Following your dreams

I had a talk with a girl I know this afternoon about following her dreams.  She's got this "crazy" idea of what she'd like in life but hasn't truly pursued it.  Are you like that?  You've got that one thing that just lights up your life like a million Christmas lights, but you're afraid to do it?

Maybe your parents wouldn't approve or other people would think it's silly.  Who cares?  If there is something that makes you happy, truly happy, then don't let anyone keep you from it. 

Did that sound a little soap boxy? 

I've learned some hard lessons over the past couple of years.  Life has a way of knocking you where it hurts.  But the amazing thing is that tough times and tears can teach you a lot about yourself.  Life taught me to believe in myself. 

I've spent years writing.  It was my passion but I let fear and doubt hold me back.  Then I had a wake up call that changed my life.  I'd let life hold me back and I was done hiding in the corner.  So what did I do?  I wrote my first "official" book.  Been working on it for the past two years and I'm only a few weeks away from publishing it as an e-book.

To be honest...I've never been happier!  Taking that leap of faith and choosing to believe in myself has brought me to this point, on the verge of being able to call myself an author and I'm ecstatic.  I've finally realized that I was born to write.  I no longer wonder what I should do with my life or what job I should try to apply for.  I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and it feels amazing.

So I want to encourage you to follow your dream.  No matter how small or big, how crazy or impossible it  might seem.  You are worth the time and effort. 

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Taking a Breather...

Do you ever find that there are times when you simply write too often?  I have.  Some days all I can think about it getting through the day so I can put my thoughts down on a word document.  But others, I don't even want to look at my laptop!  Creativity is fickle like that!

Sometimes we just need to step back and take a breather.  That's exactly what I did over the weekend.  I finished my homework for my writer's group that will be meeting on Monday but I got very little else accomplished.  I will share my homework assignment next week since I don't want to spoil it for some of the members who take a peek at my blog from time to time!

So when you start to feel overwhelmed, bogged down by words or a have muddled mind take a step back and do something completely different.  For me that typically means grabbing a new book from the library.  I know...you're probably thinking that it's still too similar but for me reading is relaxing!  Do whatever makes you happy and when the time is right you will come back to your homework, short story or novel with renewed vigor. 

Happy writing!


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Bite off more than you can chew?

Thousands of people across the country share the same dream...taking that leap from writer to author.  It's a grand goal...but not one that can simply be achieved through a pretty smile or directionless purpose.  To become the author that you long to be you have to set goals, milestones that you can mark along the way.

I look at the journey of a writer much like an overweight person that is desperate to shed those unsightly pounds.  They strive so hard for their main goal that they completely overlook the journey.  Or they get so overwhelmed by the 100lbs that they need to lose that they forget to celebrate the 2lbs they lost this week.

It's all about perspective.  Are you looking at the big picture or are you dissecting it into small, attainable goals?  Either way you can reach the prize but taking the small baby steps will make the journey much more relaxed and enjoyable!

So you have had an epiphany and you're sure that you've got the next best selling idea.  What next?  Well logic tells you that you can't simply sit down and write the book.  It takes planning, detail and a lot of blood, sweat and tears before you complete your manuscript.  For some that might mean only a couple months invested...others a lifetime. 

You're goal may be to have your newly published book in your hands, the smooth glossy cover sliding like silk under your fingertips as you lovingly caress your masterpiece...but there are many steps between an idea and a finished product.

So...words for the wise (and it's only because I've been there too!) set a small goal for tomorrow.  Maybe it's sketch out one scene or create a full 3-D view of one character that goes beyond the general hair and eye color.  Create mannerisms that will endear your character to your readers. 

Or perhaps you need to work towards finishing three paragraphs by the end of the day.  If you're adventuresome try for an entire chapter.  Whatever your goal might be, make sure it is realistic.  Plan out your day, set aside "me time" to write and work towards that goal.

