Once Begun = Half Done

"He who has begun is half done"

Non-writers won't understand {& it's no use trying to explain it because it's simply too far of a stretch for most} but writing is hard and finishing a book is even harder. As an optimist, I look at this quote from the glass-is-half-full perspective. Yes you have mustered your courage to breathe life into a story which has festered in your mind. Good job! Now finish it. You have conquered the hill with sweat & hard work. Now you can gaze at the road ahead. Keep your head up little buddy & keep writing.

Giving Away Kindness

"It is difficult to give away kindness. It keeps coming back to you."

Kindness is most nearly a necessity in the writing business. If you take a little, give a lot back. Kindness always finds its way back around. And that same kindness could have insurmountable benefits as word of mouth travels up the ladder. Who knows where it will travel or what friends you can make along the way? Kindness is easy to give away & all it will cost you is a fee seconds of time. 

All Change + All Movement

"All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward"

Doesn't the truth hurt sometimes? That's how this is making me feel. You don't want to hear your work in progress is full of 'fluff'. You shake your head in disbelief as a beta reader tells you there needs to be 'more'. But it's the truth. It's sole purpose is to better your writing. Take heed to those giving you their opinion of your work. It might hurt but it could also be your saving grace. Now, don't take this wrong, I'm not saying you should scrap your work & start anew just because the feed back was not what you wanted. Use your own digression, a handful of common sense & always your gut.

The link below ties into this post a tad bit. I highly recommend reading & learning from the said link.

http://fychuckpalahniuk.tumblr.com/post/9285901274/thought-verbs-by-chuck-palahniuk

Best of luck to you!

Braver + Stronger + Smarter

"Remember, you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

Read this slowly. Let it sink in.
Whatever comes your way, just keep on writing. Don't listen to those who tell you, you can't. I'm telling you, you can. Have a little faith & hold your head up. What are you doing still reading this?! Get back to writing! :)

Love + Skill

Forgive this super late post! My boss is on vacation & I've been in charge. Tip for today: always say 'thank you' to your bank teller. Good thing I am not a stress eater. I'm 100% sure I would have gained 15lbs this week. It brings back not-so-fond memories of the "freshman 15". *shudders
Anyways...back on track :)

"When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece."

Everyone knows (& if they don't, they will soon find out) you must love to write in order to write well. You have to love it just to want to write. Whether you have a given talent or you have sweated endless nights to become a better writer, it is necessary for the said equation to work. If you have one or the other but not both your novel may fall flat. Think carefully about a writing career before you choose it. For us writers, writing is our passion, our life and one of our loves.

The Only Place Where Success Comes Before

"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."

Growing up I was told 'if you want something, you have to work for it.' Writing is exactly that. If you want to have a career as an author you have to work for it. Lately, I've been having very crazy dreams that would make amazing novels. The only problem is, I'm not sure I have enough skill to pull them off. So, I'm taking the next step. I'm working to become better as a writer. Is it going to be hard? Yes. Will this change my style/voice as a writer? Possibly, but not all change is a bad thing. Will it be worth it in the end? Ah, the always haunting question us dreamers face. The answer is simple. Yet another truth to live by: you will never know if you don't try.  :)

Better Things Ahead

"There are better things ahead than any we leave behind."

Every aspiring author dreams of this day. A day when an agent will come calling & we can leave the things in our past that held us back. Finally, finally we can move forward toward better things, such as seeing our book on a shelf.
For those trudging those query trenches, this quote gives hope. Someday. Someday we'll wipe the sweat from our brow & nod our head at our great accomplishment.
Hang in there little buddy. We'll get there together.