By Mary Anne Hahn
Four years ago, on a May afternoon bright with promise, I lived every writer’s dream – I packed up nearly a decade’s worth of office belongings, hugged my co-workers good-bye, and walked out of a secure, stable, stress-filled job to make my mark as a full-time freelance writer.
Shirley Jump
Take it off. Take it all off. No, not your clothes (although if you want to compose in the nude, that’s your prerogative). Strip away those hindrances to writing, from the expectations of others to the quest for your true writing voice. Once you learn to strip away all the rules and barriers, you will write more freely and your words will have more impact.
Margaret Terhune
A few weeks ago, I received a great rejection letter from a literary journal. It was almost as exciting as when I got my first paying contract. While other people raise an eyebrow when I refer to a good rejection letter, my writing friends smile knowingly for they are familiar with the hierarchy of editor responses.
Shirley Jump
A friend recently asked me, as a fellow mom and full-time writer: “How do you juggle work and being a mom and make sure you’re doing a good job at both? I feel guilty when I work and guilty when I don’t. Well, all except for at night. But the work I can get in from nine to midnight just isn’t enough if I want to do this full time….”
Shirley Jump
When I first started writing, I thought I wanted to be the next Jane Pauley. I could just see myself, leaping after the big story, landing the big headlines and the cheers of the newsroom. Then, after a few years at a city newspaper, I realized I didn’t have what it took to be an investigative reporter. I didn’t like butting into people’s lives, I didn’t like stirring up trouble and I especially didn’t like hunting down a story that didn’t want to be found.
Sharon Horton
In the world of acting, the Food Chain is well defined. Theater actors look down upon Movie actors. Movie actors look down upon Television actors. Television actors look down upon Commercial actors and I suppose Commercial actors look down upon Infomercial actors. Everyone has an opinion as to what is legitimate within the Thespian World. It is the same within the Literary World.
Shirley Jump
I have a confession to make: I procrastinate as much as the next person. I’ll avoid a pending deadline by cleaning out the bathroom cabinet, taking a trip to the mall or simply overdosing on junk TV. The problem is that I’m a working writer, and I’m responsible for a sizable chunk of the household income, so procrastination is not a good idea.
When you find yourself deep in the grip of writer’s block, sometimes it helps you kick back and relax. Enjoy these fun inspirations.
Humor can get you out of a funk, help give you ideas when you have writer’s block, and generally is good for your soul.
Shirley Jump
I have become the queen of finding time I didn’t think I had, LOL. I’ve pasted a few tips below, that always work for me: