H: Hungry

If you've ever been to a writing conference and heard an inspiring speaker, you know what I'm talking about. If you're lucky enough to have face to face networking opportunities with fellow writers, you understand.  If one of your friends experienced a big success in their writing career, you've felt it.

I'm talking about that hungry feeling.  Hunger for success.  A drive to finish that story, promote your work and make contacts inspired by your inner drive and the support of other writers. 

Sometimes a set back can depress that drive and perhaps even tempt a writer to quit and hang up the keyboard.  Frustration can kill the appetite to continue and do better.  Everyone has an occasional doubt but those with that hungry fire for success burning inside their writing soul will bounce back.  Their inner desire to create will reignite their imagination and words will flow from their minds through their fingers to the keyboard a work will be born.

So stay hungry like you were when you first started.  Keep working at it.  What gets your drive going in high gear? Are you still as hungry as when you first started or are you more driven to continue?

When I Get Rich....

New word of the day:
Bruxomania- The act or practice of grinding one's teeth

As in today I had a bout of bruxomania.
I think many writers dream of the day when accolades and recognition come their way.  Besides the satisfaction of admiration from the reading public more than a few of us would like some monetary compensation to go along with it. 
So I often wonder, what would I do with a wad of cash as relates to my writing life? I would, of course, invest in some advertising and promotion first of all.  But the very second thing I would do for myself would be to hire a professional to take care of my website. 

I like having a website.  When I first put it up I was so proud I did everything by myself, slogging along and figuring it out as I went.  At worse, I did get it up and running. Since then I've learned a few more things. As I pick up new pieces of advice or have a new book release, I try to improve it.  Mostly I'm stumbling around in the dark.  And I'd rather spend my time on my blog or best of all, spend it writing.

So today, I worked for three hours trying to make improvements on my website.  I set up some new links, tried to clear out some clutter and made a page for the short story I'm going to post soon.  It all went pretty smooth until I tried to update my Navbar.  It's still not quite right and I can't figure out why.  Another day I'll swear, I mean work at it some more.

I did complete my short story that is a prequel to The Keepers of Sulbreth.  Tamarin's Story is in the hands of a reader so hopefully I'll have it up by the end of the week.

How many of you do your website yourself?  How often do you update it?