When to let go and when to hold on by Patty Blount

 Hi! Happy Holidays to all! 

I’m writing to you from North Carolina, where I’m visiting family for Christmas. Throughout this month, we’re talking about letting go, and while that’s important, I think it’s also important to know when to hold on. 

I hadn’t published anything since 2018. 

For an award-winning author, the mere suggestion that my writing career could be over sent me into a tail spin. And I was still writing! I just couldn’t sell any projects. 

Every time I thought about quitting, I just couldn’t accept that as my new reality. 

And it finally hit me that I shouldn’t have to. 

I mean sure- the publishing industry is in flux. But the reasons why I write haven’t changed. I’m not doing this for money or fame-though it would be nice to achieve both. I write because I love telling stories. 

What else could I do to put stories in the hands of readers? 

Hmm - maybe try self publishing? 

I’m happy to report I self-published two novels this year. Am I raking in the big bucks? No. But I am getting stories into readers’ hands and satisfying my need to write. 

Sometimes, letting go just means CHANGE.