Three Reasons Why I Write

Published on by elizapeake15 Category: Daily Motivation, Life. Love. Fun., Mindset, Productivity, Writers Life, Writing Life

I was listening to a podcast recently and the topic they discussed centered around why we as writers, well…write. It seems like such a simple question and yet it can really make one stop and think

But the way the host approached it was this: come up with three reasons that you write. Then whittle it down to the one that you know you can’t do without.

The three reasons I write:

1 – To entertain and offer an escape
2 – To get the stories out of my head
3 – To learn about myself and others and what motivates us

I can’t say money. Not yet anyway since I haven’t made any yet as my book is not yet published. It would be the first to go, even though that is definitely part of why I have a marketing strategy. But as a writer waist deep in edits right now, there are easier ways to make money! Part of my definition of success in writing is to be able to earn enough to “retire” from my first career and start my second. Hopefully finish my life on my terms as far as a career is concerned.

Number 1 & 3 would be the two to go, leaving me with to get the stories out of my head. I’ve made up stories and built worlds my whole life, even though I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing.

When I was 6 years old and had a Barbie dream house, I turned it into an inn in Vermont for my Barbie to run and made up stories about the guests. I wrote fictional stories based on high school friends while I was in school. None of them ever went anywhere and are long gone, but I’ve always had a story in my head. I can hardly listen to a song without creating a scene in my mind’s eye.

Interestingly, I find that number 1 & 3 are tied to # 2 as the effects of writing things out. If I didn’t have the stories to begin with, I wouldn’t be able to analyze motivations or entertain others.

 

So, why do you write? Money and success? To create something? To educate?

 

Write freely, love fearlessly, live intentionally,

 

 

Midweek Mojo: Get Started – March 21, 2018

Published on by elizapeake15 Category: Daily Motivation, Life. Love. Fun., Mindset, Quote of the Week, Writers Life, Writing Life
Mark Twain Mojo Sunrise

Happy Midweek Mojo! 

You see a lot of Motivational Monday posts and that’s great to get you going for a Monday. Unfortunately, I have a “hare” mentality that I’m trying to correct. I’m strong out of the gate, but tend to flail about halfway. It’s a conscious effort on my part to try and change this. The tortoise was right, slow and steady wins the race. 

So in an effort to help those of us that need some additional weekly motivation, I offer a midweek mojo post.

Today’s quote comes from the great Mark Twain:

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

 

The hardest part is starting, am I right? This is where fear sets in and tries to derail us before we even get going. For me, when I start a new writing project, the beginning is always the clunkiest for me. I’m awkward and all over the place until after a while I can rein myself in and find my voice. But unless I start, I’ll never find my voice. 

Some are perfectionists. Circumstances must be perfect in order to get started. They use sentences like:

 

“I’ll wait until the kids leave home.”

“I’ll wait until I have enough money.”

“I’ll wait until I lose weight.”

 

I’ve used these last two quite a bit myself. Life becomes a bunch of I’ll wait’s and before you know it, time passes you by.

Life isn’t perfect and never will be. There will be no perfect circumstance. If there’s something you want to do or dream of doing, get started. Don’t wait. If you’ve only been half committed to something, hold your nose and JUMP! Commit fully if you want it bad enough.

Time is the one commodity we have that we can somewhat control and yet we can never replenish when it’s gone. 

We only get so many trips around the sun. Make sure you make the most of each and every single one.

 

The weekly mojo question:

What are you not starting because of fear or some other deterrent?

 

Write freely, love fearlessly, live intentionally,

 

 

 

 

A New Year is Here! And the Excitement is Trying to Kill Me!

Published on by elizapeake15 Category: Uncategorized

Hello loves! 

In a perfect world, I would have done this post on January 1st instead of January 31st, but 2018 has decided to test me from the get go. It started on January 2nd when a stomach bug made its way into the house. But it gets better! *insert sarcasm here*

Here is how my January went this year:

  • The stomach bug hit 2 out of 3 people in the house (the hubs and the teen).
  • Not to be out done, I decided I would one up them and have an emergency appendectomy. Fun times.
  • The hubs had a fender bender. Nothing like last years total destruction of his Silverado, but his new truck had to be towed nonetheless.
  • So far, the nasty flu has taken down 2 out of 3 (again, the hubs and the teen). We’ll see if I can escape it or if my Lysol rampage and vitamin C bombs have helped me. 

There are various other small, nuisances that plagued me, but minor compared to all the other things. 

I was asked a couple of weeks ago how I keep my positive attitude in the face of all the turmoil that has rained down on me in 2018. I don’t really have an answer other than faith. I have faith that everything will work out okay.

