Two top-5's and a WORD of the WEEK. Ready, set, go!
The top 5 THINGS I DISLIKE and LIKE ABOUT WRITING:
#5 -
Pain in my wrists, mainly my right wrist, although I can't contribute my RSI to typing alone. Graphic Design, i.e. mouse overuse, is also to blame.
Reading with my daughter. She's read most everything I've written. The hours upon hours I've shared with her reading and discussing my books is time that I'll cherish for all of my life.
#4 -
What was once a love of mine has turned into a chore, and that's naming characters. I'm just out of names. I wonder how she overcomes this?
Research. I love to do research! This is one of my most favorite parts to being a writer, especially when researching locations, history and other cultures.
#3 -
Publishing a novel can be risky. Art, in general, can be risky because it's an industry built on subjectivity, and because most good artists put their heart and and soul into their work knowing that it might not be received well by some.
Hearing, "I love your book!" from my readers! Positive feedback has been such a monumental and cherished part of my journey as a writer.
#2 -
The time writing sucks away from my average day. I'll sit down, start writing, look up and five hours are gone--just like that! (Insert *snap* here) I tend to get a little neglectful when I'm immersed in a novel. Just ask my sweet, supportive family and friends.
The escapism that comes with writing a story. I live a pretty simple life in a small, quiet town and I can't stand day-time soap operas or real-life drama. So, I create fictitious drama in my "alternate" worlds. Why? Because I can control it. I like being in control and I like being able to create perfect love, perfect men (Hey, Creed!), and perfect endings to journeys I wouldn't dream of taking in my real simple life.
#1 -
The endings. It's hard on me when I close a story line. I get very attached to my characters, attached to the point where I feel that I know them. To say good-bye has been harder than I thought it would be.
The satisfaction I get when I complete a novel. I've had my fair share of this, 21 times of it. And as much as it hurts to end a novel, the satisfaction I feel when I do is like nothing else, not cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping ... (See #2 now).
Honorable mentions include: soda intake, music playlists, pagination, help from my son with technical/scientific issues, clowns (had to add this), and seeing my friends and family get excited for/with me about my writing.
Now, onto WORD of the WEEK, which is ..................
RISK. I went back on forth on this word. The definition comes across as negative, almost forewarning, but that's not the risk I'm referring to. I'm talking more about the "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" kind of risk. My friend Amy's recent success confirms this basic concept for me. If you don't put yourself out there, you might miss out on good things happening to you. You might run into problems, you might be told 'no', or you might get hurt. But you'll never know what might happen if you don't take a risk and go for it.
Some of my favorite quotes about "Risk":
"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." Andre Gide
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." James Dean
"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." Michelangelo
"If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything." Win Borden
Take a risk, jump, and enjoy the fall!
Kristin
Ps. MEGA-POST was deliberate. With the release of THE PROMISE just around the corner, I'll be neglecting this blog for a couple of weeks. See you soon!
