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| "Life is trying things to see if they work." Ray Bradbury |
I like the
freedom inherent in today’s quote:
Life is
about trying things … and maybe they work, and maybe they
don’t.
Life isn’t
about getting it right the first time. And there are some seasons in our lives
when it isn’t about getting it right most of the time.
Life
is about discovering what works for you.
So here’s a
story for you:
I went to
breakfast yesterday with a few writing friends. One of those friends was an
early writing mentor. This is how my former
mentor complimented me on Somebody Like You, my latest
novel: Beth, I hope it’s okay for me to say this, but Somebody Like You
is better than Catch a Falling Star. (Catch a Falling Star is
the novel I wrote before SLY.)
My
response: I hope
so!
I try to up
my game with every book I write. I want to discover what is working for me
as a writer—and improve on it. And I also try to figure out what isn’t
working—and fix it in the next book I write.
I wish I had
learned the whole “how’s it working for you?” principle sooner in my
life—instead of operating on the “let’s pretend I’ve got it all together and
aim for perfectionism” theory. When I allow myself to learn—and leave room for
both success and failure—then I grow in an atmosphere of grace.
In Your
Words: So what have you tried lately—and discovered “Wow! This worked!” And
what have you tried … and it didn’t work? And what did you learn from those
experiences?
TWEETABLE
All of life is a learning experience for me--and that includes my writing endeavors. Each book presents a fresh challenge and a new set of obstacles. I take my experience from one novel to the next, but no matter how hard I try, I know the story will never be perfect. However, I can avoid making the same mistakes again. That's the way it "works" for me.
ReplyDeleteThe other day I was trying to think of a new and interesting topic to write about. Things felt flat. Then I got to thinking about the season and how I could incorporate that into my topic. All of the sudden I had an idea.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest thing that stalls me is if I let myself get into a rut, or make myself try to do things like everyone else. Sometimes that stifles my creativity.
Great Post, Beth!
The death 3 days ago of a very cherished student is making me experience emotions and probe much deeper than my usual. I'm glad to be in touch w/ some of these depths and know I will carry them into my future writing. Yes, great post, as always.
ReplyDeleteI found this post via Linda Lee Williams a member of eNovel Authors at Work. The post is dead on. This line is absolutely perfect: "Life isn’t about getting it right the first time. And there are some seasons in our lives when it isn’t about getting it right most of the time." Sometimes just hanging on or hanging in is all a human can manage. It works for me.
ReplyDeleteBest to you and yours from
JackieWeger