Sarah Butland's Blog, page 17

T is for… Tenacity

Writing is a long term goal, one that takes a lot of focus and tenacity to see through. Rewards are not fast or abundant and are often masked in more work but they should all be celebrated. I took on the word “Tenacity” for this A to Z Challenge post.

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of various writing requests and love it! Even though my time is limited and, I agree that everyone is busy, it’s challenging to balance it all, it’s worth it when I get to do what I love. Deadlines and new projects can make a person thrive and weed out the ones just doing it for a hobby for any creative endeavour. It’s the ones with heart and a firm grip on who they are and what they want to do who succeed.

Being determined is such an important factor in whatever anyone decides to do for a lifetime. As a writer I know it’s challenging when contests aren’t won, stories don’t flow and sales aren’t booming but those are just little annoyances. Life can’t always be easy and great things can’t happen without truly knowing what is great to you so it’s important to keep trying, putting yourself and your creative works out there and see what happens.

It helps tremendously when you have a group of people supporting you, letting you know how they connected to whatever piece you completed so please do surround yourself with dreamers and those who truly love you.

Be tenacious and take risks, the rewards will be fantastic.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Blood Day (the WFNB award winning short story written against all odds)

PS: Let me know what you are tenacious about in your own life!

Sacrifice

Our lives are filled with sacrifice. Whether it has to do with time, health, wealth or our own sense of purpose, giving up something to make a balance in our lives is such a common struggle. In this letter “S” post for the A to Z Challenge “Sacrifice” had to the be the topic.

For me, my biggest sacrifice has to be my writing. While I try to balance it with homeschooling, house cleaning, working and everyday living, I’ve put writing last on the list way too many times. Now I’m filled with so many ideas that when I find the time to get anything down I freeze. It’s not writers block as I can come up with many first paragraphs that may not be masterpieces but are something, I just can’t get past that.

I, admittedly, often sacrifice the tidiness of my home. It’s well lived in and keeping up with life is just not something I excel at.

I do know it’s important not to sacrifice who you are for someone else. The key is balance and while a well-lived life can be a juggling act, sometimes we do need to sacrifice the little things to make way for bigger ones. Being true to who you are is the best way to give back to the world and ensure you sign. If I could choose, I would sacrifice cleaning (and feeling the need to clean) for more relaxed quality time with both myself and my family.

What would you sacrifice for more of what you love? And what would you do with that new found freedom?

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Arm Farm, Blood Day, Brain Tales and more

R is for Rejections

Being rejected is something we all feel at some point in our lives but it’s how we rebound that’s important. Whether it’s for something we say or something we like or don’t like, not everyone we meet is going to love and admire us – there will be critics, too, and harsh ones.

In honour of the A to Z Challenge today I’m speaking about rejections. So far, officially, I have been rejected for two of my ideas – one of which I was confident would be the perfect fit. I’ve pitched some articles I didn’t receive replies from but these were book ideas I had and hoped would be accepted but it’s not easy. Some would say it’s trying to fit the round peg into the square hole but it feels even worse than that, it almost feels like you’re blind folded, given a ball and asked to find the peg and the hole. You can spend weeks and months doing research and think “this is it” only to be told no.

The most important thing to remember is to never give up. Some of the world’s most well known authors and celebrities in general didn’t make the cut the first time they tried. Authors like Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, and athletes like Michael Jordon himself were counted out but they persevered and now are arguably the most well-known stars in their fields.

Being told no or hearing that you’re not liked is just the opinion of that person and doesn’t reflect back on you. Everyone can’t please everyone though it doesn’t stop any of us from trying. I personally feel it’s fuel to the fire burning inside, motivating me to find someone else who loves my work even more.

The right fit is out there for you, go find it!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy, Life Imitated and more!

Quintessential

One thing I know for certain is that nothing is ever perfect yet, in the same sense, everything is perfect. One of those oxymoron’s we can all appreciate, depending on our mood. Because a glass is half full, half empty and both all at once.

In this A to Z Challenge post I thought about writing about “Quiet” and do recommend the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain as she says it all quite perfectly but I like the word “quintessential” and honestly don’t know if I’d be able to pronounce it. But I can sure type it!

For everyone I know who is creative, being perfect is a way of procrastination that simply never happens (then again, always happens). We wait and edit and fine-tune and stress and worry and have so much self-doubt about the worth of ourselves, as we do put our heart and soul into whatever we make, and continue to wait until just the right moment that may never come. It’s challenging, putting ourselves out there to be judged and picked apart by friends, not to mention critiques, that we have gigabytes and scribbles of never-to-be-seen pieces of ourselves.

