Hey, Let’s Hear it!

“You know what I did after I wrote my first novel? I shut up and wrote twenty-three more.” – Michael Connelly

Shut up isn’t exactly what happens when you write 23 novels. I feel like that’s the complete opposite of shut up. But I get it. Once we finish one book as writers, it’s time to get back to the desk and write some more. I just think it’s important to remember that writing is an extension of your voice. Your voice is worthy of being heard. As a writer, it’s never time for you to shut up. It’s always time for you to speak up, to research, to think, and to learn to use the tools that we have as writers. Please don’t ever think it’s time for you to stop.

What’s on your mind lately?

Writing Life

“There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.” – Ernest Hemingway

I’m tired today. I had the worst headache last night, and it kept waking me up. Sleep is usually the cure for me, so the fact that it was waking me up was really frustrating. I feel much better after having dinner and a nap.

I like this quote because some writing sessions come easy, and some I want to toss my computer across the room.

How you feeling?

My Summer Entertainment

I never finished Mr. Robot, and now that six seasons are on Netflix, that’s probably what I’ll be watching for the rest of the summer.

My current reading rotation is Awakening by Nora Roberts, On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good by Elise Loehnen, and The Woman Who Would Be King by Kara Cooney.

All Fantastic. All sucked me right in. Best Summer EVER!

What are you watching? Reading?

Let it do what it does.

I think this week would be called writer’s block if I didn’t have a routine.

I’ve been feeling bulldozed! All my plans are shifting without my permission, and it’s all going to work out, maybe even better than I planned, but still. My workout schedule is completely non-existent. The one thing standing strong is that I’m getting my writing in for several hours a day. I can honestly say this system works for me. It works well enough to keep me writing against all odds. Not that I need all the odds against me to write. The point being, make a schedule, marry that schedule, and outside of that, let it do what it does and embrace all the surprises life brings. I believe it’s all going to work out in my favor in the end.

Do you have a routine that works for you?

Right On Time?

I finally learned to use the em dash in my novel and here comes ChatGPT stealing all me thunder.

There’s an upside to being a late bloomer, and it has everything to do with bringing fresh energy. Being a late bloomer means you were busy gaining experience in an area the status quo did not have time to learn because they were already placed in their status quo position. And when you think about it that way, it allows you to see from a new lens. The real truth is that no one is on the wrong path or late to the game. We all just show up in our own ways with our own talents.

Are you feeling late to the party? Or are you feeling like you’ve been working so hard that you’ve missed out on something?

Sometimes I feel both at the same time. So human.

Solitude

Time is essential to my being able to feel creative. And time is also a teacher. If I have time to let something sit, that’s the best way for me to see it. – Jennifer Habel

Ok, I have officially reached a weak spot, and I’m so up for the challenge. I’m quite the dabbler; it’s what makes me feel alive. Buuuut this idea is quite challenging for me. All I can think is that I need time to think, to really argue with myself about all those tiny truths I’ve picked up on my journey. It’s a lot. It all creates BIG feelings for me. As someone who already feels the world deeply, this is going to take some serious solitude to unpack. That’s how I’m feeling at this point with my novel.

How’s your writing journey!!

Now is not the time to quit. Those stories are literally going to be someone’s reason to get out of bed in the morning. Keep going.

Stay Tuned

“You can fix anything but a blank page.” – Nora Roberts

I’ve been staring at this blank page for an hour now. But as you can see, the page being blank is now in the past. I’m doing a lot of dreaming, but yesterday I couldn’t hold back and wrote a new short story. I look forward to sharing it once it goes through the editing chamber. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a writer, it’s that the end product is never the same as the beginning product. So I don’t want to share too much. But be on the lookout; a brand new short story might be coming your way very soon. I say very soon using writer’s time, which means it could drop tomorrow, next week, or next month. But it’s started, and the ending is written. So stay tuned… 😉

Do you have any new writing coming out? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to check out your work!

Writing is…

“By the time I am nearing the end of a story, the first part will have been reread and altered and corrected at least one hundred and fifty times. I am suspicious of both facility and speed. Good writing is essentially rewriting. I am positive of this.” – Roald Dahl

This. To hear one of my most favorite writers say this means the world to me. Seriously, as writers, what you share with other writers makes all the difference in the world. If it were not for the work writers left behind, I would have quit writing years ago. Well, who knows, really? The evolution of the entire world rests in the hands of writers. I can’t think of a world without it. Anyway, writing is rewriting, and that’s a fact. It’s a whole lifestyle.

How’s your writing going?! Inspire me!

Quick Thoughts on Writing Groups

“The writing process is the time where nothing’s been set in stone. It’s a blank slate, or a blank page.” -Leigh Whannell

Whether you’re a beginner writer with a vision,

or a seasoned writer filling in a blank page daily, the gift of having a small writing community is invaluable. Our thoughts and minds get to come together in places where our stories stay separate. During the creation process, we often find ourselves circling our own thoughts and feelings and don’t even realize it until we get ourselves stuck. That is why spending time with other writers is an integral part of the writing journey.

Today, at my writer’s group,

I had so much fun. We are all learning so much from each other and continuing to write against all odds.

Have you met up with any other writers lately? If yes, what’s your favorite part?