Watch Out, World!

The semester is over! Drum roll, please…..

I received an A in Creative Writing and a B in English Lit! I thoroughly enjoyed these two classes. I learned quite a bit!

Now I am going to take what I’ve learned and apply it with the hopes of writing my first book.

I had Chinese the other day and here was my fortune: “The world will soon be ready to receive your talents.” I found it so fitting, LOL. I sent it to my sister who text me back one word: “BOOK”

It is time I stop hiding behind my insecurity and negative thoughts and finally go after a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl.

I also think I know where my strength lies…and it’s with poetry. So that is what I’m going to start working on…a book of poetry.

How have you all been? It’s been awhile! What are you all working on? What dreams are you chasing?

Finding That Inspiration

As I embark on this new writing journey I have come across some quotes that I really want to share with you all!

Instead of waiting for inspiration to start writing, start writing to find inspiration

Robert Lee Brewer

I struggle with finding inspiration. This quote really opened my eyes. Just start writing…the inspiration will come.

To be a writer means to take risks, putting yourself and your ideas out on a limb, making yourself vulnerable to criticism, maybe even ridicule

Fred White

Writing for anyone other than yourself can really make you vulnerable. I have this fear sometimes that my writing isn’t good enough, isn’t worth being read. But to GROW as a writer, I must be willing to take that risk!

I want to make other readers feel how I feel when I read certain books but how do I do that if I haven’t made time for reading in my daily life the same way I’m trying to with writing?

Michael Woodson

Karen Kingsbury is hands down my favorite author of all time. When I read her books I am captivated from the opening line to the ending line. She has a way with words that I can hope to be able to write one day…

Inspiration

Finding inspiration can be hard sometimes. Maybe it’s hard because we look in all the wrong places. We search and search only to come up empty handed.

For me, finding inspiration to write can be so difficult. As a writer who is not only ADHD but bipolar as well, finding the words can be, well, tough. I get distracted…I lose focus…the brain fog sets in and words just won’t come.

These past couple of weeks I’ve been writing…and writing…and well, I’ve been writing. However, I can’t seem to write meaningful words.

My creative writing class starts January 10. I’m looking forward to getting the creative juices flowing again.

Through this class I hope to find that inspiration again. Because the Lord gave me this talent and I am not going to waste it. Not anymore.

A little excerpt from what I wrote today:

I’ve lost my way. And I think that is why I’ve lost the words. In order to find the right words, I need to find my way back to God. Finding my way back to God is the answer. Finding my way back into His loving arms is what I need to do before I can even think about writing. 

Consistently Inconsistent.

I’m so consistently inconsistent. Especially with my writing. On here, in my journals…I can go weeks without even writing a sentence….

….then something changes….

I’ll jump back in… but then I struggle. Again. The words just won’t come. Brain fog hits and I suppose that’s why I fall back out of writing. I get discouraged.

I want to write. I want to write!!!

I came across some quotes to help writers…

If there is a book that you want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then YOU must write it

Toni Morrison

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.

Louis L’Amour

One day I will find the right words and they will be simple.

Jack Kerouac

You fail only if you stop writing

Ray Bradbury

And my favorite?

Creative Writing is like a muscle: Use it or lose it.

Unknown

I need to exercise my creative writing muscle. 🙂

I have signed up for two English classes at my local community college. They are online classes so that I don’t have to change my schedule at work.

Creative Writing and Introduction to English Literature. Classes start January 10. I’m really looking forward to learning more about writing creatively.

Failure

I came across this quote the other day:

An essential part of creativity is not being afraid to fail.

Edwin Land

Failure.

Ah. The dreaded “f” word. (No, not THAT f-word.)

Failure is described as “ a lack of success or the inability to meet an expectation

No one wants to experience it but everyone will experience it at least once in their life. Well…more, if we’re being truly honest.

As writers, we especially hate the word failure. It haunts us every time we sit down to try and bust out the next great American novel. What if….what if they hate my book? My story? My poetry?

We don’t want to feel vulnerable. We don’t want people to realize that we’re not perfect, even though there is no such thing as perfection in this world.

We all want to be successful. #amiright? And success will come! It will! But we must be willing to accept that we will experience failure from time to time. Those rejection letters come. We lose our job. We don’t make the team, etc..

