This one is for Larissa, who is working very hard on her first novel:
"A good enough novel violently written now is better than a perfect novel meticulously written never" (pg 177).
Am reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
~:|:~
Write violently.
You can clean up the mess later. Just get the words on paper--however horrible they might be. Don't re-think or second guess (there will be plenty of time for that later).
Just get the story out.
The End.
~Katie~
"You do not need anybody's permission to live a creative life" (pg 86).
and
"We are all the chosen few. We are all makers by design" (pg 89).
and
"Just say what you want to say, then, and say it with all your heart" (pg 98).
and
"Do whatever brings you to life, then. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart" (pg 101).
Am reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
~:|:~
What have you created this week? :D
~K~
Isn't this the truth? :D
One of my favorite things to tell my daughter (when she's caught up with the world and everyone in it): Focus on you.
Sometimes we need to tell the critics and the naysayers and the people who like to insert themselves and their opinions into our lives: Focus on you.
Don't worry about me. Worry about you.
That is all.
~K~
"In the end, creativity is a gift to the creator, not just a gift to the audience" (pg 72).
Am reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
~:|:~
I learn something from every story I write--even if it doesn't see the light of day. I feel a sense of accomplishment with each new drawing, each new painting, whatever it is I'm bringing into existence.
At the end of the day, I love knowing that I've brought a new image into the world, new words.
I'm learning that, when I go too long without bringing something into existence, I inch toward dark places.
I seek out ways to be creative, just so I can find balance again.
Before all else, each creation is a gift to myself.
~K~
"You can believe that you are neither a slave to inspiration nor its master, but something far more interesting--its partner--and that the two of you are working toward something intriguing and worthwhile" (pg 41).
Am reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
~:|:~
I love this idea: that inspiration wants to find us--that it wants to work with us, even when it's tough. I'm not in control of it, and it's not in control of me.
We work together to make something that matters.
~K~
"The
universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back
to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels--that's
creative living. The courage to go on that hunt in the first
place--that's what separates a mundane existence from a more enchanted
one. The often surprising results of that hunt--that's what I call Big
Magic" (pg 8).
Am reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
So. . . . Things have been a bit crazy, lately.
It sort of started mid-January, when my father-in-law had a massive heart attack, underwent life-saving surgery, and spent just over two weeks in the hospital.
Since my husband is an only child, his dad moved in with us to recover when he was finally released.
We moved our master bedroom upstairs to the bonus room and made our room his. My husband makes his dad's breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Makes sure he's taking his medication. Keeps him on his diet. Washes clothes. Washes extra dishes. (A LOT of extra dishes.) Grocery shops. Cleans wounds. Tests blood sugar levels. Works with nurses and doctors.
Every. Single. Day.
It's mind-boggling how, when something like this happens, life just shifts in an entirely new, unexpected direction.
Our routine was pretty chaotic on a good day.
Now?
Let's just say I don't really remember February.
At. All.
I think I remember Valentine's Day. But I remember two days before even more. (Because that's the day my husband brought the flowers home for me--he doesn't really like being told what to do.) ;)
That's it, though. Otherwise it's been non-stop, from morning until night, trying to keep up with our regular lives and take care of an extra person until he's on his feet again.
It's been exhausting. Every day blurring into the next.
We're grateful he's okay. And he's recovering nicely.
This experience has taught me some valuable lessons, though.
See, my husband and his dad haven't always had that great of a relationship. This isn't really something that we expect to change (even after all of this, old habits die hard).
So what I learned in February (even if I can't remember much of it) is that family matters.
So does doing what's right, even when it's hard.
That is all.
~Katie~
"When you're afraid of someone's judgment, you can't connect with them. You're too preoccupied with the task of impressing them" (Palmer pg 103).
Am reading: The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer
~:|:~
Enough said.
~K~
