“I always wrote with the idea that what I put out there is going to stay there. Once I publish something, it has been published. I’ve never deleted more than one or two posts from my site. I don’t think that there are takebacks.” -Alison Headley
The quote is listed on The Quotations Page for writing quotes, a source that I always find inspiring. The things other people have said about writing often give me pause for thought and this one is no exception. It’s important to realize that what we’re writing is going to be seen by others. As we write, we should keep in mind that this could be something that we’re permanently associated with. By doing so, we maintain the integrity of our own writing and always challenge ourselves to do our best work.
It’s always tempting to think, “it’s just a blog post” and slack on the quality of the writing because you know it’s going to get buried in the archives in a few days. However, something that others have seen always has the potential to crop back up again. Try to do your best writing at all times so that anything that comes back will only be something that you want to nod in agreement with.
Question of the Day: Do you ever find yourself writing with lower standards because you’re “only” writing a blog post?
[Tags] writing, quote, alison headley, inspiration, blog, standards, quality [/Tags]
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
It’s always inspiring to see people joining together in any sort of movement. Earth Day is one of those times. To celebrate, take a moment to learn something new about being green.
- Real Words posts about green writing
- Wikipedia on Earth Day
- Earth Day Official Page
- Go Green @ Treehugger: http://www.treehugger.com/gogreen.php
- Guide to a Healthy Life Style
Question of the Day: What are you doing as a writer to celebrate Earth Day?
[Tags] green writing, earth day, green links [/Tags]
Auroville is a city in South India first constructed in the late 1960’s. Based on the commune principles of the hippie era, this city was designed to be an open-minded forward-thinking community. It’s changed throughout the years but that basic foundation has remained the same. Today, Auroville is considered one of the world’s eco-cities.
It would take an entire book to explain what Auroville is all about but ultimately it’s an idealistic place where the residents aim to live above the politics and materialism that pervades most of the world. While it’s not likely a place that I would want to spend my life, it’s inspiring to me as a writer.
For one thing, it shows an alternative way to live in the world. That’s great for creating characters for fiction and is just a generally inspiring thing to see. For another, it’s constantly evolving - a process which is interesting to read about and which can be inspirational for story development.
As with all of the places, people, ideas and saying that are mentioned in this daily Real Words column, Auroville is one of those things that deserves a second glance with an eye towards how it can impact a person’s writing immediately and over time.
Question of the Day: Do you think visiting a place like Auroville would be good for your writing work?
[Tags] writing, auroville, commune, ecocity, india, inspiration [/Tags]
What writer doesn’t like to receive praise for his or her work? Even when you don’t agree with the person who is giving you props, you have to smile a little bit when someone sees value or talent in the creative efforts that you are putting forth. And if you take it with a grain of salt, this praise can be really inspiring. It may even make your work better.
Praise inspires me as a writer in the following ways:
- It makes me feel like continuing to work. I’d probably write without any recognition at all but getting that praise gives me an added boost of energy to sit down and do the writing.
- It points me in the right direction. I can often tell from praise whether something is worth following up on or whether I should let a topic go. Of course, sometimes my own creative impulses will drive these decisions but that input can inspire me to go further with a topic that I may have dropped otherwise.
- It challenges me to maintain a high standard. When someone has praised your work, you know that they are reading it. This inspires me to keep writing with an audience in mind. When it starts to feel like no one is paying attention anyway, we sometimes let our writing slip. That praise can bring your focus back to finetuning your writing.
And of course, it’s just a pleasant feeling to be acknowledged for your work. Go praise one of your favorite writers today; perhaps they’ll be inspired to write something magical.
Question of the Day: How does praise inspire or hinder your writing?
[Tags] writing, praise, acknolwedgment, reward, work [/Tags]
I’m the first to admit that Reality TV is probably not the best source for inspiration. However, it has its moments. For some, watching the development of characters on these shows can assist them in creating their own characters for novels and short stories. For me, recent inspiration came from one line in a show that made me literally laugh out loud.
The show was Hell’s Kitchen. Abrasive Chef Gordon Ramsay was all worked up about how slow one of the contestants on the show was being at his work. And what he said was something along the lines of “you’re moving like a tortoise … giving birth”.
I’d never heard anyone say that before and it caught me off guard. It took the usual metaphor that is tired and obvious and gave it this twist that struck me as ridiculously humorous. Not much on TV actually makes me laugh aloud so the show got points for that. But more importantly, it got me thinking about the fact that there is always a new way to the same old things if you’re willing to look for that way.
Yes, a lot of metaphors have already been made before. But we can take those metaphors and put our own spin on them to make them apply to different situations or say something slightly different than what they usually say. A good writer will edit out the cliches in her work and find a way to write a new turn of phrase.
Question of the Day: Can you think of any other twists-on-sayings that you’ve heard which stuck with you?
[Tags] inspiration, quote, hell’s kitchen, chef gordon ramsay [/Tags]
One of the things that regularly inspires me is the information and insight that I get from blogs. (You can check out forty of my favorite writing blogs here.) So I’m always inspired when someone leaves a comment here and it has a link associated with a blog that I haven’t heard of before. It’s a little bit like cracking up a new book that you just received as a gift; you’re already excited to enter that new blog even though you’re not quite sure what it holds inside. Often, what it holds is magical but even if it’s not, the act of getting excited about a new blog is often inspiring in and of itself.
