Saturday Soirée - Where is it?

Saturday Soirée and I got lost in the unexpected swirl of life. I expect that we'll make our way to shore by weekend.

Blessings to you and blessed writing time too..

Saturday Soirée - Writing Matters by Rob Parnell

I've been a subscriber to Rob Parnell's Easy Way to Write for quite some time and Rob never fails to catch my undivided attention with his informative and inspiring articles on writing and the writing life. I've taken up many of his free offers and benefitted from the guarantees he has made about his gifts.

Once again he delivered a timely dose of encouragement to writers at every stage of the writing journey.

I am so happy to share his latest article with you.

Writing Matters

by Rob Parnell

People take writing for granted nowadays. It's everywhere: the Net, newspapers, magazines, books, novels. You can't go anywhere or do anything without coming across words - and the images, even industries they spawn. It's easy to forget that everything starts with a writer.

Writers are often taken for granted too. The news is apparently more important than the journalist who records it. Movies are often regarded as more important than the screenwriters who craft them. Publishers frequently bemoan authors for being the most irritating aspect of their jobs. Even some websites today become far more influential than the scribes who put them together.

But without writers, nothing much out there would exist!

Everything starts with writing - and a writer, just like you.

You Gotta Start Somewhere

I've been helping writers online for about seven years now - and one thing I've noticed is that at various stages of their careers, all writers beat themselves up. They're plagued with self doubt and often lack confidence in their work.

This is bad news if you want to be productive and successful - in many cases it can even stop you from writing at all.

But the good news - if you like to call it that - is that self doubt never quite goes away. No matter how good you get, or how long you write for, you never lose that side of yourself that questions your ability, or your talent - even your sanity sometimes.

Why is this good, you ask?

Well, it's good because it's your self doubt that actually makes you better at what you do. You internal commentator - you know that guy? - is the critical faculty in your brain that forces you to perfect every word, every line, every piece until it's as effective as it should be.

To me, there's nothing worse than a writer who are totally satisfied with the first thing he puts down - and will not change it! No, it's writers who are obsessed with perfection that impress me - and whose careers inevitably transcend all the others.

Flexibility is Control

It's hard sometimes, I know, to murder your darlings, those pieces of prose you love so much.

It's hard to change characters because they're not working in your story.

It's hard to incorporate publisher's suggestions into your work.

But in all these situations, you have to.

You need the strength of character to understand that your writing lives on the outside of you, not just on the inside.

When your writing is on paper, it's fair game, so the thinking goes.

That's why the journalist is forgotten, that's why the screenwriter is used only as a starting block in Hollywood. That's why publishers tend to treat newbie authors with such contempt. And it's why websites take on a significance way beyond their creator's copy.

But this too is good. It's part of the process. Writing creates 'things'. The writing is the piece of clay that creates an idea or an object that editors, publishers and producers want to mold and shape into something everyone can use and enjoy.

Your own writing has the power to inspire.

Don't be afraid of changing your writing, honing and perfecting your skill, to make your writing better. Over and over if necessary.

There's no shame in that - quite the opposite is true.

A Writer's Time is Never Wasted

Being a writer is about having a certain mindset - a different way of looking at the world. Where a normal person sees life and and accepts it with fatalism, a writer sees the world as a place filled with opportunities to create and improve on reality.

That's why the world needs writers so much - to offer escapism or solutions, to make sense of everything and make life more meaningful.

Writing is a noble profession. We are creators.

It doesn't matter how long we take to get things on paper - or perfect what we do. A writer's life is organic, it feeds off experience and we improve, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, depending on our needs and our desire to learn.

Even when not writing, the true writer is gathering information, sensations and stimuli that will eventually find their way into the writing. It's all good. It's all purposeful.

Writing matters too much to let our self doubt get the better of us.

Don't let your inner demon grind you down.

Don't ignore the voice that makes you doubt yourself.

Make friends with your inner commentator.

Be buddies.

The two of you have important work to do.

Keep Writing!

Now, let's get to our writing because with Rob dishing out information and inspiration like this, it is easy to write.

Fourth of July Greetings

Have a wonderful

Independence Day


my American friends who write.

Saturday Soirée - Let's give thanks

We've all heard that it is important to always take a moment to say "Thanks" to the people who have helped us.

Today, will you join me in saying thanks to those who have encouraged us by their inspiring words and/or by their example, to improve our writing (style, voice, practice, process etc.), in some way.

If you think your list is too long for the comments section, share a few and post the rest on your blog, with a link back to Perspectives on Writing.

