This to my writing friends who, typically of that group of self-flagellants, become discouraged. Joyce Carol Oates wrote, "Honorary degrees and lifetime achievement awards are very encouraging. I know that it might sound strange that a writer who has published many books still needs encouragement, but this is true." I had the chance to meet her at a writers conference last year but was too intimidated. She is a tiny woman with a huge reputation. At that conference, I won a major award for the best first fifty pages of an unpublished novel. When the novel wasn't immediately published, I put the (big) trophy in a closet. Recently, I took it out and put it on the shelf above my computer so that I could remember that I am a good writer, whether the novel, still unpublished, ever gets published. Writers aren't the only people who get discouraged. So the point of this blog is that we should encourage one another in all things that aren't illegal, immoral, or icky. It can be just a word, or a fervent exhortation. (By the way, y'all will be the first to know when I find a publisher for my award-winning novel.)
