September 14, 2011
Notable Quotable
Hiya Freshman Writers! Hope this finds you well and writing. This week’s quote is from The Lion King, which I had the pleasure of previewing last weekend. (Thanks again to Mommyslinks!).
As writers, I feel that we focus a lot on who we are (or are not) and sometimes forget that we’re not alone in this. In the movie, Simba has a spiritual encounter with his father who reminds Simba that in forgetting himself, he has also forgotten his father.
It is very important for all writers to remember the writers who came before us. In their works, they remind today’s writers that they are not alone. Every time you feel lost and alone as a writer, read the first book, essay or manuscript that inspired you to become a writer. When you remember them, you remember yourself and your writing dreams. Whether it’s Joyce Carol Oates, Sylvia Plath, or Stephen King. Someone inspired you Freshman Writers to pick up a pen (or turn on the computer) to share your stories and thoughts.
“In forgetting yourself, you have forgotten me. Remember who you are. Remember.”
~ Mufasa a.k.a. James Earl Jones (The Lion King)
Also, for more inspiration from the movie, check out The Lion King 3-D for two weeks only starting September 16, 2011.
August 24, 2011
5 Tips on Handling Rejection
Hiya Freshman Writers! Hope this finds you well and writing. Today’s post is about something that touches writers all of the time – rejection. Yes, to some writers who’ve dealt with it, rejection is a hard blow. Especially after putting in hard work and heart into the writing. To others, rejection is motivation to keep on going; to keep tweaking the writing; to keep the pen moving.
After hearing about The Help movie, based on the best-selling book by author, Kathryn Stockett, I was amazed to learn that her manuscript was rejected an amazing 60 times! 6-0! According to More Magazine (on Yahoo Shine), Kathryn Stockett went through 60 rejections before her manuscript was accepted on try #61. I couldn’t believe it! She’s made of strong stuff indeed. And in sharing her story, she revealed one tip that kept her going until her writing was accepted.
1. “Give into your obsession.” Kathryn simply zeroed in her focus on her manuscript. Over and over, she worked on it. Writing and writing until she felt it was ready to send out. Which leads me to the next tip:
2. Find a space for your writing to grow. Kathryn went so far as to rent a hotel room to work on her writing after her daughter was born. Find a nook just for you to write in. Which brings us to tip number three:
3. Have supportive friends and family. Someone had to be there with the little one while Kathryn was writing – that was her hubby. Nothing helps a writer more than to have people who understand your compulsion to write. Even if they don’t write themselves. Having a support system can help you when (and it happens to all writers) you DO get rejection.
4. Celebrate the first rejection. Kathryn shared her first rejection letter with friends. This is a great way for writers of all levels to reframe the idea that a rejection is truly a rejection. Sometimes, writers can get caught up in feeling sorry for themselves and then stop writing. Here, Kathryn took a lemon and made lemonade by cheering and then getting right back to work.
5. Don’t quit. Kathryn didn’t stop writing. She kept going. One of the easiest things to do after a rejection is to quit; to think that you’re just not cut out for writing. Kathryn pushed through this and kept working. And you Freshman Writers can do it, too.
Freshman Writers, I hope Kathryn’s story inspired you the way it inspired me. She stuck to it and now her book is a best-seller that has been made into a successful movie. Cheers Kathryn! I salute you! Thank you for inspiring Freshman Writers, readers and movie-goers everywhere!
Happy Writing!
August 3, 2011
Notable Quotable
Hiya Freshman Writers! Hope this finds you well and writing. This week finds me on vacation so I’m sharing a quote to inspire you to keep writing.
As I take a brief break from the rat race, I’m taking some time to relax and recharge my batteries. My writing bank will also be recharging.
In the meantime, check out this quote by Bill Stout. Be encouraged and keep the pen (or the fingers) moving!
“Whether or not you write well, write bravely” ~ Bill Stout
July 28, 2011
Bad Writing? Enter it in a contest!
Hiya Freshman Writers! Hope this finds you well and writing. Today’s post highlight one of the toughest challenges we writers face – bad writing.
Yes, we all go through it. Bad writing can happen to any writer, anytime. But, as this contest shows, bad writing will take you places you Freshman Writers never thought you’d go.
We writers are asked to give our best when we write. Contests give you the rules and usually indicate that the very best will win the prize and glory of being named best writer in any given category. As a writer who is intimidated by such contests, it warmed my heart to see that a contest for bad writing existed.
Wisconsin professor, Sue Fondrie, won the 2011 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for writing something so atrocious that I wouldn’t wish that kind of bad writing on my worst writing enemy. lol But, here it is – finally, a contest that I know I can submit to without worrying about being rejected for bad writing. Congrats to Sue and all of the contest finalists!
Happy Writing!
March 7, 2011
March is Humorists are Artists Month
Hiya Freshman Writers! Hope this finds you well and writing. Today’s post is about humor. So, here’s a brief joke to get you started.
Knock, Knock.
Who’s there
Humor.
Humor who?
Humor me will ya!
Okay, I know that wasn’t a good one at all. Humor writing is HARD. It is much harder to make someone laugh through writing (at least for me) than it is to make that person laugh by telling a joke.
Writing about humor is hard, I think, because it seems easier to write about anger, happiness and/or sadness. All of these feelings can be communicated, especially when you’re in the moment. I’m not saying that writing any of these is simple, but humor is something that has to be thought out, timed well and executed well also.
Ok, now that I’m writing this I guess all writing is hard. I’ve also tried my hand at it so I know that humor-writing is hard.So scratch this idea writers. Instead, I’ve got a few sites for you all to check out. A few pals of mine write humorous posts and I love them. Read on for some humor writing and see if you get inspired!
Happy Writing
Amy Mullis – This is an amazing writer if I do say so myself. She’s fun about all the things you expect and some of the things you don’t. She’s a great humor writer and I want to be like her when I’m further along in my humor writing.
An Army of Ermas – This website is packed full of Erma Bombeck fans and writers of wonderful humor. I love reading as much as possible and I know you will, too. And you’re welcome to submit your work should you take on the challenge writers. And I think you should!
Naptime Stories – I blog once (or more) a week on this site about my adventures as a mom. I’ve tried to make it as humorous as possible. Not necessarily for the readers per se, but to crack myself up when I want to tear my hair out! lol
A book recommendation – Since the website above was inspired by Erma Bombeck, I’m recommending Forever, Erma – a great collection of years of her columns sharing her parenting adventures, advice and humor.
