Our own worst critic

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As an author, I want and need to have others read my work for several reasons. One, because more than one pair of eyes is best. I am unable to pick up on every single detail with just my own eyes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a novel by a well-known author and caught mistakes, whether it’s a word that shouldn’t be there, a typo, poor punctuation or some other mistake, AND they have highly paid editors who work for the BIG TIME publishers. So…if they can miss something, what does that tell you?

Another reason is that I want and need to have beta readers proficiently through read my work to inform me if the story flows smoothly throughout the book. If there’s typo’s or whatever, as I mentioned already. I am fortunate to have a lot of friends who are authors, so to have their eyes on my book for not only healthy criticism but suggestions and positive feedback is a good thing.

The main reason is that I’m my worst critic. I’m extremely hard on myself and what I spend hours upon hours and weeks and months working on. When I write it, initially, I think it rocks big time and it should be a bestseller within the first week, but as time moves forward I doubt myself, I get discouraged, I criticize my work and eventually, on some days I think what I have worked so hard on truly is horrible. Not always, but as an author, we can all relate to this as I’m certain many others in the art of song, film or whatever you love doing, are the exact same way. So….because of being so hard on myself I can’t rely on what I think alone. My hard work, my passion, my desire to do for a living until the good Lord takes me home has to be looked at by others and I must accept the feedback that I’m provided. 🙂

Jamie Lynn Boothe

The books below are previous works that you can click on and will take you directly to the page on Amazon. I’m currently writing my first crime thriller series which is very different from what is below. If you look at my work, purchase and read it…THANK YOU!! I hope you love it.

Living the dream

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Everyone has a dream. Some dream about being a nurse or a doctor, or a police officer or fireman when they are a child. Others may dream as they grow older to go all out and be the President of the United States (that’s one I have never wanted to do). Still, others dream of acting, becoming famous on the stage as they grace the world with their voice (my own mother tells me I can’t sing, :-O ). My dreams consist of becoming a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, to have a cameo when Hollywood wants to make a movie from a novel of mine, to be a guest on the Ellen Show and to buy a small house near a beach where it’s peaceful and quiet and I can write fulltime and walk my dog (when I get one) and surf fish whenever I feel like it. Whatever your dreams are a few very important things are required in order to achieve them.

One, you have to set goals and do whatever you need to meet those goals.

Two, you MUST believe in yourself AND in your dream.

Three, Do not EVER allow ANYONE to tell you that you can’t do it.

And, last, but not least…celebrate like a madman/madwoman when your dreams become reality!

Growing a thick skin

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclaimer in the top bar menu for more info. Thank you!

While I was a teenager I remember how much I loved to delve into the confines of my mind and allow emotion-based words fill the papers that were scattered in front of me. My heart, as well as my soul, would pour out through a pen or pencil like water, fluidly running over, line by line. The outcome…poetry that I believed was immensely deep and moving and worthy of the world to see published. Over four decades has passed since those days and not a single poem has been printed on paper, bound with covers and released to the multitudes. However, over the years I dreamt of becoming an established, well-known and successful author. It took me until August of 2012 to finally sit in front of my laptop, in a house filled with nine other residents in a sober house to begin creating my first novel, Nightmares and Dreams.

Since that incredible, earth-shattering revelation, I have been blessed with being able to write eight novels, two novellas, and a short-story collection. I’m currently working on my first crime thriller series and I have high hopes and aspirations. My dreams include finding a literary agent that will guide and work with me throughout a brilliant career. In order for that to happen, I have to continue to write. I must never stop believing in myself, and I need to relentlessly have faith that someone will give me that opportunity. Last, but certainly not least, I must have a thick skin.

I was told very early on I needed to grow a thick skin in order to make it in the publishing world. I learned the hard way how much truth there is to that. I have queried three separate novels to agents so far, only to be rejected on each one, but I continue to push forward. I have become discouraged many times, but I couldn’t stop working on my goals and dreams. They will never see the light of day and I will never be able to do what I hope to do if I allow criticism and rejections stop me. If I hang my head, allow my shoulders to be weighed down by the heartbreaking responses, I would never be able to forgive myself.

