I missed you guys last week! I feel soo behind. Now, enough whining. 🙂
For today’s episode of Writer’s Quote Wednesday, I take my inspiration from one of my favorite authors, Richard Wright:
Yes indeed. Richard Wright is another one of my favorite authors (Native Son was simply amazing, a powerful read) and his words speak truth. I try to keep in mind, when I’m writing, that the constant understanding of self; the appreciation of self, and the confidence, not with conceit but with courage, are not optional for success; it is needed. While the defining moment of what that success entails varies, I know that my writing career hinges, in large part, to what I believe I can do. If I believe it is possible to write a novel, that I can do. If I do not believe it is possible, that I will not do. And so, I am only limited by that which I limit myself. I can choose to starve myself out of the endless possibilities before me, or I can feed on them and grow as a writer. Who I am always and must be illuminated in everything that I do. The moment it doesn’t and I, for whatever reason, begin to sacrifice that self-realization, everything I have will begin to diminish. I will be then in a kind of literary poverty.
Novelist Richard Wright, photographed in New York City, March 21, 1945 (AP Photo/Robert Kradin)
About The Author:
African-American writer and poet Richard Wright was born on September 4, 1908, in Roxie, Mississippi, and though he was only able to get a ninth grade education, he loved reading and eventually published his first short story at the age of 16. Later, he found employment with the Federal Writers Project and received critical acclaim for Uncle Tom’s Children, a collection of four stories. He’s well known for the 1940 bestseller Native Son and his 1945 autobiography Black Boy. Wright died in Paris, France, on November 28, 1960.
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That’s it for this weeks installment of Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Would you like to join us? Click the pic to find out how!
Caught a glimpse of your shadow last night
would have missed that much had not the wind whistled
like it does when it wants the curtains to dance.
And she so coy,
the way she looks over her shoulders
when nobody’s watching
giggling fabric
She so cool
love the effortless sway from moonlight to windowsill
It was this lovemaking of the wind and my curtains
that alerted me to your footsteps
and though short-lived, I can still smell the essence
that is your backbone
a taste of perfection after a clean death
…but you didn’t kiss my grave rejuvenation last night.
I waited for you
like a desperate lover on the edge of embrace
hoping for your calm to hold back my storms
for your peace to let down the curtains of drooping eyelids
but dear sleep,
“Do you consider writing to be a Hobby alone? Or do you intend to build a business around it”
This is a question I often ask people who approach me with the idea of writing and self-publishing a book. Mostly young people who are new to the industry and do not have a lot of information about how to go about the Self-Publishing process. So I thought I’d write about it here since I was recently approached by a young woman who’s writing her first novel (yayy her!). The core of the question is this: What goals do you have for this book? Is it the first of many or something you just want to try and see where it takes you? Do you plan to become an author with websites and blogs and networks or is this just something you want to put out to see your name in print? Do you plan to publish Traditionally or Self-Publish?
It benefits to weigh the pros and cons of self-publishing and traditional publishing. Even though I’m a Self-Publisher, by looking into TP (the unofficial abbreviation for Traditional Publishing), I’ve learned a lot in my career. I’ve learned how to be better organized for example. I have always said myself: “if you don’t think you can put in the work necessary for self-publishing, it may be a good idea not to.” But I have learned too that everyone does not have this option, though they have this option. For most people, the option to publish traditionally flies out the window at the thought that it will never happen because it’s based on the approval of someone outside of themselves and it is therefore no guarantee. But as a result, they blindly plunge into this ever growing sea of books and fall into the category of a Hobbyist Writer.
What is a Hobbyist Writer? Something I made up. But, more specifically, a Hobbyist Writer is someone who’s infatuated with the idea of publishing. There is no specific goal or reasoning behind publishing the book except to see what it’s like to hold its preciousness between your fingers and bask in the awe of what you’ve done. The internet has made it easy to publish almost anything. Thus, there are waves of new authors out there who write specifically to publish their work and to see it in print. I think this is great. On the other hand, if you plan to get more serious and organized, to simply write books and publish them without vision, or direction does nothing for your writing career. So know what you want and the requirements to obtain it. Writing a book doesn’t have to mean you want to publish it and publishing a book doesn’t mean you want to sell it. Thanks to today’s technology, we have these options. You can sell a book or you can just give it away for free. So I would definitely say to clearly define your goals before stepping out. A goal is a desired result that a person or a system envisions, plans and commits to achieve and in my opinion does tend to change over time.
Personally, I publish often, at least once a year (with the exception of this year, where I plan to publish three books as part of a short story series) because I like writing and I think the best way to polish any skill is to do it often. And I do hope that the more I engage in the process, the better at it I’ll become and the more people I’ll reach. What I enjoy most is that with each book I learn something new, and I am able to add that to my stored chamber of experience. Though I write a lot, I do not consider myself a Hobbyist Writer because the desired result, the end game if you will, is to build something greater than a sea of published books. There’s a lot I want to do eventually that go beyond writing my own books. At the same time, I like to keep everything organized and this is when the business me kicks in. I believe that everything you do, whether you get paid or not, should be done with some level of professionalism. So if you’re going to write a book, it should have some level of significance even if it’s just a hobby. If nothing else, I have learned that if you don’t place value on your work, no one will. And that’s why established and clearly set goals are important; it adds value to the work. Whether that work comprises something you just want to try or something you want to build on.