If we writers don't schedule in our writing time it's easy for it to simply disappear like vapor in the wind.  Set your mind to it and do it.  Be your own champion.  Believe that no matter how many doubts might be tumbling around in that brain of yours that you are worth taking the time to invest in yourself!

My personal goal for tomorrow: return to a manuscript that I began a couple weeks ago and write another two chapters. 

What's your goal?


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The Wonders of Great Feedback

Humans, born with a need for praise, long to hear words of affirmation. What better way to get that as a writer than to join a small writers critique group. I have been a part of a local group since November and I like it...no I LOVE it! Once a month we get together to share how the past month has inspired us to continue putting words to paper. We encourage each other, share in the trials and joys of great characters and stumbling road blocks...but we are in it together.
Nothing serves as greater encouragement than to have fellow writers who share the same passion you do. Personally I was beginning to think that I was a misfit in my town. No one I knew even cared about reading, let alone writing as a fun hobby. I was a loner...until I found my group. Now...I fit in with the other obsessed writers!
Some people are writers because they enjoy dabbling in tossing a few words together on a blank page and waiting to see what comes from it...others are born to write. They are compelled...a deep seeded longing within their soul to feel their fingers fluttering across the keys, or clenched tightly to a ball point pen. I am one such person. If I couldn't write daily I feel like I would simply burst! Is that the way you feel?
So last night my group met and I was given such glowing praise for my homework that I just had to share it with you in a separate blog. We were given a name and told to have at it. The response that I got simply made my night. Heck it made my entire week!
I encourage you to find a group that will help you to grow, encourage you to work on the areas that you need strengthening and allow your creativity to soar! Have fun!

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Ready, Set, GO!

How many times have you sat behind a blank computer screen, staring into the depths of the white page and felt like the blinking cursor was mocking you?  Yeah, I've been there a time or two.  So how do you come up with that gripping idea that will send thousands of great ideas swirling around in that little brain of yours?

I've read that anything in life can be used as inspiration.  A dew kissed flower on a spring morning, a doe standing in a rolling meadow, a high speed chase through your town or a silly joke your child told you as they bounced on your bed.  Whatever sparks your interest can be used, but maybe it won't fit into your current story.  So my advice, start a file.  I know, I know...some of us are not that organized, but even a disorganized file can be a life saver later in your writing career.

Write down the dreams that inspire you.  Most people forget their dreams by the time they wake up, but occasionally one will linger in the recesses of your consciousness.  Those can be prefect starting points.  Keep a notebook next to your bed.  When those early morning dreams wake you, sneak into the bathroom, turn on the light and write every detail you can remember.  The story will come later, but if you get the essence of the dream down on paper then you can always pull those images up again later.

Once you have your idea, do what your English teacher made you do in school, brainstorm!  See, and you thought you would never need anything you learned in school!  Brainstorming is a writer's best friend.  Once I started writing my own stories I found this to be exciting instead of mind numbingly boring.

So you've got your ideas...now what?  Write!  And then write some more!

I'm a passionate writer.  When an idea hits I am consumed with it until it's all written down.  Sometimes that might only take 10 minutes, but other times it can be a 3 day project.  I grab 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there throughout my busy day to jot down my ideas.  Keeping a notebook nearby at all times is a must.  I've found my most creative time is late at night.  If I don't write it down, it's lost!

If you are a beginner then start small.  Focus on writing something each day.  It could be a poem, a short story or maybe just a couple paragraphs.  Writing is like any other job, you have to perfect your skill before you can join the big leagues. 

Think about joining a writer's group, to not only get support but also constructive criticism.  In my writer's group we are given homework each month.  I know what you're thinking....is there a test at the end?  Nope!  This is an exercise to get your brain working, nothing more. 

You can do it at home.  Think of a name of a person and a place....then create a short story from that.  You decide the date, the life story of your character, the trials they must face and create a real or fantastical world for them to live in.  There is no right or wrong answer.  Just give it a try and see what happens.  Who knows, you might have just found the basis for a new book!

