There is no skipping forward to the good part. Remember when Issa said that in the mirror in that episode of Insecure? If that was the case, I’m sure all of us would be hitting that fast forward button. It’s funny because at this point in my career, I realize how much wisdom I’ve been gaining this whole time about how to be a writer, and what you don’t always know is that it takes doing, to get better.
Read MoreRecently there was a clip of Will Smith that circulated where he talked about the gap between being a B and A student and the reality of the work it takes to get to that next tier. Similarly in writing, there will be the writer you want to be and the writer you are, and what separates those who get to a certain level of greatness are those who are able to recognize their gaps and figure out how to apply the knowledge to improve their craft.
Read MoreI’m struck by a few things in this passage. The first, “art is a durational practice.” This is such an important concept to me here in 2024. Since I started Good Morning, Love in 2017, it’s been nonstop writing. I’ve written two manuscripts, I have a piece of another, and I’m currently drafting something new. But this current work in progress is the first time that I’m not feeling any pressure on the timing to get it done. I think a driving force with those other manuscripts was, will I be able to publish another book? Like how do I not miss this moment, which who’s to say hasn’t already passed, but I wanted to feel like I would be ready for the moment if it came. Like publishing wasn’t going to be waiting on me because I didn’t have finished material. I felt like I was trying to write my way to something, and now I understand that I’m simply writing, and whatever happens, happens. A story takes the time it takes to come together.
Read MoreIn a conversation for the podcast, I was reminded that we all have different approaches to our work. So, I always want to remind you that when another writer shares, it’s solely about information and your work is choosing what to apply and what to throw away. I’m immensely grateful for all the data points I’ve gathered on writing, and more importantly, how to be a good writer. But ultimately, it’s all about what works for me.
Read MoreAs a generation, many of us are used to instant gratification. I mean there is literally an app for everything, we type random questions in Google day in and day out and get answers, and people in our lives are literally accessible to us every minute of the day. Remember when you left home and people could not reach you until you returned? What a world. But books, well, somehow they have maintained the beauty of the long game, and while AI may change some of the time it takes in the future, on this day, it is still a journey.
Read MoreWe talk a lot about the business of writing, but there is a personal element of writing that has seen me through various hardships in my life. Grief, especially, is one of them. Sadly, I know grief intimately. Over the years, I’ve lost people I loved both quickly and heartbreakingly slow. Writing has been an integral part of making sense of loss, of archiving loss, of healing from loss.
Read More“What’s your writing process?” This is a question I feel like I’ve been asked often since becoming an author that I never considered as much when blogging and freelancing. But writing a book is indeed a process, but until you’ve done it, honestly, more than once, it’s hard to really pinpoint a process per say. It took drafting my most recent manuscripts for me to understand that I do have a process, and the reality is, we all do.
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