Simone Pond's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-inspiration"
Anne Lamott on finding our purpose
Years ago, like back in the 90s, I bought a book called "bird by bird" by an author named Anne Lamott. The book was to help with my writing, but it actually helped with my life. And that sums up Anne Lamott. Her words are healing and hopeful because she's unabashedly honest about her struggles. She says the things I'm thinking, but they sound so much more graceful and forgiving.
I had the pleasure of hearing her speak at the Vroman's Bookstore event at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Monday night. I went with a group of women who continuously help me navigate life one day at a time. I would have been content with just that, but then to hear Ms. Lamott speak about where she is on her journey, and what being an author and a human means to her really hit home. She spoke about purpose and her new book "Stitches" - which I'm sure will be another helpful manual for living.
What is our purpose?
I like to think it's to love our neighbors and be as helpful as possible, but most of the time I have my head up my ass worrying about what's in it for me and how I can get mine. It's so good to know I'm not alone. All of us are like this. I'm sure Mother Teresa had her moments of self-absorption. It comes with being human. But there is always room to grow. And maybe that's our purpose -- to grow.
For me, Ms. Lamott hit on all pistons and her words will resonate in my soul for years to come. One lady asked the question I was too afraid to ask: "What do you do when you're blocked and can't write?"
What came next validated and confirmed so much for me as a writer:
1) Nobody cares if you write, so you do it for yourself
2) After publishing is when you really get mentally ill
3) Waiting for inspiration to come is another way of saying you're not going to write
Yep.
She nailed it.
I had the pleasure of hearing her speak at the Vroman's Bookstore event at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Monday night. I went with a group of women who continuously help me navigate life one day at a time. I would have been content with just that, but then to hear Ms. Lamott speak about where she is on her journey, and what being an author and a human means to her really hit home. She spoke about purpose and her new book "Stitches" - which I'm sure will be another helpful manual for living.
What is our purpose?
I like to think it's to love our neighbors and be as helpful as possible, but most of the time I have my head up my ass worrying about what's in it for me and how I can get mine. It's so good to know I'm not alone. All of us are like this. I'm sure Mother Teresa had her moments of self-absorption. It comes with being human. But there is always room to grow. And maybe that's our purpose -- to grow.
For me, Ms. Lamott hit on all pistons and her words will resonate in my soul for years to come. One lady asked the question I was too afraid to ask: "What do you do when you're blocked and can't write?"
What came next validated and confirmed so much for me as a writer:
1) Nobody cares if you write, so you do it for yourself
2) After publishing is when you really get mentally ill
3) Waiting for inspiration to come is another way of saying you're not going to write
Yep.
She nailed it.
Freelance monkey for sale
For the past month I've been freelancing in advertising. Years ago I tried to make a career in advertising when I didn't know how to do what I really wanted to do, which is write. Now I do it to pay the bills. I can say this freely and unabashedly without losing a potential gig because the people who hire me already know this. They knew it before I did.
Freelancing has been a wonderful tool as I navigate through this current chapter of life -- the one about becoming a full-time author. Advertising has been the bane of my existence and the blessing. I don't love the industry, and often question the moral and ethical aspects of it, but I've been doing it a long time and do my job pretty well -- and there is always work. This last opportunity came up when I was in the middle of my first draft for the third book. At first I wasn't going to take the gig because I've been struggling with my writing (third person is a challenge for me), but seeing the dollar sign got the wheels spinning. Money does have a sorta magical zing to it, doesn't it?
Here's my mantra with regards to money and cultivating my creative life: 1) The more money I make, the less time I spend in advertising and 2) The less money I spend, the less time I spend in advertising.
The common denomenator?
Pretty obvious, huh?
Spending less time in advertising.
So I took the gig because I wanted the money -- I didn't need the money, which is a blessing in itself (go back to rule #2 if you want to know why I didn't need the money).
The work has been interesting and the people great. I've been chatting with other authors, two who are currently working on their novels, and another who's launching his second this winter. We're everywhere, chilling in the shadows, waiting for our big break so we can quit the day job.
The gig ends in three days and then it's back to full-time writing (some of you may have heard a sigh of jubilation). Since I only had an hour here or an hour there to write, I'm at the point where I'm desperate to get back to it. The job not only provided me with more money to spend less time in advertising, but it reinvigorated my desire to finish this draft. There's something to be said about having the thing you love being removed from your daily routine. I want it back!