Words of wisdom for the day: never give up on an idea just because it seems stupid.  Some of the greatest ideas have been formed, not from a brilliant idea, but from hard work and creativity!  Write down anything that pops into your  mind and see where it takes you.  

Happy Writing!


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Writer or Dabbler?

For years I had found solace in the firm grip of a ball point pen.  Then once I was old enough to learn to type I morphed into an avid writer.  It's it amazing how much faster you can get your thoughts down on the page when you're not trying to make all of those perfect loops on paper?  My hands no longer cramp...although I do have a sneaking suspicion that someday I will have to deal with the reality of wrist problems...BUT that's a long way off. 

So, that being said, I want to put forth a question to ponder.  Are you are writer or a dabbler?  Do you enjoy spilling out your thoughts onto paper?  Do you feel your pulse race as a new idea swirls around in your mind, forming an enticing image of what could be?  Do you hide out in libraries, scouring for that next great book that might help to unlock the dreaded writer's block that has formed a steel cage barrier around your mind?

Or...do you just enjoy the occasional jotting down of random thoughts?  Perhaps dabbling with a rhyme that might someday become a poem, with a bit of help.  Or maybe you read a compelling book and think to yourself "someday I would like that to be me," but you never follow through?

Whether you are a writer or a dabbler we all share a common love of words.  Some say that a good book is worth more than it's weight in gold...and I wholeheartedly agree with that!  A good book can whisk you away to a life that you may have dreamed about but never quite felt confident enough to pursue.  So many people are held back by fears...but writers can step out of those limitations and become their character, to live vicariously through them.

Nothing gives me greater joy, apart from my family of course, than to sit for hours lounging on my couch with my laptop propped on my lap and my fingers flying across the keys.  Creativity flows through your veins like a drug.  When inspiration hits, you just have to write...even if it's on the back of a restaurant napkin.  I've got a few of those floating around here somewhere!

So if you're one of those people who have dreamed about pursuing the dream of writing I encourage you to do it.  What do you have to lose?  Take that leap, stop dabbling and become the writer you were born to be.  Yep,  I said it.  If writing is in your blood then you gotta do it!  Even if you're the only person that ever lays eyes on your work...do it for you.


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A source of inspiration

Dreams!  They're fun right?  Sure but they only linger for a short while.  Most of us can barely remember our dreams come morning.  My mother was one of those people that dreamed in abstract.  Nothing was ever as it seemed.  It wasn't uncommon for her to tell me about dreams of purple skies, pink elephants and blue strawberries.  Weird huh? 

For me, that has never been an issue.  My dreams are as real as they come...which makes it fun since most of the time I know that I am dreaming.  Can you change your dreams?  Many people say you can not.  I guess I'm lucky in that aspect...perhaps that's the writer in me.  My greatest inspiration for my books come directly from my dreams.  It's like a movie unfolding right before my eyes.  It really makes writing effortless and oh so enjoyable when you're not banging your head against a brick wall for an idea!

I see every detail from many angles.  I see the story line laid out before me...and if I don't like the way it's going I simply change it.  Now of course that doesn't happen every time.  I'm just like everyone else.  When I'm trapped in a nightmare and my legs feel like jelly when I try to run away to safety, my mind switches off and allows me to simply feel the fear.

BUT...other dreams, my creative dreams are like a blank canvas to an artist.  I can paint any scene that I want, change the plot midstream and after I awake I can finish writing the conclusion.  Many nights I have spent lying awake, staring blankly up at the ceiling as I finished out the final details of my newest creation.  What's my next step?

I race to the bathroom, huddle under the light and scribble down every detail as fast as my cramping fingers will allow.  These details will later be stored as book ideas.  Remember that file system i mentioned in a previous blog?  Yep...mine is extensive. 

When I find myself stumped on one book I flip to the next until my inspiration returns.  As a writer, writer's block is a fact of life...but that doesn't mean you simply stop writing.  You push through, switch up genres or simply write for the fun of it. 

So where do you get your inspiration from?


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