Today’s Caturday post takes on a somber tone. I fear that as much as I am a friend to cats, dogs and small woodland creatures everywhere, I will not be safe from…
CATS IN TANKS.
And yes, this is a little violent. Along the lines of Starship Troopers. You’ve been warned.
Cats in Tanks from Whitehouse Post on Vimeo.
Today’s post will point you to an article on the SFWA.org blog that I feel is extraordinarily relevant to being creative. The author, Leo Babauta, spoke to several writers, actors, musicians, etc. on the value of solitude and what it can do for you. Then, he goes on to explain how participation is also crucial. You can’t have one without the other and, if this social media sabbatical has taught me anything, I am finding that to be the case in my own life.
Here’s a quote from the article:
I’ve reflected on my own creative habits, but decided I’d look at the habits that others consider important to their creativity. I picked a handful of creatives, almost at random — there are so many that picking the best would be impossible, so I just picked some that I admire, who came to mind when I thought of the word “creative”.
This was going to be a list of their creative habits … but in reviewing their lists, and my own habits, I found one that stood out. And it stands out if you review the habits and quotes from great creative people in history. — SOURCE: The Number One Habit of Creative People
There’s several great quotes in the article and it does offer quite a few tips. The Number One Habit of Creative People is definitely worth a read if you have your time.
Hi folks,
Based on the popularity of my article yesterday for SFWA.org entitled Message to New Writers: It’s Okay to Focus on Your Craft, I would like to follow up in July with a new article that highlights how published authors got their start.
You may contact me directly or provide a quote in the comments below along with your website.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: no two paths within this industry are alike. You and I may have opinions about the approach an author has, but at the end of the day those thoughts mean diddly. What matters, is focusing on your own work. What you are comfortable doing. What you are happy with.
I hope by exploring other people’s stories, in addition to my own, that we’ll not only shed some insight on these diverse paths, but we’ll also provide new authors with some much-needed encouragement.
This month, I decided to write a column geared for new writers at SFWA.org. This month, I talk about how it’s okay to ditch all the writing advice and focus on your craft. Then, I offer several resources where you can turn to sharpen up your plots and trim your prose.
The mentality that you have to “get your first stories published or else” is incredibly foreign to me. I opted for an undergrad degree that allowed me to simply learn and write. Due to the flexibility of my Creative Writing program, I developed my own course requirements to focus on multiple forms of writing. While there are benefits and drawbacks to any academic program, I have no regrets: the environment allowed me to concentrate on the words I wrote as opposed to selling them. — SOURCE: Message to New Writers: It’s Okay to Focus on Your Craft
I hope you’ll give Message to New Writers: It’s Okay to Focus on Your Craft a read. I recommended Nascence as one of the resources and author Tobias Buckell was kind enough to provide me with a quote.
I feel that this issue is worth exploring, especially given the glut of writing advice and popularity of different topics. No, this article may not be relevant to you, but it’s definitely something to think about when you’re fresh out of the gate.
An article written by Steve Silberman is making the rounds, and I thought I’d share this with you if you haven’t seen it. Dubbed “Practical Tips on Writing a Book from 23 Brilliant Authors,” the article shares a plethora of advice. I really liked Steve’s comment about dialing back Facebook and Twitter to focus on his work.
A few things became clear as soon as their replies came in. First of all, I’ll have to throttle back my use of Twitter and Facebook to get this writing done (and I may never rev up my idle Quora account after all.) Secondly, scheduling intervals of regular exercise and renewal amid the hours of writing will be essential. And thirdly, I’ll certainly be buying and downloading a software program called Scrivener, which is a powerful word processor specifically designed for writing books and keeping vast amounts of related data in good order. — SOURCE: Practical Tips on Writing a Book from 23 Brilliant Authors
Authors include both fiction and non-fiction writers, ranging from Carl Zimmer to Cory Doctorow. If you have a chance, check out the article. There’s some great tips in there!