Ideas

Where do writers get ideas? The answer is varied and often personal to that writer. I have been getting ideas as I drive to work. A car parked on the side of the road. Why? What if? Those questions can trigger a short story.

Sometimes newspaper articles can generate ideas. A comment someone makes can cause a topic to write about appear in a writer’s head.

I am thinking, since I come up with so many good ideas while driving, that I will drive somewhere if writer’s block every “hits” me. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think “that would make a good story”, or “I could write a poem about that”, as I notice things while driving down the highway.

995 Words

I am working on several books. I write on whichever one is on my mind.

As I was putting laundry in the washer, a scene kept running through my mind that would go in the second book. I decided to come in and write it down as soon as I got done in the laundry room.

I wrote 995 words in 16 minutes. My friend, Dorsey, says I’m a prolific writer and he is right. When I’m motivated, I write fast and furious.

This is the book I call Book #2. However, it may be published before the one I call Book #1.

Yes, they have titles. I’ve been told by many that titles are one of my strengths, so when I come up with a good one, I do not share it. I just call my books by their numbers. They are numbered by which one I started first, second, etc.

I hope someday they are all written and published. It feels good to get parts of them down . . .  to write them and know I’ve made more progress.

I also wrote a couple more haiku today. I’m not sure it they’re good or not. I sent them to a couple friends and no one has commented. I also sent my poem that I found that I wrote on my oldest son’s 30th birthday. No one’s mentioned that yet either. I liked it.

I hope I become a well paid writer so I can write all the things I’ve wanted to write. That’s the “hold-up”. Money. Enough money to survive while I write.

Haiku

While going through my Writers Market, I saw a contest for a collection of haiku poems. I know I underlined the source, but now cannot find it again. I even went to the Writers Market online version and searched and still it eludes me.

Nevertheless, I have begun to write haiku and when I find the place that might publish it – was it a contest? – I will submit what I have written. The strange thing is my first topic, when I saw it in the snow, appealed to my poetic nature. I remember thinking, “I should write a poem about this”. And so I have. It’s a haiku.

When I locate the possible publisher of these poems, I will come back to this blog and say so. If you know what I am trying to find again in the Writers Market, please let me know. Two heads are better than one, unless they’re attached to the same body. Then you have a dilemma.

I Can’t Do It

I tried to write daily and I cannot do it – not blogging daily – as long as I hold down a full-time job. Well, damn. I did try.

I managed to sketch out some articles and one short story, but they are not written, just outlined with details.

I’m wondering how good my artwork is? Can I illustrate my own children’s book? They say an unknown author is usually paired with a well-known artist/illustrator, but I seem to be breaking some of the rules, so I wonder . . .

 

Another Article Accepted for Publication

I was notified today that another article I’ve submitted has been accepted for publication. It should appear in an August magazine. I am very pleased about this.

 

Discipline

I am trying to discipline myself to write every day in a certain venue. Since I have three blogs that are about three different subjects, I want to see if I can write something for each of them daily.

I find that I spend a lot of fun time planning lessons for my students. There is a place online called Teacherspayteachers.com and you can list a few things that you’ve created – the limit may be four at a time – and other teachers will pay you and download what you’ve posted. Since I often design my own teaching materials, it might be a place to try to sell some of my creations. One teacher became a millionaire doing this.

I continue to go through the Writers Market and I see market after market that I think I can write for. I want to get in the habit of writing for a certain venue daily. Let’s see how many days in March I can blog on all three blogs.

Not A Day Goes By

Not a day goes by that I don’t find myself typing something on this keyboard. Whether or not I’ve sold a lot doesn’t define whether or not I’m a writer. I AM a writer, and my job now is to find markets for all these things I’ve produced. I’m still perusing the Writer’s Market and doing what I can to find ways and places to submit manuscripts. I spend more time looking for the perfect market than I do writing the original item.