5. July 2010 by Mama T.

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

Ernest Hemingway

Could you say it any better than that? Writing takes everything out of a person, especially if it is a passion. Not only are you sucking the life out of yourself with evey word, description, and new expression, but you are exposing it all to the world. When your manuscript is done, you wait for months on end, only for it to come back with a form letter that tells you nothing more than it’s been rejected. 

I’m sorry. This was supposed to be a motivational blog. Well if it’s motivational at all, then this post tells you that you are not alone. The life of a writer can break a spirit or make it stronger. Only you can decide what it will do to you.  

Posted in on writing | No Comments »

6. May 2010 by Mama T.

“The first draft of anything is shit.”

~Ernest Hemingway

A scene is always better in the mind than on paper, at least the first time it’s written. Time and creativity are the ingredients needed to add life and truth. Often we read a great scene with a mix of awe and envy, and we wish so desperately that we had the talent to be so profound. The reality however, is that the scene was most likely written and rewritten and rewritten many times, until it was perfect. In fact, give the author time, he or she could probably rewrite it again to their own perfection.

When you put something on paper, you don’t have to love it immediately; you just have to get the image onto paper. You only really have to be satisfied when it’s ready to print, because then you will have to live with it.

Posted in on writing | No Comments »

6. January 2010 by Mama T.

I’m not going to lie to you. It is very difficult staying positive as a writer. There is always self doubt -often a daily dose. But you cannot let this bring you down. Trust me, I am talking about myself too. So what do you do when you feel like packing it all in?

The first thing I do is pray. I ask God for guidance. I ask Him for patience. And I ask Him to bless my writing.

Another thing that helps is to get someone to read your work. My husband is my guinea pig and usually by worst critic. Many times we have argued over characters and story lines and even though I get frustrated, the process gives life to my endeavor.

Reading my favorite works is a great motivator. It reminds me of my reasons for writing in the first place -the art of story-telling; of capuring an audience and leading them into another place where characters are alive.

Reading your own work after reading your favorite authors can be sobering -in good and bads ways. It can assure you that you are a good writer, because your work is just as enticing, or it can make you realize that you need to be better. But both results are motivating.

The biggest motivator for me is to imagine my life without writing, and I cannot do it. I cannot let it go because I would miss it. I feel as if it is a part of me and who I am, and I feel that I can make a difference with it.

Posted in on writing | No Comments »