The Twin Demons of Perfectionism and Procrastination

 

 I'm being stalked by the demons of perfectionism and procrastination. I knew something was wrong when I couldn't quite move forward with my next ideas for writing projects. My mind kept repeating the phrase, "Not good enough."

I found some answers in a number of places this past week and wanted to share them with you in case you're being stalked by similar serpents of Perfectionism and Procrastination.

The first place I was led for help was when I looked up James Scott Bell's weekly Sunday post at the Kill Zone. Ten Ways to Sabotage Your Writing,


I also tuned in to Charles Stanley this week and God answered with the sermon on Solving Problems Through Prayer. I had caught myself trying to solve my problem through my personal abilities. Always a mistake for me. Start with prayer, seek wise counsel, and move forward. I am a person of deep, personal faith and still after all these years I can be duped by The Serpent. The big one. But that's all it takes is recognition and reminder that the villain of all villains is out there. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour."

 For me, the issue of what do next isn't writers block. It's fear of moving forward. Of making a mistake of choosing the wrong direction that will result in some major error. Here's the comment I wrote in response to Jim Bell's post:

Thought provoking post, Jim. I think somewhere between numbers 6 & 7 resides a region of paralysis, for me anyway. Book three in my series comes out next month. I'm thrilled that I've written three of the best books that I was capable of writing. But now I've found I've entered this limbo region where I'm scared. What comes next? and I'm caught in "what if land?"

What if? is filled with all kind of ridiculous horrors of my writing demise that may be somewhat related to number one on your list, Jim. But it's different. It's not unhappiness, it kind of feels like Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade where he has to get through the obstacle course to get to the Holy Grail and save his father. One wrong step and that's all she wrote so to speak. :)

Any one ever feel like that? I think it's because I don't know what I want to write next and afraid of somehow choosing the wrong path. Don't know if any of this makes sense, but that's my current struggle which could easily turn into self-sabotage and I've got to snap out of it, which probably means I need to write. Maybe for awhile it doesn't matter what it is. 

And then later in response to Elizabeth Poole's statement is how I start to work through it.

 Elizabeth, thanks for the thoughts on perfectionism. I've convinced myself over the years that I'm not a perfectionist. I know how dangerous that can be and yet maybe that's what it really is. I think perfectionism leads to procrastination and those are double demons for our writing and our daily lives. Perhaps it's a matter of letting go and enjoying the process rather than fearing it. This is what I like about these kinds of posts. It gives us opportunity to work through the hard stuff that we might otherwise ignore.

Read the comments section too. You'll find a lot of self-discovery, self-awareness, and plain old good advice.

I felt like I should know better. I chose 2nd Timothy 1:7 as my life verse a long time ago. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." This is the reason I write. Somehow I had drifted away from that knowledge and needed to be reminded.

Have you ever been there? What got you back on track?

Book Clubs, Book Talk, Book Signings

Janeen Coyle and Jillian

Janeen Coyle of  WGRR 103.5 invited me to speak about my novels at her local book club on November 28th. WGRR is our oldies station and my favorite. I'm still listening to Jackson Brown, The Beatles, The Eagles, Heart, and on and on.

I didn't really know what to expect. We met at a Starbucks inside Kroger's in Montgomery, Ohio and what a fun time. Janeen and group were discussing Patricia Cornwell's latest book, The Bone Bed. Some loved it and some not so much. Great discussion. I loved hearing their comments, very enlightning for a writer.



What a great bunch of women!



After discussing Cornwell's new novel we discussed other books that readers were currently enjoying. Many of the participants assured me they owned e-readers.

Later Janeen asked me questions about my books and I filled everyone in on a bit of the writing life and my stories. I felt like one of the gang with this book club. Everyone was very relaxed and interested and asked lots of good questions.




It's always fun to sign a book!



I gave a couple of books away to introduce to new readers to the Regency. I encouraged others to read my first chapters on my website and the online stores that allow you to read a sample. Below are a few more pictures of that evening with my new book club pals.

 





 



WHAT'S THE LAST BOOK YOU READ THAT YOU REALLY ENJOYED?

Then on Saturday, December 1st I kicked off the month signing books with other author friends at Barnes and Noble in Westcheseter, Ohio. 



Shelley Shepard Gray and Jillian

Shelley has been a great encourager for me for many years. You can find out more about her books here. If you like Amish fiction I know you'll enjoy Shelley's books.

