Two questions about writing that I am asked most
often.
a.
I
joined a critique group and began writing every day.
At
first, my motivation was only that the adventure would be fun. But it wasn’t
long before the act of creation became a pleasant surprise and grew into an addiction. In
the writing world I am known as a “Pantser.” I write by the seat of my pants –– no
planning, no outlines, which suits me because I am an impulsive person. I just
puke the words out onto paper.
By surrounding myself with writers in a critique group and absorbing their wisdom, I began to grow as a writer. In the process, we became family.
By surrounding myself with writers in a critique group and absorbing their wisdom, I began to grow as a writer. In the process, we became family.
b.
I
developed a thick skin.
It’s easy just to write, but writing
from the heart is very different … and very hard. In order to make my characters real
and my stories believable, I ask questions.
Why did my character do what he did?
What is he afraid of? How does he react to his surroundings? Who does he love? Who does he hate? What
does he want? And always, always I ask why.
I can only write what I know, and
thus, the process becomes a self-interrogation. The story is really about me. The writing desk becomes a therapist’s couch. I
write from the heart, I am part of my story and my story is a part of me, like
the paper and the ink.
2. How did you know you were any good?
I wasn’t very good in the beginning. But I didn’t know it. A good critique
group and a thick skin carried me through my early years …and still does today!
The writers in the group pointed out my strengths and my weaknesses.
a. I gave up on being defensive. It was a rule in our group that
when someone critiqued, you were not allowed to defend your work. Listen, take what you like and leave the
rest. I learned that when several voiced the
same opinion, they just might be right and I just might have to give up my
sentence or paragraph or chapter with which I had fallen in love.
b. I gave up on being opinionated. The number of point of views in the world is infinite.
Everyone views, judges and reacts to a paragraph or a character based on their own experiences.
c. "Comparison is the thief of joy." Theodore Roosevelt.
c. "Comparison is the thief of joy." Theodore Roosevelt.
I no longer compete with the writer who has the Master of Arts
degree, or the writer who has been writing all his life and has produced a
library of books.
I am unique. My message and my voice is like no one else’s. I
believe the desire to write has been given to me and it was not by chance.
I decided to believe in myself. After all, if I don’t who
will?
d. Be vulnerable.
Writing is one of the best ways to connect with other people
and become influential. But a connection will only happen with vulnerability.
By sharing my struggles and challenges in life, my readers have discovered that I, like my characters, have overcome great odds, sometimes sacrificing everything, I hope to inspire my readers to strive, achieve and realize their dreams against all odds, just like my characters.
I took up writing on a whim. Like falling in love, the whim became a passion, whichI hadn't realized I had been missing all my life. I didn’t know I was lost until I found the art of writing. And like the perfect love affair, the writing experience changed me, making me to want to write better and better.
How did I get started? I didn't balk at the fear. I jumped in and did something I had never done before.
How did I know I was any good? I didn’t know. But like any goal, it is only achieved by hard work, study and passion.
Featured book.
The Grieving Gift, my most recent book, portrays a young girl’s experience of becoming pregnant In the Bible belt of the Midwest during the early 60’s at the age of 16, when American values labeled you damaged goods and religion stamped you as a sinner. The character, Janice, suffered the bullying and shaming attitude of society and religion, yet manages to withstand as a single parent in a world she doesn’t understand, because she had not been raised to know that her pregnancy was a moral sin and legally wrong. Perhaps she survived only because the internet did not exist. Her shame was limited to the public and religious community of the small town where she lived.
Oh, and don’t forget!! Readers’ reviews keep writers motivated.
USEFUL LINKS
Judy's Blog: The Adventures Of An RV Widow
Sportster's Blog: The Cat's Perspective Of Reading, Writing And Life
Click on the link below to find out more about Judy's books.
Safe travels!
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