The Place For My Writers Notes

Original Posting 29 June 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:

"A lot of writer's block is just laziness -- an excuse for not applying yourself. You've just got to make the effort consistently. Consider your novel or book to be a marathon. You're not going to do really well unless you train consistently." Joe Kita

That image of writing as a marathon effort -- keep at it! -- seems like a really good one. What other notions? Oh, the training -- do those situps, every day! And maybe some of those water wearing away rock ones? A drop, a drop, and before you know it, there's a river running right down the canyon. Or perhaps the farming ones -- you plow, plant, weed, keep going, keep going -- and harvest. Not an immediate gratification kind of thing. That's one of the hard things, I think -- there is so much to learn, to try, for so long, balanced with inspiration, excitement, craft, revision -- and eventually, down the line, there is a story.

So, do your daily dozens, keep working, keep grinding away...and run the race that you have set for yourself! And cheer for yourself, even if the tickertape and film crews have already gone away.