“Effort doesn’t fully release its reward until a person refuses to quit.”
Napoleon Hill

Just recently, I decided to put the agent search for my YA novel on hold while I make changes based on feedback I’ve received. At first I wasn’t sure how to proceed, but I decided to just be comfortable with the confusion I was feeling. Actually, this was liberating: because I didn’t know what to do and accepted it, I was open to doing just about anything that made sense. Giving myself that open door was a gift — and the universe rewarded me for it.

First, it led me to attend a workshop that gave me a new way of thinking about my story — a fresh approach that gave me valuable insight into changes that I needed to make. And second, a friend led me to a wonderful book called The Way to Write for Children by Joan Aiken, that is inspiring me to dig deeper into my characters and to create a story that will not only entertain but nourish my readers.

All of this has energized me and given me a new sense of purpose. And it all began with confusion. So often, we are afraid of confusion: of feeling uncertain or bewildered about what to do next. But sometimes being off balance allows us to open the door to a whole new way of seeing what we are writing about. So let’s see confusion not as an enemy, but as a friend — as the first step to opening ourselves to the new ideas and insights we need. Write on!