The Writing Life

If someone tells you writing is easy and anyone can do it, don't listen - they are not a writer!

That is not to say that sometimes the muse is dancing on the page as you splash flowering prose upon it. Most of us don't have that lovely experience every time we sit down to write. Often the page is this blank, daunting, empty space that says "I dare you to write on me!" That's when I get tough and start writing whatever comes to my mind. I look at a photo or note on my tack board and let the words flow from my fingers. And sometimes it develops into a really awesome line or revelation about a story or scene I'm writing.

What stops the flow? Life, mostly. Illness. Death. Laundry. Cooking. Cleaning. Day-job. "There's always something" that needs to be done.

We find our writing time squeezed into a crack in the stone. There's a photo on my calendar of a flower growing from just such a crack. A little soil blew in with a tiny seed.
A little rain. And something wonderful and green sprouts.

If you're lucky, that's how stories begin. You find a crack of time, you're struck by something. Perhaps the unusual checker at the grocer, how she speaks, how she wears her hair and suddenly a seed is planted of a quirky character that she invokes in your mind. Jot it down, because you may get busy getting groceries or putting them away and forget. Stick that note somewhere you will be sure to find it. Then when the kids are asleep and hubby is watching the football game, slip it out, turn on your computer or grab a notebook and start writing a scene.

The rain will come and one scene will grown into another. Your story blooms you find yourself dancing in the rain with your muse because you have been inspired. And it all started in the check-out line at the grocery store!

If we're smart, we mine our lives for people, places and things that are interesting and compelling. Things that hold good soil and good seeds that will grow into a story.

I like to read stories that have true to life characters in situations that I can relate to. We've all felt tension, fear, love, joy, sadness - and experiences like those stick with us. When we delve into a book that brings those types of feelings back we usually can't put it down.

As a writer - we are "driven" to create that feeling in others through our stories and that is not easy. Okay, let's define "easy." Capable of being accomplished with ease - not difficult. Free from worry, anxiety, or pain. Relaxed - easygoing. Not strict - lenient. Not hurried or forced - moderate. Readily obtainable. I don't think any of these things apply to writing. Do you?


As you move along the writing journey, you will have times when you crave inspiration. When that happens to me, I turn to nature and also to books. Some of the most inspiring books I've read over the years include "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott; "On Writing" by Stephen King, "The Right to Write" and "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. They are lots more, but these I've kept and gone back to, time and time again.

Be open. Be joyful. Be diligent. And keep writing. 

http://bdtharp.com
Author of the "feisty family series" and a novel of romantic suspense: "Your Every Move."

Accidental Surprises

Have you ever been surprised when you went back and read something you wrote and realized there was a deeper meaning than you realized?

Such a happen circumstance is truly a gift.

An author buddy of mine recently received a couple of reviews that talked about the deeper meanings in her story. The character doesn't just solve a murder she learns more about her self, other people and society as a whole.

She admits to not deliberately trying to delve deeper into the character's psyche, but it was a natural result of the protagonists journey in the story.

When we force a deeper meaning on our readers it often comes off forced, preachy and false to the story. When it organically occurs everyone is happily surprised.

If we truly understand our character and allow their true "feelings, heart, gut and spirit" to appear on the page then magical things happen. We have to let go and let the character do their work. Be the scribe. Be the empath. Be the tool for the story to flow through.

Sounds esoteric doesn't it?

Creating a world of characters and making them come to life is magic. It comes from deep within the creative heart and mind. Much of what we channel is on a subconscious level and a wonderful surprise when it works on the page.

Have you ever experienced these surprises? 

Have your readers commented on them in their reviews? 

Let us know - it will inspire us knowing the magic still happens, we just have to be open to the possibilities and that them flow through us.

Enjoy the journey, my writing friends. It can be amazing.
Don't forget to keep good notes.


http://bdtharp.com
Amazon Author Page

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Many of us authors can truthfully answer, "We always dreamed of being a novelist." But is that strictly true? 

When I was seven, I wanted to be Doris Day and sing my way to the silver screen. I knew I didn't have much of a chance though because I didn't have blonde hair or freckles, but I could belt out a pretty good rendition of Que Sera Sera. If I had kept trying and improving, I might have been successful, but I went on to other artistic means of expression.

Drawing on every scrap of paper or margins of newspapers and notebooks drove me to dream about being a famous artist. My idols at an early age were book illustrators. Those guys could draw anything and everything. When I got married my grandmother gifted me with several notebooks of drawings she had saved from those early days. I've continued to draw and paint portraits of interesting people for many years, but famous - I think not.

