Archive for the 'Quotes' Category

Just a thought

What kind of soup do chickens have when they are feeling sick??

Just a thought

What do butterflies get in their stomachs when they feel nervous??

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Are you a failure?

Writers are often, by nature, an introspective lot.

Navel gazers.

I would guess that many have a reasonably poor self image. This is compounded by depression, something some well-known writers and many not-so-well-known writers suffer constantly from – or at least periodically.

A sense of failure as a writer can be only a fleeting thought away. A regular barrage of rejection letters from publishers fans the flames of feeling a failure.

Consider then this quote from Ashleigh Brilliant:

You’re never a total failure while someone believes in you – even if the only someone is you.

Believe in yourself.

Hard to do when you are feeling down.

Hard to do when you are feeling rejected.

Hard to do when failure looms strong in your mind.

The Magic of Momentum

A writer who has a sense of failure also lacks momentum. Momentum is interesting. It takes a huge amount of energy to get a train moving, but once it is moving it takes far less energy to keep it moving. It seems as if momentum creates an energy of its own.

Start writing – and keep writing. It may be just rubbish at first, but eventually the momentum of the very act of writing creates its own energy. Then the creative energy is released and the words begin to flow. Get those blog entries posted. Send out those poems or stories to publishers. Keep writing, writing, writing.

And when a negative comment appears on your blog, or a rejection letter comes from a publisher, they’d better get out of the way. This ol’ train’s gonna crash right through them.

Just a thought

If mum’s the word, what’s the sentence???

Writing Hint #12 Write what you love

You’ve got to love libraries. You’ve got to love books. You’ve got to love poetry. You’ve got to love everything about literature. Then, you can pick the one thing you love most and write about it.”

Ray Bradbury

Good advice.

Without a love or a passion for your subject you will struggle to write. It will seem hard work. It will take effort. It will sound false to the reader and you run the risk of turning them away. Some may never return.

I love watching birds. I hope that on my birding blog I write about them with a passion, a love that flows from my words and pictures encouraging readers to return often. Similarly with my travel blog, where I share my love of exploring the great Australian environment and cultural heritage, added recently by a growing love for Thailand and Nepal.

As for this writing blog, I have dreamed of being a writer since the age of about eight. It saddens me to some extent that I let life get in the way of my dream, my passion to be a writer and my love of words, books and literature. Granted, I have been able to share this love with thousands of students in a 35 year teaching career. I know I have influenced many, an influence that has resulted in transformed lives. For example, a former student of mine recently began a career in journalism with our local newspaper.

Now, however, in retirement from teaching, the dream is well and truly alive. I spend many hours every day pursuing my love of words, books and writing.

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