There are some that still have it far worse than me. Everything I’ve gone through this month has been stressful and testing. But right now, I can type this post on a nice computer, I’m warm, I’m fed, and at this very moment, I feel fine (with this flu stuff, each day is a new adventure. I don’t count myself lucky just yet).

So, in spite of everything, I still feel very optimistic about this year. There are all sorts of projects and goals I’m working on in my writing career and my personal life. Here are a few I’m excited to share with you:

 

1 – Short Story Month. Starting in February, I’m going to post one of my short stories for a month. The first one I will be posting is a romantic short story (there are some sexy times, so just a fair warning, there is some heat here) called I Should be Getting Married…In the spirit of the month of love, I figured a romance one would be the most fun. Look for that to post on February 1st on the Short Story of the Month page.

2 – Edits on Shane & Emma’s story, tentatively called Trouble Me, are going well. I have a deadline with an editor and it’s approaching soon! I’ll keep you up on how that goes.

3 – My involvement with my local RWA chapter, Georgia Romance Writers, has stepped up. I’m the Galley Editor, our quarterly newsletter, but I’m also the Maggie Award of Excellence co-chair this year. I’m working with the lovely Diana A. Hicks. By the way, check out her debut novel coming out on February 7, 2018 called Love Over Lattes. It’s sexy and hot and just a fun read. I write the sexy South, she writes the sexy, Southwest, among other awesomeness. 

4 – I have a super secret project that’s in its infant stages that I will call Project 101 mistakes. Stay tuned!

5 – After Shane & Emma, I will introduce you to Noah & Ava. Be on the look out for more updates on both books in my…

6 – Newsletter. I’m working on being better about bringing a newsletter to you guys this year. I’m still working out a schedule for it. But it will filled with all things writing and updates on my stories.

So that’s it for now. Lots of different irons in the fire. Sign up for my newsletter to keep informed of what I’ve got going on, short stories, goings on in the writing world.

This is how I stay positive. I keep moving forward. 

I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes by Walt Disney that I love and keep me motivated:

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
 
It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.
 
We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

What dreams are you pursuing, new paths you’re foraging, and having fun doing it? Leave me a note in the comments!  

Write freely, love fearlessly, live intentionally.

 

NaNoWriMo Day 13: Taking Chances

Published on by elizapeake15 Category: Mindset, NaNoWriMo, Productivity, Writers Life, writing, Writing Craft

Day 13: During Nano, it’s all about taking chances. To provide motivation to writers to continue their writing journey. But in order to do so, one must lay it all on the line. Stick their neck out. Be willing to put a piece of themselves out to the world.

Be a taking chances turtle

Like the turtle, we get nowhere with our writing if we aren’t willing to stick our heads out and try something new. It may not work in the end. But that’s okay. The point is to try it. Nanowrimo provides a platform for drafting, trying new things, and taking chances. Even if that means we fail. Because there are a number of authors that used Nano to write a story. As as result, many have gone on to publish it successfully. All because they decided it was worth the risk.

Now, go write!

Today’s Count: 21,671 words

Happy Writing!

 

NaNoWriMo Motivation – Day 12

Published on by elizapeake15 Category: Mindset, NaNoWriMo, Productivity, Writers Life, writing, Writing Craft

Day 12: We’re nearing the halfway mark of our month long writing marathon. And if you’re like me, the sun, moon, and stars have not aligned properly every day, making it a challenge to get to those 1,667 words each day. Most days I’ve hit at least 1,000 words, but mostly I fail to make that magic number.

Still, I keep at it. Because while I’ve failed to reach the mark more days than I’ve succeeded so far, I keep pushing. I show up to my Scrivener document everyday. Some days the words pour out and my allotted writing time ends before I’m ready for it. Other days I look around wondering just what in the hell I’m doing and I want to pull my hair out by my ponytail.

And still. I show up. I have the same hope I do each time I start because I never know when that one sit down will be the one that the words break through. I fail, but I try again. And I keep that fire burning, even if some days I’m left with nothing more than embers.

Show up. Write the words. As Nora Roberts has famously said, “You can fix anything but a blank page.”

Now go write!!

Today’s Count: 20,004 words

Happy Writing!

NaNoWriMo Motivation – Day 11

Published on by elizapeake15 Category: Mindset, NaNoWriMo, Productivity, Writers Life, writing, Writing Craft

Day 11: There’s something magical about writing and being able to say you want to be a writer. But there’s a reason why many talk about it, but not everyone does it. The old adage, “if it were easy, everyone would do it” certainly applies here.

