Getting out of one’s funk–the answer to Wednesday’s depressing post

Somedays, I just want to roll myself in blankets with Rosie.

This past few weeks my emotions have been up and down most likely due to the stress of my last convention and getting stuck on a few scenes in The Martlet the novel I am currently working on. I left Westercon feeling great and then… hit the blues in a major way.

(Note: I am certainly not referring to real clinical depression. If you think you are clinically depressed, please see your doctor.)

So Wednesday I was feeling a little down in the dumps which quickly fell into me being pretty sure that I am the most uncreative, untalented, blah blah blah author ever. Well now it’s Saturday and I am feeling much more like myself. Here is how I got out of my funk.

1) I remind myself since my writing is good enough to get published, I am not the worst writer or the worst artist or the worst whatever.

2) I figured out what was bothering me. While something was the catalyst to my mood, that wasn’t what I was dwelling on. I was dwelling on the lack of reviews/readers for Other Systems. I began wondering why since I wrote a hard science fiction novel was I now writing The Martlet, a fantasy book about assassins. Maybe that’s a mistake. Is the Martlet storyline one which has been told before?

Now I pulled myself out of my mood before I started spiraling deeper. How?

3) I had to finish an interview to the Red Reader. She asks some fun questions including the dream cast of an Other System’s movie. I admit I spent a few hours going over IMDB picking out actors and even got Maria’s help in the silliness. Robert Downy Jr. was my choice for Cole and if you want to know the others go check out the interview!

Also she will be reviewing Other Systems probably somewhere near the end of the month.

4) I sent in Other Systems to the 7500 word challenge and got an incredible review of the first 7500 words. The Owl gave Other Systems: Characters 5/5, Setting 5/5, Plot 5/5, Grammar/Spelling 5/5, Punctuation 5/5, Structure 4/5, Potential Beyond 7500 Words 5/5

She said she “fell in love with the characters” and I was called a “world builder and a wizard with words” sniff sniff (Yep, those are happy tears.)

5) I wrote a rough draft of a short story about a fallen cherubim who lives in the Eastern side of Woodland Park with the rabbits. He steals sandwiches from picnic baskets–he likes the lunch meat and gives the veggies to the bunnies. No, I am not making this up, I actually wrote this story. It needs to rest for a day so I can re-edit it, I also need to head over to Woodland Park so I can walk the dogs and get a few technical details. It’s been a while since I’ve been there.  The point of writing the short was to get my mind off The Martlet for a very short time. I took two days of rest. Now I can get back to work.

6) I queried four more book reviewers. One accepted my query: I sent him the PDF this morning.

7) Finally my mom (who yes reads my blog) sent me an email to make sure I was okay and we’ve been talking about the next steps for the Other Systems’ universe.

My point is that when you are feeling blue and uninspired, making, forward momentum, even if it is just baby steps, will help keep you going. How do you get out a writing funk?