writing time

Encouragement Pages – 4/29/2024

The only person who has the power to take away your pen is you.

It is easy to slide into that level of disbelief— and it starts with these 4 words:

“I can’t do this.”

And with that the door is cracked. The draft has come in. Then you have a choice: will you open the door to doubt or will you shut it in faith— and try again?

With Love & Ink,

JBHarris

Encouragement Pages – 4/24/2024

This may be a longer essay. Watch this space. -JBH

There are 5 things I think which make writers stop (aka give up their pen):

1.) Writing what people think you should rather than what you want.

2.) The erasure of your identity: there is a need to writers who do not look like those of the Master Narrative. If you are not cis, het, white and male— your story is needed.

3.) The lack of time. You’d be surprised how many people quit because they don’t have time.

4.) Believing other people when they tell you that you can’t — or tell you that you are better suited to another genre.

5.) Not believing you can. This is more detrimental than you think.

Sometimes continuing is resistance.

RESIST.

With Love & Ink,

JBHarris

April 2024: Growing Up

Dealing with criticism is different for every writer— but an occupational hazard of sorts for every writer.

What is crucial to understand boils down to three things:

1.) The invisible people on the internet are not the end all be all of criticism.

2.) If you focus on the negative aspects of creating — you will never create.

3.) The first person you write for is yourself.

With creating, you must understand that people are going to have something to say about it— but you cannot be defined or paralyzed because of it.

If this occurs, you are beholden to other people— and not yourself. When this happens, if this happens, the world is deprived of you.

What you must reckon with is this is something you want?

April 2023: GROWING UP

What decade long writing career has shown me is there will always be critiques and critics. There will be people who love my work, people who don’t care— and there are people who will hate it.

I have learned the vox populi are always opinionated, and with the super power of the internet will always believe their opinion should supersede anything relevant or applicable to you.

Yet, from low sales, bad reviews, less-than-great work I have done — I had to grow up as an artist. Part of that growth came from realizing the criticisms which are valid can only help. The criticism which is invalid is not meant to help.

With criticism being subjective, I make the determination as to what it useful. No. One. Else.

Besides: no one who will never do anything will never be criticized.

I plan on doing something…and continuing to do my best at it.