As I type this, my wrists are getting sweaty from my too-warm key pad and the glare from the sunshine outside is obscuring half my screen. Summer is barely here and already it’s annoying me.
And to think I used to think this time of year was for swimming in lakes, drinking root beer slurpees and playing endless games of monopoly in my friends’ basements.
Wow. I really am getting old. Thank god for toddlers.
Posted in About writing | Tagged inspiration, kids, motherhood, parenthood, summer, writing | Leave a Comment »
Sometimes I am reading a book and suddenly I think, shit, this is good. My artistic awe is generally short-lived, however, because it is almost always immediately followed by a wave of self-pitying desperation as I realize I will never be able to create something on par. Wine is then required.
Then today, while reading the Clifford Collection to my three year old, I happened upon a quote by Norman Bridwell, revealing some similar sentiments of his own. According to the infamous writer and illustrator, as a student he felt ”there was always someone better than [him]; the art teacher always liked their work better than [his].”
In other words, it’s okay if other people are more gifted or skilled at this writing thing than I am. There probably always will be. I don’t need to beat them– I just gotta figure out what my big red dog is.
Posted in About writing | Tagged books, children's literature, clifford, creativity, inspiration, norman bridwell | Leave a Comment »
Like the forever sagging waist band on my stretch jeans, something about my latest manuscript is not working.
Despite a few strong elements, it just doesn’t seem to crackle, pop, or even fizz, and I wasn’t sure why till I read this quote from Shannon Hale about the importance of telling a story that doesn’t come easy.
“…attempting to write a book that’s too hard for me…telling a story I’m not smart enough to tell. The risk of failure is huge. But I prefer it this way. I’m forced to learn, forced to smarten myself up, forced to wrestle. And if it works, then I’ll have written something that is better than I am.”
Perhaps my problem, is that the story I have created, was too easy to create. Now for the really challenging part: figuring out what the hell that means on paper.
Well here goes.
Posted in About writing | Tagged book, creativity, inspiration, princess academy, shannon hale, writing | 4 Comments »
If it was up to me, I would probably spend every minute I am not sleeping or drinking coffee so I don’t have to sleep, or going to Starbucks to get said coffee, or peeing in the bathroom because coffee always has that effect on me, writing.
Naturally, it took me a very, very long time to finally commit to tearing myself away from the computer and going to visit my sister in Montreal for a whole SIX days. Stephen helped.
According a quote from Stephen King’s book On Writing: a memoir of the craft, “Life isn’t a support-system for art. It’s the other way around.” In other words, get out, see new places, have fun, eat poutine, slag Toronto and the rest of the English speaking world in a really bad french accent, and then get back to it–your work will be all the richer for it.
So thanks for the permission Mr. King, as of yesterday, the tickets were finally booked.
Posted in About writing | Tagged book, book review, books, creativity, inspiration, on writing, stephen king, writing | 2 Comments »
My mom is away this week, visiting my sister in Montreal. And though it’s only been four days so far, already I am going a little crazy without someone to sub me off of Toddler-dom and set my fingers free.
Yes, I love spending time with my son, but creativity, when not regularly unleashed is like a wet dog trapped in a China shop. Things can get real messy. And there is lots of broken glass which is never good for anyone.
So today, I THANK GOD for Grandmas. And of course, Dora, and Diego, and naps. In that order.
Posted in About writing | Tagged creativity, gratitude, inspiration, kids, motherhood, parenthood, parents, writing | 2 Comments »
Don’t quit your day job—at least so says Oscar Wilde in a recently discovered letter, advising a young writer that one of the most important things a successful writer can do is not depend on their craft for income.
For those of us that would love to devote our time to that thing we are most passionate about, the advice is a bit of a bummer. And yet, though his words over a hundred years old, they are never more true than today, where even published authors I know seem to make a very small income from book sales. So what’s a writer to do?
Sacrifice what they want to do with what they have to? Do what they love and live a life of poverty? Or find a balance in the middle?
I for one am still figuring it out—thought I suppose the answer will be always be changing.
Posted in About writing | Tagged authors, books, life, money, oscar wilde, publishing, writing | 2 Comments »
Writing groups. Like blogs and sea monkeys, they are born with such enthusiasm and yet so often stall and die after a very short time.
I have been a member of at least three that have long since expired, which was why I was very much inspired to read this post by Alaya Dawn Johnson, author of the Summer Prince, outlining five ingredients for successful writing groups.
While Johnson outlines a few good tips, the one that sticks out to me most is the importance of fun, both for the pure enjoyment of it, and for longevity’s sake. Too often in my drive to get things done I forget about this and only focus on the words during my writing groups–but not any more.
If I want to keep them going strong, I guess I am just going to have to start bringing bottles of wine when I go to hang out with cool literary type people. Life is tough that way sometimes.
Posted in About writing | Tagged alaya dawn johnson, figment, inspiration, the summer prince, writing, YA fiction, young adult fiction | Leave a Comment »
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