Writing is not easy. It’s a solitary venture, with only our thoughts and characters for company. We twist ourselves inside out trying to find the right words to tell the story that’s in our hearts and dominating our minds. Writers are egotistical and yet insecure, all at the same time. We have to be both as we bare our souls and look to entertain or educate.

We need to have that thick skin that sometimes we simply lack. Because that is the one intangible tool in our arsenal that can make us great.

If you’ve made it here, on day 11, keep trucking. With each word you write, you bare your soul more, but know that your words are needed. And develop that thick skin so that someday those fantastic words that are weaved into a story will make it out into the world one day.

Today’s Count: 18,337 words

Happy Writing!

NaNoWriMo Motivation – Day 10

Published on by elizapeake15 Category: Mindset, NaNoWriMo, Productivity, Writers Life, writing, Writing Craft

Day 10: Fear. It’s the other four letter F-word. It’s a word that prevents dreams from materializing and has brought down nations. But what if fear has been receiving a bad rap for all these years?

It can be a powerful motivator, both good and bad.

But what makes it bad for some, while good for others? I say it’s all in perspective. Are you a glass half empty or half full sort of person? How you perceive and react to fear is different for each of us. Fear can actually move people to act. If a loved one dies unexpectedly, some are fearful they haven’t done enough with their own lives and set out to make changes to live life to the fullest. On the other hand, some are so scared about not doing enough with their lives that they freeze and end up doing nothing. It’s all in how you look at the situation presented to you.

If you’ve started this writing journey called NaNoWriMo, you’ve taken the first step in conquering fear. Keep taking those steps, even if you aren’t in the lead. You have to keep pushing and putting one foot in front of the other if you plan to cross the finish line.

So make fear your bitch and keep writing!

Today’s Count: 16,670 words

Happy Writing!

NaNoWriMo Motivation – Day 9

Published on by elizapeake15 Category: Mindset, NaNoWriMo, Productivity, Writers Life, writing, Writing Craft

Day 9: So if you’ve been able to keep up with your word count, you should be around the 15,000 word mark. As of right now, I sit at 10,457 words. I’m a bit behind the eight ball, but I’m not really worried about it.

Why? Because while I’m going to do my best to hit the 50K mark by November 30th, I’m excited about the habit I’m forming every day. And the ideas that are forming and that I’m fleshing out. Since I’m a little handicapped this year (broken fingers make for a challenge typing), I’m focusing on planting those seeds every day even if I’m not harvesting 1,667 words each day. I know that eventually they will grow and I will have a book at the end.

The point of Nano is to not give up once you start. Because you will only have a full manuscript if you plant those seeds each day.

Now go write!

Today’s Count: 15,003 words

Happy Writing!

NaNoWriMo Motivation – Day 8

Published on by elizapeake15 Category: Mindset, NaNoWriMo, Uncategorized, Writers Life, writing, Writing Craft

Day 8: Last night after watching Shark Tank, my daughter asked me how those investors could give someone so much money without knowing whether or not they would get it back (in this case it was $700K). It seemed crazy to her. I told her that usually the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward and those investors were betting on the fact the business would work out.

Diving into Nano every year is a risk we all take. Will we finish? Will it be any good? Will we do it again next year? When will I have time to do this? All of these thoughts are a risk to our egos, our supply of time, our families, even our stories. But taking this risk each November is worth it to learn time management, consistency, overcoming fear, and just how bad we want to make this writing thing work.

So be willing to continue to take the risk. Even if you fall behind in the word count (I’m desperately behind now that I’ve injured myself! Doh!), keep going. The goal is to be consistent and finish something, regardless of the word count.

As Captain Barbossa said in Pirates of the Caribbean, “It’s more like guidelines.”

Now go write!

Today’s Count: 13,336 words

Happy Writing!

NaNoWriMo Motivation – Day 7

Published on by elizapeake15 Category: Mindset, NaNoWriMo, Productivity, Writers Life, writing, Writing Craft

Day 7: Today’s quote isn’t from a writer, but from one of the forefathers in business and entrepreneurship. Someone who knows how to keep going when things start to fray at the edges.

Henry Ford knew what it took to fall down, lag behind, but pick himself up and keep moving. That kind of perseverance is the bedrock of getting those words in every day during Nanowrimo. The words don’t have to be great now, they can be great later. But if you never get them down, they will never reach their potential.

Greatness is earned, not given. So keep earning your greatness. Believe in yourself. GO WRITE!

Today’s Count: 11,669 words

Happy Writing!