As a teen, in between art class and choir, I tried my hand at writing poetry and song lyrics. I believe I filled one notebook and realized I wasn't destined to be a poet or song writer (too verbose).

My best friend Maxine told me I've always been a writer, expressing the most interesting situations via notes in class. Another friend, Karen, said my chatty letters made her feel like I was narrating instead of just telling the latest news. In college, I began to dream of writing a novel (as if I didn't already have plenty of papers to write). One of my professors encouraged me to pursue my fiction writing dream and so it began. Notebooks filled with scenes and characters, which led me to my first novel, Feisty Family Values. It took ten years from conception to print, but it's a beautiful book. (Five Star does great covers!)

Now, instead of creating portraits with paint, I create them with words. It's still a fairly long process, often starting with a picture in my mind of a character, a place, a scene, and a feeling. All authors strive to invoke feeling in our readers and to create a world they want to visit.

Did I dream of being a novelist? Yes, and I kept at it until I learned the craft, understood the publishing industry (which we all know is constantly changing), and ultimately told a story that others wanted to read.

Personally, I think I've learned that we need our dreams. They may change over time, but they are important and worth following. The key: Enjoying the journey.

So, tell me the truth, what did you want to be when you grew up? Are you on your way? If not, what are you waiting for?

Ten Tips On Creativity

The "Ten Tips on Creativity" was created by author and writing teacher, Emily Hanlon in 1996. I have it posted on the tack board above my desk and refer to it often. (Not to be reprinted without permission of the author.)

1. Don't think. Our best ideas emerge as a spark or image. Like dreams, they make little sense. 
2. Creativity is cyclical. You will not be creative all the time. Creativity has its own internal rhythms. Listen to yours. 
3. Nothing kills creativity faster than criticism. Good critiquing leaves you inspired, not deflated.
4. Spend time listening to your Inner Critic. By becoming aware of its foul jabber, you can challenge its roadblocks. 
5. Being a creator is risky business. Learn to push ahead even when you are afraid. Learn to love the risk. 
6. Don't be afraid to fail. Every successful creator fails. Failure means you've uncovered a path that does not work.
7. Don't be afraid to write garbage. "Garbage" writing is the rich, fertile ground that allows your work to grow!
8. Nurture your creativity. It is as fragile as a budding flower. 
9. Be passionate. Creativity is passionate. Passion is creative. 
10. Learn your craft and write! The more you write, the better you get. Successful writers are disciplined writers.  

 I met Emily Hanlon in 1999 at a writers retreat. She guided me onto the fiction writer's journey and I haven't stopped the ride. She is a terrific writer, teacher and all around super human being. 

About this week's blogger:

Bonnie Tharp’s novel, Feisty Family Values was published by Five Star Publishing in hardback and released in February 2010. Patchwork Family was released in paperback by Belle Books Publishing in March of 2014, and continues the story of a very feisty family. You can find out more about Bonnie & her books at http://bdtharp.com.

Feeding the Muse

On any given day online, there are hundreds of posts, tweets and blogs about the art of marketing your writing. And it seems to me they all reach one conclusion: No one knows what, or even if,anything works.

So if all the hours of promotion have questionable results, what's a writer to do? I beleive that the only thing we can do is to capitalize on the core of success: writing a wonderful story. If that's correct, then the building of a writer's creativity becomes critical.

And yes, I believe creativity can be nurtured.

Below are my suggestions. Some I've tried, some are still on my writer's bucket list.

* Take one session of acting classes a year. It'll teach you the basics of that art and give you insight into your own character portrayal.

* Take one session of visual art classes a year, i.e.: painting, drawing, sculpting etc. Concentrate on the act of creating and how it transfers to writing.
* If you can afford it, pay a counselor or therapist for a series of six sessions, once a month for six months. Your goal is to get help in accessing your buried uniqueness that is uninfluenced by media and curltural expectations.
* Pledge to yourself to have a weekly art date, time alone to experience something new and different. (This is from Julia Cameron) Use your insights for writing.
* One week a year, do your own writer's retreat. Not a conference with networking and seminars. And not a week long get-away where you finish up that novel that's on a tight deadline. What I mean is to retreat from the world and renew. Go to someplace where you are ALONE and you actually use the time to let your mind to explore and foster your creativity. (Did you know there are monasteries that offer this for a very reasonable price? Search online to find one in your area.)
* Learn to meditate and practice it daily. Yoga teaches meditation techniques. Transcendental meditation is good. That quiet time is like letting the well fill from a silent, underground stream.

Who knows what masterpiece will emerge?