Inspired and joyful -- (pandas love to do somersaults, and I'm doing them in my heart).
First Holly Lisle and now Jaye Patrick -- generous writers who help other writers -- have linked to Pandababy. (To be accurate, Holly linked to my first blog, FlowerChild's Garden of Musings, which links to Pandababy.)
I'm adding "blogs I read" links to my new Pandababy pages, beginning with those I've been reading regularly for nearly a year: Holly and Jaye, PBW, and zette. They have opened my eyes to the joys and frustrations of published authors at various milestones of their careers.
They are writers who have inspired me to set goals for myself far beyond anything I could have imagined. Their lack of pretense and down-to-earth acknowledgements of both their hits and misses model for me how to live (and blog).
I began reading their blogs because I enjoy their stories, and continued reading because they motivate me in a hundred ways and affirm in me elemental convictions which energize my muse. Whether or not it is stated by them in exactly so many words, here are a few of the central ideas they've shown and strengthened in me, by their fiction and their blogs:
Each step of my daily journey is enough for my purposes.
My actions must be rooted in my inner convictions, (rather than outcomes).
Significant accomplishments rise from innumerable purposeful actions.
Prolific writers have a plan, work their plan, modify their plan --
and keep working their plan.
4 comments:
Aww, jeez, Panda, you've made my ears go red.
Thanks for your kind words. I'm still trying to get used to people actually reading what I write.
Innate shyness is incredibly difficult to overcome, but... I am trying, and every positive word goes a long way.
You have some memorable stories up on your Takeaway, Jaye, (and others I remember from a Forward Motion challenge last year). I like writing that makes me think, and stories that I can't foresee the next scene or the ending.
Knowing your skill and experience is considerably beyond mine, I've been surprised (and then encouraged) when you've blogged about writing -- your ups and your downs. I've thought - well, if she has to struggle sometimes, and she gets past it, then I can do it. Much better than me sitting here in ignorance supposing that every writer just decides to write something, and 'pouf' there it is.
It makes me feel normal about the kinds of struggles I have, like it is o.k. to have times when writing just comes like a gift, and other times when it's more like a wrestling match.
Writing, as you've found, is a painful process, but the rewards are always, always worth it.
Are you going to start a blog for short stories too?
Not yet, but eventually. I have a new short story up on the January Challenge at Forward Motion, and FM is where I'll post most of my stories and poems for now.
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