Daily Prompt: Shoulda Woulda Coulda

Tell us about something you know you should do . . . but don’t.

I should read more. I know it is true as it only can help my writing to improve but I don’t. Why? Because I find the whole process of finding books to read kind of maddening. I see the innumerable titles and just feel unable to select ones I find interesting. I know, it sounds like a flimsy excuse and perhaps it is.

I enjoy reading other posts. So it is not necessarily the case that I do not enjoy reading. I just do not make enough effort I suppose to find interesting books to read. I know the need exists. My wife read my finished fiction manuscript and told me she felt I needed to read to see how others write. I may leave you with the impression I do not read at all. I do, just not enough I suppose.

Perhaps many of you have Shoulda Woulda Coulda that are more profound than mine. Today I learned my entry in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award failed to reach the Second Round. As I look back at the reasons for this I must admit that my failings in reading and understanding the craft could very well be one of the contributing factors. I am like the majority of bloggers here in that I crave the holy grail of writers, PUBLICATION.

I hear the empty notion that we should write for fun. Sorry, i did that in school when i was still young enough to not care where the writing went. Now I am older, wiser and knowledgeable about how people can be rewarded for their writing talent. I know have the ability to craft a story. I am confident my fiction is good enough to warrant attention and publication. It is simply the matter of improving it and finding the right agent that sees my talent. I suppose everyone feels that, but if they do not, then why are they trying?

So read more I will, to improve my perception of how to write my upcoming books. You see i used to have a goal of publishing a book. I also used to say “one day”. I overcame those hollow obstacles late last year and have set my goals much higher now. I will take this disappointment over my limites success with ABNA and use it as a starting point to make the kind of strides I must to go further the next time.

Shoulda Woulda Coulda, isn’t that the kind of thing that just drives you crazy?

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