There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.
–Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith

Do you pour yourself onto the page with everything you write?

www.inkthinkerblog.com — I wouldn’t necessarily posit that ALL writing is tantamount to spilling one’s blood on the page. The good writing, though — the writing that grabs you and won’t let go — I think that can often come from a very raw, deep place inside the writer.

When I write the proposals I am so often called upon to create, I’m not exactly leaving my heart with them even though I always try to infuse even the most technical of writing projects with passion. But when I write about something that leaves me feeling affected — whether breathless, thrilled, disgusted, or otherwise — it’s a whole different ballgame.

You might think that by leaving a little piece of yourself in everything you write you would eventually be left empty. I’d argue that just the opposite is true: With each part of yourself you put on the page, you grow and become fuller and richer as a result.

What do you think about Smith’s quote?

– Kristen

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King

www.inkthinkerblog.com — If you missed the first session of my 8-week webinar series New Blogger Boot Camp, you’re in luck! I’ll be offering a second chance to attend Week 1 on Friday, January 15, 1-2 p.m. ET.

Those of you following me on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn probably already know the dish on the webinar, but just in case…

Sign up before Friday and you won’t miss a thing! And for those who can’t attend but still want the content, I will make audio recordings available for each session for registered attendees even if you can’t actually be there. Now, go register! What are you waiting for?

AIW members check out the AIW website for a special discount on webinar admission. Past and upcoming SOBCon attendees are also eligible for discounts!

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King

www.inkthinkerblog.com — I doubt anyone will argue with me when I say that this update is long overdue. Suffice it to say, it’s been a hectic couple of months. Here’s the Reader’s Digest version.

November turned out to be a bad month for me in terms of writing. There was illness, there was travel, and there was — drumroll please — a new job. (More on that in a moment.) At the end of the month, I finished with about 15,000 words. Some of it totally sucks, but in the process of plowing through I really impressed myself. I have a totally viable story idea and it’s something I’m actually interested in writing and reading. So this marks the beginning of something I’m really excited about and have wanted to do since I was a kid: actually writing a YA novel.

I’m doing okay on the morning pages plan, though not as well as I had optimistically set out. Which is okay with me. Having it there and being able to savor it when I can allow myself to steal a few moments alone with the pen is a gift, and I am enjoying it thoroughly. Except for the self-reflection part, which sadly comes with negative realizations as well as positive and neutral ones. But I’m finding that I feel more connected to myself when I have the opportunity to reflect on both strengths and weaknesses and how I react to things, and that’s definitely a growth opportunity that I’m gaining from in a large way.

Now, about the new job: A client I’ve been working  with for nearly 2 years needed to bring on another full-time writer, and they wooed me sufficiently that I accepted. Briefly, I’m doing the same thing for them that I was before I joined the staff: working 100% from home on proposals and contract deliverables. The only difference is that now it’s 32 hours a week and I get benefits including health insurance and paid time off.  So, there’s still time for freelance work but I also get this crazy thing called a regular paycheck.

The transition period has been a little rocky, primarily because my employer-provided computer is [[insert dramatic music here]] a PC and I hate it. It’s also been an ongoing process to balance my job requirements with the select freelance projects I choose to take on and the rest of my life. But as we have discussed before, balance isn’t just something that happens one time and it’s done; no, balance is a continuous event, something that you do daily or even hourly, and it’s never perfect. That’s what makes it fun, and a valuable pursuit.

So, that’s where I am at the moment. What changes have happened in YOUR life recently?

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King

www.inkthinkerblog.com — I’m starting to think that this month was a spectacularly bad time for me to decide to write 50,000 words in 30 days.

It started out great. Heck, I was even ahead for a while there, and I was cocky about it! And then reality hit, and along with it came a parade of lengthy meetings (including long drives there and back), an overnight visit to my grandparents who were so happy to see me that I feel I should be self-flagellating to atone for how little I visit them, and a multi-day overnight visit with my mom and foot-taller-than-me little brother (along with frantic cleaning before and after to give the impression that I am actually a sane adult).

In other words, well, I’ve written no other words.

The thing is, despite multiple plot changes resulting in more than one dream sequence that I refuse to throw away because I will not sacrifice those hard-earned words, my book actually doesn’t totally suck. And I’m bummed that I haven’t had the time I need to give it what it deserves.

But damn the torpedoes and whatnot — I’m going to bang out 50,000 words on this puppy whether they’re good or not, and whether they happen before November 30 or not (but yeah, still trying for that), because my book deserves it and so do I.

How’s NaNoWriMo going for you?

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King