Failing Your Way to Success by Sherri Shackelford

Sherri Shackelford

I know what you’re all thinking, “Oh boy, here she goes again!” I see your point, it’s a lot more fun to hear about success than failure. We’ll get to that soon. First, we’re starting with the “F” word. Instead of talking about things that increase your productivity, we’re talking about roadblocks.

The other day I was sitting on a panel of professional writers. When I introduced myself, I said, “I’m here because I’ve failed. A lot.”  

The gentlemen next to me nearly fell off his chair.

The same gentlemen assured the audience that “writing should be fun” and “if it’s not fun, you should quit.” Um. Really. What kind of professional author gives that advice? No one tells a professional nurse, “Quit if it’s not fun!” Sure, there are days when I really enjoy my job. And then there are days when I want to curl up in a ball and hide under my desk. I’m pretty sure there’d be no healthcare if we told nurses and doctors to quit “when it’s not fun anymore!”  

If you’re a writer and you’re having fun every minute of the day, more power to you. If you’re not, join the club!

If writing is your hobby, by all means, write only when it’s fun. If writing is your profession, then sit yourself in a chair, plant your fingers on the keyboard, and work through the pain. Also, if you want to be more productive, get used to failure.

But not too used to failure.

I’m not the best writer out there. (Some of you are elbowing each other and saying, “uh huh!”) I’ve critiqued with unpublished writers who were far more talented. Fear of success has derailed as many writers as fear of failure.

Failure can become just as addictive as anything else. I’ve taken my turn as the ‘victim’. We’ve all met *that* writer, the one for whom nothing ever goes their way. Terrible writers get contracts and brilliant writers get passed over. The system isn’t fair, so why try harder?

The Stairway to Success

The system is not fair. What system is? The publishing world is flawed. Certain stories inexplicably sell 100 million copies, while perfectly wonderful stories languish in oblivion. Not. Fair. Sometimes it feels like everything and everyone is against you. Feel bad, then move on. Don’t create a self-fulfilling prophesy. If a parade is coming down the street, and you run out in front of it, that doesn’t mean the marching band is following you.

Is failing in your productivity telling you to work harder, or letting you know you’re in the wrong place?

This is the most difficult category of all. Sometimes, we don’t know what’s good for us. In my twenties, I wanted to work in healthcare. I wanted a fulfilling job that also paid money. Turns out, I don’t like sick people. I should have been fulfilled, instead I was sort of annoyed with all the, “Blah, blah, blah, I’m sick.” I had gotten exactly the job I wanted, and I hated it.

Which was embarrassing. People were confused. “Why did you go to school for a job you hate?”

Just stupid, I guess.

You know what’s even dumber? Hanging out in a profession you loathe. Life is short. I’ve been to four funerals since September. Even if you do something you enjoy, it’s not going to be sunshine and daisies 24/7. But if it’s rainclouds and thunder 24/7, it’s time to rethink.

If you’re hitting a brick wall, if you’re muse has deserted you, if productivity is simply a word in the dictionary, rethink your strategy. Maybe you’re targeting the wrong genre. If you heard xyz was selling like crazy, so you started writing xyz, but now your muse has taken a slow train to China…You know where I’m going with this.

Is failing in your productivity goals telling you to dig deeper?

If you have twenty stories that have great starts, but you’ve never finished a single manuscript, then take a plotting class. Chances are, you don’t have enough conflict to maintain your story, and something deep in your brain knows it.

If you plot like crazy, but can’t get past the middle, invite your closest friend to coffee and have a heart-to-heart conversation. Chances are, something mental is holding you back. Fear of success, fear of failure, fear that people will laugh, fear that you’ll get bad reviews. Ask your bestie if she has any insight. I can always spot what’s holding others back, but I don’t have that kind of insight for myself.

How does a person use failure as a launching pad to productivity?

Remember that article from a few weeks back, the one with the successful cupcake woman who sold icing? She totally failed first. She lost her money and her business. She rethought her strategy. She figured out the things she liked about cupcakes, and the things she didn’t like. She figured out how to monetize her idea.

She could have thrown her hands in the air, but she didn’t. (also, throwing her hands in the air would be gross)

You don’t ‘find’ time to write, you ‘make’ time to write. If you’re failing to find writing time each day, figure out why you don’t think you deserve that time. No one has more hours in the day than someone else. People who are far busier than me are way more productive.

Women are notorious for saying ‘yes’ to everything and putting everyone else ahead of their needs. I’ll tell you what, my husband doesn’t give a flying leap whether or not the PTA President likes him. He’s not volunteering for the party if he doesn’t have the time. Be like my husband. Say, ‘no’. Your value is not dependent on how many times you say ‘yes’.

It’s okay to take time for yourself.

Really.

I give you permission.

Go and be productive.

Did you spot anything that may be sabotaging your productivity goals?

Leave a comment for a chance to win one of two copies of The Engagement Bargain.

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The Engagement Bargain

Make-believe betrothal 

Rock-solid and reliable, confirmed bachelor Caleb McCoy thought nothing could rattle him—until he discovers he needs to pose as Anna Bishop's intended groom. After saving her life, his honorable code bid Caleb watch over the innocent beauty. And a pretend engagement is the only way to protect her from further harm. 

Raised by a single mother and suffragist, Anna doesn't think much of marriage—and she certainly doesn't plan to try it herself. But playing Caleb's blushing bride-to-be makes her rethink her independent ways, because their make-believe romance is becoming far too real… 

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Sherri Shackelford is an award-winning author of inspirational, Christian romance.

A wife and mother of three, Sherri’s hobbies include collecting mismatched socks, discovering new ways to avoid cleaning, and standing in the middle of the room while thinking, “Why did I just come in here?” A reformed pessimist and recent hopeful romantic, Sherri has a passion for writing. Her books are fun and fast-paced, with plenty of heart and soul.

Sherri is currently working on three more books for her Cimarron Springs series. Her current books include: Winning the Widow’s Heart, The Marshal’s Ready-Made Family, The Cattleman Meets His Match, and The Engagement Bargain.