One of my big goals this year is to take my horror novella/novel as far as I can then move to the next step . . . whatever that is. Is it sending it to beta readers? Is it hiring a professional editor? Is it querying agents? I don't know. And right now, that's okay.
What I do know is that I have to Write. This. Book.
I'm tired of not writing it.
I'm tired of whining about not writing it (as are my husband and the tortoises!)
I'm tired of complaining, crying, envying, moping.
I'm tired of watching time tick by, taking my dreams with it.
So, I am heeding these words -
"YOUR CAREER IS IN YOUR HANDS NOW.
MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN." (Janet Reid)
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How's your writing career going? Are you in the process of making something happen? And what does that "something" look like for you? Is it getting a novel written, going to a conference, learning a new marketing/publishing/social media tool?
Here in the trenches of NaNoWriMo, I'm a little busy trying to figure out a couple of things, like why a secondary character has suddenly decided she'd like to be the antagonist (I mean, seriously?!) and how many cups of coffee can I drink before I start acting like Kramer from Seinfeld.
So, as you can see, my mind is not very focused on marketing or social media at the moment. But when I saw this quote in Writer's Digest (Nov/Dec 2017), I chuckled - okay, so it was more like caffeine-tinged-maniacal laughter - because not only is it an excellent strategy for social media but also for life in general.
"EVEN IF YOU ARE A NATURALLY CRANKY,
SNARKY, SOUR-TEMPERED PAIN IN THE ASS,
FOR GOD'S SAKE, SHARE THAT
WITH YOUR THERAPIST OR PRIEST.
WHEN YOU GO ONLINE TO PROMOTE YOURSELF
AND THEREFORE YOUR PRODUCTS,
TRY NOT TO ACTUALLY SCARE
PEOPLE OFF YOUR LAWN."
(Jonathan Maberry)
As someone who, in real life, straddles the line between pleasantly polite yet keeps-to-herself and curmudgeonly crazy lady who peers through the blinds absolutely certain those kids on tricycles are up to no good, I really hope I'm at least keeping my digital lawn welcoming and well-tended.
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Are you running on caffeine right about now? Is your digital lawn full of weeds? How about your real lawn? Do you chase kids off your property or do you join them in a rousing game of hide-n-seek?
Many of us are gearing up for National Novel Writing Month. Some of us are throwing ourselves into November armed with scene cards and a caffeine IV drip. Some of us are winging it with a pen and a prayer. Maybe you're not participating in NaNo, but you're diving into a different project.
Wherever our creativity takes us the rest of this year, the rest of our lives, let's make sure we remember this quote from Nic Stone:
I came across this quote/story by author Karen Rivers awhile back and thought it was just a wonderful reminder to keep our "glittering eyes" open . . .
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"ON MY DINING ROOM WALL, I PAINTED THIS QUOTE FROM ROALD DAHL'S BOOK THE MINPINS:
'Above all, watch with glittering eyes
the whole world around you because
the greatest secrets are always hidden
in the most unlikely places.
Those who don't believe in magic
will never find it.'
I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO NEVER FORGET TO USE THEIR OWN GLITTERING EYES. IDEAS ARE EVERYWHERE. THEY ARE SOMETIMES FLEETING, BUT SOMETIMES THEY STAY TANGLED WITH YOUR OWN IMAGINATION, AND THEY COME TOGETHER AND FORM STORIES.
THAT IS WHERE THE MAGIC LIVES: IN THE WEAVING TOGETHER OF SOMETHING YOU REMEMBER AND SOMETHING YOU HEARD AND SOMETHING YOU DREAMED AND SOMETHING YOU ONCE SAW ON FACEBOOK AND A CHARACTER YOU CAN SUDDENLY SEE WITH PERFECT CLARITY, WHO IS WAITING TO TELL YOU HER OWN TALE."