Your dream book

Maybe you have a published book or two or several under your belt. Maybe you have even done the whole "book tour and book signing" thing too. Yet your have not yet written your deep-down-in -your-heart book and it is niggling at you.

- a comic take on a serious issue, a pet topic, a classic romance, your personal story or someone else's -

Write a short (up to 250 words) description of your dream book and share it in the comments.

Thank you

I used to believe that I couldn’t possibly write about writing. Although I had pieces published at Absolute Write, Writing Corner and other writing sites, I still felt I could never consistently write about writing as eloquently as the other writers did. No way could I ever invoke such passion in myself or worse, in others, especially writers. Nah, I’d stick to my decorating pieces.

Yet here I am embroiled in this blog and connecting with some wonderful bloggers: passionate, creative, joyful, inspiring writers - identifying with their stories, and they identifying with mine.

It's not about writing eloquently but truthfully, authentically and passionately.

Thank you for following and subscribing to Perspectives on Writing. You are the ones who are fueling my passion and sprinkling petals of inspiration on my journey.

Saturday Soirée - The writing connection

Like many dreams, mine got lost in the melee of living until my heart could no longer bear the thirst for something more. Of course at the time I did not know not what would quench the thirst, except that my heart yearned for something creative.

Pursuing one path, led me to another. For all the adventure and thrill interior design provided, it was simply a means to an end. Of course I did not know that at the time, but as I moved effortlessly and excitedly among floor plans, decorating styles, color, furniture placement, fabrics, lighting and all the other elements that make up the sum of the field, I gravitated to writing about interiors as opposed to creating them.

Rooted in my children, my dream to write never quite left me. It resurfaced, dressed in different clothes and stayed in the shadows. In time, it threw off its disguise and stepped into the light. No one was more surprised than I to discover my latent dream was alive and well and ready to take me on the adventure of a lifetime.

To cut a long story short, I found myself, my voice, my purpose, my passion.

What is your writing story? How did you connect or re-connect with your writing dream? When did the dream first tickle your heart? Were you like me, on a different life path when writing re-entered your life? What was the reunion like? How are you faring today with your writing?

Change can be fun

Aqua Poppy Designs drew me in and catered to my preference for elegant designs, subdued colors and simple, classic, understated patterns. I decided to change the backgrounds on all my blogs.

My previous post was meant to simply let you know about Chelsea's blog and free backgrounds. It was a spur-of-the-moment impulse that I asked you to comment on what you thought the new look said about me.

I'm so glad I did because it was interesting to read your observations and insights.

Thank you.

One minute the design seems cluttered because I am used to the solid-colored backgrounds I've been using. Then after I look at it for a second or two, it is a nice change, a fun change and a definite reflection of my love of country cottage style - notice the tiny checked (gingham) pattern on the bows. Another aspect in the new background is the overall pattern. It features curves in the leaf and petal shapes and swirls - so me.

And the prominence of green, my all-time favorite color. No more solid green, but accents against a pale neutral color.Ivory, cream, tan and sand will always get my vote. Did you see the pops of black?

I'm not a lover of blue but those soft blue lines and swirls are pretty. I like it.

This background will change in the future, I'm sure but I'm really liking this new change. It's fun. Change can be that way sometimes, especially when you have darling friends like you to share it with. Thanks again for making it so much fun.

Free Blog Backgrounds

Chelsea at Aqua Poppy Designs has some cool blog backgrounds to share and they are free too. The one I downloaded tells a little about me.

What do you think it says?

Saturday Soirée - Of trees and forests and your writing dream

Are you focused on your ultimate writing dream? I hope so. Keeping your eye on the prize you want to snag is a good and commendable thing. However, there could be a problem. With eyes trained on the future you could be missing the benefits of the of the day-to-day joys and struggles to get there.

Have you heard the saying about missing the forest for the trees? I think many writers; particularly aspiring writers are often guilty of missing the trees for the forest.

As you keep your eyes on the forest - your writing dream – notice the following trees and make use of what they offer.

• Tried and true and innovative steps you need to take to keep moving forward and achieving one goal at a time.
• Writing rules that ensure good writing and professional dealings with editors and other writers.
• A writing process that not only feeds off your inspiration but inspires you.
• Writing and life practices that encourage and promote efficient and productivity.
• Advice and information from other writers.

Each symbolic tree that makes up the forest of your dream is a vital part of the writing journey.

Have you been staring at the glory of being the writer you have always wanted to be? Good. That’s your forest. A more important question is, are you taking notice of the trees on your way there? Are you making use of their offerings?