Been a little while since I posted on here, honestly just been working so much and dealing with things that I needed a break from everything. One of the reasons I love climbing so much is how much it forces you to face failure, and move past it. I’ve been writing for almost 8 years now, and so far I have been rejected by over 200 agents, which let me tell you, a single rejection can lead to a rough night. I recently flew out to NY City to meet with the Speculative Fantasy Editor of Penguin Random House; a lovely, soft spoken lady who always spoke with her hands folded curtly over her lap. I thought that it was finally my big break, that after all these years, we would finally break through the doors of the bigger publishing companies, but to no avail. A month later I received her single sentence rejection email on the construction floor of a job after working 22 days straight, and just felt completely and utterly broken.
I went through a lot since then, really wondering what I want out of writing, and if I had it in me to keep trying despite what looks like a completely lost cause, and for a while I was stagnant, kind of like a windmill with no breeze.
Motionless. I hate motionless.
This is where my love of climbing really shines, because when I looked back I think I’ve probably been rejected by thousands of problems in the years I’ve been climbing, so why am I still doing it? It’s because I love the art of climbing, and I know that I also love the art of writing.
The point I want to stress to you guys is that life is full of failure, I mean, the definition of success is often the culmination’s of many failures, right? So I’m sure lots of you are going through things that are tough, and make you want to throw in the towel, but if deep down in your heart you know you want something, keep fighting for it, and one day you’ll make it.
I’m not giving up. I’ll be better. I’ll do better. Whatever it takes, screw it. And I know you can too.
PS it looks like I’m going to Nepal in February to be living in a Buddhist Monastery for 22 days. Super grateful for this opportunity to clear my mind, heart and spirit. Always wanted to spend some time training with the Monks in the mountains.
Bodhi