Quote of the Day

A little more than a year and a half ago, inspired by the movie Julie and Julia, a very good friend of mine made a New Year’s resolution to blog every single day for one year. She was just embarking on a writing journey separate from many years of academic writing. During the course of the year, she confided she had a hard time blogging some days, was uninspired some days, but in the whole 365 days, I think she missed blogging only one day. I was impressed by her commitment and self discipline, and through her effort, our discussion of how to write even when it’s difficult was born. That led to the book I’m currently working on, which indirectly led to an idea for a quote a day with a daily ‘meditation’ for writers to help through the uninspired times.

Debbie died unexpectedly a few weeks ago, leaving unrealized dreams, unfinished writing projects, and a world poorer for her absence. Today is her birthday and today I am committing to 365 days of posting to my blog.

After some consideration, I decided to post writing quotes, which Debbie and I both loved to share and discuss, and a daily ‘meditation’ to help in uninspired times. My hope is that, rather than being preachy, it will be an inspiration, as Debbie’s blog was to me. I hope it will also be a reflection of my core belief that writing every day is a crucial habit for writers to form. Even if it’s only five minutes, don’t let a single day go by without writing.

With seven kids at home, a full time job, teaching writing workshops, and volunteering, some days five minutes of writing time is all I can manage. If I can do it, my hope is you will be inspired to, too.

(Click HERE if you’d like to read Debbie’s yearlong blog)

Writing Rules

Writing Rules - whenever I bring this up in a discussion, I get mixed reactions. If you read this article on Writing Rules thru to the comments, you'll see a sampling of more mixed reactions. In my workshops, I teach that there are no rules for the first draft. If you stop to worry whether or not you're doing it right, you'll stifle your creativity. The first time around just dance. When you're ready to revise is time enough to look at the rules and decide which work and which you will choose to skip.

The Perfect Time To Write

Awhile ago, I signed up for Daily Writing Tips blog via email. That's about my speed, since some days I barely take time to look at my email, let alone surf and read interesting articles. Anyway, today's was particularly apt: "Why there'll never be a perfect time to write." Check it out: Daily Writing Tips.

What's keeping YOU from writing?

Til Death Us Do Part

I'm currently working on a writing book, and one chapter is based on one of the very first quotes I stumbled across when I began to pursue writing seriously. "Either marry your writing (write every day) or date it (write only when you want), but know which you are choosing and the repercussions of both." (I have searched and searched and found no one to attribute this quote to - if you know, please share.)

Make a Commitment.

If you truly want to do something with your writing, you need to make a commitment. You need to "marry your writing". That means writing every day whether you 'feel' like it or not.

It means:
For better or worse (even on the crappy days),
For richer or poorer (yeah, probably poorer - unless you keep your day job, too),
In sickness and in health (sometimes your writing can take care of you when you're sick. Plus, you don't have to get dressed or leave the house),
Til death do us part.

I've been thinking a lot about that last one recently. My best friend and writing partner, Debbie, died suddenly last week. At first I couldn't face writing because I was working on a draft that was covered with her notes and fresh with memories of our brainstorming. But I know Debbie wouldn't have wanted to be the reason I stopped writing. So I've been struggling to take baby steps each day with my writing goals. Because my vow wasn't to her - I can't stop writing because she did (maybe now she has all the time she wants to write?) - my vow is to MY writing. Even while I grieve, I need to carry on and keep working toward my goals.

I think that along the road of life (excuse me while I wax poetic), we all encounter 'deaths' - the loss of friends, jobs, book deals, and more. Sometimes those can be hard hits to our motivation to write. But, if you're truly committed to being a writer, you need to keep writing. It's like getting thrown from a horse. The best thing you can do is to get back on and keep writing....er, riding. Because if you don't, the permission to stop for a day or two can turn into a week or two, and then a month or two, until you have to start all over building that daily practice again.

How do I know this?

Because last September, another very close friend and writing partner died suddenly. It was months before I pushed myself to return to writing. I lost my momentum on the book I was writing and still haven't been able to return to fiction. So Debbie and I worked out a plan where we'd meet every week and I would set writing goals to get myself back on track. We'd meet at a local coffee house, and we'd share how our week had been, if we'd met our writing goals, what our challenges were (read: excuses), and then set new goals for the next week. Many of those conversations were fodder for the writing book I'm working on now (titled, strangely enough, Face the Page). The last time I saw her was at my most recent writing workshop. It was the first time I used the "Marry Your Writing" topic, and our exercise was to write our vows.

I know if Debbie was here, she'd gently but very insistently remind me of those vows, and help me keep them.

Time to practice what I preach, right?

Writing rituals, totems and talismans

A ritual is a pattern of behavior, which, like Pavlov's dog, signals us that it's time to write. A walk, mediation, a cup of a particular flavor of tea, a certain kind of music...

The word ‘totem’ is of Native American origin, but totem-like beliefs have been historically present throughout much of the world. In Native American culture it’s a spirit guide. In writing it symbolizes the Muse.

