There’s 3 things to remember, and they all involve focus:
1.) Preparing. The biggest question is, “What is it that I want to do? How will I do it?”
2.) Expecting. Be gentle with yourself. Set reasonable deadlines and keep them. Adjust them if necessary.
3.) Follow through. What you set out to do complete. It is now a priority.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
With all you have, write it down.
You deserve to have your voice be heard.
Sometimes the best way to hear it is to write it down.
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
When the work gets hard, detours are a writer’s best friend.
They allow you to regroup, to withstand, and to rest even!
This is why it is important to stretch your talent—figure out what all you can do with this gift.
Poets are novelists too.
Spoken work artists can write comic books.
Essayists can do short stories.
Detours can be lifesavers.
-JBHarris
For certain topics or subject matter, be aware of the sensitivity needed to proceed.
Be aware of just what may be required to start (or finish) a work.
Balance your the skill between your head and heart.
-JBHarris
Writers don’t steal from other writers.
Read it again.
-JBHarris
Writing is messy. Writing is crazy-making. Writing can be all-consuming! And there will be times where writing feels impossible! Give yourself grace—you will need it.
-JBHarris
This next year I am hype for and believing good things for all of you.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Note: You can hear audio version of this letter click here.
Dear Writer:
You made it! The year of 2022 is over and in a matter of hours 2023 begins!
With that in mind, the one thing I want to remind you of is to celebrate your process, your startups, your startovers and wins!
This year? I’m proud of you. Whether you wrote a journal entry or a novel. Celebrate! Many more opportunities await you in the new year!
With Love & Ink,
JBHarris
Draft? Check.
Jitters? Double-check.
But, that’s why I’m here to help! It is normal to have jitters when starting a rewrite. If you don’t have them, I question you as a writer.
Rewrites, revisions can be nerve-wracking! They can be emotionally draining and you just may plain old don’t want to do them!
Yet, this is necessary.
Very rarely do you do write the exact thing you want in a rough draft. On the off chance that you have, you still need to take time to proofread for grammar and other small mistakes. A rough draft is just that—ROUGH!
The revision is the smoothing out, adding in, taking out, all the stuff that you wanted to do when you started but may not have seen that you could do! Take advantage of that! Instead of seeing the revision as a chore, see it as an opportunity! The process will go better when you do.
Follow the fabulous Magnolia C. Carter (The MCC to those in the know!) on Instagram at: @theemagnoliacarter.
Magnolia C. Carter is a passionate writer. She is present, dedicated and aware of how demanding writing can be! When asked about her writing journey, she will smile and say: “This is what happens with boredom and an overactive imagination.”
Her inspirations come from three things, “the three M’s” as she calls it: music, men, and mischief. Magnolia says that her mission with her writing is to ‘get everything out.’
When asked about her favorite thing to write? “Erotica…and hoetry.” When asked what hoetry is, she describes it thus: “Hoetry is the full expression of female sexuality…without regret.”
Well, now.
When asked how she defines success as a writer, Magnolia says she’s unsure. “Success is a weird term to me. I think the fact that I’m even writing is success! Successful writers are those that keep writing.”
So far, there is one book of poetry that Magnolia published under her mother’s maiden name, Read (like the color—RED)-Possession And The Nine-Tenths (available on Amazon and Kindle). With all the writing she’s doing, she’s starting her website, and two collections of poetry brewing—and a novel—Him, Her & Me. “I’m just getting it done.”
When asked about writing advice, Magnolia keeps it simple. “Best advice? Get it off your head. Then deal with it when it’s done.”
Indeed. Deal with it when it’s done.
Character development: How are you going to develop them?
Just like you must have an idea for the structure of you story, the same goes for your characters, their settings and even the scenarios they find themselves in. The key thing to remember is watch out for troupes what will limit the growth of your characters; stereotypes that will stunt other characters and not give them depth; if you are writing cross-culturally (a white writer writing Black character for example), make sure that you have invested time and effort into seeking out someone from that culture/ethnicity/background to read your work!
Why? Blind spots.
You don’t want a work to be offensive to other people when it does not have to be! Having someone read for cultural sensitivity will allow for feedback in a safe space where you can ask questions, get feedback and revise as needed! Your characters are brought to life your imagination—and that imagination may represent a real person. Write wisely.
Note: For sensitivity read-throughs, contact Anette King through her site, The Blurb Diva.
JBHarris Writing Services 