Here's To Us.

​Some days, you just have to raise your glass and know when you've given enough fucks about what other people think. You have to embrace your past, mistakes and all, let go of it and give those who can't let your past go the send-off they deserve,

Embrace who you are. Be your One, True Self. Be true to what you beleive in...but don't be a dick about it.

​Update:

It seems great minds think alike. While this was originally a passing nod to personal integrity, I think it has become something more today. Lately, I've seen a little bit of genre bashing, like you do, and people have, of course, reacted passionately about it. 

Truth is, things like genre bashing or "it's all been done before" arguments and so on are gonna happen. People, unfortunately, are like that sometimes. Some folks enjoy smacking around other peoples' dreams. Soemtimes, it's because the idea of pursuing a creative path is out of line with the expectations people have set for themselves or their social class. Growing up in a middle class family that clawed its way up from lower class, my parents were ALL about taking the path of least resistance to financial stability.  Pursuing a creative path was considered more of a risk than trying to become a professional athlete in my step-father's eyes.

No matter why people will push back against your path as a creative, you have to choose to pursue that path with all the fire and passion in your soul. I often compare it to the dedication an Olympic athlete puts into training. You don't get to the point where you earn enough from your writing if you don't work harder at your craft than 98% (okay, these days, it's more like 80% if you're self-published LOL) of other writers. You have to be true to your craft, true to your goals and true to yourself. You have to want it enough to make art even when it isn't easy; to work on your story while the other guy is waiting for the Muse to strike; you have to give yourself permission to write badly so you can do an end run around writers block while other writers are banging their head against a wall. You have to write when you would rather watch TV. You have to learn how to market yourself and build your brand as an author...even if all you want to do is write. You have to learn the industry, even the stuff that is wrong with it.

​Art is beautiful. But BEING an artist takes work and dedication. It takes integrity. And soemtimes...integrity is hard.