Guest Post for NaNoWriMo

Hi! It has been shamefully long since I've posted on here, but it's because of good stuff! Since I've been gone, I've finished a draft of a new YA (it's a creepy contemporary told from two points of view that involves a home security system). I've also done a revision to ASHES AND INK that I'm totally proud of. I've written poems for magazines (crossing my fingers on those). And then there's been lots of family things like the addition of a super baby to one of my favorite relatives.

If you're still with me, hop on over to Red Sofa Literary's Blog to see one of the cool things I've learned this year about plotting and planning. I'm represented by Laura Zats of Red Sofa Literary, and she asked me to do a guest post. The Red Sofa Literary blog will have a new post up every day in November in celebration of NaNoWriMo, so it's a great blog to follow!

Lovers, Haters, and Creators

Creating is natural. Beautiful. Fulfilling.

Sharing is liberating. Gratifying. Gut-wrenching.

Yeah, I said it: Gut-wrenching. Because not everybody loves every creation.

We aren’t all attracted to the same people, and that’s a good thing. I’m thankful I don’t have to pry other women off my man every time we go to Target. That would be awkward and all sorts of time consuming. He’s a good-looking man, mind you, but most women notice the gold band around his finger and realize there are other options.

I follow many writer feeds, and over and over I read this advice: “Don’t read your reviews…EVER…unless someone reads them first and filters them and only hands over the ones that say you’re brilliant.” It’s as if the path to Goodreads is Disney’s Splash Mountain ride. A boatload of writers bopping along to Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah getting the tummy squirms as danger signs and buzzards appear.

So why does it bother us if what we create isn’t for everyone? We don’t all like the same foods, music, or people.

But when you create something, it’s different. It comes from you. You love it, nurture it, and groom it. When it seems less fragile, you allow a select few to hold it. And when you are confident your creation can walk, run, or even fly on its own, you let go.

Or pretend to.

But it’s still your baby.

And when someone calls your baby ugly, it would be easy to go mama bear on them.

But we mustn’t.

I am North Carolina born and raised and grew up under the rule of “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” so I’m guessing I should probably avoid reading my own reviews when that glorious day comes…or maybe I’ll peek through half-closed fingers like a kid watching a horror movie.

There’s an awesome episode of Victorious called The Bird Scene. It should be required that all actors, artists, and writers watch it before throwing themselves or their work out for public eyes. Seriously. Wisdom from TeenNick to creators everywhere.

What do you recommend? How do you handle someone not loving your creative baby? Comment and let us know.

Five Advantages To Being A Writer

I love being a writer. Seriously. LOVE. So as we start the new year together, I thought I'd share a countdown of five fun reasons why:

5. Funky hair color and attire is encouraged.

4. People Watching totally counts as research.

 

3. Creating imaginary friends, enemies, and boyfriends for others is all kinds of fun.

 

2. Furry mascots for the win!

 

1. The skills I’ve picked up from youtube and google searches ensure I’ll always be on somebody’s watch list.

 

So whatever you are (a writer, a dreamer, a magic bean buyer), join in the fun. Comment below to tell us something you love about what you do. Happy 2015!