This one is tough, dear reader.

The other day I received something of a professional set-back, or at the least, a disappointment. After a little advance buzz and lovely reviews from many impressive folks, Kings of Paradise has been cut from SPFBO (Self-Published-Fantasy-Blog-Off) in the very first round. The feeling, I suppose, is a bit like making it to the interview of a promotion you really want, and feel you’d be good at, then summarily being cut.

Alas, these things happen all the time. Life is not all about you (or, rather offensively, me). It is not at all times fair, and individual disaster passes unnoticed without even a whisper in the communal ear of mankind. It just feels otherwise.

I took the day for a bit of indulgent self-pity. In my case this involved chatting with a variety of lovely people (many of whom were very kind commiserators, and if you happen to be reading this let me just say thanks). I drank a fair bit of alcohol. I ate chocolate cake, and worked not a bit. You have to be a little easy on yourself at such times, to treat yourself like someone you love.

But, tomorrow, dear Richard-of-the-future, the pity-party is over. The lights are shutting off, the intoxication of misery will be shuffled out with the empty bottles. We still have a job to do. We have to pick our miserable, inadequate selves up and get on with it, because we can be sure as hell no one else is going to do it. One plays the hand one is dealt, or gives up entirely.

To succeed at writing or publishing or really any difficult thing in life, one must see failure and adversity as an opportunity to improve. What should I have done differently? Perhaps the book was wrong for this contest. Perhaps it was simply bad luck and next year I attempt again, but this time in five contests, if I can. I do more marketing. I’ve had successes already and so much more to leverage than even 6 months ago. I just need to do more. I need to produce more, edit faster, learn and try more things. I need to be better than myself yesterday.

There really isn’t much left to say. I have things to do my friends (and, I expect, so do you, so stop screwing around!). I have a book to finish because people are patiently waiting (and isn’t that bloody something?). I have new platforms to figure out (I’m thinking Wattpad this month, come check out my utterly empty profile!). I’ve started another little story I’ll stick there, and perhaps send out to my mailing list because I can, and because I’m thankful. There’s another finger-wagging message for the day: be grateful for what you have. In this modern world of amazement, most of it is astounding.

Go and do likewise, friends. Yesterday we fall; today we rise. And if you’re still not bloody motivated, I leave you with a 2 minute video from a warrior and ex-navy seal, Jocko Willink, in which he reminds you, if you’re feeling pain – good, you’re still alive. Go re-engage.

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