TECH: 101 Tips (1)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 27 April 2009

Writers' Digest, October 2004, pages 26 to 33, has a collection of short "nuggets of wisdom" related to getting published. Maria Schneider is the author of the compilation. Take a deep breath, and here we go:

"Discipline is the difference between a wannabe writer and a published one. It's about sitting down. If I waited for the muse, I'd be having pedicures every week." Ayelet Waldman

Discipline? That's an interesting question. How do you organize your writing? Do you use a quota -- daily, every other day, weekly, or something else? Words, pages, hours in front of the computer? Or do you use some kind of deadline or milestone? Do you give yourself some kind of rewards? Or do you just try to beat yourself into doing it? How do you set up your discipline?

This quote seems to suggest all you need to do is sit down? I suspect there's a little bit more to it than that, although consistently returning to the writing has to be one of the key parts. Whether it's five minutes a day or five hours...

There's that muse thing again. Inspiration by the gods -- probably blowing in your nostrils or maybe in your ears?  I think I prefer serendipity and synchronicity and the magic of exposing yourself to plenty of opportunities and influences, and then letting the little grey cells connect things up. Anyway :-)

Pedicures? Having pedicures every week? Is that a punishment? I mean, I just don't quite understand that part of this quote.

So -- wild reflections. Please feel free to provide your own refractions. After all, a quote isn't all it's quoted up to be until we've all yanked on it. Or something like that.