Donna McMeans, Me, and Gail 

 Donna McMeans and I seem to be showing up everywhere together. You can read more about Donna and her novels at here. Donna never runs out of peacock feathers. Gail is the manager at the B&N in Westchester, Ohio and does a phenomenal job and is a wonderful supporter our novels.



Jillian and Sara 



Sara King is incredibly gifted with three degrees: Biology, History, and Anthropology. She works at B&N whenever she gets the chance and is also employed within the health care community of Cincinnati. I hope to make her a regular guest blogger.



Me, Gwen Williams, and Donna

You've got to have friends. Friends are what make the tough days easier and the good days great!  So what are you reading? Are you in a book club? What's the club reading?

Definition of Yearn: Downton Abbey

Watched the sneak peaks of Downton Abbey last night. Makes the word "yearn" come to mind.

YEARN

1: to long persistently, wistfully, or sadly <yearns to make a difference>

2: to feel tenderness or compassion 

 

Am I the last one to discover that there is a Downton Abbey App.?

 

Love these pictures!  Looking forward to the new season and now I hear we have season four to look forward to as well.

What can writer Julian Fellowes teach us? A lot obviously. Perhaps the most important thing being that it's all about the characters and their relationships and how we as viewers want to know more about them. And the man has worked hard. You can read more here.

Masterpiece Classic was enthralling Sunday evening as we revisited Downton Abbey and got a couple looks at what is to come. I watched along with a few more folks, I'm sure. If only we could have dismissed all the advertisements.

 

One of the things that Downton Abbey has is a historical advisor Alastair Bruce.Getting into Character has it's challenges How I would love to have my own historical advisor. If you're writing historical fiction of any kind, I'm sure you can appreciate this.

Am I reading this correctly? I can order it now from the UK? Will you buy it or wait till January?

Grateful Give Away

 I was blessed to be invited to a book club meeting of the River Hills Christian Church in Loveland, Ohio on October 29th this year. And even prior to the meeting this fantastic group of women  dropped by to visit and support me at Books by the Banks in September. And they were there among others and even a few gals from my Thursday night Bible study.

Book club members from River Hills Christian Church in Loveland, Ohio drop by to visit at Books by the Banks. Left to Right: Suzanne Mohr, Terri Weeks, Joni Baker, Terry Kirkland, Me, and Dee Bailey.

This is the very first book club event I've attended in person where a novel I'd written was being discussed. We had a great time talking about the characters in, Secrets of the Heart. It's one thing to know that people are reading your book, it's another thing altogether to sit down with readers and hear them discuss the book you've written. This particular group will always hold special memories for me. I not only gained readers but I gained friends, and prayer warriors, and will always be thankful for them.

Because it's Thanksgiving season I encourage you to reach out to someone who needs a bit of encouragement this special week. Authors, thank a reader. Readers, thank someone who has written something, published or not that was meaningful to you. Read a favorite poem or tell a story on Thanksgiving Day this year. Pick a favorite Psalm about gratitude and study it in the silence of a room where no one will interrupt for a few minutes at least. Thank a Veteran for their service and maybe visit someone who is home bound or in the hospital. Write a letter to someone. Not an e-mail but a real letter.

In honor of Thanksgiving I'm giving away three autographed copies of Chameleon. If you would like a chance to win a copy just leave a comment telling me what you're thankful for this season, or a story, a poem, your favorite line of scripture, or how someone has inspired you. Please leave your e-mail address and check back on Sunday, November 25th to see if you've won.  And if you want me to personalize for a special someone for Christmas this year just let me know. You can enter through midnight Saturday, November 24th at midnight Pacific Time. Void where prohibited.

You can read the first chapters of all my books here.

Chameleon is the story of Lady Victoria Grayson, fondly referred to as Snoop by her physician brother, Lord Ravensmoore. Lady Victoria journeys to London for the first time in her adult life after battling a chronic childhood illness that kept her home bound for years. She is embroiled in a hornet's nest of intrigue when her brother is called upon to treat a Member of Parliament after a brutal attack.

The Prince Regent has called Jonathon Denning, Lord Witt, from his home in the country to investigate Ravensmoore's activities. The Regent isn't so sure he wants one of his lords working a trade and expects to put an end to what he considers eccentric behavior. Jaded by his profession as a spy, Witt understands that some people are not what they pretend to be. When he meets Victoria his cynical nature is challenged along with his doubts about God. Together they must confront their pasts in order to solve a mystery that could devastate their future.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Escape into Medical History: Smallpox

Edward Jenner (1749–1823).
Photo courtesy of the
National Library of Medicine.
Discovered here.

