Happy Valentine’s Day

“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” – Thomas Aquinas

I knew I wanted to marry my husband when I saw him, but I knew even more when he became my best friend. I could tell him anything, and it felt like I had known him forever on our first date. Fast forward to today, here we are living for our dreams. Finding ways to improve ourselves so that we can better answer the call, accepting where we are, living in faith, letting go of old beliefs, and sticking together even after all the illusions fizzle away. I’d say we are doing a swell job!

Still Going

“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” – Octavia E. Butler

I write more crap than anything else. But I don’t give up. I’ve come too far to give up now. Honestly, I wouldn’t have made it this far without my mentor and my tribe. Those two things are important to me; they give me life and perspective and a million other things that make me a better human.

Finish It

“A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it.” ― Samuel Johnson

I look forward to having a work of art that I feel good about. I look forward to seeing the different reactions from readers. I almost want to do a survey at the end. I mean, it is experimental fiction. Do we use the scientific method as writers? Imagine creating the perfect read based on data. Would it really be the perfect read? What about in the future?

Anyways, I love writing and thinking about the unique experiences that we have as readers.

What do you think?

Show Some Guts

“Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely essential.” – Jessamyn West

Oh, the places I’ve been and the places I’ll go with my writing. I’ve made a whole fool of myself as a writer, and yet I’ve learned more from writing than from anything else I’ve done. The things I’ve gained from writing are things people can’t take away from me: patience, self-care, commitment, and discipline. Not only that, I’ve also gained irreplaceable writing friends. I’m grateful for all the writers who prop me up in an infinite number of ways and always at the right time. All this I gained from facing my fears. I had no choice but to cast my worries aside to see that my writing got done. And so yes, it required guts to get me here, but that’s a small price to pay. The rewards feel infinite.

Lost Illusion

“Almost all great writers have as their motif, more or less disguised, the passage from childhood to maturity, the clash between the thrill of expectation and the disillusioning knowledge of truth. ‘Lost Illusion’ is the undisclosed title of every novel.” – Andre Maurois

Man just ruin it all for us huh Andre. Disillusionment is not fun and exciting. It’s uncomfortable. But as David Thoreau once wrote, “better than love, better than money, better than fame, grace me with the truth. ” (And I got that on a t shirt.) It’s true, we have these grand dreams. We have these grand ideas and then you come to ask yourself, this isn’t really how it works, is it? But what’s great is that once you take a moment to accept the truth, you get the chance to learn how to love those beside you a little better. I think that is probably one of the greatest things I’ve learned over the years.

Leave it Out of the Story

“A successful book is not made of what is in it, but what is left out of it.” – Mark Twain

Well, this gives me something to think about. I get too hung up on what I want in my book that I haven’t considered what I should intentionally leave out. Now that’s interesting. I think things I don’t like will naturally be left out because don’t we avoid those things anyway? I want to enjoy my writing, but I deeply appreciate the entire human experience. This really got me thinking.

Road Trip

Taking things one day at a time.

I’m writing a short story about two writers traveling across the country. One of my characters is a hardcore planner. The other is not. The planner must learn to let go and learn to have fun in the moment.

What’s kinda fun is their destination is the Oregon Vortex. A place I’d like to visit myself one day.

So how about you? Are you a planner when it comes to road trips? Or do you just get in the car and go?

Writing Favs

“What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers.” – Logan Pearsall Smith

It is often the case that one small detail about an entire book is what connects me to the story. Not all the time. Some of the best novels I’ve read have many things I connect with. But I do appreciate those stories where the writer mentions something once and then moves on with the story. I really like it when it’s a social issue that’s briefly mentioned but lights my fire just enough to get through the read.

What do you think? Have you noticed this before?

Solitude for the Win!

“Solitude vivifies; isolation kills.” -Joseph Roux

I took a walk in the snowstorm to get some time to myself. It’s so quiet outside when it snows. It’s the most peace I’ve felt around me in a long time. I even went out before coffee. Usually, I choose not to do anything before coffee, but today I needed some time to myself so I could regroup. And regroup, I did.

Do you make time for yourself? If you have a lifestyle where you’re mostly in solitude, do you have days that you set apart from other days?

How’s your writing coming along?

Words

“The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.” – William H. Gass

This is such a fantastic quote! I’m thinking of a few if my favorite Alchemists. They really do help up find words for the things we don’t we need words for. They change us from the inside out and it worth far more than gold. This quote makes me proud to be a writer.