Write for the Lovers not the Haters. Better yet, write for You. #MondayBlogs #Writing
I wrote this post a few months ago and feel it needs repeating. There are far too many artists out there holding their words and their art in fear of criticism.
April 2015:
It’s been a while since I’ve written about anything on the blog besides cover reveals and book releases, but today I feel the need to say a few words to the writers, creators, and artists.
When I started my writing journey five years ago, the main thing that continued to hold me back from putting my stories out into the world was fear.
The big bad word.
Fear is easy to succumb to. It loves to whisper in your ear. It loves to lie to you and keep you from what you want most.
I let it rule for a long time without even realizing it and it cost me.
And this is what I want to talk about today.
I’ve had fellow writers who are new to this industry ask me how I do it. How do I deal with the negative side of this industry. How do I have a thick skin. When I say negative side, I mean everything from reviews to rejections.
My answer is always the same: I’m not sure that my skin is thicker than anyone else’s, but what I am sure of is I have something to say.
The truth is, everyone has an opinion about every damn thing. Everyone always will. But you get to choose what you allow into your world and what you block out. I don’t read negative reviews. I used to in the beginning, but what purpose do they serve me now? The books are published. I can’t change them. I wouldn’t if I could.
I don’t take offense to rejections. Some of the rejections I’ve received contained bits of gold. I appreciate any agent or publisher who has taken the time to point out why I was rejected.
None of them had to say anything at all.
My writing has become stronger because they did.
I’ve been writing since I was nine years old. It’s as much a part of me as anything else. It’s something I love.
And I think that’s where the thick skin lies … I’m writing for me. I’m proud of me. I did something I’ve dreamed about. And I’m continuing to do it. So the haters can hate. It’s very easy to hate. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do. It takes no courage, no heart. Raising someone up … that takes real courage. Those are the people I choose to hear.
In the last two years, I’ve had three novels published, (the third released in September), a short story, another short story will release soon, and a fourth novel, that’s up for review on Net Galley, will release before the end of the year.
I’ve had, and continue to have, people who love my stories ( I LOVE YOU GUYS RIGHT BACK!! xoxoxo) and people who hate them. And I’m okay with that. I knew going into this that I would be setting myself up for better or for worse. I took that risk, faced that fear, and jumped anyway.
It’s the scariest thing in the world, but you have to jump anyway.
So, writers, authors, poets, artists, musicians, dancers, painters … do your thing, say whatever it is you have to say in whatever medium you choose to say it in because no one else can say it the way you can.
Then stand back, take in what you’ve done, and be damn proud.
Paint for you.
Sing for you.
Write for you.
Create for You.
****
“I write from my soul. This is the reason that critics don’t hurt me, because it is me. If it was not me, if I was pretending to be someone else, then this could unbalance my world, but I know who I am.”
~ Paulo Coelho
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Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track #music
One of my favorites today:
Eluvium
Covered In Writing
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Writers, Don’t Quit ~
“Don’t quit. It’s very easy to quit during the first 10 years. Nobody cares whether you write or not, and it’s very hard to write when nobody cares one way or the other. You can’t get fired if you don’t write, and most of the time you don’t get rewarded if you do. But don’t quit.”
~ Andre Dubus
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Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track
Let’s see … what to play today? How about Polica, because I love them.
This track is explicit.
Tiff (Feat Justin Vernon, my other favorite, favorite.)
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My Music Monday
Today on My Music Monday,
Quiet
by
This Will Destroy You,
from their Young Mountain album.
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Best Of: Author Excerpt Series
There are so many incredible writers, so much talent, and too many books to ever try to read them all. I thought, in light of that fact, it would be nice to share some of the best of the best. Quick little hints of what lies inside the pages of some of the books from my favorite authors.
Neil Gaiman:
“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn’t it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life…You give them a piece of you. They didn’t ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn’t your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like ‘maybe we should be just friends’ turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It’s a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
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My Music Monday
This week on My Music Monday: Bon Iver.
I could listen to Justin’s music on loop all day, and sometimes, when I’m on a writing roll, like I have been lately, I do.
(explicit)
Enjoy!
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The Best Of: Author Excerpt Series
The best of: Author excerpt series.
*******
There are so many incredible writers, so much talent, and too many books to ever try to read them all. I thought, in light of that fact, it would be nice to share some of the best of the best. Quick little hints of what lies inside the pages of some of the books from my favorite authors.
First up, the amazing, Neil Gaiman.
