Advice From A Master Storyteller

Quote by Pearl S. Buck

Yesterday, I posted thoughts about one of my favorite authors, Pearl S. Buck. One thing I forgot to mention in that post was that critics did not treat this author kindly. Her readers, however, loved her early books and continued to look for more. Who buys more books--the critics or the readers? Case closed.

Today, let's take a look at a quote by this gifted author. Pearl Buck's quote tells me something about her personality. She wasn't a dreamer, sitting idly waiting for inspiration. She knew that to write you had to get busy and do it. She must have been a practical person in many ways.

If you worked on a line in a factory, what would the supervisor say if you stepped back and waited to be inspired to do your work? How about a football quarterback waiting for inspiration to move the ball to the goal line? We often hear about those in the arts world waiting for inspiration to write, paint, sculpt, or compose music. Perhaps our best work does come when we are fully inspired. 

Even so, there are more times that we must skip that waiting period and 'get down to work.' We need to put bottom in chair and fingers to the keyboard and start typing. So what if the result is not worthy of a prize or publication? We have taken the biggest step--getting down to work. 

Once you begin, your mind clicks in and you probably write increasingly better as you go. Don't forget that we have the great gift of being able to revise and edit right up to the moment we submit. 

We can also 'get down to work' by beginning with a writing exercise. Most are short but they get those creative juices flowing. The best part is that you are writing, not sitting around thinking about writing. 

A lot of would-be writers are dreamers who loll around thinking about writing but somehow never do the actual writing. I'm waiting for inspiration. Reason or excuse? Your call.

If you want to write, the rule is to to actually write. "...get down to work." Good advice from a master storyteller. 

Ever Hear of Joe Beernink?

I like what Joe Beernink, author, says here. His name was not familiar to me so I googled and found his facebook author page. Guess what? He was an unpublished author until very recently but that doesn't make a bit of difference in the substance of his quote.

If you look at his author page, you'll find that Mr. Beernink has listed his unpublished novels. Good for him. I think few others would do this for all the world to see. The good news is that one of them has been published a few months ago. Read a review of Nowhere Wild written for older kids. The author writes YA and science fiction. Reading the review made me think I'd like to read his book.

But he is not a full time writer. He works in software development by day and writes novels and short stories in his spare time. The fact that he has a full-time job and still has been able to write and get a novel published should be, at the least, encouraging for other part-time writers and motivational for us, as well.

It appears that Mr. Beernink did not set out to write for fame and money. Instead, his love of writing led him on a path that has allowed him to sell a book and perhaps let him wrap himself in a cape of fame, or at least the beginning of fame. It usually takes more than one novel to become what we term 'famous.' Even so, he is the envy of every writer who has unpublished work sitting in files and in their hearts.

This author has given us some good advice. Passion for writing is key to finding your way to published works. Pursue what you love and good things wait along your writing journey even though it may take a lot longer than you'd like.

A Quote With Three Pieces of Good Advice For Writers

This three-pronged quote gives food for thought to all of us who write. Let's look at them one at a time.

Believe:  I've written many times about the importance of believing in yourself. If you don't, who else is going to? If not, you might give up submitting your work. Remember that the only way to get published is to submit. And keep on submitting. Believe that some of what you submit will end up in print. It may not happen at the very beginning of your writing journey but it will if you keep working at the craft, keep growing as a writer. Do all you can to gain self-confidence. Google articles on same if you must. Remind yourself of the good things that have happened in your writing life. Read that wonderful children's book, The Little Engine That Could a dozen times or whenever you feel your self-confidence slipping.

Patience:  Yes, here it is again. That keyword for success in the wriitng world--patience.  Instant success in the writing world is pretty rare. Most of us have to work at the craft for quite some time before we achieve success. If we start submitting to smaller circulation publications, we have a better chance than if we send our precious words to top paying magazines who take only the highest quality works. Yes, it's hard to wait for good things to happen but it's well worth it. Practice patience in all things but especially in your writing life.

Best things:  This one appears obvious, doesn't it? Don't give up--three little words packed with power. She/he who gives up is going to be the biggest loser. Perseverance has always been the other keyword that I equate with patience in my writing world. Easy? Definitely not.

In fact, none of these three points is an easy task. You'll have to work at each of them, and not for a day or a week but all the time. Our writing journey is an ongoing process and the tools we need to write well can be added to as time moves on. We also need to keep reminding ourselves of these three points. It might be beneficial to print the quote and keep it near your writing area as a reminder. We often get excited about good advice but, as time goes on, we forget and slip back into old ways.

Keep working toward good things, better things, best things.

Simply Write

How many of you were scouts in your growing up years? Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts learned so many skills.They also found out that giving service to others proved satisfying as well as helpful to others.

I started my scouting life as a Brownie. How I loved getting that brown uniform and the little beanie we wore with it. By fourth grade, we had the flying up ceremony to become a full Girl Scout. Time for the green uniform and the badges we sewed on. I stayed in Girl Scouts through the 8th grade. That final year, I was president of my troop. Little did  I know that it was the first of many presidencies I would assume throughout my lifetime.

My husband was a Boy Scout and worked his way up to achieving Eagle Scout status. He still has a box filled with his scout paraphernalia. We've dragged it around with us for the fifty-one years of our marriage. For some reason, he cannot seem to part with it.

We learned the pledge and repeated it at every meeting. I learned that saying that pledge meant more than spouting out mere words. Our Leaders made sure we knew the seriousness of pledging.Which brings me to the poster above.

The Girl Scout is giving writers some good advice and a pledge of our own. It's so simple but right on. Your are a writer. Write. You sure don't need an explanation for that, do you?

It is your task, your duty and your honor today.If we have pledged to be a writer, then it is all three of those things--task, duty, and honor. It is a reason to write.

Simply write. This is my favorite part. So short. So clear. So important. You may not write a full story or essay or article each day. You might write only a few paragraphs. That's fine. The important thing is to simply write.