Losing Weight and Writing

I realize this probably isn’t the best topic to bring up considering we're all probably still digesting that wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas cookies aren't much farther away, but this time of year always reminds me of losing weight.

It was eight years ago, right before Thanksgiving, that my doctor told me I had to lose twenty-five pounds. I was pregnant with kiddo #3 and had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. My past two pregnancies...well, let’s say they hadn’t been kind to my butt or my waist. I’ll admit it, I love to eat. But sitting with the doctor, already feeling fat because of pregnancy--fatter than usual, I should say--was an eye opening experience. Not because he was flat out telling me to lose weight or I’d get diabetes permanently within ten years, or to lose weight because of the baby, but because I had to think about whether I wanted to lose weight. How sad is that? But for me, it seemed insurmountable, an impossibility and did I really want it that badly?

Could I really do this?

I’m proud to say I did it. Twenty-five pounds the doctor said and I went one better--I lost seventy. It took perseverance, dedication, and willpower. It took me envisioning a goal and letting nothing get in my way.

You see where I’m heading here? Losing weight is a lot like writing. Perseverance, dedication, willpower. It takes all three to become a published author. There were so many times in my weight loss journey when I told myself I couldn’t do it, the goal was set too high, I didn’t have it in me, and please God do I really have to go to the gym today?

I learned that I could indeed accomplish my goal and that empowered me in so many other aspects of my life. So why not set another one? Like writing that book I always said I wanted to write. Heck, the writing part was easy. As soon as I sat down at the computer all these people who’d been slumbering in my head were suddenly clamoring for their stories to be told. It was the publishing part that came a little harder. Dozens and dozens of editors and agents told me no. No, we don’t like the story line. No, your writing isn’t crisp enough. No, this story isn’t for us. Like the cream-filled devil on my shoulder telling me to eat that candy bar, I ignored them all.

Sure I fell on my face, just like those times I snuck that bag of potato chips. But I’d learned no one’s perfect and to look backward was a waste of time. Stay focused, pick yourself up, get back to it. Ignore those who say you can’t and focus on what you can.

I know what you’re thinking. “Yeah, but has she kept the weight off?” I’ll admit it; a few pounds have crept back to my hips and thighs, but only about twenty. I’m still diligent about exercise and what I eat and even more diligent about my writing career.

In eight years, I’ve given birth to my third baby, lost weight (and kept most of it off), wrote twenty books, and signed seven contracts. Perseverance, dedication, willpower.

During my weight loss journey, I had decided that someday I would write a story about a woman whose weight loss set her on an emotional journey to find herself in the new person she’d become. I’m happy to say that story, Hands Off, will soon be published by The Wild Rose Press.

And, Night Song, my vampire novella was just released through Samhain Publishing.

So what’s my next goal? Surviving the holidays. Enjoying the food without overindulging. Keeping my goals. Persevering.

To kick off this holiday season let's run a contest. If you comment on this post between now and say, oh, Monday at midnight you'll be entered into a drawing for an ebook copy of Night Song.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

~Sharon

When the former fat girl and the former geek meet at their high school reunions, past desires are tossed aside as new ones ignite. But when Mia's old insecurities return, can Jack convince her she's deserving of his love?

He’s a centuries old vampire who doesn’t do domestication. She’s a single mother struggling to survive. Evil brings them together, but will their love be enough to keep them alive?

About Sharon:

After reading Black Beauty when she was ten, Sharon had two dreams—to own a horse and to write books. She still doesn’t have the horse, but she does write. Nowadays she divides her time between the every day duties of a mom with three busy kids, a husband, a Labrador Retriever who occasionally makes an appearance in her stories, and writing.

Contact Sharon at sharon@sharoncullen.net
Visit Sharon’s website at www.sharoncullen.net