Too many of us stop before we get started. So we tend to believe it’s the starting that is the hardest part of, well, getting started. But it’s not. Not by a long shot.
Note: This is a guest post by Harrison Demchick. Harrison came up in the world of small press publishing, working along the way on more than fifty published novels and memoirs, several of which have been optioned for film. Also an award-winning, twice-optioned screenwriter, and the author of literary horror novel The Listeners, he’s accepting new clients in fiction and memoir at Ambitious Enterprises. Join him on Facebook.
Let’s admit it: We’re all a little bit scared of the writing and publishing process. Especially if we’ve never done it before. We feel it as we stare at the blank page, or as we hit the send button on that first e-mail to an agent or publisher, or as we wait for the first review to pop up on Amazon.
It’s okay to admit that. Because we all feel it. And we’re not alone.
Whether you are a professional, doing it alongside a day job, or it’s simply a hobby, you write because you feel a compulsion. It’s a passion, a calling, a process that brings you to life and helps you make sense of the world.
But simply loving something doesn’t make it easy to do…
Writers get well-meaning advice all the time. Whether you’re a poet, a novelist, a business writer, or the editor of the New York Times, there will always be people telling you how to do what you do, but this way. Their way.
Should you always listen? Good question…
I have days when I find it entirely too difficult to get in to my writing groove. On those days I’m uninspired, unmotivated and well, bleh! Maybe you have days like that, too?
The challenge is to put our butts in our chairs and write anyway – good, bad or ugly, come rain or shine. It’s easier said than done. Right?
Well, let’s work on that…
In an age when music stars are seeking our attention with the way they (barely) dress and with shocking antics, there comes along a refreshing singer- songwriter who refuses to conform to sensationalism.
So what is the secret to Taylor Swift’s success? What makes her different?
Editor’s note: Today’s post is a guest post by C. S. Lakin, a multipublished best-selling novelist and writing coach. She works full-time as a copyeditor and critiques about two hundred manuscripts a year. She teaches writing workshops and gives instruction on her award-winning blog Live Write Thrive. Her new book—Shoot Your Novel: Cinematic Techniques to Supercharge Your Writing—is designed to help writers learn the secrets of cinematic technique. You can buy it here in print and as an ebook.
The famous writing instructor Sol Stein said in his book Stein on Writing: “Readers, transformed by film and TV, are used to seeing stories. The reading experience . . . is increasingly visual.”
I got a call from a friend a couple days ago, and he wanted to know how to tell a story that would scare the heck out of a few friends who were coming over to his place for Halloween.
“No problem.” I told him. “I’ve got the perfect advice for telling a spine-chilling story. We’ll get ‘em good and scared.” He came over a few hours later and I proceeded to horrify him with a story of my own…
Do you want to write? Silly question, of course you do. You long to write. You dream of it. You crave words like chocolate. You’re 100% dedicated to your craft.
However, you’re not actually writing these days. Maybe you’re still researching your subject matter. Or, you want to wait until your kids are older. You might plan to write full-time after retirement, when you have more time and money.
Drumroll please, and the winner of the “Writer’s Doubt” writing contest is: “What Michelangelo Taught Me About Writer’s Doubt” by Christine, author of the blog, Better Novel Project. Join me in congratulating Christine in the comments and enjoy her post below, it’s an outstanding tribute to the creative spirit and overcoming Writer’s Doubt.
When there’s a giant obstacle blocking me from my desk chair, it’s always the same question: Why did I think I could be a writer?