something new

in every way, i try to make sure that i break the day-to-day humdrums of life. if i were to perfectly follow a routine, i would wake up, get ready for work, go to work, come home, eat, go to class, go back home, sleep. i refuse to be a machine or some sort of a robot. what's funny is that not all robots are following a structured routine, either! some are configured in a way that they will do different things. i will not allow a robot to out-do me!

i try to remain inspired and keep my life refreshed with all kinds of in-betweens. sometimes, i would mix up my normal daily activities and do something else. this will keep me from thinking that "time is flying" and it hinders me from wasting too much time. i admit to wasting time, but i make sure that i am productive in some kind of way.

i am obsessed with reading now. i am so glad to be back into the books like the good old times. i don't want to lose that desire to read ever again. i want to fulfill and hone it. i want to keep reading close to me. i am so grateful for libraries and the experiences i have had in them. i am grateful for the library jobs that i had and have right now. i am forever surrounded by books and book titles (i have to do inventory), so i am hardly given a chance to make reading a memory. my advice to you is to switch up your routine of things so that you will not get bored with yourself. every day is a new day, so there is no reason for you not to do and experience new things. keep your life fresh!

push yourself

i have always had self-discipline. beyond writing, i have always pushed myself to do what i am supposed to do. i have a very convicting spirit. my self won't allow me to do anything wrong without feeling a slither of guilt. i have the kind of conscience that will present the consequences right before or after a particular action. when writing is involved, i naturally tell myself that i can do it. i was not always this way. i have wanted to give up plenty of times before now. however, after reading the Bible and various other books, i have acquired stronger optimism and positivity for my capabilities. i have learned that if no one else pushes me, i must be able to push myself. i must be about to tell myself that i can do whatever i want to do. thanks to the support of my family, friends, associates, elders, and many others, i am able to perservere and do what i love. i am able to immerse deeper into writing.

nevertheless, there are some people who do not have much or any support at all. there are some who are all alone, scavenging around in search of a serious reason why or what he or she needs to write. there is someone out there who is wondering if their writing is any good or worth reading. i am here to tell you that your brain's fruit is worthy to be shared. it is your creativity, so why not? anything you create may inspire another to create, as well.

a while ago, someone told me that i am in charge of my own emotions. well, i am telling you that you are in charge of your own drive. you determine how far you want to go. if you want to be a serious writer who does not want to be lax toward writing, but willing, you must tell yourself on a daily basis that you can do it. i have heard that some things are not for everyone, but perhaps that is because they do not try hard enough to make it for them. be sure of your abilities. if you want to be a writer, you are already one. your job is to forge forward, seeing nothing but possibilities, which there are many. trust yourself to push yourself. you can and you will be the best writer you can be!

no such thing as a blocked writer

real writers have no excuses when it comes to writing. just as readers read, writers write. creative people create nonstop. breaks may be needed and pauses may have to be taken, but the process is endless. too many aspiring writers are creating more excuses rather than creating more ideas and actual products.

as you sit in front of an empty sheet of paper, notebook, typewriter, or computer, remind yourself that you are on your own time. tell yourself that there is no point to rush writing. i get so disappointed when i cannot think of anything to write. like many others, i literally get stuck and have nothing to put down. but i am someone who loves to take breaks. i don't like to pressure myself. if i am blank for the moment, i move to something else. i put the idea of writing to the side and resort to another activity.

unless you have to meet someone else's deadline, do not think that you have to rush yourself. treat your writing as a baked dish. dishes cooked in the oven are their most delicious and juiciest when left alone and allowed to cook for an entire term. they simmer, boil, broil, and marinate and become complete once ready. your brain is like a big oven and oddly, your brain is the dish. when you are out of ideas, think of your brain being in the beginning phase. it is merely settling and forming into something. it is collecting ideas, which are marinating and cultivating in your mind. allow yourself to step away from oven to engage in other activities. in time, your brain will be ready to serve, resulting in a literary masterpiece.

READ, READ, READ!

i am at a point right now where i am wrestling with the internet and reading. i am trying my best not to do too much internet time and devote more of myself to reading. i learned from experience and reading other writings that great writers read. when i was little, i was an avid reader! that's all i wanted to do. while my sisters and friends were outside, i wanted to sit in a little fort of pillows in the corner of me and my sisters bedroom and snuggle up with a stack of books. as adolescence and teenhood approached, i was sidetracked and interrupted by day-to-day routine and other hooplah. books began to dwindle from my fingertips and television had taken precedence. in other words, i cared less about reading with the excellence of television.

computers, nowadays, are more of my best friend. now, i am not saying that writing was far from me-because it never was-but reading definitely got lost somewhere.

i realize that if i am to have a fresh mind that is full of ideas and vitality, i must read. the physical book, magazine, or newspaper version is what i mean. i am always reading something online, but i would rather rest my eyes away from the radiating screen.

lately, i have been reading much. i am currently reading various books about self-publishing, copyediting, entrepreneurship, literary agencies, and novel writing. i am in the middle of SUGAR, by Bernice L. McFadden, and i have begun MAMMY: A CENTURY OF RACE, GENDER, AND SOUTHERN MEMORY. i am expanding my brain and exercising it so that it can stay productive.

i encourage you to feed your brain also. it will help you to develop thoughts so that you will thrive on the road to becoming an astounding writer!

"readers read. writers write. readers write. writers read."
-neelyterrell