
I’m glad you enjoy my posts, Kerry 🙂
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Kerry E.B. Black said:
Absolutely!
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TheresaBarker said:
Excellent advice, I love your observations, Ronel! You are so creative, not only in writing, but in thinking about writing and the writing life. It’s a gift to us!
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miladyronel said:
Thank, Theresa 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
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