Discouragement. Doubt. Self-rejecting.
These are the dragons writers must continually slay. It is not sufficient to leash them, they must be slain. At their deaths, you fuel your pen.
Do not reason with discouragement.
Do not listen to doubt.
Do not think so little of your imagination that you will not entertain or humor it.
Slay the dragons.
And dispatch them without mercy.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
There is a power in knowing the work is coming. A peace which is only associated with creativity. I want you to embrace that energy today, dear ones.
Embrace the energy.
Embrace the work.
Do the work.
You will never regret it.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
As this year speeds to a close, I leave you with one thing: belief in self.
The path is of the arts is fraught with doubts. Filled with second-guessing and the evil, diabolical non support of the people who say they love you.
But, what I want to tell you with 7 calendar days left of this year is stop listening to that does not serve, assist, value or help.
Stop feeding that which hurts.
This is so often the most difficult thing! That type of thinking hobbles, cripples and will kill anything creative—or different in you! I have had to discover this in my own self this week. My creative achievements are not based on the opinions of other people. My success is not determined by what other people think about it. There will always be a salty-select to remind you of failures, setbacks and other useless shenanigans.
Stop feeding what hurts.
Make the decision to give up the things which weigh you down–and soar.
You have world to conquer.
Being a writer means you will/may always have questions. The toughest ones to answer always involve The Why.
Why do you write?
Why aren’t you writing?
Why are you afraid to write?
Regardless of genre, or length of project, you will have to answer these questions.
Sometimes once during the course of a work, sometimes repeatedly in the course of a day!
But they must be answered.
Moreover, they must be answered by you.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
There is a release that happens once you finish a written work. This release is this transferring of effort and energy into something tangible? There is no high like it.
There is also something utterly scary about beginning a new work as well. This new thing, only present in your mind, yet biting and burning to get out of you? There is no fear like it.
Embrace the fear, prepare of the joy.
But prepare for the work.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
“Let it stir…”
Stephen King says to let the story ‘reveal itself.’ To that I say, ‘let it stir.’
What this means is to let it develop. Let it brew. Let it come forth naturally—just like woman that’s pregnant.
Just like when you stir coffee or hot tea, making it just the way you like it.
Let it stir. Let it bubble. Let it brew.
The idea you have, the one you keep rolling around, or you aren’t sure about, follow it. Let it stir, let it stir you.
You’ll be amazed what you come up with when given when you’re patient with yourself.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
Writing is hard. Writing is real hard. I wish that I could express to you–truly!–how hard this. Being able to pull something out of the nebulous creative ether and share that to other people?
It’s hard.
But what I want you to know something, and I will try my best not to sound conceited.
The cool thing about being a writer, is that not everyone can do it.
The hard thing about being a writer, is that not everyone can do it.
The impossible thing about being a writer, is that no everyone can do it.
For every work that you create, there will be a doubt. No matter how quick, not matter how long, no matter how infrequent. The doubt will be there. Almost like a too tight safety belt.
But, there is something to this. What I want you to do when doubt crops up is embrace it, not hold it. This is something that you will learn with time, and as you get comfortable writing.
Embrace the doubt= you realize doubt is there.
Not hold it= doubt will always be a weight, and it is not to be entertained long.
That is the thing about writing. You have to be able to believe you can do it, before you can ever do it. It is the doubt that allows you to still look at a work with some degree of respect–and realize that every piece, every work in project is your responsibility. To care for. And complete.Being a creative has a certain weight and heft to it. Some part of that creative is, does require a radical belief in self.
With that ability, do one thing for me: be grateful.
There are those of us along with journey to writing or creativity that hold on to doubt. Who forget that writing is not as natural for others as it is to us. Or, they allow the doubts of others to be projected on their own talents and cease to create anything. Or anything else.
But gratitude, that is the counterweight to doubting while creating. Your gratitude will allow and plow room towards what it is you want to create. Honor your talent. Honor your commitment.
Putting off the writing never makes it easier.
Taking your creativity for granted only makes you ungrateful.
An ungrateful writer is one most unpleasant to be around. Besides, there is nothing like a good bout of Writer’s Block to make one humble. Trust me.
