Do you ever feel like quitting something you love? I did. This summer, I decided to take a break from writing. Summer is crazy busy. Especially July. And I just wasn’t motivated to write at the time. I had no good ideas, no thoughts on how to continue with certain works, nada. Zip. Zilch. So. I did it. I quit.
Wouldn’t you know it, during the craziest, busiest months, months when I don’t even have much reading time, I end up with my best ideas. New ideas, ideas on how to fix old manuscripts, ideas on ways to cut in more polished ones…IDEAS! Hooray and yay and happy dancing for ideas.
The notebook by my bed has been recently used in the middle of the night, without a light (also with a pen that ran out of ink, apparently). The notes feature on my phone, my voice recorder, and also napkins and receipts in my purse have been handy. And I have had some computer writing time. Just not as much as I want.
Three weeks ago, I told my critique group, some family members, and a number of other people that I was taking the summer off from writing. And when I made that claim, I meant it. I needed a break. My brain was stressed. Fried, even. So I gave myself permission to stop (temporarily).
And I did stop. For like, four days. And then the floodgates opened. And now that I’ve scheduled myself almost no writing time, I really wish I had some.
The moral of the story? The next time you’re tempted to temporarily quit, do it. Sometimes all it takes is to relieve a little bit of pressure before the brilliance returns full force. And let me just tell you now—that brilliance is as bright as the summer sun.
*sings praises to the elements* Hallelujah!
Gotta go. I have manuscripts to work on.
Showing posts with label ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ideas. Show all posts
Monday, July 18, 2011
Monday, October 25, 2010
Because People are Interesting
You know, whenever I’m in a public place where I hear authors answer questions from the public (aka fans), it becomes inevitable that someone will ask where that author gets his or her story ideas.
Unfortunately, that’s a loaded question. But also a simple one. Because most of our ideas come from real life. Things we see, things we hear about, people we meet.
Just the other day, a friend (and fellow writer) and I had a discussion about how fascinated we are by people’s life stories. Just as no two authors have the same success story, no two people have the same life story.
I think this is probably in large part why I write. I’m fascinated by the journeys of individual people, and this fascination, the “what if,” is what creates stories in my head. Full blown characters with full experiences that cause them to grow and learn.
It doesn’t help that I’m a people watcher. Everywhere I go, I find myself soaking people in—researching possible characters for future stories. I wonder why this person is this way, or why that person makes one choice rather than another. I wonder who they love, and who loves them, and what feels like home to them. I wonder who they are inside, and how they became that person.
Is this unusual? Does everyone do this or is it a trait unique to the creative community? I don’t know. But just in case you were wondering, my ideas all come from watching and experiencing life in all its many glorious forms.
So, you know. Keep on living, keep on dreaming, and if by chance you notice a writerly-type person observing you, consider it a compliment. It’s because you’re interesting.
Unfortunately, that’s a loaded question. But also a simple one. Because most of our ideas come from real life. Things we see, things we hear about, people we meet.
Just the other day, a friend (and fellow writer) and I had a discussion about how fascinated we are by people’s life stories. Just as no two authors have the same success story, no two people have the same life story.
I think this is probably in large part why I write. I’m fascinated by the journeys of individual people, and this fascination, the “what if,” is what creates stories in my head. Full blown characters with full experiences that cause them to grow and learn.
It doesn’t help that I’m a people watcher. Everywhere I go, I find myself soaking people in—researching possible characters for future stories. I wonder why this person is this way, or why that person makes one choice rather than another. I wonder who they love, and who loves them, and what feels like home to them. I wonder who they are inside, and how they became that person.
Is this unusual? Does everyone do this or is it a trait unique to the creative community? I don’t know. But just in case you were wondering, my ideas all come from watching and experiencing life in all its many glorious forms.
So, you know. Keep on living, keep on dreaming, and if by chance you notice a writerly-type person observing you, consider it a compliment. It’s because you’re interesting.
Monday, August 16, 2010
One Small Idea
I spent most of last week online attending a virtual writer’s conference known as WriteOnCon What a great experience for me and all the other attendees. And what an amazing thing these organizers have accomplished.
They started with an idea, grabbed it by the horns and took off with it. By thinking outside the box, they managed to bridge the gap between 11,000 authors, agents, and editors across the globe. And next year it will most definitely only get bigger.
Why would they do such a thing? They all have agents, and most of them are working on book deals, or have books being released in the next year or two. They didn’t create this conference for themselves. They did it because they believe in paying it forward. This is their way of serving the writing community. Of giving back to the world. This is their way of reaching out to other authors and saying, “Here, let me give you a hand.”
And it has nothing to do with selling their books. But because of their efforts, books will sell. It’s a side effect, but not the reasoning behind the plan. For them, it’s about service. And maybe a little about Karma. It’s about a community of people taking hands and holding onto each other to make sure every single person has the means and ability to make it to the top.
It leaves me wondering what more I can do to help others around me. Am I stuck thinking inside the lines, too afraid to venture out and do bigger things? Are you? I don’t think service has to include thousands the way it did for these particular authors. It could just be one person. One person for whom you can make a difference.
There’s no way to know who will be that person for you, so all you can do is try every day to pay it forward to someone, to do something for another person, and eventually, it will come back. A side effect of something bigger and better than you ever realized.
All it takes is one small idea. Think about it.
They started with an idea, grabbed it by the horns and took off with it. By thinking outside the box, they managed to bridge the gap between 11,000 authors, agents, and editors across the globe. And next year it will most definitely only get bigger.
Why would they do such a thing? They all have agents, and most of them are working on book deals, or have books being released in the next year or two. They didn’t create this conference for themselves. They did it because they believe in paying it forward. This is their way of serving the writing community. Of giving back to the world. This is their way of reaching out to other authors and saying, “Here, let me give you a hand.”
And it has nothing to do with selling their books. But because of their efforts, books will sell. It’s a side effect, but not the reasoning behind the plan. For them, it’s about service. And maybe a little about Karma. It’s about a community of people taking hands and holding onto each other to make sure every single person has the means and ability to make it to the top.
It leaves me wondering what more I can do to help others around me. Am I stuck thinking inside the lines, too afraid to venture out and do bigger things? Are you? I don’t think service has to include thousands the way it did for these particular authors. It could just be one person. One person for whom you can make a difference.
There’s no way to know who will be that person for you, so all you can do is try every day to pay it forward to someone, to do something for another person, and eventually, it will come back. A side effect of something bigger and better than you ever realized.
All it takes is one small idea. Think about it.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Interesting Day at Grand Central Station
A friend of mine sent this link in an email, and I got quite a kick out of it. Of course, there's no way to know for sure, but it appears to me that these people did this purely for fun and enjoyment. To entertain themselves and those around them.
The question most present in my mind as I watched this was that the idea had to have come from one person, who then coordinated the whole thing. It made me wonder how many people my ideas will affect. It's like dropping a pebble in a pond and watching the ripples turn to waves.
Enjoy!
The question most present in my mind as I watched this was that the idea had to have come from one person, who then coordinated the whole thing. It made me wonder how many people my ideas will affect. It's like dropping a pebble in a pond and watching the ripples turn to waves.
Enjoy!
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