We must be willing to accept that we will fail in life. We must be willing to learn from that failure and strive to work harder in order to put that failed experience behind us. The more we focus on that failure, the more we fall behind.

Avoiding failure is something we all struggle with. And as long as we live in this world….well…it’s something we will always have to deal with.

We’re all afraid of failing. I know I definitely am. Maybe that’s why I don’t set high expectations anymore. I don’t want to keep failing.

Writing has always been a passion of mine. Ever since I was 9 years old and wrote my first essay on what I wanted to be when I grew up. Somewhere along the road though I put my passion for writing on the back burner. I lost interest for a little while. Depression set in. My grades in school plummeted. I went from being an honor student to barely scraping by.

But then one day I picked up my pen/pulled up a blank document. And I began writing again.

I picked myself up.

Don’t let failure become the norm in your life. Pick yourself up…brush yourself off and start again.

It WILL get better. Success WILL come.

We must not be afraid to fail.

Write That Book!

***Okay before I get started, I KNOW I’ve posted several times in the past about writing and why I do it. But honestly. it helps me….***

Why do I write? Why do YOU write? When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer?

I realize I’ve explored this topic several times but I feel it’s helpful, at least for me that is.

I came across this quote a couple of months ago and while I’m sure I shared it with you all I’m going to share it again.

If there’s a book that you want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then YOU must write it.

Toni Morrison

So. Why DO I write?

I’ve been writing off and on since I was about 9 years old. So about 30 years. (wait, hold up…30 years??? 30??? There’s no way. (*does the math*) Ummm…so yeah…I’m officially getting old. GETTING? Nope, I’m there. LOL LOL

In high school writing was so therapeutic for me. If I had a bad day, I’d come home and bang out a poem in like 10 minutes. It came so natural to write when I was feeling down and depressed. Good days…? They were few and in between. I was suffering from severe depression and, though we didn’t realize it at the time, bipolar disorder. I didn’t have a lot of happy days in my senior year.

If you want to write, you can
Fear stops most people from writing, not lack of talent.
Who am I? What right have I to speak?
Who will listen to me?
You are a human being with a unique story to tell.
You have EVERY right

Richard Rhodes

So write that book, write that essay, write that research paper. Whatever writing project you are working on….keep writing.

I keep an article by Neil Gilliland at my desk and refer to it anytime I need inspiration. In his article he mentions several different reasons why he write. Please…click on his name and it’ll link you to this article. It’s very good.

“Why do I write?–I have no idea but I will probably keep doing it. You should, too.”

Neil Gilliland, One Magazine

I keep saying I’m going to write a book. And who knows? Maybe I will. But right now I’m just writing….whether it ends up into book form I have no idea. But I’m going to keep writing.

And you should too.

Just Keep Writing, Just Kee—Squirrel!

****Repost*** February 2018

As most of you know I’m working, very slowly albeit, a project that I hope will turn into a book one day down the road.

I decided to search through old posts about my writing and I came across this from about 3 years ago.

I get distracted very easily as you can tell from my title….(if you haven’t seen the movie “Up” I encourage you to. It’s such a cute movie. )

Writing takes time. I’m slowly, (very slowly….okay like turtle slow….) figuring out what should be included and what shouldn’t. This “book” is going to force me to unlock many memories that I really rather not get into BUT…..BUT…it’s essential. It has to be done. If I’m going to write a book on the stigma surrounding mental illness and the church I will have to face my demons from many, many years ago….

As I read this post from 3 years ago…I feel like I have come a long way in my writing. At least I think I have.

So….I will just keep on writing…writing is what I strongly feel is my “gift.” And I don’t want to squander that gift.

Periodically, would you all stop by and ask how the writing is going? I feel that will keep me motivated.

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Just Keep Writing…..

The inspiration for my writing is slowly but surely returning. I’m still having bouts of writer’s block but I just write through it. 🙂

Just keep writing, Just keep writing…. 🙂

I’ve been going to a local coffee shop and the words have slowly been coming to me.

I’ve been praying that the Lord will give me the right words to write. I want my writing to glorify Him and Him alone.

I just love to write.

