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Friday, April 11, 2014

Friday Fricassee

In honor of Mr. A's birthday (and he's even taken the day off--good for him!), I offer some words of celebration:

  • Every word you write is a success.  Not because it's the right word, or because it won't be edited later, or even because it's a grand sort of gesture deserving attention and praise.  But simply because YOU HAVE WRITTEN IT.  Every word on every day that you write is a step toward completing your novel.  And that is worth celebrating.
  • Stories are an integral part of our human experience--we never stop telling them or listening to them or living them.  So, as a writer, YOU are an integral part of humanity, putting into words the stories that enrich our lives and pull us out of the mundane and into the deeper parts of our brains.
  • After all the hard work of plotting and drafting and revising and editing, your story is A GIFT.  It is a gift to everyone who reads it, and a gift to yourself.  Stories are meant for sharing, so as a writer, you are living a life of SHARING, whether you're aware of it or not.
  • Every word of encouragement you offer to a fellow writer, every critique you lovingly (and sometimes painfully) inflict on someone's manuscript, every word of advice or gentle suggestion or bit of commiseration you offer to someone else--THIS WILL NEVER RETURN VOID.  You are sowing into the lives and spirits other others, and into the writing community at large.  And you will receive in equal measure.
  • If you're crying in a corner over the latest rejection or a stuck place or an overwhelming sense of failure, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE OUT THERE who will put his arm around your shoulders and let you know that you're not alone.  And that you can KEEP GOING.  Then, when the angst has passed, you WILL keep going.

So to everyone who has hit a hard spot...or a blank spot...or a lonely spot:  YOU CAN DO THIS THING.  We're all in it together, and it's a wonderful celebration of the way we've been created to create.

Enjoy your weekend!  And I'll see you Monday with the results of our First Line Grabber.

9 comments:

  1. Great post!
    And happy B-day to Mr. A!

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  2. Thanks. You always seem to post words of encouragement just when I need them.

    Happy Birthday Mr. A

    Violet

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  3. Happy Birthday to Mr. A. Good people are born in April - I know, I'm one of them, but I have to wait ten days until my BD.

    Thank you for this post. The most important point you made besides keeping on writing is to make sure you are an encouragement to others - those words do not come back void. I've also found that, when I encourage others, I walk away doubly blessed. It gets the focus off of me.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

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  4. Beautifully said. Maybe you should trade the hat for a pair of defibrillator paddles; you have a talent for resuscitating a writer's soul. Thank you.

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  5. True; I can still recall feedback I received from my first contest submission. It stuck with me and was exactly what I needed to hear.

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  6. Such wonderful encouragement. Thank you!

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  7. :) Happy Birthday to Mr. A. (I also have a lot of folks in my family with April birthdays!)

    And thank you so much for these lovely thoughts. It's been a rough week, and something so positive and uplifting was just what I needed!

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  8. Like my fellow writers, I appreciate your helpful words of encouragement - and hope that Mr. A had a wonderful birthday!

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