10 Things I've Finally Learned

(in no particular order)

1. Letting go is better, sometimes. Even if you're not good at it. Even if it hurts all the while. You shouldn't have to fight for some things. If you do, they weren't worth it to begin with. Sometimes, life gets in the way. If a separation happens, but you come back together later, it's probably genuine. So it goes.

2. Chbosky was right: We accept the love we think we deserve. If you don't love yourself truly, you won't allow anyone else to, either.

3. It's OK to not be OK.

4. Do not ignore your own needs. Not for long, anyway.

5. It really is the little things. Be reasonable, but don't deny yourself.

6. You should always be developing and growing yourself. Learn, change, move. That's life.

7. "Call few people enemies and call fewer people friends." * Watch who you open your heart to.

8. "Don't do it for the wealth; do it all for the love. Love everything you do and do nothing halfheartedly." *

9. "Be what you speak, man. Never speak on what you be." * Only you can do you. Respect yourself and be who you are.

10. You are responsible for your inner peace. You can let people or situations rob you of it, but ultimately? It's on you. Hold onto it.




* lyrics taken from Deep Puddle Dynamics' song "The Scarecrow Speaks" which contains an insane amount of quotable lyrics. We can talk about my attachment to that song in another post.

NaNoWrimo 2012 : Thoughts on Drafting

you know what makes me laugh?

the assumption that so many people live under in which they actually believe writers are all hippies who write flowery words all day and never do any work.

fact #1: most writers i know are completely neurotic about their craft.
fact #2: writing is intensely personal, thereby enhancing the aforementioned neuroticism.
fact #3: writing well is hard. if it were easy, everyone would have a book deal.

i think one of the best parts of nanowrimo is that it forces people to put up or shut up. you will either write that required 50K or you won't, and really, it's all on you. if you're someone like me, who reacts well to this sort of pressure, you will likely thrive during nanowrimo. if not...well, it's likely that you'll hate nano. and here's why:

drafting a manuscript is bloody difficult on a good day.

so, when there's a looming deadline and a rather intimidating word count requirement...

you have to shove through the doubt and the fear and the questions and JUST WRITE.

but that's the beauty of nano, for me: because to finish a draft, well ... you have to finish a draft. which means you have to write the words. which means they have to get out of your head and "onto paper."

and that brings us to:

fact #4: the first draft of anything will be shit. if you think otherwise, you're crazy.

that's what revisions and edits are for. duh.