Story to Tell

I was reminded recently that everyone has a story to tell.

Tell your story.

Doesn't matter how: memoir, fiction, movie, play, blog post, journal, recipe book, painting, quilt, cross stitch, audio recording, whatever. 

Tell your story. In your way.

Because everyone has a story.

And everyone deserves to be heard.

Be

I was sitting at church yesterday and somebody hit me with this little gem.

We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day.

I do not know if this is their quote or if they were quoting someone else, but credit goes to whomever said it.

This quote reminded me of something my grandfather always said, "You dress for the job you want, not the job you have."

Each of these quotes seem to be saying that we can become what we want to be, just by pretending to already be whatever it is we want. Or maybe not pretending, but striving, living the goal. So, if you want to be a writer, you write. If you want to be a dancer, you dance, If you want to be a doctor or lawyer or chef, start now, practice now, take classes now. Live it to become it.

You know the old adage "Practice makes Perfect".

You'll never reach your goal by sitting on the couch and dreaming.

One of the things I liked about the first quote was "each day". Writing one story, one paragraph, isn't enough. You need to keep doing it, keep improving, keep living it consistently. I'm not a stanch believer in the 'you have to write EVERY DAY to be a writer or you'll never succeed' mentality. Sometimes life interferes. And sometimes a field needs to lie fallow so it doesn't get overtaxed and loose all creativity. But you must  be consistent to whatever schedule you devise. You must make time. Start now, or your dreams will pass you by without you becoming what you want to be.

Pathway to success

I was reading a book and came across this little gem.

Overnight success is a myth. I'd been working since I was too young to remember, dedicating myself to the wire, but celebrity can happen overnight.  GIRL ON A WIRE by Gwenda Bond

It's true, people don't get accomplished overnight. My father sent me a quote my freshman year of college.

The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Celebrity can happen overnight. All of a sudden someone's name is everywhere, their book is selling, they're making all sorts of best seller lists and everyone is talking about them. Just because we didn't hear about them yesterday, last month or last year doesn't mean they weren't working towards their goal. Fighting, struggling, feeling depressed and overwhelmed. In otherwords walking the same path we all walk.

Keep it up. Your books are coming, your celebrity may be next. But for now, keep toiling, because you will never reach success without hard work.

Waste Not, Want Not.

I hate waste. 

I have a hard time looking at something that is still good and throwing it away. Not because I need it but because it will be wasted.  I've been trying to clean and organize for our move and all my drawers and closets are filled with miscellaneous things I don't need and don't remember having. 

I've had to become hard core. It doesn't matter if it's still in good condition. If I haven't seen or used it in years, and can't imagine ever needing it, I'm getting rid of it. Most of the stuff is going to salvation army so it will get a good home. Maybe. It just won’t be cluttering up my closets. 

If I can’t stand to let some plastic piece of junk go, how much more does it hurt to let my own life go to waste? I’m going to clean, de-clutter, find time to write and live to the fullest. Because I can throw away clutter, but I won’t throw away myself.

Someday...

There is danger in the word ‘someday’.  Someday I’ll work on this goal. Someday I’ll accomplish my dreams.  

Someday is vague and nebulous. Someday may never come.  

Choose to start today.

Whether it’s that rewrite you’re contemplating, the blank paper waiting, the friends you could find, the promotion you want. Someday won’t be soon enough, what can you do today?

There are times when something must wait for that ambiguous ‘someday’, but only because there is a more pressing ‘today’ to live.  

Find your someday, and make it today. You won’t be sorry.

Do I have talent?

There's a post here at Writer Unboxed titled "Do I have writing talent?" You're asking the wrong question. The post talked about why this question didn't work and posed some different questions that would help us gauge our writing progress.

There have been several times I've seen people come to Compuserve, post some writing, and ask, "Do I have talent? Should I keep writing, or should I give up?" Maybe you've seen this in your writing groups, too.

Writing is a difficult profession.  We all need positive feedback.  We have to have some encouragement because there is a lot of discouragement in the process. But if you have to ask the question "should I give up?" then the answer just might be, yes.

Because there is so much discouragement in writing we have to know, in and of ourselves, that this is what we want to do. That this is what we NEED to do. We have to have the conviction so we can keep going.  If your only commitment is from outside sources maybe you should put down the pen and save yourself a lot of hurt later. Or maybe you just need to take the time, think about what you want and you'll come to that conviction on your own.

Do you like me?

Someone I know has been reading Dale Carnegie’s book HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE and they read this quote to me. 

First, Carnegie Quotes Alfred Adler: “It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow men who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring.”

