Cheryl:
Monthly Archives: April 2015
Three Things Thursday
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Summer’s coming
I’m sitting on my back deck and there are birds and people on skateboards and I’m not wearing a sweater. It feels like I can finally breathe.
My mom used to do this, every evening she could she’d sit in her house dress on the back porch with her Diet Pepsi, maybe some chocolate and a novel. She worked her tail off (her words) and the sweet reward was getting to have a little bit of quiet.
Is my writing a career? Am I making time for it? People have told me that no matter how old my kids, there will never be enough time. It will always be a struggle to find an hour to write. Is that true?
It feels like it has to get easier.
Sometimes I want to shave my head. I wonder if this is a sign of depression or just an indicator that I am really bad at doing my hair.
Today in an effort to exercise, I did a plank. As I was trying to hold it for sixty seconds, I looked and I could see right down my shirt to my sagging stomach, almost hitting the floor. Does your stomach almost hit the floor when you’re doing a plank? I thought to myself, this body, this body has been through so much and it still has so far to go. I thought, do I love this body? Do I love who I am? Do I love who I’m becoming? Why do I sometimes want to shave my head?
I also thought, does writing make me happy? I’m pretty sure it does. I’m pretty sure that makes me a better person? A better Mom? A better wife? A better neighbor?
Today, after I did some planking, I ate a lot of cream cheese frosting cake from Costco. Just to fill up the holes inside. It sort of worked. And then I felt sick so it didn’t work.
Maybe what I need is to sit and drink Diet Pepsi (although I don’t like Diet Pepsi), eat chocolate and read a novel. It worked for my mom. And then I’ll get up in the morning and work my tail off. And hopefully write.
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Time to Write: Questions to See if You Want It
1. Is writing your job? Or is it a hobby?
2. Do you want it to your job? Do you treat writing like it’s your job?
3. How important is it that you publish?
4. Say three reason why it’s important to publish?
5. Do you set writing goals?
6. Do you keep them?
7. Do you sacrifice for writing?
8. What do you sacrifice?
9. What inspires you to write?
10. How do you get through the icky middles of your pieces?
11. What is the main thing you need to change to be a more committed writer?
12. Will you change that main thing so you can write?
13. Do you listen and take constructive criticism?
14. Do you read?
15. Do you love to have written?
Filed under CLW, Exercises, writing process
Three Things Thursday
I read somewhere that an apprenticeship in writing takes ten years. Ten years from your first serious written word. Ten years to really absorb the intricacies of writing novels.
As writers, we can use good news and bad news to help us as we write. Those words can ease the pain around us. Touch the hearts of those who rejoice or mourn. Change a life.
This is our job.
We get to do it as novelists or picture book writers.
So dig deep, tell the truth, reach out.
You may be the only one there.
Carol
Filed under three thing thursday