Motivation

Every now and then, I Google my grandmother (also a writer), hoping to find one of her long-lost stories or something else related to her writing.  And last night, it paid off!

I found a magazine called Guide Magazine, which publishes stories "that show how following Jesus makes a positive difference in kids' lives".

They have an online archive, and one of Grandma's stories is in there!  It's called Trapped In An Oven.  At first, I thought it was too good to be true, but once I started reading and recognized her characters (Lou, Hetty and of course, Bonnie), I knew it really was her story.

I emailed the magazine, and since it is such an old story (from 1968), they only have a few issues left, but they are going to send me a photocopy. Pretty sweet!

Still plugging away on my contest entry for The Star. I am at that stage where the end is drawing near and I am about to start sabotaging myself. I usually begin to panic, doubt my choices and think the story is no good, and begin to think that I should scrap it all and do a new story in super-speed-mode (with only a few days until the deadline).

Do any of you other writers out there do the same thing? Do you ever get in your own way? What's your solution? Give in and risk not finishing in time? Or just stick it out and finish the original one?