So You Want to Write a Novel

I went to the Calgary Library's Writer's Weekend today. It was really great. The classes I attended were: Marketing Your Writing, Fiction Writing, Resources for Writers, and Publishers on Publishing. It was all great, informative and helpful. The one I found the most helpful was Marketing Your Writing. She started her presentation with the above cartoon from YouTube. So funny that I had to share it!
I just want to say a thank you to the Calgary Public Library for doing stuff like today's workshops and the Writer-in-Residence program and things like that for writers. Even though my membership cost a mint because I don't live in Calgary, it's great to be part of a writing community and to have opportunities to learn more about the craft and the business of writing.
Sadly, I tend to come away from stuff like that with mixed feelings. On one hand- I see all the others out there who like to write and who support each other and I feel that comraderie and connection. But on the other hand, it's a tough business- one that I'll be lucky to break into. It doesn't help when the publishing world in general is faltering.
All I can say is, ah well. I will keep writing. It's my dream. Sometimes dreams come true, sometimes they don't. But I will keep writing because it makes me happy. Worrying about publishing does not make me happy. So I need to remember to focus on the writing, to enjoy it, to work at it. Then if somethng comes of it one day, to take that as the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.