Dear Future Self

Dear Future Self,

Right now, I'm riding high.  The words are coming together.  The ideas are flying fast and furious.  My CP loved the book I sent her and her ideas are really making this story a better, more marketable thing.  At this moment, I'm feeling really good about being a writer.

So I just wanted to tell you up there in the future...

When you're reading yet another rejection notice...
When your hands ache so bad you want to quit...
When your heart breaks over a bad critique...
When you don't feel like you can write another word...
When you have to slog through yet another rewrite because something's not quite right...
When someone asks you yet again when your book will be published...
When you see the look of pity in someone's eyes after you say you don't even have an agent yet...
When you'd rather be doing anything than writing...

Remember this feeling.  Remember the high that comes from writing good words and knowing that this is what you were meant to do.  Remember the self-confidence you feel - like you could put the finishing touches on this baby and get five offers of representation. 

This is why you do what you do.  I don't know what it's like to get a chemical high (and hopefully neither do you), but I imagine this is what it feels like.  Remember this.

And don't quit.  Even if all you have at the moment is a memory of how awesome it feels to put words to paper, hang onto the memory and don't give up.

- Current Self

PS.  If you talk to Past Self, tell her to buy stock in Aspercreme.  Lord knows we've used enough of it over the years to be rich by the time you read this.