The W.I.T. Program

The other day I blogged about my first rejection letter. I commented at the end of the post that I was going to make a badge for the W.I.T. Program. *Drum roll* The first badge is ready!

What is the W.I.T. program?

Long, long ago, in a land far away (OK, not too far away, and only about nineteen years ago - *gasps* Lordy, do I feel old now!), I was a young woman, newly divorced, trying to put myself through college. Broke, without so much as two dimes to rub together, whatever is a girl to do?

I was a Navy wife before the divorce, so the obvious answer was the military. Hey, at least I'd have a roof over my head and medical coverage, right? Besides, my dad and both my grandfathers had served, it was a no brainer.

 

My TI (training instructor) told our flight (a group of airmen in the USAF) we had to get on the W.I.T. program, the Whatever It Takes program. Meaning no matter our objective, we had to find it within ourselves to do whatever it took to meet that goal. Even if it hurt, physically or emotionally, made us uncomfortable in our own skin, or required more from us than we thought we had to give, we had to dig deep to find the courage to 'suck it up and press on' as my other TI used to yell constantly.

I had to make it through 'boot', if I didn't I was sunk. No money. No way to make it in this big, cruel world. Going into boot with a terrible case of bronchitis didn't make it easy  (yes, the docs at MEPS actually let me go in with bronchitis). The infirmary saw me three times during those first three weeks for dehydration. FYI, dehydration can make you vomit - I HATE vomiting, I'll do almost anything NOT to vomit. Sorry, I digress...back to the point of this post...

My TIs pushed and prodded until those of us who made the cut were ready to serve our nation. I made it through boot camp, earning the moniker 'Puker'. Sucking it up and pressing on, I pushed through the hurt, illness, and discouragement, running for the grass when it all came back up - litterally. It was a valuable lesson  I've carried with me into every experience of my life... when I want something, I have to get on The Program to make it happen.

So, when that first rejection letter came, I made the decision I'd be on the W.I.T. program, committing to do whatever it takes to become a published author. One of my twitter friends suggested I look at rejections as badges of honor for putting myself 'out there'. We joked about making badges and selling them.

Well, I've made the first W.I.T. program badge and want all my writerly friends to take it - for free. Add it to your blog, website, whatever.... wear it proudly. Show the world you're on the Whatever It Takes program to becoming a published author. I think, just to make it our own, we'll call it The WRITEver It Takes Program. Check back soon, I'll have several more, with lots of different styles to choose from.

No matter how hard it is to sit butt in chair, pound away on that keyboard, brainstorm awesome pitches and queries, figure out how to take an eighty-thousand word novel and condense it to a two page synopsis, you can do WRITEver It Takes to get it done. I have faith in you, now have faith in yourself!

In the comments, tell us some of the things you do to hang in there through the difficulties and disappointments of authorship? Share with others so they can employ these tactics. I encourage all of you to find a mentor and be a mentor. Without my mentors, I don't know what I'd do. They help me everyday to do WRITEver It Takes to get published.

Want your own badge? Click here and grab one of your choice!

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