Writing is one of those things with is like dropping a rock into an ocean. There are ripples, effects which immediate and those which are far reaching. There is so much that goes into and claiming that title of writer. But do it anyway…do it anyway!
What I want you to do today, aside from claiming this title as writer, is to believe in yourself. That is the hardest thing to do as an artist.
That belief in self is either a catalyst or a deterrent.
Be your own catalyst.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
Let me tell you a simple truth. Retreats and workshops are tools. They are things which are able to sharpen the talent and gifts that you have. Being a writer does not make you a wizard, dear one. This is gift is one that you must work at, and work to be successful. Good writing doesn’t just occur. It doesn’t just happen–it is worked at. One of the reasons such resources exist are to encourage those whom write the confidence to write better! There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve you talent. There is nothing wrong with believing you do something well, only to desire to that thing better! Writing, truly pursuing this–will require an investment; the primary investment is time. Always time. Let me give this formula: Facts + Truths = Focus. The fact is simple: you are a writer. The truth is, you could write better–there is a way to do what you do better. With those things compiled will only yield focus! It is this simple formula which will prepare you for the challenges posed by and through any workshop or retreat. Don’t push away from this process, dear Oracle. If you want to write, be a better writer even, you must write.
Embrace that which is uncomfortable. Sometimes to get at what it is you want from a work, you have to wrestle with it. You have to be both writer and reader!
Answer the questions that need to be answered. Veil the things you want your readers to sit with. But wrestle, my dear ones. Be prepared to wrestle. The writing will be fun, the ride will be wild. Just beware of the curves.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
Don’t panic!
Everyone gets stuck every now and then!
With any WIP, you may get to a point when it’s not necessarily a block, but a sticking point. I call this being stuck in the middle.
This happens when you get to a point in your work when you don’t know what will/should happen next. Again, it isn’t a block–it is portion of story/project where you are unsure where to go next.
A block is a stoppage of all creativity, not the uncertainty of where to go.
The best thing to so when you get stuck is to be unstuck. You become unstuck by walking away from the work. Stephen King said that ‘the story will reveal itself.’ This means you have to be patient. You have to be perceptive to inspiration, and any creative energy.
Like anything stuck, you have to be patient. And you have to have a strategy.
In Love & Ink,
JBHarris
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