In the August 21, 2011 issue of the Oregonian, singer Wynonna Judd is quoted as saying “…pick two or three things per day that are a priority. You don’t prioritize your schedule; you schedule your priorities — and whatever those are, you make those happen.” When it comes to your writing, what are your priorities?
Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category
Inspiration: Prioritize
Posted in Inspiration, tagged prioritize, writing, Wynonna Judd on September 1, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Favorite books, movies and ice cream
Posted in Inspiration on June 14, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
My favorite books are Shipping News by Annie Proulx, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg, and Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor. My favorite movies are It’s a Wonderful Life, Groundhog Day, and The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a [...]
Inspiration: Freedom to make bad works
Posted in Inspiration, Writing process (general) on May 6, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Quote for the day: “It is important to make works just to make them. The ultimate freedom is the freedom to make bad works.” — Robert Dozono
Inspiration: Soul mission
Posted in Inspiration on April 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Your soul mission is your reason for being, your life purpose. It’s your calling in life–who you feel called to be, what you feel called to do. Mission is an energy that flows through you–a drive, voice, or passion that you cannot ignore… It’s what you know in your heart you must live if you [...]
Inspiration: Look into your heart
Posted in Inspiration, tagged Carl Jung, inspiration, writing on October 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside, awakens.” – Carl Jung
What I’m reading: The Writer’s Book
Posted in Inspiration, What I'm reading on October 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
In The Writer’s Book, published more than 50 years ago by Barnes & Noble, the advice is still timely: “…the best work…has always been done by people who were concerned only with pleasing themselves. Given a reasonable degree of competence in the mechanics of the craft, there is an audience, large or small, for anything [...]
Inspiration: That’s Life by Frank Sinatra
Posted in Inspiration on September 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Being a writer can have its ups and downs. One day you’re walking on air because an editor bought your story. The next day you’re feeling down because a literary agent told you “Essays don’t sell.” The lyrics to Frank Sinatra’s song “That’s Life” (below) remind us that, not matter what life throws at us, we [...]
Inspiration: Honoring the unfinished life
Posted in Inspiration on July 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
A poem by Richard Gilbert from the Skinner House meditation manual “In the Holy Quiet of this Hour”: In the midst of the whirling day, in the hectic rush to be doing, In the frantic pace of life, pause here for a moment. Catch your breath, relax your body. Loosen your grip on life. Consider [...]
Making a difference
Posted in Inspiration, Writing process (general) on July 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Writers write for a variety of reasons: to entertain, inform, annoy, show off, shock or impress. Sometimes writers write to make a positive difference. As Gandhi said: ”You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” If you could have a positive impact on the world with your writing, what would you write about?
What I’m reading: The World Within
Posted in Inspiration, What I'm reading on June 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I just finished reading The World Within (Tin House Books), which includes interviews with several writers. A couple of the writers’ more pithy comments: Claribel Alegria on writing and submitting a book manuscript: “You put it in a bottle and cork it and throw it out to sea for whoever finds it.” Ken Kesey: “My dad told me [...]
