The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France
Showing posts with label writing activity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing activity. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

NOT Living the Writer's Life

          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).


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.)