Saturday, January 21, 2012

    Writers: It's Time You Own It.

    I'm talking about your writing, of course. 

    It's time you own it like 
    that pair of heels you bought on a killer sale 
    and you couldn't be prouder to wear.
    (Sorry, gentlemen. I can't relate to being excited about electronic purchases, 
    so this is as good as it's gonna get.)

    I love author Kristen Lamb's blog. It's filled with follow-worthy advice, complete with some of the best post titles I've ever seen.

    In one particular series of posts, Ms. Lamb discusses the "Lies that can poison our writing careers."

    "Lie #1 I’m not a real writer until I have a finished manuscript, landed an agent, am traditionally published, am selling books, have spent my retirement funds earning an MFA in Creative Writing."

    This first one got an immediate "Amen!" from me. I've had the honor of meeting many writers over the years, and one thing I noticed is that so many writers are afraid to call themselves writers, most often for the reasons Ms. Lamb detailed in her post.

    But they are writers. They became writers the moment they sat down and started writing, and they remain writers because they have continued that habit for the month, year, or decade since.

    So, if you're a writer but you aren't owning the title yet, what are you waiting for? Get thee to Kristen Lamb's blog!

    You're still here? Fine, I'll keep talking. I can do this all day.

    Lie #2 really spoke to me. It's this:

    "Lie: I will take my writing more seriously when others (friends, family, the FedEx guy) take me seriously."

    Oh, do I need to work on this one. It's all about setting boundaries and putting your writing first, and taking yourself seriously so others will, too. Ms. Lamb inspired me to take immediate action with this post, and I already feel better for having done it. Aaaaaah.

    And do you know what? The blog posts are just the beginning. Each post gets tons of great comments, with even more wisdom and advice from Ms. Lamb sprinkled in. And, she writes books. That's right, real books. Ones you should buy.

    The deets: We Are Not Alone–The Writer’s Guide to Social Media and Are You There, Blog? It’s Me, Writer. Both books are ON SALE for $4.99!!!!

    So writers, this is me spreading the writing love. Go visit Ms. Lamb's blog.

    You can thank me later.

    6 comments:

    Unknown said...

    Excellent tips from Lamb! Another great blog post from you. :) I had to add lamb to my ever growing email subscription list lol Thanks for sharing her with us.

    Lori O. said...

    Oh, you will LOVE Kristen Lamb's blog, Janiera. She's wonderful.

    Thank you so much for your comment!

    Sarah Allen said...

    This is awesome! Thank you so much :) It's totally true, there's almost a kind of embarassment when I tell people I'm writing a novel, and there totally shouldn't be. Not anymore!

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

    Lori O. said...

    Thanks, Sarah! All of the credit belongs to Kristin Lamb and her awesome blog, though. Have you checked it out? It's wonderful.

    Julia Tomiak said...

    Thanks Lori for helping me see that I'm not alone out here in the writing world. I'll check out Krisin's blog too!

    Lori O. said...

    Julia--Thank you so much for stopping by! Definitely check out Kristen's blog. It's amazing. MUCH better than mine!

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