So here I am, at my local coffee shop, once again, getting ready to pound out some writing in my lovely Google Docs. I’m writing whatever pops in my head and later I’ll go back and edit and do some copy and pasting, lol.

The Lord brought this verse to my attention the other day:

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin….

Zechariah 4:10

I may feel discouraged that my writing is not taking off like I wish it would but this verse reminds me that the Lord rejoices in the fact that I’m working on it! I’m slowly beginning the process and that makes Him happy. 🙂

What hobbies do you have that just make you extremely happy when you’re doing it?

I Don’t Feel Like Writing….

…but I’m going to anyway!

It’s been a long time! I haven’t been on here much throughout this whole quarantined life we have going on. (How are you all doing, by the way? Staying safe I hope!)

I can’t believe I haven’t been taking advantage of all this free time to write!

But the problem is this: I just haven’t felt like writing lately! I’m not in a bad place mentally, in fact I’m doing so much better. I just go through ruts where writing just doesn’t sound appealing.

But tonight I’m going to force myself to write and see what comes of it.

For as long as I can remember, writing has always been there for me. I could sit down and pop out poem after poem in a matter of minutes. Then it stopped. I stopped. And I let the years waste away when I could have been writing.

I came across this quote that I have since printed out and taped above my desk:

If you want to write, you can.

Fear stops most people from writing, not lack of talent.

Who am I? What right have I to speak? Who will listen to me?

You are a human being with a unique story to tell.

You have every right.

—Richard Rhodes

I think, no I KNOW, that fear is keeping me from writing. So that is what I need to get past. I need to get past the fear that I’m not worth it. Past the fear that cripples me. Past the fear that I’m not good enough.

Remember a couple of years ago when I told you all that I was going to write a book? Yeah, I definitely let that fall by the wayside. I let fear win. I let my problems get in the way.

You know, I can’t go any further until I tell you that “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson (LOVE HER!) literally JUST started playing and I had to laugh. What a perfect song to be playing when I’m talking about my fear of writing.

Just take a look at the lyrics!

I’ll spread my wings, and I’ll learn how to fly
I’ll do what it takes till I touch the sky
And I’ll make a wish
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won’t forget all the ones that I love
I’ll take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway

Coincidence? I don’t think so! 🙂

What is it that is holding you up in life? What is that one thing you know you’re meant to be doing but are letting fear take the reigns…

I’ve let fear of not being good enough take the reigns for far too long.

I’ve always been told to “write what you know” but I always respond with “I don’t know what I know!”

And it’s time I start figuring out “what I know!” No more “I don’t know”

Writer’s Block Strikes Again

I’ve been wanting to write the last several days and yet when I attempt it, nothing. At all. Nothing comes out. The dreaded writer’s block strikes again.

Maybe my problem is that I don’t know what I want to write. LOL

Writing can be so therapeutic. Being able to lose yourself in a story can be so much fun.

But I have no ideas in my head. There. Are. No. Ideas.

Help!!!!

All you writers out there….what do you do when writer’s block hits?

 

 

Writing Through the Doubt

My good friend Stephen over at Fractured Faith Blog has inspired me to write about doubt and how to handle it. Read his post, My Desert of Doubt

We all have our dealings with doubt. It’s inevitable. We’re humans. We’re going to doubt. So how do we handle it? What do we do with it? Well, we can allow it to consume us, sending us into a pit of despair or we can hand it over to the Lord who can comfort us and give us peace about our situation.

My writing lately is not coming together like I’d like it too. I’ve put the book I want to write on the back burner for now. With me being back at work, it’s a struggle to come home and sit down and write. I’m hurting from standing all day and my brain just doesn’t want to produce anything, lol.

But most of all, the doubt I have as to whether or not I can be a writer takes over and I fall victim to its prey. Who wants to read my words? Who am I kidding? My writings aren’t that good. These are just several thoughts that race through my brain when I finally do sit down to try to write something, to try and produce something worth reading.

Doubt can consume you if you let it. And sometimes, before I even realize it, I’ve let it. Satan really knows how to attack each one of us by using our weaknesses against us.

So what’s the best remedy for dealing with our doubt? Turn it over to the Father who knows about our struggles and wants to shower us with His love. We may not know what the future holds for us and that can be scary but the Lord knows and He wants to help guide us to what He has created us to be.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11