I’ve often heard it said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step, so it is imperative that we take that step, regardless of where the journey may lead us.
It wasn’t that long ago that I as a new writer took that all-important first step on the road to becoming a published author, although it seems, at least to my mind, as if it was only yesterday. I found myself debating whether or not I should take that step, and in the end, I decided that I should, and I am so happy that I did because I have achieved more than I ever thought I would.
Of course, there have been times, due largely to rejections and other such setbacks, when I felt that it was something of a fool's errand on my part, pursuing a dream that quite evidently wasn’t to be, but someone very dear to me reminded me that such obstacles are often placed in our path to serve one purpose and one purpose only, to be overcome.
“Quod non facet nos destry fortior nobis”, or so they say, which translates as that which fails to destroy us only serves to make us stronger.
I used to feel that the barriers and rejections I encountered along the way were justified because I believed that I had nothing of value to contribute.
Not anymore, because now I treat these rejections not as barriers, but as steppingstones so that I can continue in my journey, and so after the very last rejection letter, I flatly refused to be defeated.
Then one day I saw, quite by chance, a reference to House of Honor Books, so I sent in a synopsis of one of my stories, and it wasn’t long before I became a published author.
I feel very much like the cat that got the cream. My work is now in print, my readers seem to like it, it’s been reviewed and rated on Amazon, and I now have eighty-eight followers on social media. Now to some, this may not seem to be that much of a big deal, but to me, it’s the equivalent of winning a gold medal at the Olympics, and although early retirement and financial independence aren’t hammering on my door, I really don’t care because they weren’t my main ambition, and they never will be, not by any stretch of the imagination.
My main ambition was to get my work published, and I have finally achieved it, and ‘over the moon’ doesn’t even come close to how I feel at the moment, because all of the hard work, setbacks, rejections, etc, have been worth it.
Is there to be a second book?
You betcha, several actually, because I have the writing bug, I want to continue writing new stories to engage my readers. My second book is currently being reviewed and there are others to follow, already written, with a whole host of new stories waiting for me to put pen to parchment. I have no idea where the rest of this journey will lead me, but I really don’t mind, because if I can continue to write, and remain true to the craft while I am doing so, I shall be quite content with that.
Shaun McBride
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