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​Perfectionism

In my last newsletter, I talked about perfectionism, how it's like one of those Chinese finger traps that latches onto one of your pinkies and holds it tighter the more you struggle for release.
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What can you do?

Focus on what matters. Ignore everything else. For me, that's writing. Whenever I'm troubled by what's going on in the world, or what's going on in my life, I find the best thing I can do is begin a new work of fiction. It takes my mind off whatever is troubling me. But you can turn to any artistic endeavor. Music, painting, dance. Whatever it is that gives you joy. Whatever the talent you want to perfect. It's not that the rest of life doesn't matter--it most certainly does--but you don't need to try and perfect all of your obsessions!
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The problems arise when you try and perfect everything in your life. Just say "enough!" and stop. If you don't do this you are going to end up frazzled. A nervous wreck. I know. I've been there.
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Okay, Brian. I've got it. Now, where do I find the time to master that which I truly love?

Saying "no" is a great place to start!
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You only live a certain number of seconds. Do you want to spend precious seconds--minutes? hours?--reading the latest social media posts? The latest gossip columns? Disappearing down the latest conspiracy ratholes? You don't. It's not worth it. Ditch the computer, ditch the cell phone. (Both media excel at rathole creation.) Spend energy on what you enjoy and forget the rest (I'd advise buying books and reading. Your mind will love you for it.)
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Now, everyone knows this, right? So why don't more people devote as much time as possible time to that which makes their heart beat?

Siblings: Fear of Failure & Procrastination​
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I can't tell you how many budding writers I've encountered who give up after writing that first draft or after receiving that first rejection. It saddens me no end! And I know what's going on: two more daemons: fear of failure and procrastination.

I think fear of failure is rooted in a sense of low self-confidence and self-worth ("If I fail, I'm worthless"). Procrastination creates a false sense of safety ("If I don't start this project, I can't fail"). But the first (fear of failure) leads to the second (procrastination) which results in a paralysis that guarantees the outcome you don't want (failure). Always remember: the only way to fail is to give up.
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Early in her career (meaning for the first 10 years or so), Katherine Hepburn was considered box office poison. Humphrey Bogart was considered box office poison as well. Jean Arthur was offered bit-parts in B-movies and dismissed from numerous contracts for over a decade before being "discovered." Bob Dylan was known as "Hammond's Folly" (John Hammond was the his producer) after the failure of his first album. Even Herman Melville struggled. Struggled his entire life. When he died, Moby Dick was considered not a colossal novel, but a colossal mess.
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None of these people gave up. And I'm willing to wager that none of them ever considered giving up. I think it's in your DNA.
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That being said: don't beat yourself up about any of this. Do the best you can. It's all you can do, anyway.

Cover Reveal

I fear I've been rambling, and I apologize for that. For those of you who have stuck with me until the end, here's the cover of my upcoming novel Floating on Air.

That's Jennifer Amos, the main character, floating up into the clouds. And Stanley Cranston, her magician-suitor, plunging into the water. (Look closely and you can see Stanley's magic cards to his right.) The town is in the background (the town is the focal point of the novel).

Book launch will be at FlyLeaf Books this fall in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

That’s all for now

Thanks for reading and hit me up with questions/comments anytime (simply reply to this email). I’ll do my best to respond quickly. And feel free to forward this email to anyone who you think might enjoy my writing.

You can access my newsletters anytime, as well as a page with links to some of my favorite sites.

Best,
​Brian​
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