And I'm gonna love it and hug it and pet it and squeeze it.
Freelancing has been a wonderful tool as I navigate through this current chapter of life -- the one about becoming a full-time author. Advertising has been the bane of my existence and the blessing. I don't love the industry, and often question the moral and ethical aspects of it, but I've been doing it a long time and do my job pretty well -- and there is always work. This last opportunity came up when I was in the middle of my first draft for the third book. At first I wasn't going to take the gig because I've been struggling with my writing (third person is a challenge for me), but seeing the dollar sign got the wheels spinning. Money does have a sorta magical zing to it, doesn't it?
Here's my mantra with regards to money and cultivating my creative life: 1) The more money I make, the less time I spend in advertising and 2) The less money I spend, the less time I spend in advertising.
The common denomenator?
Pretty obvious, huh?
Spending less time in advertising.
So I took the gig because I wanted the money -- I didn't need the money, which is a blessing in itself (go back to rule #2 if you want to know why I didn't need the money).
The work has been interesting and the people great. I've been chatting with other authors, two who are currently working on their novels, and another who's launching his second this winter. We're everywhere, chilling in the shadows, waiting for our big break so we can quit the day job.
The gig ends in three days and then it's back to full-time writing (some of you may have heard a sigh of jubilation). Since I only had an hour here or an hour there to write, I'm at the point where I'm desperate to get back to it. The job not only provided me with more money to spend less time in advertising, but it reinvigorated my desire to finish this draft. There's something to be said about having the thing you love being removed from your daily routine. I want it back!
And I'm gonna love it and hug it and pet it and squeeze it.
It's National Novel Writing Month
Maybe you've noticed some writers talking about NaNoWriMo and wondered what that insane-sounding acronym means. It's basically another method of torture for writers by agreeing to write 50,000 words in 30 days. So if all goes well, I'll have a really shitty first draft by the end of November.
It sounds like a lot (because it is), but it can be done. I've done it before. They weren't good words, but they were words. And I got a sticker!!!
Ten days in and I'm feeling pretty good. Since I write every day, the routine has already been established (and that really is the toughest part), but I'm approaching this writing exercise unlike any previous projects. I didn't do a meticulous outline. I didn't study my characters and dig down deep into their souls to find out what it is they truly desire and what is keeping them from getting it. Nope. This time around I'm going footloose and fancy free. Almost like a hippie. But with better hygiene.
The project I'm working on is a collection of short stories based on an event that takes place in my New Agenda book series. During the 21st century, a group of elites implemented a program called "the Repatterning." They marketed it as a way to restore society, but in reality it was a man-made apocalypse designed to kill off a majority of the population. These are stories about the people who fought against the Repatterning.
If you're a writer and haven't tried NaNoWriMo yet, I highly recommend getting on board. It doesn't take much. Just a willingness to write a bunch of words and not worry how they sound (yet). There's something magical about building momentum and watching it grow over time. I'm sure if Einstein were alive he'd come up with a theory. Something like "the more you write, the more you write."
Also, I'm proclaiming December is National Editing Month!
Keep writing. It saves lives.
It sounds like a lot (because it is), but it can be done. I've done it before. They weren't good words, but they were words. And I got a sticker!!!
Ten days in and I'm feeling pretty good. Since I write every day, the routine has already been established (and that really is the toughest part), but I'm approaching this writing exercise unlike any previous projects. I didn't do a meticulous outline. I didn't study my characters and dig down deep into their souls to find out what it is they truly desire and what is keeping them from getting it. Nope. This time around I'm going footloose and fancy free. Almost like a hippie. But with better hygiene.
The project I'm working on is a collection of short stories based on an event that takes place in my New Agenda book series. During the 21st century, a group of elites implemented a program called "the Repatterning." They marketed it as a way to restore society, but in reality it was a man-made apocalypse designed to kill off a majority of the population. These are stories about the people who fought against the Repatterning.
If you're a writer and haven't tried NaNoWriMo yet, I highly recommend getting on board. It doesn't take much. Just a willingness to write a bunch of words and not worry how they sound (yet). There's something magical about building momentum and watching it grow over time. I'm sure if Einstein were alive he'd come up with a theory. Something like "the more you write, the more you write."
Also, I'm proclaiming December is National Editing Month!
Keep writing. It saves lives.