Today, I see a light at the end of a tunnel. The tunnel is shrinking in size and the once darkened walls are diminishing as the light begins to grow brighter. I BELIEVE because my skin has thickened. Does it still hurt to be rejected? Of course, but not every agent will want what I write or they might have enough of that type of story or many other reasons. I’ve also recently learned that an author may have a bestselling novel, but if their query letter isn’t as close to perfection as humanly possible, most agents will not want to see the manuscript. Another hard learned lesson.

If you are an author or dream of becoming one, PLEASE be prepared for disappointments and rejections because I promise you, they will happen. It’s only part of the process and will help you grow, so keep writing and reaching for that dream.

Above, at the top of the page, you will see three of my last published novels.

The thrill of being a writer

 

How often have you thought to yourself that you would love to write a book one day? Or, heard someone else say that they wanted to? Over my almost fifty-two years of life, I don’t know the exact number of times I’ve heard it, but I can say it’s been quite often. Well, for the ones of you that have taken the necessary steps of reaching that glorious goal, you know how incredible it feels to accomplish something of such an enormous and impeccable size. For those of you who are still dreaming about it or have never torn through the vast, grey-steel walls of fear so you could write that first novel, you’ll never know the immense pleasure that wells up from the depths within.

Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all roses and tip-toeing through the tulips to get to the last page where you can type those gratifying words, The End, but once you do, whether it ever sees the light of day or hits Amazon or lands on anyone’s bookshelf other than your own, it still remains the same…YOU wrote a book.

You’d be surprised how many want-to-be authors don’t realize what it takes to write a book, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. Allow me to break it down a little for you and fill you in on some of the tasks. First, after you do break that wall of fear down and kick it out of your way, you have to have an idea. Then you have to sit down in front of your computer and actually begin. For some of us, we may be a pantser and just write it out and let the words flow as they may, while others will take the time and create an outline of some kind to go by, (I’ve learned over the years that this is the best way to go). Then, of course, there’s the research, which can take hours upon hours weaving through the internet or time spent on the phone or traveling, if you have the money to do so. There’s the time spent away from anything else your life includes (family, friends, washing laundry, feeding yourself, extracurricular activities, etcetera). We can’t forget about the sleepless nights when our brains kick in with new ideas for our story and the hours we sit and write it all out, including the editing and rewrites.

Now, this is just the gist of it all and I know it comes across as daunting, which is not my intention. I must add that the journey of creation, the path we choose to take and step gingerly over the pebbles or climb over an occasional boulder that wants to block us from the finish line, is immeasurable. We, as writers, have toiled and sacrificed and paid in full the required price to achieve a lifetime dream. We wrote a book. We have allowed our fingers to dance across the keys of the keyboard as our hearts and minds took us into another world. We waltzed with our characters through their days and nights, felt their pain and love, and listened to them speak their minds to the end. We laughed, we cried we cheered with joy. Yes…we experienced it all with them.

The thrill of being a writer is something many will never be able to experience and many others will never understand, but the bottom line is this…books don’t write themselves and like the saying goes, if you can’t find the book you want to read, write it.

Figuring it out

I’m messing around on my phone and thought, hey, why don’t I see if I can get my website on my phone! Guess what? Lol, yeah I might be slow at getting to things but eventually I figure it out.

I’m excited to say that I’ve been working hard on building my author platform the past few days. With Pinterest and Twitter and LinkedIn plus Facebook and Instagram I’m hoping it’ll build up fast. Time and hard work will tell. I’m determined to reach my ultimate goal and dream and that’s getting a Literary Agent and book deal. I believe.

Merry Christmas

I just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you are all able to spend some special moments with your loved ones this season and create happy memories. Here is my favorite Christmas song for you to enjoy. Please come home for Christmas, by the Eagles.

Never Give Up!

 

How many times in your life have you wanted to give up on something? Was it a dream that seemed so bizarre and out of reach that part of you started to think there was no way you will ever reach your goals. Did you have doubts and start losing faith that your dreams will ever become a reality? Well, let me tell you…YOU are not alone!

