Taming the Inner Self

There's something they never tell you about writers. Never ever ever, not until you finally experience it. You see, there's this little demon that lives inside all of us, and this little demon wants nothing more than to see you fail. That little demon is the fear of success demon or, rather, the fear of change demon.

Now, you might say, “Why would I be afraid of success? I want to be the next Stephenie Meyer!” It's very true that you might well want that for yourself. However, there's something else to it—we don't want things to be upset. We're used to our lives pretty much the way they are, and that's sort of what we want to maintain—familiarity. Sure, if someone could ensure us the same level of success as Meyer, I think most of us would take it. But the problem is that there is no guarantee in this business, so we fear and despair, and every rejection, nasty beta, or hard edit we have just compacts that fear into a little ball of rocky terror in our souls.

But I'd like to share a quote with you:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
~Nelson Mandela

And it's true. We worry so much about our inadequacies, but that's just a front for the real terror—that we are too much for ourselves to handle, that we cannot be controlled, even by our own will. You know what—lose control. That power is the gift given to us to help guide us through life and help us through the rough patches. As a writer, it's your greatest tool, because it lets you do the seemingly impossible—finish on time, edit this, submit that, write this character, format this book, rise to the top, movie deal, merchandising, franchising, buying Skywalker Ranch right from under George Lucas' well-paid ass. With this power unleashed, we can truly start taking charge.

So don't try and tame the demon inside of you—let it frolic and bask in the glorious release of power.

Feeling a little wild,
Voss

Quotes, Ahoy, Matey!

All this daily posting and high-tress has officially fried my brain, so this post is a bit of a wash. Sorry.

(I also don't know why I'm talking like a pirate in the title.)

Any who, if you haven't noticed by now, I'm kind of a quote slut. I like them, and I especially like them for writing—it gives you a little something to latch onto. So, since I like them so much, I thought I'd share some of my turn-to quotes, for when I'm feeling like utter excrement. Some of them You'll see again later, some of them you've seen already—I like them enough to keep posting them and reposting them.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
~Nelson Mandela

“Do or do not. There is no try.”
~Master Yoda

“I sound my barbaric YAWP over the tops of the world.”
~Walt Whitman

“Don't ask me about being a writer. If, when you wake up in the morning, you can think of nothing but writing, then you're a writer.”
~Ranier Maria Rilke

“I wanted to be a reader...I only wrote the first book because I thought it wasn't there...”
~Toni Morrison

“ 'The cat sat on the mat' is not the beginning of a story, but 'The cat sat on the dog's mat' is.”
~John le Carre

“I don't remember deciding to become a writer. You decide to become a dentist or a postman. For me, writing is like being gay. You finally admit that this is who you are, you come out and hope that no one runs away.”
~Mark Haddon

“People ask me if there’s a method to my madness. I say, ‘Nope. Just madness, but it seems to work.’ “
~Cleve Hall

I do hope those are as helpful to you as they are to me. I mean, let's face it—sometimes we need a hug and there's no one around to do it. This is my little bit to try and help you out, so I hope it's good.

If you have any more good, inspirational quotes about writing or just dealing with life that could be applicable to writing, send them my way in the comments section. I'll be happy to throw them in the list.

Swearing he had more than this stashed away,
Voss

Inspiration Prescription

Feeling a little lackluster? Inspiration flagging? Are you the laughing stock of your writing group? Are you currently flashing on Lucy's VitaMeataVegaMin commercial (my favorite!)?

Well be just and fear not (I'm jsut full of fan references today, aren't I? RHPS, baby!)

Okay, let's get down to seriousness (as if I'm ever serious...). Some days, we bloody well can't write a line without deleting the entire document because it "lacks inspiration" (or maybe that's just I...). Sure, you can listen to music, read a favorite book, scan through writing prompts--but some days that just will not work and you wonder: "Why can't I be inspired?"

The ways. We are all so used to the way things work, that sometimes it takes a jolt to really jumpstart us--writers included, as much as we try denounce humanity some days.

1. Movies: Watch a movie, especially if it's just kind of a trip. Whether it's the wacky, wonderful weirdness of "Monkeybone" or the odd, multicultural mix of something like "Fighter" (Danish martial arts Muslim interracial romance, anyone?), watch something wierd. If you're lucky nough to own DVD copies of your movies, you can even watch something more "normal"--jsut throw on the commentary if it has one and listen to another artist talk--believe me, it helps.


2. Stage: All right, maybe movies aren't working--try the stage. Go find your community theater, or even a recording of a play, and curl up with your inner Shakespeare, Hammerstein, or Sondheim. Whether it's a classic like "The Taming of the Shrew" (my personal favorite from the bard) or something a little more out there like "Tick, Tick, BOOM!" or "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)". Even something super classic--"Carmina Burana", "Pagliacci", "The Barber of Seville". If nothign else, go for Cirque du Soleil--if that doesn't inspire you at least a little, you might want to check your pulse.


3. Puppetry: Yes, puppetry. Don't walk away from me, I'm serious! Seeing something so vastly different like a good "Punch and Judy" or the mastery and beauty of "Strings" or any of the thousands of little puppetry shows you can trakc down online or in the store can really get you going.


4. Fan Fiction: Didn't you hear me before? I told you not to run away! Maybe your lack of inspiration comes from a lack of world or character ideas. That's when you can reach into your fan-fiction bag and write something that somebody else already did the groundwork on. Of course you can never sell it, but these are desperate times, and desperate measures are called for (Sweeney Todd, anyone? Anyone?).


5. Beg, Borrow, and Plead: If it comes down to it, ask your friends. A simple email of "what should I write" can get you a whole slew of ideas pouring in--maybe not all usable, but one little spark is all you need, sometimes.

Okay, so some of them sounded a little flaky--all you're going to lose for trying is some time, right?

Peace, my lovelies

Voss