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The thing about writing is it must be for yourself first. If you're in it for fame and fortune, you might have better luck in Vegas. The money, if you are lucky enough to get any, won't support you, much less a family. The thing about writing is you've got to be in it because you LOVE TO WRITE. Remember at its best, writing is a love affair with words. And you might be the only one who sees the beauty in your object of affection. But if you do nothing else, you must Share. That. Beauty. The thing about writing is it can be learned. You don't have to be a genius to write. You can read great books, attend conferences, submit your work for review, join a critique group, and keep on writing until your words shimmer and shine and actually produce electricity. It's a matter of doing it, of practicing, of investing time and energy into learning a craft. Don't let anyone tell you what you're trying to do can't be done. The thing about writing is once you've climbed one mountain, you immediately see another one waiting for you. There is no end to this journey. You may thing publication is the end, but it's not. After publication comes marketing and promotion. And eventually, when you've spent yourself, it will be time to write again. The thing about writing is there is no end to it. No piece is ever finished. They are all works in progress. Forever. And to be a writer is to be committed to revision - to the process of opening your mind enough to see a much loved piece of writing in a new way. To find its flaws and correct them. The thing about writing is it is a bold thing to do. Setting words on paper takes courage. Sharing them with others is the ultimate act of faith. The thing about writing is it is about believing. Believing in yourself, your idea, your way of thinking. Be patient with yourself when you find your heart riddled with self-doubt. Believe that this too shall pass. The thing about writing is it is not just about you. Sure, you are the one whose heart pumps its contents onto the page. But you haven't completed your duty until someone else picks up that piece of paper. The goal is communication. The thing about writing is it is a way to love yourself and the people around you. It is a record of the human experience. Your human experience. So keep on writing those words down because I want to read them. » What my agent has to say about acquiring LEAVING GEE'S BEND Books for Writers WRITING ALONE AND WITH OTHERS by Pat Schneider THE INVISIBLE CHILD by Katherine Paterson FROM WHERE YOU DREAM by Robert Olen Butler THE POETRY HOME REPAIR MANUAL by Ted Kooser WRITING DOWN THE BONES by Natalie Goldberg ON WRITING by Stephen King THE LANGUAGE OF LIFE by Bill Moyers BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott ZEN AND THE ART OF WRITING by Ray Bradbury THE POET'S COMPANION by Kim Addonizio & Dorianne Laux BECOMING A WRITER by Dorothea Brande STEIN ON WRITING by Sol Stein TAKE JOY by Jane Yolen THE LEFT-HANDED STORY by Nancy Willard SECOND SIGHT by Cheryl B. Klein  |
» Find out how books are like candles.
Think you don't have time/space to write?
YOU DO! » Find out how.
Just do it!
A writer is simply one who writes.
New! Resources for Young Writers
Teen Ink - online literary mag for teen contributors www.teenink.com
Anastasia Suen - links for where to get published
Write on Teens - A blog for teen writers (editor interviews, craft talks,
etc.)
Figment - upload your stories
Teaching Authors - even more links for young writers
Editing Checklist for Poets - Is Your Poem the Best it Can Be?
What to look for
Author ABCs:
» Agent, Beginnings, Change , Danger, Everyman, Fresh, Good Enough, Haunted, Innovation, Just Do It, Keep Going , Live, Marketing, Notes, OMG, Patience, Questions, Raw, Show Me,Tell, Us,
Voice, Writer's Block
X Factor, Yes, Zzzzzz