It’s a struggle I see in all of my peers and deal with a lot myself. Looking back at Sending You Sammy, the first big publication I put out to the world, I can still find where I could have improved. Same goes for every piece of writing I put out to the world. With ebooks being so popular it is a lot easier to correct what needs to be corrected though who has time for that? If we wanted perfection after putting a piece of work out there to the world, we would forever be focused on that one piece – fine-tuning it to please those who write bad reviews.

One thing I know for certain – you are quintessential so every piece of yourself you show to the world will help another, motivate someone who continues to wait, and you will (or should) feel great about doing something not many are brave enough to do.

Be creative and show the world who you are as you are beautiful!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Being Grateful, Being Thankful and more!

Persistence and Priorities

As a writer I love to write, it’s just that simple and yet it’s so very complicated. Knowing what I love to do and finding the time and energy at the end of the day to do it is a whole different story. One, if I had the focus, I could write a book about. For the A to Z Challenge I’m just going to write a post about it.

Like many, I don’t do it for the money though the money would be a friendly reminder of my self-worth and emphasize my life’s meaning. I persist and continue because it’s what makes me happiest, even when I’m struggling. It’s a very different feeling inside when I’m facing difficulty with a blank page or a scene in a story compared to what I’m living through in real life. In a story I can easily find a solution and fit together the people who need to be in place for the ending to be satisfying and I persist through all of the muddled confusion to find peace.

Many people ask me how I do it – with homeschooling, working nights opposite my loving husband, writing freelance, balancing my son’s crazy schedule against house cleaning, etc and I honestly don’t know. There are some days I persist and prioritize like a master but at the end of the day I still lay awake horrified about what I didn’t get done. And it weighs on me, quite literally, and holds me down – makes me lazy and sad and overwhelmed but it also motivates me to find that extra few minutes to do something just for me each day.

It may seem selfish to some but no one else can give you the peace of mind you need to rejuvenate yourself and get up the next day to do it all again.

So persist, prioritize what is most important and sleep well, knowing you did what makes you happy and the rest can wait. And then share with me your tips on how you do all that you do.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Arm Farm, Blood Day and Brain Tales

Optimism

Having a positive outlook on life is something I have always struggled with yet can often be perceived as being positive. I can see the silver lining in a lot of situations for others and don’t hesitate in mentioning to help others progress so why do I struggle with optimism in my own life?

Today, of course, is brought to you by the letter “O” in the A to Z Challenge and Optimism made the most sense.

It’s not that I don’t try to be optimistic as I try my hardest but too often get overwhelmed and honestly, I think too much. No matter the situation I worry about it, over analyze it and just fret about it. Never one to let go of emotions, everything just seems to be compounded within me enough to have me doubt whatever it is I’m doing.

Perception is everything though and some who know me perceive me as aloof, so much so that they think I feel I’m better than them while it’s the opposite. I tend to study people, to try to figure out how I fit in and where I stand in their lives so I shy away from small talk, stand in the corner and just watch and worry about what others are thinking of me.

I realize being optimistic and focusing on the good in our lives brings more good as like attracts like and The Secret is a movie I’ll watch again and again for a reminder. Somehow, despite all of this effort, the worry and negativity creep in and overwhelm me and I know others who struggle with this same thing.

So I want to know if you feel you are pessimistic or an optimist – is your glass half full, half empty or is it just existing?

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Naturally

I am a firm believer that everyone has something that comes naturally to them and writing is something I’ve always known was my forte. Having always known it doesn’t necessarily make it easier to live with but then I wonder what a life would be like without knowing your own passion.

In this A to Z Challenge I thought of writing about Namaste instead, a word used often in my social circle but it didn’t come naturally to me so I abandoned it and went with “Naturally” instead.

As Selena Gomez sings: How you choose to express yourself

It’s all your own and I can tell

It comes naturally, it comes naturally

I have never been one to be comfortable on a stage, dressing provocatively or even, quite honestly, talking on the phone. My natural ability was at its finest while behind the scenes letting myself speak through my fingers and connect with the silence. I have also always been curious to understand how others have found their passion and have been brave enough to express it as many of my stories have been locked in hiding, apparently much like many other writers stories are.

I envy those who can stand up and shout for what they believe in, who wear clothes that make themselves stand out in the crowd and thrive from the attention. While I admire them for their bravery I wouldn’t want to be them as I find myself naturally shy (primary school teachers even thought I was deaf as I didn’t speak a single word in school until after Christmas break). And if I could express myself through vibrant clothing or a stage presence I feel I would lose what I feel makes me different and stronger so I will cower in the corner watching and absorbing to free myself through writing.

