I saw this video the other day, and it reminded me of what it was like when I read my first gay erotic romance: like I had found my place in the world.
or watch on YouTube
Then as I started writing erotic books featuring gay love stories, I found myself even more comfortable and at ease. And not just with my writing. I was where I belonged.
Writing for publication, although very rewarding, is a long, often times very lonely and challenging career path. I truly believe you have to have a great deal of passion for what you’re doing to keep forging ahead. You have to feel like it’s what you were meant to do.
You have to feel like you’ve found your place in the world.
Award-winning author Sloan Parker writes passionate,
dramatic stories about two men (or more) falling in love. Sloan enjoys
writing in the fictional world because in fiction you can be anything,
do anything...even fall in love for the first time over and over again.
She lives in Ohio with her partner and their neurotic cats where her
greatest moments in life are spent with her family, her friends, and her
characters. You can learn more about Sloan and her writing at www.sloanparker.com.
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Mar 8, 2012
They saw a swing set. I saw a dinosaur.
I watched this video the other day, and all I kept thinking was how interesting it was that I saw regular, everyday pushpins, but the artist saw something very different.
Here’s the video:
Or you can view here on YouTube
It got me thinking that perhaps that’s how non-writers must look at writers.
People who don’t spend their days writing fiction often ask me how I can create a story out of nothing. How I can take a blank document and come up with a 100,000-word story that makes sense and is engaging for readers (or so I hope). My answer is usually a quick comment about there being little else I’d rather spend my time doing. Which of course tells them nothing about the process of writing or how I come up with ideas, but there’s only so much you can get into standing in your aunt’s kitchen on Christmas Eve, balancing a glass and a paper plate filled with three crackers and some funky cheese spread you’re not sure you want to finish.
A longer response might include references to the vast amount of story ideas and “what if” scenarios running through my head, and that if I didn’t feel like I had an outlet for some of those, I might drive myself insane.
It might also include mention of my nutty color-coded index cards and post-it note system, but that just makes me look crazy organized to non-writers (and many writers).
Another, simpler answer might be that the desire to make up stories, to play in worlds of my own imagination is something I was born with. A part of me that made me different from the other kids in school who preferred sitting on the swings at recess rather than climbing to the top of the swing set and making up their own elaborate fictional words where ordinary playground equipment turned into dinosaurs that could be controlled as they roamed in search of defectors of the forest lands.
Yeah, I was that kid on the playground.
My imagination may have made me a bit different from the other kids, but I’m okay with that. In fact, I’m more than okay with that. I celebrate it every time I sit down at my computer to work on another story.
What do you celebrate about yourself?
Here’s the video:
Or you can view here on YouTube
It got me thinking that perhaps that’s how non-writers must look at writers.
People who don’t spend their days writing fiction often ask me how I can create a story out of nothing. How I can take a blank document and come up with a 100,000-word story that makes sense and is engaging for readers (or so I hope). My answer is usually a quick comment about there being little else I’d rather spend my time doing. Which of course tells them nothing about the process of writing or how I come up with ideas, but there’s only so much you can get into standing in your aunt’s kitchen on Christmas Eve, balancing a glass and a paper plate filled with three crackers and some funky cheese spread you’re not sure you want to finish.
A longer response might include references to the vast amount of story ideas and “what if” scenarios running through my head, and that if I didn’t feel like I had an outlet for some of those, I might drive myself insane.
It might also include mention of my nutty color-coded index cards and post-it note system, but that just makes me look crazy organized to non-writers (and many writers).
Another, simpler answer might be that the desire to make up stories, to play in worlds of my own imagination is something I was born with. A part of me that made me different from the other kids in school who preferred sitting on the swings at recess rather than climbing to the top of the swing set and making up their own elaborate fictional words where ordinary playground equipment turned into dinosaurs that could be controlled as they roamed in search of defectors of the forest lands.
Yeah, I was that kid on the playground.
My imagination may have made me a bit different from the other kids, but I’m okay with that. In fact, I’m more than okay with that. I celebrate it every time I sit down at my computer to work on another story.
What do you celebrate about yourself?
Sep 8, 2011
Motivation for When Writing (Or Life) Takes the Hard Way
The other day I was having a difficult time with my writing. The words just weren’t flowing, every sentence was a struggle, and I was seriously lacking in motivation. Perfect timing, though, since I had to run a few errands. I had an excuse to avoid my computer. Then when I was driving home, a favorite song came on my iPod that really got me fired up to get back to work. Even when writing is hard (and not in a good way), there’s little else I’d rather spend my time doing. I just needed the reminder that I’m in control of my own writing career and the stories I’m telling. It’s all up to me to get the words out.
I took a few minutes that day to create a playlist of songs for the next time I find myself avoiding the work of writing, for whenever I let a “bad” review get under my skin, or I just need a boost of confidence. These songs never fail to give me a little motivational kick. They get me excited to sit my butt back at my desk and get to work, even when it’s hard. They inspire me to do the best I can with every story, every chapter, every sentence.
Here are a few of my favorites that made it into my motivational playlist:
Eye of the Tiger
It's My Life
Beautiful Day
I Will Survive
What songs motivate you to do your best work (no matter what the task), to lift your spirits even when your life isn’t going as smoothly as you’d like?
Sloan Parker
www.sloanparker.com
I took a few minutes that day to create a playlist of songs for the next time I find myself avoiding the work of writing, for whenever I let a “bad” review get under my skin, or I just need a boost of confidence. These songs never fail to give me a little motivational kick. They get me excited to sit my butt back at my desk and get to work, even when it’s hard. They inspire me to do the best I can with every story, every chapter, every sentence.
Here are a few of my favorites that made it into my motivational playlist:
Eye of the Tiger
It's My Life
Beautiful Day
I Will Survive
What songs motivate you to do your best work (no matter what the task), to lift your spirits even when your life isn’t going as smoothly as you’d like?
Sloan Parker
www.sloanparker.com
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