Writers Should Write Daily

In my daily internet surfing routine, I often come across a variety of other blogs that stress the importance of writing daily if you want to call yourself a “writer”. However, I’m not sure that all of us writers really grasp that point.

Consider daily writing as an emotional catharsis. You have an idea, or something is bothering you, even a small notion of something that interests you is important in your world. I say your because what you may think is important to you may not seem so important to others, but it is important nonetheless, and thus requires writing down. Writing it (whatever it may be) down can help to declutter your mind. It could be something as strong as your feelings while going through a divorce, or perhaps it’s something as small as writing out your grocery list.

As I’ve stated in prior posts on this blog, I carry a notebook with me everywhere I go. Sometimes it’s a big three subject notebook, other times it’s a pocket-sized Moleskine. Regardless of its size, I always have something to record what’s in my head.

This daily writing not only cleanses my thoughts, but it also keeps my muse alive. I’m nourishing her by feeding into my impulses and keeping her hydrated by allowing the ink to flow from my pen. She thanks me by continually giving me ideas to write on.

I feel it’s also important to write everything down since distractions are everywhere. One minute I’m thinking I need to visit a particular site to read more on a writer’s conference that I know is coming up soon, and the next I’m wondering which right hand turn I’m to take. I’ve learned, mostly through trial and error, that if I think it…I need to write it…or I’ll most certainly forget it.

I encourage you to write daily. Be it a ten page narrative, a short story, a poem, even your “to-do” list…write it down. And when your muse seems hungry for ink, give in – pick a quiet spot and let all your thoughts flow. For all we know, our daily writings could be the next big novel or the next Pulitzer Prize winner.

Good luck writers and please, share your muse stories with us. We learn best when it’s from each other.

What’s Your Favorite Book?

What’s your favorite book?

Seems like an easy question to answer don’t you think? Try it. Be honest. There’s a LOT of books out there and no one has read them all. So how can you be sure that’s your favorite book? A-ha…I just made it a hard question to answer didn’t I? Maybe not.

In any case, allow me to tell you my answer to the question. My favorite book is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.  If you haven’t yet read Lolita, then I highly recommend the book. Sure, its theme maybe a little taboo, but there’s no denying the book is genius really.

Before you can understand and enjoy Lolita, I think it’s prudent that you learn about the author himself, and try to see why and how a man could write such a genius novel. If you’ve ever read anything by the author, it’s easy to see that he has a way with words. For starters, he was fluent in three languages. He was an avid chess player. He wrote everything in longhand. He couldn’t type and therefore dismissed typewriters. (I think that having to write everything out is therapeutic to a writer and I too still use longhand to record articles, journal entries, and things of the like.) He taught English at ivy leagues such as Wellesley and Cornell. Nabokov was also a lepidopterist and worked at a zoologist museum at Harvard.

Lolita was published in 1955, banned from Paris from 1956-1958, and never fully published in the U.K. or America until 1958. Since its publication, Lolita remains one of the most controversial novels of the 20th century. Simply fascinating as far as I’m concerned.

Lolita is one of those books that requires you to think. When you read it for the first couple of times, have a dictionary by your side. Regardless of where you were educated or how many graduate degrees you have, your going to need a collegiate dictionary. Period. However, please don’t let this deter you from reading and enjoying the book. It simply means the book is meant to be savored and digested, not just skimmed.

The word choice and sentence structure is amazing. Words rhyme, phrases unite and link back, and alliteration lingers on the tongue long after you’ve moved past the passage. I would have loved to meet Nabokov to see if he talked as mellifluously as he wrote. I’d love to be able to write like him.

Some authors simply have a way with words. The fact that he was fluent in three foreign languages had a lot to do with the way he delivered his depictions I’m sure. Like Edgar Allan Poe sometimes did, Nabokov would create brand new words simply to fit into his writing if he couldn’t find one he liked. 

If you haven’t read Lolita, I encourage you to buy a copy. Don’t bother borrowing it from the library. Buy it. It’s really THAT good of a novel that you’ll want to reread it several times and even allow it a home on your bookshelf. 

What’s your favorite book? Please share, I’d be delighted to know.

Guest Blogger Day

Today is guest blogger day. I am a part of Michelle Rafter’s May blogathon and Michelle thought making May 21 guest blogger day would be a nice touch, and I agree. 

For my guest blogger I have Marilyn McClellan. We met during the blogathon. She wrote me a very sweet email from my site, explaining how she thought I was her daughter for a second because we had many similarities (a child the same age, a blog, her daughter is also an editor).  I appreciated the fact that Marilyn took the time to write me an email to tell me that story and also that she enjoyed my blog. Needless to say, when it was time to pick a guest blogger, my choice wasn’t hard at all.

Without further adeu, here is the bio that Marilyn wrote about herself. Please do visit her blog, she blogs from her heart and it’s very warming to read.

 

Marilyn writes:

 

How nice of Danielle to invite me onto her blog for the day. I began my blog www.marilynmcclellan.com/blog while traveling to Singapore shortly after my husband died. It was a welcome diversion during a stressful time. I returned home to the Pacific Northwest and lost interest until I began a major remodel of my house in 2007. My blog gave me a chance to chronicle the adventure and take friends and family along on the transformation of my century old house. My designer began showing the blog to her clients and even my contractor admitted to reading it.

Blogs are such a deceptive curiosity. They feel so solitary during the writing. Then, someone I hardly know will say, “Oh, I know all about that. I read your blog.”

I’m a mother and a grandmother who was carried into cyber space by my husband and children. I ‘m a retired school counselor but my career has taken on a second life as a writer of nonfiction children’s books. I teach at our local community college and supervise counseling interns. I love crossword puzzles and British mysteries, and I’m fortunate to live in a beautiful town overlooking the Puget Sound.

 

Thank you Marilyn for being my guest today. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you.

Please head over to Marilyn’s blog. I am a guest on her blog today.

Cat Fights

I read an interesting article on momlogic today dealing with bully’s at work, and how most of them are female. Find the article here.

I’ve had both male and female bosses and personally, I’d prefer to work for a male boss. In my experience, guys seem to let things roll of their back more and not take things too personally. Women rule with their emotions and have a tendency to hold grudges. Again, this is MY opinion. I’m not saying this is true in all cases. I know some men who who worse than women when it comes to tears.

Females by nature are catty as far I’m concerned. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen women look each other up and down and smile in your face one minute just to talk about you the next. I could care less about what people think of me and therefore I’ve personally never had a problem working with women, I would just prefer to work under a man. 

Tell me your thoughts, both on the article at momlogic and your experiences working for both female and male bosses. Comments are both encouraged and appreciated.