Monday Motivational: Busy, busy, busy

I've been swamped with getting the files ready for my upcoming release of THE REAPING, due out on June 24, 2016. My plan is to have both kindle and print available at the same time. As such I've been so busy that Monday has snuck up on me, don't you just hate sneaky Mondays, you're hanging out over the weekend enjoying yourself when, BAM! it's Monday.

Today I give you these three quotes from the masters.

Embracing Your Inner Writer

A question that comes up often for writers is "Why do you write?"

Replies may run from "I don't know," to "because I must."

“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” (Virginia Woolf)


Occasionally you'll run across a writer who will tell you honestly that writing allows them to play on playground in their mind. It is after all, what we as writers do best. Stephen King summed it up in his book On Writing when he said “When I’m writing, it’s all the playground…”

“I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.” (James A. Michener)

By the same token writers can be quite bashful about sharing what they do, especially new writers who are just setting foot upon that path. Embracing the writer within generally goes against standard convention. By many we are viewed as adults trapped within a child's imagination for as children we are encouraged to embrace our creativity, to explore our imagination to the fullest. Yet when we become adults we are then told we must give up childish things.

“Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.” (Ray Bradbury)

Even the bible tells us: "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways."
1 Corinthians 13:11

“You can make ANYTHING by writing.” (C.S. Lewis)
Writer's on the other hand have consciously chosen not to put away their childish things. They continue to explore the unfathomable depths of their imagination as they create whole worlds from the very fabric of their thoughts. They refuse to quit playing in the playground of their mind. Many may view their dedication as proof that they have yet to grow up. Their own families may not approve of their desire to write, telling them what they really need to do is find a good job and settle down. To put away their childish things and grow up.

When I hear any of this I recall the words of C.S Lewis who said in part: "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

Embrace your inner child, and the writer that exists within us all, explore the unfathomable depths of your imagination without shame. It's their problem if they can't accept you as you are, not yours.

Don't forget, October 1 will signal the start of my annual Halloween Horror Author Countdown, that's 30 authors in 30 days and I've got one hell of a line up coming your way. 

The Power of Self Doubt

Anyone who is seriously perusing a career as a writer is familiar with the ups and downs that is the writer’s life. Some days you’re riding the top of that emotional wave as the words just flow from your fingers. Hanging ten from that proverbial surfboard of creation as the ocean of ideas washing through your mind batters itself against white beach of the blank page leaving in its wake the basis of what will become a powerful story.

For every peak in the creative process, where it seems nothing can stand in your way, behind or beyond lies a shadowy valley of self doubt. When that creative wave dashes you against the unyielding stone of cold reality, you tumble from that peak to land in the valley of the shadow of death for the creative process. 

Suddenly the words that had flowed so freely dry up and one is left staring at the blank page as blood begins to form upon their forehead. Who wants to read anything I write? Why do I waste my time doing this? Who really cares anymore?

Self doubt has silenced the muse. It has thrown a monkey wrench into the machinery of creation, clogging the gears, and stopping them dead in their tracks. Everyone who dares to believe they can create something another person wants to read faces these moments from time to time.

The greats have carried on their own personal battles with self doubt. Struggling in the years of anonymity before they became an overnight success. Stephen King threw away the original manuscript for Carrie believing no one would want to read it. His wife rescued it from the trash and convinced him to carry on. Great writers from the past were known to agonize over the placement of every word, never really believing themselves that what they were doing would ever be widely accepted. 

How many unknown greats have given up entirely, trashing their greatest works, and turning their backs on their dreams to accept second best? How many Lovecraft’s, Shelly’s, or Stokers have given up even before they started?



Here are a few inspiring quotes from some greats in the business to help inspire you.

Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
- E. L. Doctorow

If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.
- Somerset Maugham

Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he’ll eventually make some kind of career for himself as writer.
- Ray Bradbury