I’ve had a chance to check out a few great new blogs in the last couple of weeks simply because people left their comments here with links to them. Here are a few examples:
- Poetry4Kids - What a fun idea to create a site with poetry for children and the holidays related to children. Unique idea and a great site.
- Blogsessive - Interesting blog posts such as blogging tips from Top 100 songs. Love it!
- Candleday - Beautiful artwork that I wouldn’t otherwise have discovered.
- John Baker’s Blog - “Reflections of a working writer and reader”, something that’s always enjoyable for writers to read.
- The Last Whale - Many people joke about “saving the whales”; this blog actually does it.
- Touched by Madness - Thoughts about life and living told in an original and entertaining way.
Blogging is all about writing within a community. Links from blog comments help to build that community. Feel free to leave more here anytime!
Question of the Day: What is the best blog that you’ve come across after seeing the link on your blog comments?
[Tags] blog, comments, writing, links, resources, inspiration [/Tags]
“Authors who never give you something to disagree with never give you anything to think about.” -Michael LaRocca
I don’t particularly like confrontation. I don’t enjoy it when something that I write causes someone to get all upset and send me nasty messages or leave me unsettling comments. Frankly, I think that my opinion is just that - one opinion - and while I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, I kind of assume that we all know that everyone is entitled to their opinions. So it irks me, bothers me, frustrates me when someone gets upset by something I wrote.
But I write it anyway.
That’s the thing about being a writer - and especially one on the web where people can fire off responses to you without even a second thought - you can’t censor yourself if you want what you write to really reflect what you believe. I think it’s important that we all remember that for every person that disagrees with us, someone else will agree. For those who disagree, there is the potential we will change their minds or help them see another viewpoint. For those who agree, our articulation may serve to inspire them.
You can’t make everyone happy all of the time. And you shouldn’t have to. Put your thoughts and opinions out there for others to read. Don’t take yourself too seriously; your opinion is just one of many. But don’t shortchange yourself either. What you want to write should be said.
This quote was found on a terrific site that has a whole lot of quotes about writing. This post is part of the daily Inspired! column in which I share the many things that inspire me as a writer.
Question of the Day: Have you ever failed to write something because you were afraid of the response?
[Tags] writing, censorship, readers, fans, creativity, inspiration [/Tags]
There are many different things that inspire my writing. The books I read, the photographs I see, the places that I go … they all influence my way of thinking and often lead specifically to articles or creative works. However, the thing that probably inspires me the most is the random conversations that I have with people.
Be it a long talk with a best friend or a chance comment exchanged with a guy on the bus, it is frequently the words of others that draw our attention to things that we wouldn’t have otherwise noticed. They point us in the right direction in order to catch a new train of thought. They inform us about things we hadn’t previously realized. They offer new insight into a way of seeing things that we hadn’t considered.
It is usually not the conversations we plan that happen this way. You can’t force inspiration (although keeping an eye out certainly helps you to see it!) But rather, it is the word here or there … the talk you didn’t think you’d have today … that can make a difference in what you write tomorrow.
Question of the Day: Do you get more inspired by conversations with strangers or those with loved ones?
[Tags] inspiration, writing, conversations, ideas [/Tags]
The Olympic torch is coming to San Francisco today. No matter what you may think about the controversy that’s surrounded the torch’s trek around the globe, you can’t fail to at least let the Olympics cross your mind during this time. That’s gotten me to thinking about the athletes that compete at this level and how inspiring they are in both their skill and their determination to succeed.
What’s necessary to compete at the Olympic level varies by sport, of course. The sport that I’m thinking of right now is gymnastics. With this sport, you really have a very small window of time in which you can realistically plan to be an Olympic competitor. Because of the age at which you peak in gymnastics, you really only have one or two Olympics to shoot for. Any injuries or missteps along the way and your whole dream can come crashing down around you. That’s a whole lot of effort required for what is not a guaranteed reward.
And even with other sports, you have to commit a serious amount of your life to the sport you’ve chosen in order to be able to excel at the level required by this event. That commitment, that self-motivation and that drive towards a chosen goal is something to be admired. And it’s something that has served to inspire people all over the world for many, many years.
Question of the Day: At what level of competition do sports become inspiring for you?
[Tags] inspiration, athletic, sports, san francisco, olympics [/Tags]
San Francisco’s downtown / SoMA is in the process of architectural change. A number of new buildings have cropped up that look modern and unique from the rest of the cityscape. When they first started being erected, I have to admit that I was resistant to the change. I love the city’s architecture and didn’t like the alteration. But as they’ve developed, I’ve started to appreciate the new buildings.
As a result, I’ve gotten more interested in design and architecture than I was before. And I’ve been particularly interested in hyper-modern design. There are a number of different buildings that show off modern styles. Below are three images of just such buildings. The pictures all come from Global Construction Watch and you can learn more about these buildings from their blog.
What’s inspiring about these is the way that the incorporate modern technology into their design. They’re forward-thinking and yet rooted in what currently motivates our lives. It’s an interesting development in design and one I’m intrigued by.
Question of the Day: What do you think are the hottest new buildings around the world?
[Tags] design, art, architecture, high-tech, building, inspiration [/Tags]
