Inspiration
-
New Year, Same Me
This year I am giving myself permission. Permission that when that clock strikes twelve and turns over to 12:01, I can be the same person that I was at 11:59. There is no magic spell that is going to change me into either Cinderella or a pumpkin. I’m giving myself permission to still be the same person. The difference is I want to be the same person but on the path to growth. On the path to change. On the path to progress. Change is not something I expect to immediately happen, like I’m a new person on January first and I’m going to live my life a completely different…
-
To Nano or Not to Nano
To Nano or Not to Nano That is the question we ask ourselves all through October. And it’s a tough question. Do we have time? Do we have a story calling our name? Will winning give us the boost in confidence we need to move forward? Or will losing be the straw that breaks our fragile ego and sends us into a hopeless spiral? To help you answer this question, or at the very least give you even more to ponder, I’m going to be sharing today about my experiences with NANOWRIMO so far. So sit back, relax and let me tell you about a long time ago in…
-
The Pros and Cons of NANOWRIMO
Image Courtesy of National Novel Writing Month Gentle people, it’s that time again. We are deep into ‘Preptober,’ when writers the world over are gearing up for the most magical time of year: National Novel Writing Month. Never heard of it you say? Well, you can recognize it by its sweet symphony: the wailing and gnashing of teeth from those haunted spirits of writers stuck in eternal writers block and the triumphant cackling of the novelists who managed their daily word count–and only had to sacrifice their sanity to achieve it. But in all seriousness, Nanowrimo (pronounced Nah-No-Wry-Moh not Nah-No-Wree-Mo apparently) is an exciting time when people try to write…
-
A Work in Progress
One of the difficulties of being a writer is that there is such a long time before the piece you’re working on is ‘done.’ When is a story ready? When has it been told? Does it have enough emotion, enough action? Does it make sense to others? There are a thousand questions a writer considers while drafting and revising. But the primary one that teases their mind as they revise is…is it done? I think many writers will tell you that there is no magic moment when a manuscript is ‘finished.’ Looking back on any previously published work, they will see things they wish they had done differently, gaps…
-
The Hardest Easy Task
The hardest part of writing is sitting down to do it. The second is actually writing once I have sat down to write. I sit down to write and realize that I have forgotten something to drink. If I don’t have something, I will just be getting up in 10 minute to get it so I might as well do it before I start. Don’t want it to interrupt a moment of flow. I also need my lap blanket. Oh, and a snack. But look! I should check for that email I’ve been waiting for while I’m here. Instagram is showing me notifications, I should engage with my friends and…
-
My Story of Stories
The first time I read a book completely by myself I was 5 years old. I still vividly remember sitting on the couch of my oldest sister’s house, reading Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess to her. Pride filled me when I finished–I had done it! By myself! Rushing into the kitchen I told my parents. Laughing, they congratulated me. “Are you sure you read it? Or did you just have it memorized from making your sister read it to you a thousand times.” I was deeply offended by this accusation that I had ‘cheated’ in reading a book by myself for the very first time–with all the…
-
Tricking Yourself into Joy
Have you ever had to trick yourself into trying something? Maybe you had to trick yourself into learning Ballet as an adult. ‘I’ll just do it for the exercise, you think. Barre really tones your muscles. Or maybe you picked up painting or the violin or figure skating. And you gave yourself all the adult reasons you should do it. Stress relief Relaxation Exercise Keeping Neural Plasticity. Maybe you’re like me. Because that’s what I had to do with writing. I’ll just do it for fun, I thought. Stress relief. Process all those emotions. It’ll really help my anxiety if I give my imagination something to work on…