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Words of Inspiration

Sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of advice along the way. For a writer hearing some words of wisdom from those higher along in the journey is often an enlightening experience. It is handy to know what the best things to do as a writer are, what helped them on their road to success. This buzzfeed article has several pieces of advice from famous authors. Enjoy seeing what they have to say. You’ll see a few repeats in ideas of course, but there is quite a lot to gain from this. Enjoy! And feel free to comment with your favorite. My favorite is number sixteen “Your story is not done until you have told it to someone you would not trust with your life.” It reminds me that as an author I have to put myself out there, be brave, and in doing so share with those who I normally would not trust. There is some risk involved in writing, but there are good things as well. And that’s definitely something I need to remind myself of as I write. What pieces inspire you most? What advice do you need to follow more?

Let me know which one you like most and enjoy!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/27-pieces-of-advice-for-writers-from-famous-authors

Define Success?

 

A loud sigh escapes my mouth. I’m trying to refrain from appearing tired but I really can’t help it. Sometimes it’s so hard on busy days like this. I’ve been signing books for an hour and I have to be at a television interview this evening. However am I going to survive? It’s just not easy when you’re book is on the bestseller list.

Well… this is what I hope my life will look like someday when my biggest worries are over exhaustion from press releases and signing. However, at the moment my life as a writer does not look anything like this. And that does make me worry about my success as a writer.

In many ways, my picture of success has always been something like the above vision. In 5^th grade, my class was required to write a poem called “I Am”. We followed a format set out by the teacher but other than those requirements, we were free to fill in the blanks after the starting words as we wished. I wrote mine all about how I wanted to be a writer. I will let you read it (although I warn you it is of course merely a child’s prose and certainly not very good).

I Am

By Emily Moore- 5^th grade

 

I am a happy girl who likes to write.

I wonder who is the best author in the world.

I hear people cheering for me.

I see letters stacking up.

I want to become an author when I grow up.

I am a happy girl who likes to write.

                          

I pretend to be the best author in the world.

I feel that I am meant to be famous.

I touch all the books I hope to write.

I worry that no one will like my books.

I cry for all the sadness in the world.

I am a happy girl who likes to write.

 

I understand that it is hard to write a book.

I say that I will be great one day.

I dream that I will succeed in writing.

I try to write neatly.

I hope that people will give me a chance.

I am a happy girl who likes to write.

 

I think many people might follow with my young self in their definitions of a successful author. To be successful means to have several books, to be on bestseller lists, to have a fan base. However, while the world might view it that way, I view success a little differently.

Certainly, I recognize that a writer is obviously doing well if he or she is published and if a large amount of the populous is clearly enjoying his or her books. These are all wonderful things for a writer. However, I like to think of success on an individual level. Sometimes I feel successful just for getting smoothly through a chapter I was worried about. Sometimes I feel successful for a blog post other people seem to appreciate. Other times success is a good grade on a paper. There are levels of success and though I have yet to reach those of published writer (in any way, shape, or form other than this blog), I still hold onto what are successes of the moment.

I did well when I got through more than five chapters of a book without quitting back in junior high. I was courageous in showing my writing to my friends my freshman year and felt successful in earning their approval. I felt thoroughly accomplished when I finished writing my first novel last year and finished my second just a few short months after. Though the world may not view me as a successful writer, I can find small victories even amongst the basic work I do on my own laptop.

I just send this out as an encouragement to those of you who dream of being writers and don’t always feel you are accepted yet. You are a writer and you define your successes and failures. You can be great just in finishing a work for yourself. You can be a good writer in getting something published, even if it gets bad reviews. You can be successful even in conquering a particularly challenging blog post, essay, article, or chapter.

Don’t let the world’s definition of writer drag you down. You are a writer and you define how great you can be.