300 Pairs of Shoes

Really, I'm not sure how many shoes are in this picture, but I do know that my blog has 300 pairs of shoes on it. Well... maybe not exactly 300 because there are a few pre-shoe posts, some of the pictures are of bare feet, and I have been known to use the same picture more than once. But still, it's close to 300. You know how I know that? Well, because this is my 300th post. That's a lot of posts. It's hard to believe I've actually come up with 300 posts of things to talk about. Granted, they weren't always intriguing, inspiring, motivating, humorous, heartwarming, etc., etc., etc. Nevertheless, I have written 300 posts.

To celebrate, I've decided to look back at what things were like for me 300 posts ago compared to what they are like now. So here we go...

300 posts ago, I was stupid excited about my future as a New York Times Bestselling author and all of the fan mail I would be receiving about how incredibly awesome my book is. 300 posts later, I'm stupid excited about receiving feedback from my amazing critique partners about how incredibly NOT ready my book is.

300 posts ago, I was casting the leads for the movie Hollywood would no doubt make based on my bestselling book. 300 posts later, I'm recasting the same movie because the actors I chose before are all way too old now. I'm looking at toddler actors because there's a good chance that by the time my book sells (and it will) and the movie is made, those toddlers will be teenagers.

300 posts ago, I was certain millions and millions of dollars would be rolling my way soon. 300 posts later, I've taken a day job because I've learned that even when my book sells (and it will), there's no million dollar guarantee.

300 posts ago, I was happy spending hour after hour with my characters without ever needing real human interaction. I guess some things never change. This is still true. But 300 posts later, I do realize that real human interaction is imperative. Not only for my own well being, but also for my muse. Without real human interaction, I become cranky. And my muse doesn't like it when I'm cranky, so she leaves me. And then all those characters I love to hang out with, well, they just sit around doing nothing, and I get bored.

Okay, I'm exaggerating a little bit here, but to a certain extent, it's all true. The bottom line is that 300 posts ago, I was naive about the publishing industry and my talent as a writer. I don't mean this post to be negative because it isn't. Quite the opposite actually. I'm thankful I've learned so much and come this far. I see growth, not only in my knowledge of the industry, but also in my talent as writer. For me, this is satisfaction in and of itself. Not to mention all the fun I've had blogging in the process.

So, what about you? Does this little exaggeration sound familiar? No worries. I'm confident we'll get where we want to be. We just have to lean on each other and keep on working hard. Here's to what we've learned and to what lessons still lie ahead!