Writing Inspiration and Check-in

 

Picture credit rawpixel at freepik.com 

How's your writing going? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this month or any other type of writing event? Though writing can often be a solitary task, the great thing about social media is that writing communities are right at your fingertips. Not all of them are free, but they can help with the isolation writers feel from time to time. 

The other wonderful thing you can find on social media is writing news: new books, writers talking about the representation agreements they just signed, book birthdays, book giveaways, and even writers talking about queries that have gone nowhere.

Now, before you think I'm encouraging you to waste your writing time on internet browsing, I'm only sharing it because we all need to connect with fellow writers from time to time and read some news to inspire us and cheer us on. 

Here are a few of my favorite inspirational quotes about writing. Hope you'll share some of yours.

Write what should not be forgotten. ~ Isabel Allende 

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. ~ Joseph Chilton Pearce  

Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers. ~ Isaac Asimov 

A book is a dream you hold in your hand. ~ Neil Gaiman 

What will you write today? What will you write tommorow?

Cheryl C. Malandrinos is a freelance writer and award-winning editor. She is the author of four children’s books including, A Christmas Kindness, released by 4RV Publishing. A blogger and book reviewer, she is a member of SCBWI and lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three adult children. Visit Cheryl's website at https://ccmalandrinos.com or her children’s book blog at https://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com

Inspiration During a Crisis

Here is a dilemma for you: more time to write and too distracted by the world wide news to take advantage of it. The struggle is real for many of us. Between checking local news for updates, there is national news to see what the federal government is doing, and employment news to follow, and ...

These are some tips that I hope will help inspire anyone struggling with the challenge to embrace this forced change of pace and turn it into productivity.

Take a virtual tour through your vacations

The above picture is from Hawaii when we visited Waimea Falls. We only visited Hawaii once, but the memories last forever. Take 5 to 10 minutes to scroll through your vacation photos. Let them inspire a story or uplift you as you recall the fun you experienced. Then commit to sitting down and writing for 10 minutes.

Go for a walk

Considering many of us are now stuck inside our homes or limited in where we can go, what a great time it is to commit 15 minutes each day to walking. Not only is it good exercise, it will help clear your head. Breathe deeply and focus on the joy of being outdoors and that feeling of freedom. Remember social distancing rules if you run into a neighbor.

Tour a Museum Online

One blessing of this whole COVID-19 experience is that thousands of museums around the world are now offering online tours. What a great way to virtually see more of the world and find inspiration from famous artwork and landmarks.

Take an online writing course 

Writing groups and in-person classes are on hold. Now, may be the time to consider an online writing course. Thanks to products like Zoom, in-person writing groups can move temporarily online and instructors can use these types of resources to teach classes that typically take place in-person. Honing your skills during down time is a great source of inspiration and a way to increase your productivity.

Let me leave you with one last thought from Isabel Allende.

Cheryl C. Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of four children’s books including, A Christmas Kindness, released by 4RV Publishing. A blogger and book reviewer, she lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two daughters. She also has a son who is married. Visit Cheryl online at http://ccmalandrinos.com and her children’s book blog at https://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com