“I think I fell in love with her, a little bit. Isn’t that dumb? But it was like I knew her. Like she was my oldest, dearest friend. The kind of person you can tell anything to, no matter how bad, and they’ll still love you, because they know you. I wanted to go with her. I wanted her to notice me. And then she stopped walking. Under the moon, she stopped. And looked at us. She looked at me. Maybe she was trying to tell me something; I don’t know. She probably didn’t even know I was there. But I’ll always love her. All my life.”
~ Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 8: World’s End
Neil Gaiman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track ~ Sir Sly
Along with my usual My Music Monday posts (yes, they have resumed), I wanted to start another continuing music post. A *new* music one. Where each week or so I’ll post some newly—or fairly newly released, off the beaten path, track.
*****
Sir Sly — Gold
(This is track is explicit)
Related articles
- Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track (laneymcmann.com)
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Nobody tells this to beginners …
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.
A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.
Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
~ Ira Glass
English: Ira Glass of This American Life giving a lecture at Carnegie Mellon University in 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track ~ Phantogram
Along with my usual My Music Monday posts (yes, they have resumed), I wanted to start another continuing music post. A *new* music one. Where each week or so I’ll post some newly—or fairly newly released, off the beaten path, track.
*****
Related articles
- Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track (laneymcmann.com)
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My Music Monday
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It is not the critic who counts …
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
~ Teddy Roosevelt
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Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track
Along with my usual My Music Monday posts (yes, they have resumed), I wanted to start another continuing music post. A *new* music one. Where each week or so I’ll post some newly—or fairly newly released, off the beaten path, track.
- Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track (laneymcmann.com)
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My Music Monday
Finally, I’m resuming the normal My Music Monday posts!
Up today is one of my favorites. This is an older track by Pretty Lights.
Enjoy:
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Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track
Along with my usual My Music Monday posts (yes, they will resume soon~been kinda busy), I wanted to start another continuing music post. A *new* music one. Where each week or so I’ll post some newly—or fairly newly released, off the beaten path, track.
The first one we’re starting with is Volcano Choir, a band I just recently came across. They have a beautiful sound. Bon Iver ish due to Justin Vernon.
Released in August 2013.
Enjoy:
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Road Trip Wednesday ~ Best Song To Make Into A Book?
It’s been a while since I’ve jumped on Road Trip Wednesday. Been a little busy. 😉
This Week’s Topic : What song would you love to see a book based on?
Being the huge music fan that I am, I could think of A LOT of songs that would make good books. I’m a YA dark fantasy writer, so I’m drawn to songs with a lot of … atmosphere. But I’m going to pick a wide variety for this post. Some may be more suitable for New Adult rather than Young Adult novels.
Tried to find the clean version—couldn’t. There’s some cussing, fyi, for anyone who might be offended.
I could keep going … 😉
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I Loved Words.
“I loved words. I love to sing them and speak them and even now, I must admit, I have fallen into the joy of writing them.”
~ Anne Rice
Anne Rice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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We Who Make Stories …
“We who make stories know that we tell lies for a living. But they are good lies that say true things, and we owe it to our readers to build them as best we can. Because somewhere out there is someone who needs that story. Someone who will grow up with a different landscape, who without that story will be a different person. And who with that story may have hope, or wisdom, or kindness, or comfort. And that is why we write.”
~Neil Gaiman — The Graveyard Book
** I am a such a Neil Gaiman fan if you guys haven’t noticed.
Neil Gaiman, signing (Photo credit: Jutta @ flickr)
Related articles
- Put One Word After Another: Neil Gaiman’s Eight Rules of Writing (aerogrammestudio.com)
- Neil Gaiman Drops Knowledge (mentalfloss.com)
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Fantasy Is Hardly An Escape …
“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.”
~ Lloyd Alexander
Omega Point Dark Fantasy Mysterious World (Photo credit: Liqueur Felix)
Related articles
- Fantastic reality (fingerprintskavita.wordpress.com)
- “Even Nothing Cannot Last Forever” (thesecretkeeper.net)
- “Fantasy is esc… (deathofanauthor.com)
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… If You’re Brave Enough …
“Some of this book — perhaps too much — has been about how I learned to do it. Much of it has been about how you can do it better. The rest of it — and perhaps the best of it — is a permission slip: you can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will. Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.”
~Stephen King (On Writing~A Memoir of the Craft)
Stephen King, American author best known for his enormously popular horror novels. King was the 2003 recipient of The National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Taken at the 2007 New York Comicon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Imagination, Not Invention …
Only in men’s imagination does every truth find an effective and undeniable existence. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art as of life.
~ Joseph Conrad
English: Joseph Conrad Print Collection portrait file. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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