Bringing Mae Flowers

I submitted a children’s story for publication.

It’s the first attempt I’ve made at publication in years. Like many writers, fear of rejection and impostor syndrome has kept me from making progress towards any writing goal. I was writing more than ever for work, and that left me feeling burnt out and uninspired. My writing suffered as a result, which only killed my motivation more. Between my faltering confidence, the rise of AI slop flooding the industry, and the preexisting competition and low pay– it all felt pointless. I wanted to want to write, but I couldn’t bring myself to.

So I tried something new.

I found a book called Tarot for Storytellers: a modern guide for creatives at a local used bookstore. If you follow me on TikTok, you’ve seen me talk about it. As someone with a passing interest in spirituality, and a deep love of writing, I was intrigued. So, I decided to make a whole TikTok serious out of trying it out. While I won’t say that it’s gotten me completely out of my slump, it’s definitely given me some external motivation to pick up the pen again.

It was Chapter 3 that got me moving again.

In Chapter 3, Waldherr compares the various stages of the creative process to the four suits in tarot. The exercise at then end of the chapter is to list all of your creative projects and assign them a suit based on the current phase the project is in. This is what helped me realize how close I was to finishing that project. In fact, I realized how close I was to finishing several projects. I just needed a final push.

I’m not completely unblocked.

I still struggle to find the time and energy to write, and still have doubts about my writing abilities when I do. I still wonder if my writing is worth sharing, and how I will share my work if/when I do gain the confidence to. But, I am doing something. My progress has been small and slow, but it is progress none-the-less. I may never become a traditionally published author. I may never even become an Indie author, and I think I could live with that, as long as I know that I didn’t completely give up on the dream.