Saturday, December 13, 2014

Discover What Works for You

by Beth Vogt @BethVogt

"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

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” A nonfiction writer and editor who said she’d never write fiction, Beth is now a novelist with Howard Books. She enjoys writing inspirational contemporary romance because she believes there’s more to happily-ever-after than the fairy tales tell us. Connect with Beth on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or check out her blog on quotes, In Others’Words.

4 comments:

  1. 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.

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  2. The 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.

    The 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!

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  3. 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.

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  4. I 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.
    Best to you and yours from
    JackieWeger

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