Stepping Stones

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Too Many Books to Count! I’m glad you stopped by. Especially this month, if I’m being perfectly honest.

The whole month of December, I’ve been taking the time to tell you some things you ought to keep in mind as 2018 closes, and to remember as we bring in 2019. These are things that some of you probably already know, that most of you should already know, but I want to tell you anyway. Why? Because sometimes all it takes is for you to hear it from someone else, for you to finally understand and embrace it.

I’ve experienced it myself, so I know firsthand.

Today’s topic? Well, I’ve experienced that, too.

#3: Failure is only a step toward success

You know this. I know you know this. You hear it all the time, you recite it to yourself every time you make a mistake and have to pick yourself off the ground, but for some of you, you’ve said it for so long that you no longer believe it like you used to. You’ve fallen down so many times that you don’t want to get up. Or you’ve succeeded so many times that you’ve forgotten failure is always an option (remember the Mythbusters' famous mantra?).

We’ve all experienced failure. You’re lying to yourself, if you say you haven’t. You’ve suffered some setbacks, and had to pick yourself up off the ground. And you’ve gotten back up, no matter how long it took you.

But you will do it. All of you. You, dear writer, you know that your writing is important. You know it’s necessary, needed, that there are people in the world who must read what you have to say. And so you pick yourself up and you start again. You try again. You try something new.

And I’m proud of you, for it.

I’m so proud of you, my friend.

And I’m proud of you for remembering that failing doesn’t make you a failure. It makes you someone who tried, and someone who will keep trying until they get it right. Failing once doesn’t mean you are the failure, only that the thing you tried didn’t work out. Failing a hundred times doesn’t mean that, either. The failure was the thing you tried, not you. Not you, my dear writer. My friend.

You are not a failure, despite the failings in your life.

Failure is something everyone must go through, on the road to success. For some of us, not much failure is involved. For those, it’s easy to forget that failure happened at all. For others, failure is a constant in the back of our minds. But it should never be something that holds us back. No, dear writer, failure should propel you forward into the future.

Into success.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

It's Necessary

Hi everyone, and welcome to Too Many Books to Count! I’m glad you stopped by.

All month long, I’m taking some time to talk about 2018, in a way I’ve never done before. I’m determined to help us close out this year properly, to usher in 2019 in the best way possible. Why? Because I have some things to say, and I think some of you really ought to hear them. Because I care about you, and I want to take some time to tell you these things.

#2: Your writing is necessary

I mean that. It is. You, whoever you are, have a writing that is necessary, in this world. Your writing is different from everyone else’s. Your writing is unique, and it is a beautiful part of this world. If you didn’t write, this world would be missing a voice. Your voice. And that would be a very sad thing, indeed.

This, I think, is one of the most important things I can tell you, my writer friends. And that’s why I wanted to do this early on in the series.

I know that for some of you, a new year means a new opportunity for writing, a new year in which to explore new realms of fiction. But for others, it means a chance to step back, to quietly back down, to disappear.

My words, today, are for all of you.

Your writing, whether you’re a published author with a huge following or a basement writer who’s only been read by the closest of friends, is necessary.

If someone has read it, then it’s touched someone. Then it meant something to them. Bear in mind, of course, that if you wrote it, you read it along the way. It touched you. It meant something to you. And that’s enough reason not to let it slip away into the shadows.

Your writing, my dear writer, is necessary.

No one could write those words the way you do. No one has the same ideas as you. No one shares your imagination. No one sees things the same way as you. No one could write the same things you do, the same way you do.

That alone, makes your writing necessary.

It makes your writing mean something, even if only to you.

Whether you’re overjoyed about the work you did this year, the time you spent on your writing and the results you’ve gotten, the feedback you’ve received from your biggest fans, or you’re saddened by the fact that you barely had time to write, that you didn’t write like you should’ve done, I want you to know that the words you write are necessary, meaningful, and important.

Even if you’re the only one who ever reads them. (because even professional authors have words they only write for themselves)

Your writing is necessary. The world needs your voice. Whether that world is contained in the mind of a single person, or in the minds of millions.

You, dear writer, dear friend, are necessary.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

You Did Well

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Too Many Books to Count! I’m glad you stopped by. :)

This month, as with every month, we’re starting a new series. And this month, I wanted to do something I’m pretty sure I’ve never done before. I want to talk about this year. I want to spend the entire month of December talking about 2018, and ushering in 2019. Why? Because I have some things to say, which I think a lot of you might really need to hear.

As we close out the year, remember…

#1: You did well this year

Even if you feel like you didn’t.

I wanted to start out with this one, because at the end of the year we tend to look back at our year and think of all the things we could’ve (or should’ve) done differently. We look back and sigh, thinking of what our year could’ve been, if we’d made different choices, if we’d turned left instead of right, if we’d taken that vacation instead of staying home to work (or vice versa). And for that, I thought we ought to take some time to remember there’s no point in could’ve/would’ve/should’ve.

Absolutely no point.

So as we close out this year, I want you to look back on your year. I want you to take a good hard look at 2018, and focus on the good that happened.

Think about the times with your friends.

The laughter you shared with others.

The lives you spent time with.

The smiles that made your heart melt.

The times you purposefully snuck up behind the person you love and startled them so bad they peed their pants. (not sayin' I did this, but, you know...)

Think about the good things, and let them be enough to drown out the bad. You did well this year, remember? You had a good year. Some good things happened to you. So focus on those.

You had some triumphs, this year. Some successes. Some moments of glory.

Those are the things that 2018 should remind you of, when you look back on it. Those are the things you want to keep in mind.

This was a good year, if you think about it right.

And that’s what I’m asking you to do. To remember. 2018 was a good year. You did well this year. And you’ll look back on it and smile.

Do that every year, and your every January will be better than the one before.

[love]

{Rani Divine}