Why Write?

Do you write?

Why we write is our topic this month over at Bits & Bytes: Romance...the Writer's Way.


Today is my turn and I hope you'll pop over and share.

Do you NaNo?

http://blog.inonit.in/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/nanowrimo-300x170.jpg

If so, or if you're curious about NaNoWriMo, please pop over to Bits & Bytes: Romance...the Writer's Way for a few tips and resources.

And while you're there, feel free to leave a comment and/or share a tip or two of your own.

Climbing the Mountain: Finding the Courage to Write

I totally forgot to mention that I blogged the other day on the WARA blog about fear and writing. I hope you'll check it out: http://warawriters.blogspot.com/2010/03/climbing-mountain-finding-courage-to.html How do you beat back your fears?

Writing toward Home

I'm reading Writing toward Home: Tales and Lessons to Find Your Way by Georgia Heard and wanted to share this quote from Martha Graham to Agnes de Mille (in the chapter Keeping the Channel Open):

"And because there is only one of you in all time, this experience is unique and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and be lost. The world will not have it."

This is only part of the entire quote, but it really caught my attention and made me think. Like the author of the book, I will post this quote inside my writing notebook and a couple other places where I will see it often.

I'm only part way through this book. It's not a big book, but I'm savoring each chapter. According to the back cover, "It includes exercises--road maps to get you going--to help overcome the obstacles that may be in your way: writer's block, fear of rejection, silencing the critics, lack of time."

Keeping the Peace (Writing with a Family)

Please join me at Bits & Bytes: Romance ... the Writer's Way so we can discuss juggling writing and family: http://warawriters.blogspot.com/2009/10/keeping-peace-writing-with-family.html

If You Love a Writer - Blog - Eileen Flanagan

I just spotted this on Facebook and thought I'd share it here. Since my first book was released a bit over two months ago, this post hit home with me.

If You Love aWriter - Blog - Eileen Flanagan
The new home of Eileen Flanagan's blog, Imperfect Serenity

Going Where the Fear Is

I just read this and it really resonated with me, so I thought I'd share.

So much of writing is going where the fear is. Fear is power, and a lot of writers don’t want to go there. It’s absolutely natural. Who, after all, wants to be afraid or hurt? Feelings of fear or pain exist for a reason. They are warnings, and quite effective ones. They’re like the reflex that pulls your hand back before you realize you’ve touched something hot. (Gom jabbar notwithstanding. Ha.)

Harnessing that power, going where the fear is, writing even though your hands are sweating and your heart is in your mouth, is the very least you owe your readers. You have a bargain with them–you tell the truth, they keep reading. Lie, bullshit, pull back or cop out–and they sense it. They smell it. It will get your book thrown across the room faster than anything.

These two paragraphs come from this blog post by Lilith Saintcrow titled "There Is No Bloodless Art": http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/journal/2009/07/this-is-no-bloodless-art/ I hope you'll read the rest of her article.

I realized a while ago that I've been letting fear rule me and get in the way of my writing. I'm still working my way through it, one itty bitty baby half-step at a time. Anyone else suffer from this? How do you deal with it?

Finish Your Shift

I recently listened to a writing workshop given by Jodi Thomas. One of the lessons she learned as a teen and applies to her writing keeps playing in my mind: Finish your shift. Translation: Finish your book. If it's completed, rewrite it. If it's rewritten, submit it.

I love doing revisions, doing research. It's the new stuff that comes hard for me. Getting those words on the page in the first place, that's my struggle.

While listening to Jodi's workshop, I realized that as a kid I loved working on various projects, but sometimes I didn't finish them. Who am I kidding? Most of the time I didn't finish them. I think it's because if I finished it, it would be done. Over. Completed. Then what? I didn't have a money tree in my yard, so I made projects last as long as I could.

I think it's the same with writing. If I finish the story, then what? I'll have to create a new one. Then the fear sets in. What if the words won't come? It's almost easier not writing, than risking the words not coming.