And then one morning (after a good night's sleep, a short session of yoga and a two mile run, and fueled with coffee) you sit down at your desk and dip back into your manuscript – and you think, hey, this isn't as bad as I thought it was. This happens over and over again to writers – we're doing something that's personal, difficult and scary (what if I keep writing and no one wants to read it? etc. etc. etc.). It's the nature of the business – ups and downs, twists and turns, plus the occasional bullet hole of rejection. (Above photo was taken on Burma Road in Montana.) 

FYI: I'm teaching a two Saturday workshop on writing the Personal Essay at UCLA Extension in early March.  Class is limited to twenty students. Come join us. (I'm a firm believer that writing personal essays is the best way to launch a writing career and to get published.)