getting my writing mo-jo back
Maybe its the weather, maybe its something in the air, maybe its just me, but I've definitely been down lately and its been affecting my writing.
Two things happened that I think have significantly improved my mo-jo and one is I've finally found a critique partner who is giving me the kind of feedback I've been craving this past year and a half. I'm not sure how long-term this partnership will be (hopefully for a long time yet), but having someone read and respond to my work in the matter of hours has filled me with loads of inspiration and motivation.
Next, the choice of books I read greatly affects my writing. This is subconscious, but I'm aware of it all the same. I've read a lot of male MG authors lately and hey, its not that I hated the books, but the writing style is just not 'me'. I get it and find most of it totally hilarious, but I don't connect to it in the same way as I do a female author. Maybe its a girl thing. Anyway, I picked up two Frances O'Roark Dowell books this past weekend at the library and its like my writing started to flutter and sing across the page. I felt like I had my MC back and like I found my voice again.
The reason I love Dowell is that she has such an incredible command of words. Sometimes I don't even love her books, but I always love her writing. Last year when I read FALLING IN, I dog-eared nearly every page and copied passages of it into my inspiration notebook. So, I was incredibly happy today when I read in THE KIND OF FRIENDS WE USED TO BE, that one of the MC's writes words and phrases in a beautiful notebook with a specific pen, because I do too.
Thank you critique partner and thank you Frances O'Roark Dowell for helping me get my mo-jo back!
Two things happened that I think have significantly improved my mo-jo and one is I've finally found a critique partner who is giving me the kind of feedback I've been craving this past year and a half. I'm not sure how long-term this partnership will be (hopefully for a long time yet), but having someone read and respond to my work in the matter of hours has filled me with loads of inspiration and motivation.
Next, the choice of books I read greatly affects my writing. This is subconscious, but I'm aware of it all the same. I've read a lot of male MG authors lately and hey, its not that I hated the books, but the writing style is just not 'me'. I get it and find most of it totally hilarious, but I don't connect to it in the same way as I do a female author. Maybe its a girl thing. Anyway, I picked up two Frances O'Roark Dowell books this past weekend at the library and its like my writing started to flutter and sing across the page. I felt like I had my MC back and like I found my voice again.
The reason I love Dowell is that she has such an incredible command of words. Sometimes I don't even love her books, but I always love her writing. Last year when I read FALLING IN, I dog-eared nearly every page and copied passages of it into my inspiration notebook. So, I was incredibly happy today when I read in THE KIND OF FRIENDS WE USED TO BE, that one of the MC's writes words and phrases in a beautiful notebook with a specific pen, because I do too.
Thank you critique partner and thank you Frances O'Roark Dowell for helping me get my mo-jo back!
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