22 Reminders For 2018

1. You only have one life.
2. Work hard but play harder.
3. You can’t do everything.
4. It’s okay to say no.
5. Better to fail than never try.
6. Less is more.
7. There’s always room for improvement.
8. Write for yourself, not someone else.
9. Find your voice.
10. Read what you want.
11. Hone your art, your craft.
12. Your health matters.
13. Finish the projects you start.
14. Your body and mind need exercise.
15. You learn more from failure than from success.
16. Research before you jump to conclusions.
17. You’re allowed to have fun.
18. Never feel guilty for pursuing your passions.
19. You don’t need permission.
20. Everyone has 24 hours in a day.
21. You’re closer to the end than you realize.
22. You are worth it.

20 Things I Learned In 20 Years

I’ve learned a lot of lessons in twenty years.

1.   People suck.
2.   Forgiving is hard.
3.   Give before you get.
4.   I’m not alone.
5.   Comparing is unfair.
6.   Wounds heal.
7.   Timing counts.
8.   Regret nothing.
9.   Life goes on.
10.   Do not envy.
11.   Things happen for a reason.
12.   People come and go.
13.   Friends are important.
14.   Mental health matters.
15.   Appreciate art.
16.   Be kind to strangers.
17.   Do what makes me happy.
18.   How to say no.
19.   Stay true to who I am.
20.   Love myself.

Storytelling, Timing, Writing

I love writing and hope to publish a book someday. If that doesn’t happen, I really hope I can at least help to improve literacy rates around the world.

I can’t imagine not being able to read or write. I’m beyond grateful to be in the position I am.

Oh, writing. I love it. I want to dedicate my entire life to telling stories.

The times I want to give up, I tell myself I’m closer than I realize. Besides, if I give up, I won’t make it. I can’t reap all the seeds I’ve sown in the last several years if I throw away all my pens and never buy any again.

Every professional writer was an amateur, an aspiring writer who didn’t quit even when they experienced rejection, failure. They kept going.

I like to believe I’m on the right path, heading in a direction towards a destination I will arrive at one day and be blown away. That’s some sentence, huh? The poet in me is coming out.

I can’t wait.

Wherever this life takes me, wherever I go, I’ll look ahead and regret nothing.

In my twenty years of life, I’ve learned that life is messy and ugly.

I tend to expect perfection from myself or something close to it. But if life isn’t perfect, how can I be?

I’m hard on myself, so hard. I’m trying to loosen up, take things easy. That doesn’t mean I don’t expect great things from myself. It just means when I do inevitably fail, I won’t beat myself down when I’m already on the ground.

I’ll pick myself up and carry on my way. Brush the dirt off. Keep walking.

I truly believe this world needs stories. We need art. Maybe I can supply both to the people who need it most. I’d be happy with changing one person’s life. In a good way, of course.

I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of storytelling. I know how powerful stories are. The right story at the right time can be life-changing.

Timing really is everything. Right place at the right time. When the stars and planets align.

One of these days the timing will be close to perfect. I’ll know with all my heart I’m where I should be. Then all this will be worth it. After all, I’m worth it.

Why I Have A Hard Time Sharing My Creative Writing

Sharing my creative writing with others is a challenge to say the least.

The other day I was trying to pick a story to send to two strangers for their feedback. I had the hardest time emailing a copy of my work to them.

There's something personal about openly sharing your stories with someone else. To an extent, some of my blog posts are personal, and I don't have a problem posting those for the world to see. With creative writing however, I feel as though I'm exposing more of myself.

As I've said, these two are strangers. I think I'd be more comfortable with sharing if I knew them longer, trusted them more. I'm sure they're wonderful human beings. It's still tough to open up and feel vulnerable in front of people you hardly know.

If I had a penny for every times I've said I wanted to get better, I'd be one wealthy woman. Even though I do hope to improve, I'm not the best at asking for feedback. Ditto for applying any feedback I receive.

I'm stubborn. Worse, I have a gigantic ego that loves to get in the way. On a good day, I'm able to shove it aside for the sake of my art.

Every time I've put my art first before my ego, the former benefits greatly.

I say the following not to brag, but to make it clear that I had a different, unusual path when I started out as a writer and blogger. I found success early on in both endeavours. In some ways, I was even more successful a few years ago than I have been recently.

So, for many reasons, my ego was inflated in high school. A part of me thought I always knew what was best, what was right.

Of course, that's not always the case.

Over time, my ego has taken a good beating.

I'm at a point now where I feel confident, not cocky in my abilities. After all, I've come a long way, but I still have plenty of room for improvement.

I can identify strengths and weaknesses in my own work. But having an outside perspective point out certain problems can make all the difference.

What I want to say ultimately boils down to these points:

Sharing your writing with strangers isn't easy. It can be a vulnerable experience. That's okay, though. So long as you don't let your ego stop you from improving your art in every way possible. And sometimes the best thing you can do is to put your ego aside and listen to others.

I think I've reaffirmed what I knew all along. Egos suck.

An Open Letter To Writers

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Dear Writers,

You’re human. You will always be human. You’ll make your share of mistakes. You’ll fail and fall repeatedly. That’s if you try. If you take chances and risks. But if you want something badly enough, you’ll go for it. And every failure and fall will be worth it.

You’ll do well to remember that you’re a writer, not a machine. And you’re a character, not a computer.

You’re an individual with a voice, with a story to tell. You have every right to speak up and use your voice. You have every right in the world to tell that story. Your story.

Love your art, your craft. Love what you do and do what you love. But ultimately love yourself while you’re doing. While you’re living.

Never let anyone make you feel ashamed for who you are. Don’t feel bad for liking who you like and loving what you love.

No. You’ll hear that word a lot more than you’ll hear yes. Rejection is not personal, so be professional. Don’t take anything personally.

Take writing seriously but don’t take yourself too seriously.

Sincerely,

An Aspiring Writer

Call For Submissions And Staff Members

The Drowning Gull, a literary magazine, is looking for writing and artwork submissions!

Fiction: 4,000 words maximum

Non-fiction: 3,000 words max

Poetry: 100 lines maximum

Art: 10 pieces max

You could also consider sending them music videos, short films, etc.

Find the full details and guidelines here.

They are looking for staff members as well.

Good luck if you submit anything!

Perfect World Versus Real Life: NaNoWriMo

In a perfect world:

• Inspiration strikes.
• Outline madly.
• Write easily.
• Create art.

In real life:

• Sit.
• Scream.
• Cry.
• Repeat.

Why I Am Not Pursuing Journalism

If I wrote a sentence every time someone thought I wanted to become a journalist, I would have ten novels written. Excluding those I have already written or abandoned. Clearly, fifteen year old me hated commitment.

Now I have nothing against journalists or journalism in general, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it isn’t right for me.

And who knows me better than me?

Let me get this out there so the next time someone points a finger at me and mouths the dreaded words, I’ll redirect them here.

Growing up, I fell in love with writing because I enjoyed the freedom that comes with creativity. There’s responsibility involved in creating art. Regardless, I admire creative people and I respect original thinking. Even though I write non-fiction all the time, creative writing breathes life into me. It’s like having wings and soaring through life. Writing without restrictions or limitations is the equivalent of flying to wherever I want, whenever I want, however I want.

I love writing. I will continue to love it. That doesn’t mean I want to be a journalist. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not in love with journalism. And I refuse to pursue something I’m not passionate about.