Then Carnegie goes on to say: “I once took a course in short-story writing at New York University, and during that course the editor of a leading magazine talked to our class.  He said he could pick up any one of the dozens of stories that drifted across his desk every day and after reading a few paragraphs he could feel whether or not that author liked people. ‘If the author doesn’t like people,’ he said, ‘People won’t like his or her stories.’”

As writers we are analyzers of people, of emotions. We take that information, break it down, then rebuild it in a fictional setting. The trick is making sure to build it realistically. Have you ever read a book and thought “wow, that author must not like people”? I have, and those books aren’t comfortable to read. It’s like looking at life through a veil of frustration and discontent.

Our work is people. Our work is knowing them; what makes them tick, how they think. How can we do that if we don’t like what  we’re studying? It would similar to someone with arachnophobia trying to do a study of Tarantulas. They wouldn’t like them enough to get near them, or care enough about them to be detailed. Why would people want to read our stories if we don’t like what we’re writing about?

We often hear of the reclusive writer, and indeed many of us would probably prefer to stay behind our computers writing than go out and lead a parade.  But that doesn’t mean we don’t like people. In fact, I would be willing to bet that writers, even the most reclusive of them, are avid people watchers. 

The person who read that quote to me did so because they worried I would never be a great writer. I was a little surprised. I may never be a great writer but it won't be because I don't like people. I do. But because I prefer to be at the back watching them, rather than performing in front of them. I would guess that this is not uncommon among writers or other artists.

So if you want to be a good writer, learn to like people. That doesn’t mean you have to be center stage, but it does mean you need to spend time among them.  And who knows, the next time you go to that activity you thought about ditching you might just end up with a great story idea.

Make an Impression

Do you ever come across an author, maybe in something unassuming, a blog post, an article in an online publication, that touches you so much, that even though they don’t speak about their work, you need to check it out? I’ve found a few authors that way. People I wouldn’t have come across otherwise, but that I’m so glad I got to know. This article did it for me. It’s an amazing post, and should be required reading for all authors. It really shows how books can save people.

The post is well written, the language engaging, the flow smooth, but that’s not what got me to check out his work. If you’ve read the article (if you haven’t go do it now) you’ll notice he hardly references his books at all.  He doesn’t spout log lines or back covers. He doesn’t use a hook or describe them in tantalizing ways. He doesn’t even offer sage writing advice. He wrote about himself, and others like him. He wrote about those who yearn. He wrote his heart.  And his heart touched mine.  That’s what makes me connect to a book. And having that connection in an online post makes me believe it will be in his novels too. 

This is the way to get people to read your books. Care. Help others. Have something to say and stand behind it. When people find you, they will find your books on their own. Even better, you just might help someone else who is struggling.

Get Healthy blog hop

 

When I was 20 I developed a form of arthritis called Ankylosin Spondelitus.  I have a fairly mild case of it. In fact, technically it’s undiagnosed because it hasn’t scarred my bones enough to show up on an x-ray.  But we know what it is because of the type of pain I have and the family history.  I have two brothers diagnosed with the same thing.  Watching them I can see how easy I have it and I’m grateful for that.   

But that doesn’t mean I don’t hurt.  

I have good years and bad years, good days and bad days.  Regular exercise is an important part of treating this disease.  I need to keep the weight off (something I struggle with) because extra pounds put extra stress and pressure on my joints.  Also, I need to keep limber.  The more I move the better my joints are. 

But.   

How do you do that on the days when it hurts so much you don’t want to get out of bed.  How do you keep up the exercise, or the writing for that matter, when you can’t bend, or sit, or walk? 

I've had to learn to listen to my body, and I've had to learn to say it's okay.  It’s okay not to exercise on those days, and I shouldn’t feel guilty about it. And I also shouldn’t compare myself to others who have no limitations and can work out for hours daily. It's so easy to see what others do and think I should be able to do that. But if I try to do what they do, if I overdo it, I end up hurting worse for longer so all exercise needs to be in proportion to what my body is capable of.   

At the same time, the days I’m feeling good I can’t allow myself to slack off.  There might not be another good day for awhile so I have to take advantage of it.  It’s hard to make exercising a priority on those days, because I also have to fit in all the cleaning and errands that I’ve put off during bad days.  But if I don’t take care of my body I’ll end up having more bad days. 

It’s a vicious cycle and, like much of life, you have to find the balance.  And you have to listen to your body. Some days I can do a brisk walk on the treadmill for an hour.  But If all I can manage is a hobble for fifteen minutes I still try to do it.  Then I celebrate it.  It’s better than doing nothing.  And it will help, every little bit helps.

I've had to learn to accept my limitations and what I can do. And I'm trying to learn to do it without feeling like a wimp.  For those of you who are struggling to start an exercise program, or who have limitations as to what you can do, don't give up.  The little things do count! Just keep at it and do your best.

Take care of your body because you don’t get another one.