Playing it Forward...
by Rebecca Mance on 10/27/13
Four of my favorite lines come from a poem called "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley.
"I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul" And
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
I am inspired to share them for many reasons. One is because that I have been reading Who Dares Wins by Bob Mayer. The book reminds me in a time when it is easy to forget, because we are faced with difficult world issues and many are experiencing great personal difficulties, you must face your fears and walk boldly toward your dreams.
Walk purposefully to a personal greater good. Those good things you can do daily to make your world and the world around you, better are what I mean. Don't be afraid to fail.
Your best lessons are when you fall down and skin your knees. True failure is not trying at all. Be always brave even when people try to make you look foolish, laugh at you and put you down.
If you are always walking toward the good, "playing it forward" there is no failure. Instead, you should see the failure as a set- back or a need to hit the reset button and learn lessons.
Who Dares Wins is "raw" and "real" just as I think I am as an independent writer because it has real life stories about Special Forces soldiers and what it takes to be an Elite...the true Elite, those who face their fears, help others often knowing it will come at an extremely high personal cost. They are those that reach back to lend a hand instead of running to safety or making themselves look better at the expense of another.
"In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed."
I was extremely inspired by the America's Cup races and had the unbelievable opportunity to see the great comeback first hand. I had the opportunity to meet many of Larry Ellison's employees who shared his visions with me. They told me the stories of his struggles to bring the America's Cup to San Francisco. I felt the vision and got caught up in it.
Each of us can feel a vision, either to lead others or to know when we should support a vision that might change the world. And it did. He did bring sailing to the common man. I had never sailed in my life, but suddenly I was captivated by the amazing story as it unfolded....and I believed it could happen. It did.
Freedom's front door is not a local view. It is a world vision. It means each person, anywhere in the world could be anything he or she wants…an Indie write...a nurse, a doctor, a lawyer...and his or her two hands and heart could make the difference.
Bob Mayer talks about women in his books. They are afraid of failure and success. I had never considered this, but it is true. I knew I was afraid of failure, but it never occurred to me I was also afraid of success.
When I first started as an Indie writer what I quickly realized was that other Indie writers (always women) were the worst enemy to other indie writers and themselves. They were doing things like putting up poor ratings for books that were really good. They are Indie Bullies. Women complain that they can’t get by and often blame men, but they are sometimes too petty and jealous to help one another find success.
God made lots and lots and lots of girls much prettier and smarter than me...I don't care...he made a lot of writers better than me....I love to read their books...they inspire me to be better and better. If you focus on making yourself a better person rather than making others look bad you will get to your personal goals faster...being mean to someone else is never going to make you a best-selling novelist.
I got locked into it for a while when I first started...getting hurt by the mean words... But then, I was reading Warrior Writer (also by Bob Mayer but now called Write it Forward). It really did help me see past those things.
And my fabulous editor and even dearest friend Liz told me she has read The Letter ten times...at first, I was skeptical...really...she was just saying that to be nice. One day I realized, she really did meant it. I could not see past not just my insecurity, but past the meanness even if I did recognize and track down sometimes the bad marks from other Indie writers!
I had another very good friend tell me how good Iron Horse King was, and I knew he really did mean it! (which meant it could be a guy's book too!) I now think of it a bit like a "Man's romance" as well as a woman's.
Did I want to be perfect and never publish a book, or did I want to tell a story and, of course, keep working on being better? I left it behind right there. I helped any Indie writer I could find.
My most successful book all over the world, The Chosen One was the one nearly nobody liked. In November I am going to be in the Romance Writers of America Magazine! Thank you so much! In the Voice of Romance Writers page! I am honored.
I can't believe I got here! I am an author. I went to years of seminars, entered contests and failed...got back up and worked harder and got better. My failures made me work hard and RWA is an amazing organization with seminars, advice and support. I met so many people just like me. I will always be a member and always support them because being a part of that organization helped me so much.
We do need people to help us improve in a positive way. We need to find our weaknesses and make our writing stronger. (Find our "blind spots").
I made a decision to be an Indie Writer, based on a very good friend's advice, one of my dearest friends ever….she said to me…why don't you e-publish. I said, "Because only three out of the five judges give me good marks." I would get one or two high marks one decent one and two horrible ones...so I could never win. She said, "Well, there are a lot of three out of five people in this world."
She was right. Dear friend Nancy. There are a lot of three out of five people in the world. My US sales are now starting to pace with my international sales.
Thank you so much. I cannot tell you my readers, how much I appreciate it. I wake up in a day and I cannot believe that people I never met all over the world purchased my books.
As an Indie writer, I don’t have people advertising for me, or putting muscle behind me. My main editor is me and a few friends who have busy lives themselves. I could not do without them. Most indie writers are in the same boat. Professional editors cost a lot of money...my friends are willing to settle for a good bottle of wine or dinner.
Point is, I want to make sure I play it forward to all indie writers to remember that we must work to perfect the craft and help one another. I want to play it forward. I want to be an Elite. A true Elite. I want anyone that has a good story to be brave enough to put one foot in front of the other.
Two of the best romances ever written...one of the authors wrote the book in first person like Shades of Gray. Only it is completely different traditional romance…but I have always wanted to write a romance in first person. The book is Once Upon a Moonlit Moore, by Rebecca Brandywine. And Rose in Winter, by Kathleen Woodiwiss (now passed unfortunately). And how can anyone ever, ever forget in romance, Johanna Lindsey? I have read every one of the books written by these women. Those three authors still remain the masters in my mind. Oh there is an important one I am forgetting...new to me...Her books are so good I cannot be jealous. Julie Anne Long. What I Did for A Duke, but every one of these women amaze me...what a gift.
If I could be half as good as those four women...Not to mention Julia Quinn...so many others, my life will be pretty much complete.
Point is, the magic of Romance lives on. Play it forward. Each person...stop for a second and capture the dream of another...do something good. Really good.
Thank you so much to all of you my readers...I still can’t believe that every day I live an ordinary life...but every day...people all over the world and all over the United States buy my books. I am so humbled. I am so honored. I am so, so, very honored. I get to write exactly the way I want, not as others would have me write.
I have never liked rules. Because words are magic when they come straight from the heart.
And to my Sisters in the world. Play it forward. Be your better best. Be an Elite. You don't have to be a Special Forces Soldier to be Elite, you just have to have the heart of a Special Forces soldier.
Keep walking, quietly if necessary, but always with purpose. Those who have read the certain book know what I mean. Women have changed the world in huge ways, most times in silence. We can use our special gifts to make the world better for each other.
Always have the Unconquerable Soul.
Blessings and sincere regards,
Rebecca