“If you live every day, with the capacity to stretch yourself past limitation…you will find boundless opportunity is all the places that once scared you.”
In 1988, a demonic entity named Charles Lee Ray, nicknamed Chucky, possessed a doll. It was the first time many of us saw a real example of spirits using children to their advantage. The mother gave her son the popular sought after toy and Chucky worked through him to commit his crimes. The spirit of murder that was on the man Charles had come to inhabit the doll. We became obsessed with the “cute devil” and still we cannot get enough of Chucky. I believe there are like five parts out now, one released just recently. However, truth is stranger than fiction. Is it any coincidence that this spirit has come back to us? Only this time, it is more than animation and make-up.
They say it’s like the Ouija board but the truth is its worse. The “Charlie Charlie Game” is a game that is being played by children, not just in classrooms, but in general. It is considered a combination of the Ouija board and bloody Mary, but this game is physically injuring its participants.
“Brian White, from Biloxi Mississippi, reports he was attacked by Charlie the demon after he taunted the spirit saying, “You’re not real, you’re a fake, come get me if you are who you say you are! Show me you’re here!” That’s when White said he was thrown facedown and violently attacked. He said it felt like somebody was slicing him with razor blades. When the attack stopped, his friends saw that his back was covered in scratch marks…”
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Jon Santa Cruz / Rex Features (582062k) Ouija board with pointer VARIOUS – 2006
The reason it’s physically injuring its participants is this: you give more energy to demonic entities, fallen angels etc. when you call them by name. According to history and the experience of those who’ve played it, the Ouija Board conjures up demonic spirits by those who participate. It is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words “yes”, “no”, etc. along with various symbols and graphics. It uses a small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic as a movable indicator to indicate a spirit’s message by spelling it out on the board during a séance, so forth and so on. As a result, this game creates a portal for demonic entities that are given permission to enter. Which demon accepts the invitation varies but we do know something happens to alert the players to its presence. However, while this is bad enough, the Charlie game is worse than the Ouija Board because it is conjuring a specific spirit; creating a portal for this demon named Charlie.
Contrary to popular belief this is not a game, this is a séance, and this is the part where parents are supposed to wield their authority and take away this stumbling block from the minds of their children. We sit back and we laugh at horror movies and pretend they have no bearing on reality. We sit back and laugh at violent movies and yet make children cover their eyes when a man and woman embrace in a warm kiss. I am not promoting soft porn, but what I mean is a simple engagement of husband and wife is shielded from them, but the slicing off of a man’s head is not. We have taken away what is natural and subjected our children instead to the unnatural. If your child does not know not to participate in this game, if he or she does not understand the dangers involved, if he or she does not understand why this is not a good idea, then it is your fault as parent. You see it is time for parents to start taking responsibility for the mental, spiritual, and physical upbringing of their children. It’s not just about bad kids running around, it is about raising up a child in the way they should go. And if we are not doing this, then Charlie will become a permanent fixture in your child’s life and you will wonder how he or she became so wayward. It is because you allowed them to conjure up demons and wicked spirits and they have followed them around from childhood to adulthood. Yes, it’s this serious.
I’m not going to give the details of this portal opening experience because you really can just Google it. But whatever you do, please teach your children to just say no to Charlie.They do this by not giving energy to it. Do not mock it, and do not play around with it. Just stay away from it.
Some of you have probably noticed a new trend on The PBS Blog. Other than my obviously awesome posts (lol), I have been doing a lot more re-blogs lately. So I thought it would be a great idea to list why. While some blogs are completely made up of re blogs and others only do it sparingly, I have recently began to enjoy re-blogging others. I know some people think it’s a cop-out, but there are actually some of us out there who genuinely love doing it and truthfully, it’s not because we want to draw more attention to our own blogs. One thing I’ve noticed is that my blog gets the least attention from re-blogs. So, why do I do it? Here’s why:
1. Its fun to share other peoples work. It gives my readers a larger range of content outside my own perspective. I also love the feeling I get from helping to promote other blogs.
2. Its an easier way to network from my phone when I’m out and about. I can still be reachable and extend my hand even when I’m not near the PC. I was able to, believe it or not, type this out on my phone, save it as a draft, and publish it later on my PC. A great routine for those with super busy schedules. Draft it out on that smart phone (it’s supposed to be smart right??), save, and publish.
3. Some information is just too important to keep to myself. Re blogs is a great way to share marketing and promotion ideas, tips, DIY, recipes, funny articles, lists, etc.
4. Its an easy way to provide my readers with content when I don’t have much to say myself. It also introduces them to other blogs. Like I said, sounds like a cop-out I know, but when you look at it, not from the perspective of views for your own blog, but from the perspective of helping someone else blog get views, then it’s a really good thing because your readers are still getting that content even if their eyes are glued to someone else wall. The point is to help someone else like you would want them to help you.
And finally, it’s fun. Which I already said but I think I’ll say it again just so you know this is not some marketing scheme or tactic to get more views, I actually enjoy re-blogging (although to a certain extent. This blog isn’t made up, obviously, of complete re-blogs).
The PBS Blog 