Menna Van Praag's Blog, page 29
January 15, 2014
“The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.” ― Agatha Christie
Day 14: This is a funny little piece of advice, but it’s true for me. If I’m engaging my body, even the most mundane of ways, I’m often blessed with the answer to a plot problem or a few stupendous sentences. So, if you find yourself staring at the blank page, stop & take a walk or do housework. Let your mind wander loosely around the subject, skirting it gently, & it probably won’t be long very long at all before a spark of inspiration settles on your shoulder…
Pic: on my NYC adventures today I met the very lovely Writer Lisa Van Allen – we visited stationary shops. Heaven.
January 13, 2014
“You have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world.” ― Harriet Tubman
Day 13: Today I’m in New York! We arrived last night & have spent a beautiful day, jet-lagged but happy. Tonight I had the great pleasure of meeting my new editor for the first time, the lovely Linda Marrow at Random House, We met in a gorgeous place (Radiance Tea House & Books) and we experienced a little miracle of loveliness. We were talking, with great passion, about stationary and letter writing when a woman from another table leaned over, apologising for interrupting, to tell us how struck she was by our passion and how infectious it was. She smiled with such delight as she joined our conversation – sharing her own passion for paper – and I was deeply touched. I’m certain that, when we parted, we were all closer to touching the stars (so to speak) and, for me at least, it was a beautiful reminder of the great and glorious power of passion to change the world, or at least transform the lives of the people inhabiting it.
Pic: touring the stationary shops of Brooklyn 
January 11, 2014
“Eighty per cent of success is showing up.” ― Woody Allen
Day 10: This piece of advice is so simple and so good. Those who succeed in life, those who realise their dreams, aren’t the most talented or special, they are simply the ones who kept showing up, who kept knocking on doors despite all the ones slammed shut in their faces. Of course talent is necessary – although not always – but if you keep going & keep going, it’s very likely that you’ll get where you want to go. And, until then, don’t forget to enjoy the journey 
Pic: another beautiful sunny winter’s day in Cambridge.
January 10, 2014
“What does the brain matter compared with the heart?” ― Virginia Woolf
I love that this quote comes from one of the most intelligent women who ever put pen to paper. It reminds me not to worry that I’m not Shakespeare or, indeed, Virginia Woolf. Brains are useful in life, of course, but having an open heart matters more than anything else.
From time to time I enjoy artistic works and writing that stimulates my intellect but it’s only those things that move me, the books, films, paintings, music that sneak into my heart, that stay with me forever. Only some of us have the ability to be intellectually brilliant, but all of us have the capacity to love and express what we feel in our hearts. Cultivate that and you’ll create something really beautiful.
Pic: every evening O & I go for a walk to post letters
January 9, 2014
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
Day 8: Mothers can lift trucks off babies, men fly to the moon, I wrote Men, Money & Chocolate in two weeks, after never having being able to complete a book before. Thus I believe that you can do whatever it is you dream of doing. All it takes is for you to believe it too. So, banish all thoughts of impossibility, don’t think of the end result and focus only your next step – that’s all you need to do to make the seemingly impossible possible!
January 8, 2014
“Whatever you’re meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible.” ― Doris Lessing
Day 7: If you wait for everything in your life to line up into perfect unison before you act, you’ll be waiting forever. Nearly every person who’s achieved something of great significance has overcome great odds to do it. So, whatever your circumstances are, get going before you can change them. And, whenever you find yourself bemoaning your state, think of all those who’ve gone before you who never gave up, be inspired by their example of courage and determination and decide to be an example of it yourself… Pic: a posh shoe shop in Notting Hill. HOPE in the window
January 7, 2014
“If we did all the rings we are capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves.” Thomas Edison
Day 6: I remember when I didn’t believe I was capable of anything much at all. I thought I’d never publish a book, never learn to drive a car, never be a mother. And – when I remember who I was then – I literally can’t believe what I’ve done now. Years ago I took a workshop – TransformationMadeEasy – & it opened up a world of possibility to me. Suddenly I believed in myself, I knew that anything was possible and I could do anything I wanted to do. Just as we all can. It’s only impossible so long as we believe it is. Once we do it, it’s beautifully, magnificently easy!
January 6, 2014
“An artist needs to stay open. You always have to be ready for that little artistic epiphany.” Nick Cave
Day 5: Inspiration can strike anywhere, but rarely when you’re staring at the blank screen/page. I get most of my epiphanies while I’m out and about. Yesterday I went to my new favourite cafe (for slices of banana bread with cinnamon butter) and, for the first time went into their bathroom. It was gorgeous, with delicious old-fashioned recipes adorning the walls. In my shocked delight I was struck with new inspiration for my latest story. Now I have the perfect excuse to visit new cafes and eat cake – excellent!
January 4, 2014
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.’ ― Sylvia Plath
Day 3: I had such an inspiring teleseminar tonight with my students! We spoke about how new writers often add superfluous words because they don’t trust their own abilities. Of course, when self-doubt is at its worst, we don’t write anything at all. I was so plagued by it in my twenties that I couldn’t complete anything. But self-doubt is second-guessing the outside world. It’s assuming that you have to be better/different in order to succeed. But you don’t have to be Shakespeare to be successful. So don’t question what you want to write. Simply express yourself and you will find your place in the world.
Pic: I loved the Beatles when I was a teenager (still do) imagine if they let self-doubt stop them from writing their songs!
January 3, 2014
“Write then edit, don’t edit then write.” – MvP
Day 2: I never finished a book before I learnt this. I never finished a first chapter. I was such a perfectionist that I edited everything & never completed anything. Now I just write. I throw it all down on the page, I swim in the words, I delight in the glorious mess and the unexpected miracles. Then, when I’m done – and only then – I go back and edit. Perhaps I’ll edit a dozen drafts or more. But don’t edit your first draft, or you’ll never finish your book.
Pic: I saw this in my favourite Cambridge bookshop – Heffers – & thought of The House at the End of Hope Street