Have you ever thought it might be fun to have lived at a different time in history? No computers, no phones, no airplanes. You may immediately think, no way! I like those conveniences. There are pros and cons to many aspects of living during different historical time periods. However, the lack of current day medical practices and our extensive knowledge of disease is something I wouldn’t want to leave behind if time travel were possible.

You wouldn’t want to have the need for surgery because chances are that you wouldn’t get it (they rarely performed surgical operations) and you’d die, or you would get it and you’d die, or if you were that sick you’d just want to be left alone to die. Medicine is one of those things that I wouldn’t want to give up if I could escape into Regency England (one of my favorite eras) for a year or so.

Did you know that Edward Jenner discovered the vaccine for smallpox in late 18th century England? I doubt many high school students know about smallpox today unless they watch movies on bioterrorism, etc. Isn’t it scary that a disease that was virtually wiped out by 1977 could be resurrected for horrifying purposes?

Jenner used the pus and infectious matter of a dairymaid’s cowpox to inoculate a small boy in 1796. Do you want to know what that looked like? Probably not but I’ll tell you. He scraped inside nasty looking wounds on Sarah Nelm’s (dairymaid’s) hand and arm, gathered the infection, created two small incisions in the boy’s (James Phipps) arm and spread the pus into the incisions. You can read more here about the method of variolation here.

From Wikipedia, Jenner's Theory:

The initial source of infection was a disease of horses, called "the grease", which was transferred to cows by farm workers, transformed, and then manifested as cowpox.More here. For more on the great and terrible scourge go here.
Did you know the history of smallpox inoculation? Did any of this surprise you? Brings a whole new meaning to the saying, "A pox upon you!" Of course in that day if they didn't mean smallpox they probably meant syphilis. That's another post.

  From an etching by James Gillray (1757-1815) 1802 caricature of Jenner vaccinating patients who feared it would make them sprout cowlike appendages. From Wikipedia.              

Mystery of the Heart Cover Art

Releasing January 8th 2013

Here's the new cover for the third and final book in The Ravensmoore Chronicles. Hope you like it.

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lady Mercy Grayson has secretly been studying medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has dressed as a man to pursue the same passion her big brother Devlin, Lord Ravensmoore, pursued outside the acceptance of society. Her secret has been discovered. Now she’s running away from Scotland and her dreams. Will she be able to accomplish what she feels is God’s calling, or will the parameters of society and those who want to use her secret to accomplish their own selfish ends determine the course of her future?

Vincent Lyons, Lord Eden, is an adventurer coming home to London to deliver the mysterious Holy Lance to the prince regent who wants to see if the legends are true surrounding this relic that is said to possess both the power of healing and destruction. His life is catapulted in another direction when he meets Mercy who is pursuing a different kind of adventure that will cause him to question everything he believes.

Both will be forced to examine their personal motives when members of a voudon tribe, the Regent, and the London Legend Seekers Club search to possess the ancient relic for their own purposes.

ENDORSEMENTS

 Jillian Kent's, Mystery Of The Heart, is a riveting tale of intrigue, courage, romance and faith. I was hooked from the first page, when the heroine washes up upon the shores of Regency England half-drowned, only to be taken captive by the mysterious Lord Eden. This is a story to be savored and shared.  ~ Serena Miller, author of, The Measure of Katie Calloway, 2012 Rita Award for Best Inspirational Romance.

A winning escape for the romantic imagination, Mystery of the Heart, will keep readers on the edge of their seats! A sigh-worthy hero and an intelligent make this Regency novel a pure pleasure for fans of the genre as well as anyone seeking a love story that's brightened by a healthy dose of adventure. ~Rosslyn Elliott, Award-winning author of,  Fairer Than Morning and Sweeter Than Birdsong

Mystery of the Heart is a deliciously credible and moving account of a nineteenth-century woman pursuing her dream to become a doctor. From the elegant world of English royalty to the frightening venues of an insane asylum, author Jillian Kent presents a meticulously researched novel filled with suspense, mystery, and romance. I couldn’t put this one down! ~Sue Harrison, Author of international best seller Mother Earth Father Sky

Jillian Kent writes a sweeping romantic intrigue, brilliant with well-drawn characters and meticulous research of Regency England. ~ Linda Windsor, Author of The Brides of Alba historical series: Healer, Thief, and Rebel