A talisman is regarded as a repository for magical energy, like a battery. In writing this can be most anything that inspires us or carries symbolic power. Quartz is believed to increase inspiration and creativity.

What rituals, totems or talismans get (and keep) you writing?

The Power of Positive Thinking

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes." —Marcel Proust

Carpe Diem (a.k.a. time management)

"A year from now you will wish you had started today." -Karen Lamb

"In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking." -Sir John Lubbock

"If you really want to do something, make the commitment, then break it down into baby steps and be sure to take at least one step every day." -Barb Aeschliman

Writing Quote - what does it mean to you?

Novelist James Carroll put it well: "We tell stories because we can't help it. We tell stories because we love to entertain and hope to edify. We tell stories because they save us.”

Time Capsule

Write about items you would choose to put into a time capsule to give future generations a glimpse of our world today.

Story Starter

Set your timer for 5 minutes. No stopping, no editing, no deleting. If you hit a dead end, bulldoze through....

“It was many years ago in that dark, chaotic, unfathomable pool of time before . . .”

Story Starter...

Sent your timer before you read the prompt below. Have your pen (or keyboard) ready. Read the prompt and start writing. Don't stop to think. Try to write without stopping for 15 minutes. Even if you think it doesn't make sense or you want to edit - resist the urge. Just follow the train of thought until it runs out.


“They came through on the hotline at about half past two in the afternoon . . .”

Write about spilled milk...

Real or metaphorical, action or reaction, a family scene, a scene in a restaurant, use the line in a bit of dialogue (for bonus points, use it to convey subtext). Share a few sentences here.

“He found a package of seeds in his coat pocket . . .”

Begin a story with “The day he went to Disneyland, I went to . . .”

Share the first paragraph (or two) here.

Write about going nowhere in particular...

Random Words

Set your timer for 15 minutes and write a story using the following words:

Moon
Umbrella
Empty
Purple
Zebra
Violin

Write about a childhood pet.

Poetry and Musicals

My youngest has a poetry project due next Friday, so we've been up to our nether regions in verse. He really likes to write limericks and haiku. Here's a haiku that I wrote -

My baby can't write
Will he ever graduate?
Please pass me the wine

He's also in the high school musical that opened last night. They're doing "Urinetown". I haven't seen it yet. We're going next week. I think that the people at the high school like to be thought of as edgy and cool. Since (to teenagers) anyone over 25 is neither, why can't they do freaking "South Pacific" or freaking "Oklahoma"?? Here's a limerick -

My youngest, he loves Japanese
He spouts it whenever he please
His grades are a mess
Though he aces mosts tests
And he's bringing his mom to her knees

It's been one of those weeks.

A Day of Renewal

At 12:01 pm, EST, as President-Elect Obama placed his hand on Abraham Lincoln's bible to take the oath of office and become President Obama, something very 21st century happened.

The White House website changed hands.

As I listened to President Obama's speech on my TV, my iBook in my lap, I clicked into the Presidential Blog (a blog! The President has a blog!), and saw that the new President had declared a proclamation. He declared today, January 20th, a Day of Renewal.

A Day of Renewal! What a beautiful idea. For many of us, 2009 really started today, not on January 1st. 20 days have passed since we made our resolutions. How are we doing on them? I know I could be doing a lot better. So how fortunate that today, on this Presidentially-proclaimed Day on Renewal, we get to take a deep breath, and start again.

Let a new era begin, both without and within ourselves. "The fierce urgency of now," President Obama said. Let us take this moment to re-dedicate ourselves to our goals and our dreams and move forward, filling each minute with the fierce urgency of now.

We are no longer asleep. We are wide awake to the world around and inside us, so let us meet it with renewed breath, faith, hope, urgency, and grace. Amen, amen, amen!

Surprising your inner critic

Happy January, everyone! Things are getting back to normal-ish around here after our extended winter break, freakish twelve day snow event, and holiday madness. The oldest boy is back at his university, the middle boy finally applied to a college this week, and the youngest turned in a science paper...on time. Thank you magic homework pixies!

I've had quite a writing holiday, too. I haven't done much in a month or so and I want to get back on track. To bring myself up to speed, I thought I'd re-read what I've written so far, then start on an 800 to 1,000 words per day goal. Sounds very do-able, and probably easier than my wish to find an exercise that I can do on a regular basis without dry heaving.

Here's the surprise moment for me: as I re-read my work-in-progress, I found that I liked it. I really liked it. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. My mouth fell open - where had I come up with all this? Sure, there were a few things I wanted to tweak along the way, but this was total vomit copy written during NaNoWriMo and I still thought it didn't suck. My lovely critique group (hello lovely critique group) knows that I can be pretty hard on myself. I am my own worst critic. For me to read my own work and react like this...well, it was a huge shock-o-roonie.

So what's surprised you lately? Family, friends, your work...what's given you a little smile that you never expected?