For many years I have dreamed of being a published author. I've sent off a few things, have my first rejection letter framed (which is really a letter, and quite lengthy for what it is), had one of my pieces included in a collection of stories about rescued Golden Retrievers, but I can't go to Borders and find a book with my name on the spine. So I'm still chasing that dream...
Do I write on a daily basis? No, not unless blogging counts.
Am I writing queries and sending off work? No (and that might explain why I'm still waiting to be published).
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| photo by mrjoro |
Do I make writing a priority in my life? No. Watching television and reading and knitting have slurped up my summer. I could try and make the excuse that I don't have time to write, but I do. I do have time to write.
A few years ago a writing friend of mine moved to Austin. She is the type of writer who has x-ray vision; she can see right through a piece and discover what it needs in order to improve.
Since we would regularly bounce pieces back and forth during the polishing process, we began a short-lived, long-distance "contest" of sorts to keep our writing momentum going. The idea was one of us would come up with a word or phrase, and that word/phrase would have to appear in the story or poem.
It was short-lived, since only one or two stories resulted from the idea. We kind of let it fade after two rounds. However, the story I wrote that involved a swizzle stick wasn't half bad.
Writing about a predetermined object stretches you as a writer. Try it. Partner with a friend or two, and after one of you comes up with an object, begin writing... (And if anyone out there has some great object ideas---like swizzle stick----that could be used as a springboard for writing, send them my way.)
