Are You an Over Sharer as a Writer?

“A true masterpiece does not tell everything.” ― Albert Camus

Here’s your annual reminder to stop oversharing. Stories hold more weight when we are given space to fill in our own ideas. When cut down to the meat, it gives our minds fewer words to store and more symbols to connect with. Let things be unsaid. Let readers wonder about all the possibilities. Let them take time to think about what they’d like to fill that space in with. Some might say the story isn’t finished until it reaches the readers. We must respect and honor their part in the process.

Passion Remains

Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you’re passionate about something, then you’re more willing to take risks. ~Yo-Yo Ma

This quote sounds romantic and fantastical. I love passion, but as a 40-year-old mom of two and wife for over a decade, I know that the work gets done not from passion but from dedication. And when the work is done and it’s time to present it to the world, the risk-taking at that point is less about passion and more about desperation. We’ve spent days, months, or years, and the passion was left back in the beginning, back when it was written with pure excitement. That is gone. It’s now finished with blood, sweat, and tears, and not an ounce of passion remains.

Then again, maybe there’s an ounce that remains.

Writing Alone and With Others

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” ~Oscar Wilde

Finding yourself happens alone and with others. I like solitude, but I also enjoy discovering new aspects of myself while I’m out in the world trying to figure it all out. When we’re alone, we can indulge our curiosity with little interruption. When we’re with others, we get to entangle our curiosity and find new questions or frustrations to indulge our curiosities again. I know writing is fairly solitary, but I like a good collaboration too.

How about you? Do you prefer one over the other?

How Do You Write, Lessons First or the Inward Stuff First?

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” -Paul Cézanne

When you sit down to write, do you think up all the inward lessons first and then write? Or do you write first and then develop the lessons as they come? I’m working on a new novel, and I’m feeling a little frustrated in a good way about its purpose, like I haven’t found it yet. I hope it comes along soon. This one is about a woman who finds herself in a sisterhood collective, which in turn gives her this new concept of individualizing herself. I’d like this one to be more fast-paced, less about new worlds and more about action, and of course, moral obligation. But I want a lot of things when I start and they change by the 1000th edit.

Wash Away the Dust

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso

Writing is the one place in this world where you can go and anything can happen. It’s a place where, if you are intentional enough, you can learn from situations before they happen. You can change the past and dream up a brand new future. It, for me at least, is a portal to a freedom I have never known.

To learn to write is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received.

What does writing do for you?

Vacation Vibes

“Life is like a wheel. Sooner or later, it always comes around to where you started again.” – Stephen King

This vacation started out anime-themed, but I was quickly drawn into a couple of series based on Stephen King’s writing. Currently, I’m watching 11/22/63 and enjoying it; it keeps my attention. I also was sick and it had me laid up. For some reason, I’m still not feeling 100%. Seems like the regular ol’ winter cold takes longer to recover from these days. Anyway, this is my vacation, and I’ll do what I want. So, all the Stephen King movies/shows it is!

For You

“I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
Acceptance speech

Man, I needed this. This speech just about brought me to tears, but before that, peace washed over me. It was like, ah ha, there it is. That is what I’ve been looking for. I heard his words before I even realized it was his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize. I am just filled with so much gratitude for what he left behind for us. How perfectly timely it showed up. And how oddly it still works for today.

If you’re in need of some peace and inspiration here’s link to the full speech https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/acceptance-speech/

Interesting Quote from Cezanne

“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.” – Paul Cezanne

I don’t know if this is a fair statement, but my art starts that way, so I can’t argue. No feeling, no art coming out of me.

Mastering art takes discipline, which means some pieces must be done without feeling to master the technique right?

What do you think? Do you think something created without feeling should be considered art?

The Pep Talk

“Find out what you’re afraid of and go live there.” -Chuck Palahniuk

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.” -Salvador Dali

There’s a million reasons to be afraid. There’s a million excuses you can come up with to avoid the one threshold you just can’t seem to cross. Let’s not talk about it much. Let’s talk about you. Do you know all the hoops you had to jump through just to get there? Sit with that for a moment. That door is yours and yours only. I know you already know that no one else can open it for you. I’m not here to tell you that. I’m here to remind you that regardless of what’s on the other side of that door, you’re still everything you hoped you could be. The moment you walked up to that door, I knew you were ready, more ready than you ever realized you were. This doesn’t have to be some big thing. It can be a quiet step across the threshold. We can make more noise later, when you’re ready. For now, just know you’ve got what it takes.

Naps and Poetry

Getting it Right
“Lying in front of the house all
afternoon, trying to write a poem.
Falling asleep.
Waking up under the stars.”—Jack Gilbert taken from nicolemgulotta.com

Now, that is the life. This quote lifted my spirits and gave me a vision of a place where I can find peace. I need a couple of these weeks of napping and writing poetry.

I’m feeling a little distracted from my writing lately, but I just need to remember that I am invested in improving myself and my community. This means that I am doing my part. And even if I spend the day napping and writing poetry, I’d still be adding goodness to this world. I always try to keep in mind that I can’t change the people around me, but I can change myself.