IWSG: Just Get Out The Way

The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer’s Support Group bloghop. It's a day where writers/bloggers reach out and post their fears and doubts about their writing, but also share their triumphs, no matter how big or small.

So some of you may already know I started a B&B a few months ago. Lately, I've been drawing parallels between running a B&B and writing. Here's what I've gotten so far:

1. No matter how hard I try to be perfect or make everything look perfect, there will always be that one negitive person who will never be happy and who cannot help but critisize.

In other words, you can never please everyone, no matter how hard you try. However, you can reach a point where you can please the majority, and that's good enough. 

2. Sometimes it only takes one positive comment to change your crappy day into a good day. I remember one day in particular, I was feeling extra crappy and had to force a smile across my face when the new guests arrived. They turned out to be the nicest people, and speaking with them for just a few minutes was all it took to turn my mood around. But the best, was when a guest left a hand written thank you note in the room after they left. That was awesome, kinda like getting fan mail. :)

In other words, never underestimate the power of a positive comment or a kind word. You never know how much those words mean to someone or how badly they need to hear it. 

3. Recommendations / Reviews are so important. Authors know how important reviews are to book sales, well this is the same thing. Several of our guests have been nice enough to leave positive reviews on a B&B website about our room. The reviews are only a few sentences long, and yet they carry a lot of weight in the eyes of potential clients looking to book a room. As a result, we're booked for most of the summer. 

As I think about this list, it's easy to see that many of the insecurities I have about my writing creep up in my work with the B&B, which begs the question....what if... what if it's not my writing that's the problem.... what if the problem is me? 

Well, duh! 

Of course I'm my biggest obstacle with my bemoaning insecurities. I really need to get out of my own way sometimes. :) 

Well, that's it for me today. If you haven't already noticed, my blogging schedule has slowed to a crawl since I started the B&B. Sorry! But I'll be back on a more regular schedule in September when we close our activity for the fall/winter season. Thanks for stopping in, I wish you the very best in your writing endeavors and for crying out loud, get out of your own damn way and just write! :)  

*****

Thank you, Alex Cavanaugh for another great bloghop. And a big thank you to all the awesome co-hosts this month! 

To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop or the IWSG website, click the links.