A Hundred Quills
"Words.Words.I play with words, hoping that some combination, even a chance combination will say what I want" -Doris Lessing
IWSG- March 2020 [ Keep the Writing Dream in Sight!]
March 4, 2020 is the IWSG posting day for writers for this month! IWSG is such an encouraging space for writers.
The Purpose of this wonderful group of writers is : To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Would you like to be a part of the group? Then sign up here.
I did know of one such person, whose little journal I happened to read almost thirty years ago. I speak of my father, who loved writing poetry, some of which I discovered in a stack of old books.
As they say, a story that is never read is never told. In that sense, it’s amazing to see writing dreams materialize. There is a reader, somewhere, for every writer.
However, in this maze, that we call the internet and the social media it is also very easy to lose sight of your writing dream. On your journey to becoming a writer, you need to ask yourself, if you have taken the diversion and moved on to becoming an influencer or somebody who is likely to get noticed sooner. Are you, still on the path that you had chosen for yourself or have you allowed yourself to get carried away?
We may as well accept that writing doesn’t really help you make a living. That is for a very tiny percentage of authors. It might just be you tomorrow, but until that happens, quick money and quick fame is likely to lure us all. While there is nothing wrong in making a living off something else, we may do well to ask ourselves a few questions.
- Am I inching towards my writing dream or have I confused it/given it up for something else?
- Am I making time for genuine reading/writing?
- Am I spending too much time in trying to get noticed and too little in writing?
We all have different goals, but I would like to believe that our writing goals are the same. And in lieu of those, I do hope we can check ourselves when and if need be.
On a personal front, I experimented by staying off social media for a part of the last month. It did increase my productivity. I was able to manage a collection of fifteen of my poems and compiled them on juggernaut. You may check them on the Juggernaut App, titled ‘Life,Women and Everything in Between’.
On the work front I managed to finish off two long, pending assignments. It was also a month dedicated to good reading.
The question for this month is:
March 4 question – Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?
Surprisingly, I have made references to family anecdotes in my stories and poems, but no tradition/ custom that I may have mentioned as such. But this is such a wonderful idea and a great way to archive a family practice.
March is all about spring here in India, and I do wish it turns out to be the spring of the writing season as well! Happy writing peeps!
An interesting question. I once mentioned navratri dolls when I was writing a poem from the doll’s POV.
Good luck with your blog, Sonia.
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At times we are not able to complete our goals.
I will say writing requires a lot of self discipline.
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Yes Swati. Thanks so much!💐💐
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Thank you Sonia for your discussion on our goals as a writer. I agree with you , hang on to your dream, make time for reading and writing because that is where the pleasure and the reward ultimately lie I personally think. If we can find our readers and share, it will multiply the satisfaction, but I think we write foremost because we enjoy writing and we have to/can’t do without.
As you, I have started offloading my apps from my iPad, so I don’t have intrusive notifications appear. And I only go onto the computer once my writing aims for the day are completed. Have an inspiring month. See you on A to Z ?
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Hey yes…I think Susan makes so much sense to log in after your writing for the day is done rather than log out forever.
I’m hoping to be on A to Z though I’m relocating and have my hands full. I do hope to register very soon!
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Great post. I struggle with the social media aspect of it. I can get lost in Facebook and Twitter for hours and lose writing time. Good for you on staying off of it!
http://Www.alliebock.com
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I know what you mean. I hope we can all survive it!☺️☺️
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It’s a tough balance. There seems little point in writing more if it’s not read, but if we spend all our time trying to attract readers, we won’t write anything for them to read.
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Yes…Tough indeed!
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Great questions to ask yourself! For me, my big distraction is volunteering in the writing world. I keep allowing myself to be sucked in, because I hate to not help. But I took this past week off to get my next collection ready, and I got SO MUCH done. Even stuff that had nothing to do with my book got done.
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Ah yes. There’s always something or the other. I’m hoping realizing it would be the first step in the right direction.
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I like learning about other cultures and their traditions. Legends too if I’m honest. The more I learn the more I see us as people of Earth–rather than a country–dealing with the same stuff in different ways. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
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What a Lovely thought!💐💐
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It is easy to let social media and marketing suck up too much time. Balance is needed. If you don’t have a book to promote, what’s the point of marketing? And I take breaks now and then as well.
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Thank you Alex. I think this is one the best things I needed to hear. If you don’t have a book what’s the point in promoting yourself?? I guess I need to get my act right before speculating further!
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Hi,
The internet can be a killer of your dreams and death to your writing if you don’t have control of it. There are days and weeks that I sit at my computer and write and don’t go on social media. I’ve made it a habit of spending about twenty to thirty minutes and then I’m finished.
I don’t answer my telephone either. If it is urgent, they can leave a message on my voice mail.
Great question.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
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I’m so glad Pat I wrote this down. I’ve got some wonderful responses..Guiding lights if I may say so…I’m working head on to get that balance now!
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I’ve been doing this writing thing for a long time. Getting noticed was bittersweet in the early days. I wanted to sell books, so I knew I had to get noticed. But it never felt good. Today I’d opt for a miracle. Readers find my novel without any effort on my part. Haha.
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I guess so! Time to resurrect my SM account, no??!!
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Yes, we often let other things interfere with our writing. If no one notices us, they won’t know about our writing. We have to learn to balance the two, along with the rest of our life. Nice to meet you.
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I so agree. Though I’m struggling to balance it well. Thanks!
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Yes, soniadogra. It takes a balance.
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Your questions, “Am I spending too much time in trying to get noticed and too little in writing?” is one that all writers struggle with in the new publishing landscape. It’s a tough one.
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Yes. I’m struggling for sure😀😀
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As am I . . .
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