Many times I question myself about why am I doing this because it is a hard business.
I don’t ever have writers block because there are so many things to write about that I feel like my brain is working overtime. Many times I will be working on a new idea and have to bring myself back to center to finish a project before starting a new one. But self-doubt is a huge factor.
Other Authors Can Be Your Biggest Cheerleaders
Friends and other author groups are very helpful. There is a misconception that other authors are your competitors but in reality they can be your biggest cheerleaders.
I also love a good hike when I feel discouraged. It’s a little crazy because sometimes I will start out on a hike thinking I want to give up, but then get a new idea for a character or a scene while I am outside on a hilltop.
All That Time at the Computer Led to Very Dry Eyes
Dry eyes are the biggest issue that has effected me because all the writing nowadays is done on the screen.
I have taken to not looking at a screen after 9:00 p.m. and just hand writing any notes. Then the next day I will put them into the computer.
It got so bad that I could not see anything in the morning because my eyes were so dry. I had to make some sort of adjustment.
Church is My Biggest Source of Creativity
Taking the time to do an activity with my hands gives me time to free my mind to create. I will knit or sew a little each week just to give my brain time to wander.
This sounds crazy but church is my biggest source of creativity. Each sermon gives me a new lesson about life that I want to write about.
Everyone Wants the Books But They Want Them for Free
The darkest moments are spent trying to market the books. It seems like everyone wants the books but they want it for free or 99 cents.
I have to remind myself that is just part of the industry like the music business is today. Writing is a creative art form that is part of who you are.
Sometimes writing about your discouragement will get you past the darkest moment.
My Biggest Triumphs
Wings and Feet has many awards because it has many hidden meanings but is almost a song for the soul. It is very encouraging to be noticed by the industry.
I also felt a huge triumph completing Football Flyboy about my dad’s life. This was cathartic for me to write and so many people have found a comfort and family healing after reading it.
I hate failure, so I refuse to fail and that is the biggest thing that keeps me going.
I also feel called to write. If I don’t write; I will burst.
Advice for a Young Writer: Improve Your Skills Everyday
Write and never give up. Just keep writing. Keep getting better. Take classes. Meet other writers. Improve your skills everyday.
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Lisa Reinicke is the majority holder of Our House Publications and an award-winning author of four published children’s picture books for sale on Amazon and in independent bookstores. She is a storyteller and author of 35 children’s stories appearing on local TV shows, elementary schools, and bookstores. Her books are entertaining yet focus on social issues that engage children and parents to discuss.
Lisa’s four children were all uniquely different ranging from physical differences, adoption, and physiological disorders that lead her to follow experts in each field to help children overcome the stigma around being different. Lisa passionately works raising money for charities that improve children’s lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually, as well as charities who support veterans and historical artifacts (particularly during the WWII era).
For more about Lisa’s work, please see her website, or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Football Flyboy: Does a good man’s life end at his death?
One weekend daughter, Lisa Reinicke opened her “dad’s old air force footlocker” to discover yellow letters bound in twine – that her father wrote to her mother. The letters were written daily during the last year of WWII.
Before reaching inside, there was a feeling of the hands of time grabbing onto my heart, knowing that this was such a huge part of not only his life buy my mom’s as well.
Meet Bill “Buster” Cannon, the Football Flyboy … a good man with a good life who made a difference.
Available on Amazon.
Wings and Feet: A butterfly and a child discover each others differences and how they can compliment their friendship. The child can run through the meadows while the butterfly flies through the meadows but they both love to play in the meadow for hours. The child wants to keep the butterfly in a jar to keep him safe, instead the butterfly explains how he must remain free to keep him from harm.
Their differences revealed produce a lasting friendship from generation to generation. It is through our differences we make strong relationships and learning to work together within our own limitations produces rewarding friendships.
Available at Amazon.
Bart’s Escape Out the Gate: A child forgets to close the gate and his pet dino gets out causing a big mess.
The child has to get creative to capture the dino and get him back in the gate. Then the cleanup begins to take care of what was broken because of the mistake the child made.
Available at Amazon.