Sandra Hults
Author
Disappointment and other things
Inspired by: Ludovico Einaudi -Elements
Current reading: (Uh, nil at the moment. #amwriting and behind #reading)
Brought to you by: The Figment Writers
Oy with the thought provoking questions, hostess. This week’s prompt is “What is something that has disappointed you?” Happy Writing, she says. So I looked at it Thursday and thought to myself “where the hell do I begin with that?” I had nothin’, she stumped me again. Until today. I was scrolling through Twitter doing my usual author checkup and check in and came across this quote:
Now let me preface this by saying that The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite classics. I love this book but I have not read it in a number of years. The quote got me thinking about that and disappointment. Now I could go down this big dark depressing rabbit hole of disappointment but hell, we’ve all been down that particular rabbit hole. I think if you’ve never been disappointed by something in your adult life then you have not really lived beyond your comfort zone. Disappointment is a natural part of life. We have a choice to learn from it or let it devour us. I choose to learn from disappointment and failure. I keep going. A friend said I was “resilient like that.” I think it’s what you do when life leaves you no other option. I did not like the other option so I chose to learn and grow. Was it an easy path? Uh. No. I am not the kind of person that takes the easy way though. When I was young I learned the hard way that easy was not always better. Easy might be comfortable for a minute but for long term happiness, the challenge is usually better. You learn more. Just my thought though. So yes, I have had my disappointments in my professional life, my writer’s life, and my relationships. Did I learn from them? Why yes, yes I did. The biggest disappointment that comes to mind immediately was when a well-meaning friend looked at my books and said to me “There is nothing here that would make me want to buy this if I did not know you.”
Talk about a blow! My first reaction was immediate defense in response to that but; said friend was coming from a place of love even though she will just tell you she’s a bitch. That stopped my defensive reaction and disappointment and gave me the opportunity to learn and look hard at the product I had produced. I had to look at my work as more than the person who created the story. I had to look at the way people view the product and that too took a lot of thinking. So, when faced with that, I challenged myself to be better. This was how the new cover designs were born, by the way. I had to put me out there. Yes. Me. That itself is difficult because I struggle with that kind of exposure. I like my privacy. Some folks can do it without hesitation. I have to work for it.
So don’t be afraid to work for it. Challenge yourself to be better. Challenge your friends to be better. The people closest to me have always been that lightning rod for change. Sometimes the strike is subtle. Other times, the strike knocks me on my ass but either way they get me thinking and get my attention. To those people, thank you.
On to news! Maeseloria: Light’s Guide is now released. It is available through Amazon and, just recently, all of my books are available through Barnes and Noble. However, my friends, if you are a Toledo or surrounding area native? I encourage you to purchase my books at Gathering Volumes. They are the only independent book store in the area and they actually have signed copies in house. If you wait until November 20, however, you will get to meet me and have your book signed in person I’ll be there from 2pm-5pm. Stop out and see me would you?
Sandra Hults 