I've just looked back at my last blog post after a few hours away and it does seem rather negative and self-indulgent which isn't really fair on you, my readers. Also, I've just spent £26 on some bookmarks to advertise my blog as a place where people can go for free advice and tips about writing and I'm not sure that last post really fits the description!
So here is a little extra post to make up for the last one.
While I was in the kitchen making yet another cup of coffee, a quote that I'd pinned on the wall a while ago caught my eye.
"Remember you love writing. It wouldn't be worth it if you didn't. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it back." AL Kennedy
At that very moment, by a strange coincidence (or not), the song Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill came on the radio. This is one of my all time favourite love songs and you don't hear it played very often. One of the lines..."the honesty's too much"...made me think that perhaps I'd been a little bit too honest in my last post. Then another line..."the passion flares again"...reminded me that in many ways, being a long-term writer is rather like being in a long-term relationship. After seventeen years as a professional writer, I think I may have fallen out of love with writing, although hopefully only on a temporary basis, especially as I've recently been having "affairs" with the other areas of my portfolio career.
I'm sure if I wrote to an "agony aunt" in one of the women's magazines and asked for some advice because I'd fallen out of love with my partner of seventeen years, they would probably give me something like the following advice which can also (more or less) be applied to writing.
1. Start spending lots of quality time alone with your partner/writing.
2. Go on "dates" with your partner/writing again.
3. Remember what it was that made you fall in love with your partner/writing and see if you can recapture the "magic".
4. Look back at the enjoyable things you and your partner/writing have done together.
5. Talk to your partner/writing about how you feel and if you're both feeling the same way, a session or two with a relationship counsellor/writing coach might help.
(OK, I know that last one sounds a bit weird!)
Anyway, I promise I'll try to take the "agony aunt's" advice (at least where my writing is concerned) and hopefully by the time I blog again, I'll be ankle-deep in red roses and champagne!
So here is a little extra post to make up for the last one.
While I was in the kitchen making yet another cup of coffee, a quote that I'd pinned on the wall a while ago caught my eye.
"Remember you love writing. It wouldn't be worth it if you didn't. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it back." AL Kennedy
At that very moment, by a strange coincidence (or not), the song Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill came on the radio. This is one of my all time favourite love songs and you don't hear it played very often. One of the lines..."the honesty's too much"...made me think that perhaps I'd been a little bit too honest in my last post. Then another line..."the passion flares again"...reminded me that in many ways, being a long-term writer is rather like being in a long-term relationship. After seventeen years as a professional writer, I think I may have fallen out of love with writing, although hopefully only on a temporary basis, especially as I've recently been having "affairs" with the other areas of my portfolio career.
I'm sure if I wrote to an "agony aunt" in one of the women's magazines and asked for some advice because I'd fallen out of love with my partner of seventeen years, they would probably give me something like the following advice which can also (more or less) be applied to writing.
1. Start spending lots of quality time alone with your partner/writing.
2. Go on "dates" with your partner/writing again.
3. Remember what it was that made you fall in love with your partner/writing and see if you can recapture the "magic".
4. Look back at the enjoyable things you and your partner/writing have done together.
5. Talk to your partner/writing about how you feel and if you're both feeling the same way, a session or two with a relationship counsellor/writing coach might help.
(OK, I know that last one sounds a bit weird!)
Anyway, I promise I'll try to take the "agony aunt's" advice (at least where my writing is concerned) and hopefully by the time I blog again, I'll be ankle-deep in red roses and champagne!
I don't think you need to apologise for the previous post at all. It's something we all go through but few of us are prepared to admit it as you have done. I like the agony aunt analogy and am going to apply those tips to my own writing. You could write an article using that analogy. It's the sort of fresh take that editors love.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Vanessa. Your comments are always really insightful and always cheer me up. Thanks also for the suggestion re the article. I'll definitely follow that up. I'm hoping to go on a few "dates" with my writing next week. Hope it works for you too.
ReplyDeleteI love the A L Kennedy quote. Just what I needed to hear. Thanks for that, Melissa, and for your insightful posts.
ReplyDeleteHi Rosalie. Great to hear from you again. Glad you found the quote helpful and thanks for the encouragement. Hope you soon rekindle the passion!
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