Benediction

For the next five days my book of short stories, Paths to Divinity, will be free to download at Amazon.com. Take a peak inside, share the link, support local artists and, most importantly, redevelop a relationship with your imagination. A second volume is in the works and coming soon.
          	
          	http://tinyurl.com/8jq83kh

Benediction

I am truly honored. Thank you.
          
          Passion and imagination rock, but hard work is the cornerstone of good writing. A little trick that you are getting better as you go is when you read stuff from your past and it upsets or disheartens you. Never let it dissuade you from reaching your goals. In order to create your own voice you must push yourself beyond your limits. Do you think Edgar Allen Poe was loved by his peers? No. J.K. Rowling was penniless and living in a one-room apartment when she wrote the Harry Potter series. She couldn’t even sell her articles to newsstand magazines. 
          
          Here is a list of famous authors who suffered countless rejections:
          http://www.examiner.com/article/30-famous-authors-whose-works-were-rejected-repeatedly-and-sometimes-rudely-by-publishers
          
          
          Any writer worth their salt never loves their work; they are always striving to reach that point where maturity and skill culminate into their idea of near perfection. 
          
          When a writer thinks everything they write is golden it means they are never improving. That's the main problem with fan exchanges, kissy-poo commenting and the thriving codependency on here. Sometimes it stagnates a writer's abilities because of false praise.

xLithe

Fanning you was possibly the best decision I've ever made.
          
          Of course you're a wonderfully skilled, mature writer, but your advice is unbeatable. Even if not directed at myself, the advice you give is helpful in more ways than expressible. I'm a young teenager with a passion for writing, and I want nothing more than to eventually see one of my books published. Now I've always welcomed critique, as I learned early on that to become a successful writer, you must grin and bear it while people  harshly critique your work, but your advice to other writers has helped me realize how blatantly honest the publishing world can be, and has perhaps even made my flaming passion for the art burn brighter.
          
          I hope this doesn't sound too silly, but I did want to let you know that you're very inspiring and helpful.