Writing is a strange alchemy.
This pulling something out of your head to a seeing world is still mystical. Still a wonder. Never be so cocky to think writing is “easy.”
There are some who wish the gift would come back—only to be greeted with barren imaginations…and tears.
Humility is some times the best coin of the realm.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
Shameless plug to remind you to read.
Writers are readers, inquisitive about the world around them so they can create another. If you’re stuck in process of creating an WIP and become discouraged, take a break. Fill up that blank time with a book.
Sometimes the words of others, stir our own.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
Be passionate about your work.
Love all parts of it.
Embrace the journey. All of it.
You have been entrusted with the intangible to make tangible.
Wield that power wisely.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
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
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
“I wish I could write.”
I cannot tell you how often I have heard this from clients and other writing friends. But I tell them the same thing I will tell you:
“Write anyway. Wishing won’t make words.”
When you make the time to write–when you fight for it in some cases–you will be amazed as to what happens in that space. When you push your wish, you can make words.”
Push the wish, you push the words.
My wish for you, as this year ends, is to push the wishes. Rage against the excuses and time constraints. I want you to stop giving yourself the out of saying “I wish I had time to write.”
Push your wishes into reality!
Begin the beginning.
The blank page is waiting for you to etch all your thoughts on! Never allow the fear of a start to cheat you out of what awaits you! You need only continue!
Begin the beginning.
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.
There is a certain Caduceus with writing. There are 2 snakes which will always be with you.
These are self-doubt and self-rejection.
Self-doubt will always say what you cannot do.
Self-rejection will always say what you create will never be read because it’s not good enough.
This dynamic duo work together to choke the life out of any project, platform or collaboration.
If left unchecked, they will snuff your talent!
So? Want to know how you kill them?
Create in spite of.
Be more afraid of not doing, of not creating.
Be more afraid of not filling the rooms or spaces you were graced to be in—than content to have never been invited to them.
Don’t die with all you have.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
Think about the world.
Not just Earth, that’s easy.
Think about the groups of people you hang around. Work with. Associate with. That you go to church with. Each one of those spaces is a world.
They each have their own orbit, gravity, atmospheres and needs. They have their own rules which govern their existence and function.
I bet you can find a story there on one of those planets. Go searching.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
