When Life Knocks You Down by Diane Burton

I saw this on Facebook and thought how appropriate it is to our monthly topic of success and failure. I’m sure we’ve all been knocked down sometime during our lives. Health, loss of a family member and/or a job, crushing defeat. So what do we do? Pull the covers over our heads and stay there until “it” goes away? Or do we tough it out?

Or maybe a combination. Many times I’ve wanted to crawl under those covers. But I had responsibilities, people depending on me. I had to put grief on hold, suck it up, and do what needed to be done. Not always, though.

Many times, I just retreated. Sorry to say, when friends wrote, I didn’t answer. In hindsight, I’m sure there was some depression going on. Especially when I lost my mom, mother-in-law, and a special aunt within eighteen months. Still, life goes on. Eventually, grief eases. It never totally goes away. You just learn to live with it.

Maybe success is getting back up after being knocked down.

How about success AND failure?

Both at the same time?

Yep, I did it. Here's what happened: we've been house hunting. Correction: I have been house hunting and been dragging the Spousal Unit along with me. We had decided we wanted a smaller house, smaller mortgage, less property to maintain, etc. Heading into retirement, let's downsize.

So I found a few that were good, we went to look. Nope, not so good. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto.

Finally last Sunday we found the Perfect House. Okay, slightly more than we planned to spend, but still a savings. Smaller property than perhaps we wanted, but doable. Nice space, remodeled, beautiful.

We came home to talk about it and turns out "I'm not ready to move yet."

Say what?

Here's the perfect house waiting for us, and now you decide not to move?

Long story short: we're going to map out a True Retirement Strategy (I'm not sure what that is, but the SU will know once he sees it) then we'll house hunt.So we had success and failure.

I am restraining myself from checking realtor.com to see if the house is sold. Sigh. Some things just aren't meant to be....

J L
(30 books and counting)

Mistakes Can Make Us Smarter by Vonnie Davis

We learn by our failures--if we're smart.

If we're not so smart, we're close to the other end of the mental spectrum. Or so Einstein claimed when he said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Granted, he was probably speaking on a scientific level. But the same concept could be applied to life in general. 

If I keep planting the same flowers the deer, that daily meander through our yard love to eat, then I'm not using my brain cells to their fullest capacity.

If I go on a diet, except for Oreos and potato chips and pizza, and still can't lose the weight, well, I'm not the smartest dieter, am I?

And if I keep buying the same size shoes that pinch my feet, then by golly I deserve a good foot pinching. Why? Because I'm not learning from my mistakes.

The same applies to our writing. My first book was written in omniscient point of view. As an English major, I'd studied the masters who often wrote using that method. But that was back in the day before editors' and readers' tastes changed. I had to learn from my mistakes and change too.

Over the past four years, different editors have pointed out weaknesses in my writing--God bless them all. My failure to deliver a better quality manuscript became a learning experience at the hand, or pen, or tract changes of teaching editors. By being open-minded, I learned and grew.

I'm always saddened to hear other writers refuse to work with editors to improve a story. Some tend to feel they've written a masterpiece that should not be touched or changed. Yes, there does come a time when an author has to protect her characters, her plot arc and her voice. But, more often than not, if you communicate with your editor, a workable compromise can be made. That teachable moment can still exist. And failures, or weaknesses within the manuscript, can lead to success.

I've done a bit of remodeling at my website to announce my future releases with Loveswept/Random House and Harper Impulse. I hope you'll stop by www.vonniedavis.com and check it out.