And what will you do to be naturally you?

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Arm Farm, Blood Day and Brain Tales

Motivation

My motivation comes and goes but thankfully there are challenges like the A to Z Challenge I’m participating in to keep me going. With many mundane aspects of life demanding our attention it can be overwhelming to fit another thing into the schedule, even if it’s something we love to do.

I’ve been doing so well with consistently writing these posts the night before to ensure I get full advantage of having a new post each day but I forgot last night. I couldn’t get motivated to do anything but watch television and then crawl into bed, plus read a new book I’ll review later so I guess that’s a good thing to do.

Motivation can come in many forms for me – knowing I have readers anticipating my next release is the most ideal one but there are others including having that break of just being myself for a small part of a day. Other, less flattering bits of motivation come in the form of junk food which I try to avoid as much as possible. It’s more of convincing yourself that motivation should be in the form of accomplishments and personal success, something you can focus on and control versus depending on outside factors to provide.

A lot can be done in a 24 hour day as many have proven, accomplishing everything that makes them happy and more. You may even know one or two of these people who seem to just make the time for themselves and fit in more time for others, while many others beg for more hours to be able to get it all done.

In the end, it’s all about priorities and what you feel is most important for yourself as everyone else is doing the same. If this means you need to say no more often please feel free to do so in order to ensure you have energy left to motivate yourself into being true to you.

Let me know what keeps you motivated on your darkest of days.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Being Grateful, Being Thankful and more

Literature

What’s a blog without literature? So of course I had to cover this for the L word in the A to Z Challenge but I did hesitate about the direction I would take. I was going to share a story with you, a fictional one I found in my treasure box but I want to be more personal with these posts and I can post a story anytime. Instead I’ll share what literature has meant to me and hope you can relate and share your own stories in the comments.

Literature has always been a part of my life. While I can’t recall which book I read first or choose one author as my all time favourite, being able to read and write meant I was able to live. I do remember reading the C. S. Lewis series most of us know and love (Chronicles of Narnia) when I couldn’t find anything else to read. Fortunately I grabbed it off my father’s bookshelf and was admittedly addicted. Unfortunately, he was missing the last book which was annoying but meant I could justify re-reading it later in life and I am so very glad I did. And I made sure to buy the collection in one book so I could share it with my son later.

Literature brings us together, either by sharing the love of a book or the dislike of one, or simply to meet up with other readers who love books and discussing them.

When in high school I loved being a Reading Tutor as I was able to encourage typical non-readers to find books they enjoyed reading. Now, many years later, I am part of a book club and it’s a part of each month I look forward to no matter what book they recommend we read. Being an author and an avid reader has connected me with so many other authors who I have come to adore, and with fans of my own work I have grown a bond with that cannot be replaced.

This all to say that literature goes far beyond the pages of a favourite book.

What is your favourite book and who is your favourite author? Tell me how you fell in love with literature.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Arm Farm, Brain Tales and Blood Day

Knowledge

When you’re in any creative business doing what you love and are passionate about the obstacles are endless and it can be tough to persist. In this A to Z Challenge post on the letter K I want to talk with you about knowledge.

Knowing who you are and what you want to do is the very first challenge you’ll face. Not knowing this truth about yourself is detrimental to ensuring you’re on the right journey and rejoicing when you reach your destination. There are plenty of personality quizzes out there as well as tests to help you find a job you’re skilled at and I’ve found a few helping to clarify who you are (see Oprah’s quiz and the one at Clarity by Fire) but are they enough?

Reading a lot of self-help and motivational blog posts and books I believe it can be much easier than taking multiple quizzes, then again I have always known writing is what I loved to do so finding my passion just wasn’t necessary. What I never really knew though is how and that’s another thing we’re told not to fret about.

Taking small steps and focusing on finding time to do what you love the most every day, despite all other obligations, takes care of the why. The how is said to magically unfold before us if we do the other things right. For impatient people like me, this can be the most aggravating part of it all.

And for writers, and I guess all creators, writing what we know is often said to be the key to success. Another point I struggle with as when I wrote Blood Day the Short Story I honestly didn’t know what I was doing. I typically write fiction but this was closer to science fiction, something I’ve avoided at most costs. When it won first prize in a provincial contest it made me doubt the idea of writing what we know being the best plan.

Learning about a topic or diving into the unknown is a wonderful aspect of writing fiction that yes, does take time but the more you know the better you can prepare yourself with not knowing the how. You’re too busy to wonder about that anyway.

So I want to know, do you know your passion and do you focus on creating more of what you know or do you learn along the way?

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Arm Farm, Blood Day the Novella, Life Imitated and more!