Hi to any and all who happen to be reading this. I’m on the backside of this challenge hill, heading full speed to the finish line on June 21st. And who exactly challenged me?–you’re likely not wondering. But the answer is me… I did!

And I am going to show myself what’s what when that deadline comes around. I’d love to see the look on my face when I find out that I had another awesome week of writing. I was able to hit my word count target goal once again, which is a great feeling.

I think the continued success in these weekly check-ins has had a wonderful impact on my writing. Perhaps confidence plays a bigger part in the creative process than I previously believed. Hitting these goals each week helps to charge me up for the next week; I guess I kind of tapped into my competitive nature, even when my competition is myself.

I had a period of doubt after the publication of my first novel. Plod On, Sleepless Giant was such an original concept, and it was practically an accident. I had a strange dream about an elephant chained to a wheel at the center of the earth, turning the planet; and the story just kind of evolved around that core–pun intended.

And the book got some really good, positive feedback. I even met a reader at Wizard World a few years back, and she had a lot of very nice things to say about my book. It was a shock to find someone I didn’t need to pitch my book to, considering I was there that weekend to specifically pitch my book.

Finishing and publishing a novel is a big deal, as any writer will tell you; and the idea of doing it all over again was very intimidating. A lot of concerns rise to the top of your mind. Was it just a fluke? Can I write another story that will connect with readers?

In the end, you just have to say–forget that noise! Write the stories you want to read, because that’s why you started to write to begin with. As for readers, you’ll find your crowd.

Until Next Time: Take a deep breath. Remember that you can accomplish amazing things when you put your mind and passion to work. Confidence is key, and it opens so many doors in the world.