I can assure you that almost every living human being, past, present, and future either has or will feel this way. And you know what? YOU CAN’T GIVE UP!!  You just can’t, and I will tell you why.

It’s simple really. You will never know how close you may have been to achieving that dream. You will always have a part of you that will be curious and at the same time never be able to forgive yourself for letting your fears or frustration get the best of you. There’s only ONE person that can hold you back on doing what you want. That person is YOU.

Let me tell you a little story. Some of you already know about this with me, but please…allow me. I grew up in a small hick town in Virginia where everybody knew everybody and everything that went on. I couldn’t get away with ANYTHING. I thought I was slick, too. I was constantly being proven wrong. My childhood wasn’t a pleasant one by any means. An alcoholic father. An abusive stepmother. I was a very shy boy and scared of my shadow because of the abuse from home. It affected my entire life until I was in my mid-forties. To hide from the pain and fear I drank and did drugs. I hid from life and my dream of being a writer was being put on hold because I didn’t believe in myself. Now, I’m in my fifties and my perspective on life and how I see myself is 100% different and for the better. Yes, the last 6 1/2 years that I’ve been sober hasn’t been a walk through the tulips either but some amazing things have happened. I didn’t give up. I didn’t give up on life and I didn’t give up on my dream.

In the past 6 1/2 years I have not only written one book and got it published, but I’ve written eleven books ( eight novels, two novella’s and a short story collection ). I am currently searching for a literary agent and that in itself has been one of the hardest things I have ever tried to do, but I haven’t given up. I’ve thought about it more than once because being rejected is painful. It’s discouraging and frustrating, but I haven’t given up. I believe in myself and have faith that God is going to bless me. I just have to keep putting in the work and believe that it will happen. ( Some will probably tell you that I moan and groan a lot about the process, lol, but I still haven’t given up ).

Now, not everyone is a writer or even wants to be a writer BUT everyone has a dream. Whatever your dream is GO FOR IT!! Don’t allow anyone, including yourself, tell you that you can’t do it because you CAN DO IT!! I believe in you. Do you believe in you? 

Dreams can be reality

Never allow someone to fill you with garbage and convince you that you are worthless and will never amount to anything. Instead, prove them wrong by going beyond even your own expectations. More importantly, succeed in your dreams to the point where they are no longer a dream, but a reality. Inspire others by sharing your successes so they too can see that dreams can certainly become a reality. Bring hope to someone else and teach them by your actions that by never giving up, no matter how difficult the journey is, no matter how many tears you may shed, that the light is growing brighter and brighter every time they make even the smallest baby step to get there. Have faith. Believe. Never, ever stop trying and love yourself today.

Time

I want to leave you for the evening with a small something I wrote a few years ago. Thank you, and I hope you all have a great evening. God Bless!

 

Time

Time…what shall I see?
Shall it be a vast lost land full of ignorance?
Shall it be lost souls who only think they know what is going on?

Time…such a precious thing lost in minds
Wasted away on petty wants and so called needs
Precious few realize what is good as gold

Time…it’s ticking away and soon will be no more
Get ready for your rewards or will they be consequences
Time…what are you waiting for?

I’m Back!!

It’s been a long time since I have sat in front of my computer and created even a single post for this blog. To anyone who has followed me, I truly apologize.

I will gladly catch you all up to date with what has been happening in my career, when I’m not dealing with my actual job that pays the bills.

Well, I believe I haven’t posted anything about my previous novels, Never Again, When Never Again Happens, House of Refuge (all of which are published on Amazon with Limitless Publishing) and I have two novels that I have NOT published, because I’m searching for a literary agent. I haven’t stopped writing and I’m doing the best I can to further my career.

The last two novels I have written are “The Stream” (an inspirational romance about a man who has struggled with personal demons, has ran from them for years to finally having to face them) and A Letter to Heaven,, a women’s fiction about a woman who loses her husband to cancer and must learn how to move forward in life without him after finding a letter he had left for her.

I will share the covers for the three novels that are published and my link to the Amazon author page. I hope you will look them up. 🙂 Thank you and I shall see you all on here again VERY soon!