Ramblings, Reflections and a Blog Roundup

I really appreciate this post by Suzannah at Write It Sideways. Most of what she said matches my situation exactly, right down to putting God first and family second (despite Michael Hyatt's post below). I often look at other freelance writers, at the huge amounts of time they seem to spend writing, and feel like a slacker for only stealing moments here and there when church and family allow. This year, though, I realized that, if God and family come before my writing, I have to act like it! Her post is an important reminder to me to keep my priorities straight and not be ashamed for putting my faith and family before any extra income I might earn from writing.

Write it Sideways -- Getting Your Life & Writing Priorities in Order


I can identify with the village idiot metaphor In Davey Jank's guest post on the Rants and Ramblings blog. In fact, what I felt interning with a translation team in Namibia often seems nothing compared to how I feel trying to learn my way around the publishing field. It seems like it should be easier because I at least know the language...right? Personally, I can't wait to find a copy of the Janks' book.

Rants and Ramblings -- The Migration of the Village Idiots


Nathan Bransford's posts have been getting shorter, but he pulled through today with a great post on the striving nature of the writing life.

Writing, Striving and THE GREAT GATSBY


Jessica from Bookends, LLC tells authors about where subjectivity starts and ends when an agent reads your work.

It's All Subjective...to a Point


Over at KidLit.com, Mary's talking about the role tense plays in successful writing. Does it matter? And why does it make us so...tense?

So Tense About Tense!


I posted this one on Facebook, but it's worth sharing here. It's Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt's take on why leaders, especially, (but maybe everyone?) should place themselves second on their priority list. (That's right after God and in lieu of last place, in case you were wondering.)

Where Do You Put Yourself in Your List of Priorities?


T.L.Cooper delves into her inner psyche with her post on using memories--even bad ones--to write strong fiction.

Avoidance, Memories and Fiction


Finally, a post from a writer who isn't new to the blog scene but is new to my RSS feed. Laura Campbell lays open the process of becoming a writer in her honest and compelling look at her own journey as a fiction writer.

Writing Unleashed -- A Punch in the Face: Rewrites Are a Bitch


With so many good blogs by writers, agents and publishers, I know I missed some gems. I hope you enjoy these offerings from my own Google reader, though. Until next week, happy reading and joyful writing!

Personal Perspective: Purity of Intention

Last week in The Prosperous Writer, Christina Katz wrote about purity of intention. I confess that I was going to let this writing prompt slip by. I told myself I was too busy. I told myself I was too tired from being sick and taking care of a sick toddler. I told myself it’s gelato season, and I just have to realize I don’t have as much time to write right now. Then I realized I was actually scared.

I realized that not because of what Christina Katz wrote (insightful as it was), but because of a blog response by T. L. Cooper on her blog, Write with TLC.

I’d like you to follow that link and read the whole post. In case you don’t, though, here’s a snippet that grabbed me.

As I begin to look at where I spend my time and energy, I feel a little disappointed in myself. Over the years I’ve taken on more and more responsibility because I feel like I have to. I feel like it’s expected of me. I feel like I “owe” it to other people. I agree to help friends and acquaintances even when it interferes with my goals. I agree to take on one more chore or run one more errand to make my husband’s life easier. I agree to add one more thing to my day because “it’ll only take 5 minutes.”

I don’t know if this is a common human malady…or common to women…or common to wives and mothers. Whatever the case, the desire to please other people has always driven far more of my actions than it should. The result is that I am in constant motion yet rarely feel I’ve gained anything in my struggle to be a writer.

After reading Christina’s post earlier this week, I pulled out my submission tracking sheet and took a look at it. The kick to my gut was that I haven’t actually submitted anything since June. WHAT!?!? JUNE?!?! When, how, why did that happen? I know I’ve been doing. In fairness to myself, I’ve been churning out marketing materials for clients. That was never where I wanted to focus, though. So, again, what happened?

The problem is that my purity of intention has slipped…a lot.

Cooper also talks about spending too much time with people who drain her creativity. I meet--and live with--far more creativity suckers than creativity boosters. Personally, my father has always been a creativity-sucker of nearly mythic proportions. Living under the same roof with him, even as a 32-year-old wife and mother, establishes a constant dampening effect on both my energy and creativity. (After all, wouldn’t enough “get a real job” hints get to anyone after a while?)

Okay, so I mentioned that I was scared to tackle this subject. Yes, just plain chicken-livered. That's because, deep down, I realized I'd lost my purity of intention. I just didn't want to admit it to myself. We usually have to face our fears in order to deal with them, though. That's true whether you have a a fear of spiders or a lack of purity!

I don’t know what to do about creativity-sucking relations. I do now realize that I need to dig out and refocus my own intentions and purify them until they’re crystal clear and sparkly-clean. If I want to be a marketing copywriter, my energy goes there. If I want to own a gelato business, I need to focus on that. If I want to write articles, that’s what I need to do. If I want to write novels, I need to spend time with my plot and characters. Will one help with the other? Maybe. If not, out it needs to go. Easier to say than do, of course. A fact, nonetheless.

At this point, I’m so mired in non-writing obligations and commitments, I can’t even see my way clear to get shed of them. With some work and clarity and prayer, though, I may have an answer soon.

I’ll keep you posted.