“All is not
lost, all is not lost / Become
who you are
/ It happens once in a
lifetime.”
—Switchfoot (rock band in San Diego)
Come sit a spell, have a cup of
coffee and let’s talk.
As writers we know the value of
collecting writing advice from the best, yet, how many hours do we want to
scour the web, get lost in the forest of information, wander through the swamp
of despair, and end up spending precious time not writing?
I’m here to condense
information for you. I’m going to collect from the best and place it here on this
site for you to devour, copy, add to your favorites, or just plain enjoy.
Why? Because I believe as Zig
Zigler said, “To get what you want help other people get what they want.”
We want to learn our craft
right?
I’m not a writing guru, I’m not
published by a major publishing house. At this moment that doesn’t matter, I’m
a searcher, a finder, and a writer. And I want to learn as do you.
We are a writer when we say we
are.
I know, you don’t trust me. Not
yet. I’m not the sales person suggesting an outfit when you wanted to browse. She
usually suggests the wrong style, or the wrong color anyway. It certainly doesn’t
bring out your blue eyes—in short, she is offering what she has available.
Well, I’m sort-of doing that,
offering what I have, but come back next week there will be a new shipment. And
I’m not asking you to buy anything.
I’m just here offering you a cup
of virtual coffee, time for us to become acquainted, to get in the inspired
frame of mind so we can sling out those prophetic phrases with the best of
them.
Some sage advice:
1. From “7 Things I’ve
Learned So Far,” where
writers (this installment written by Trevor Shane, author of the debut thriller
CHILDREN OF PARANOIA) at any stage of their career can talk about writing advice and
instruction as
well as how they possibly got their book agent — by sharing seven things they’ve
learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning.
Number 7. As far as I
can tell, it never stops being scary. Letting people read what
you write is frightening. This doesn’t change because you get an agent. It
doesn’t change because you sell a book.
Maybe Stephen King
isn’t frightened anymore when he sends a first draft of his latest work to his
editor—but I’d be willing to bet that he is. Very simply, if it’s not scary,
it’s probably not worth it.
2. When You
Don’t Have a Cabin or a Dog… But Are Still Called to Write
From Jeff Sambuchino : This is a
guest post by Sarah Mae. Sarah is an author, blogger, and mom. You can find her
on her blog or connect with her on Twitter @sarahmae.
Fight for it
Yes, you have limitations. But so what?! Who
doesn’t have them?
If you want to create, you have to fight for your
passion. You must give your soul the space, even if just in bits, to do what it
needs to do.
Fight for the time, no matter how limited, and the
love of what you’re called to do. And then do the work.
Give up on “perfect”
Maybe one day, when my babies are grown and I have
some money saved up, I can go to a cabin and write for days on end. With a dog.
And a roaring fire. But until then, I’m okay with less-than-perfect. I’ll do my
best with what I have, and then let it go. And so should you.
See you later.
Jewell D
P.S. Here is a
great opening line:
“They threw me off the truck about noon.”
Love it!
And have you noticed, you can write or have a clean house, but not both?
