Sticky Notes Blog

A blog of writing news, tips, and inspiration from Fat Plum

Sister-Brother Story Callout

The publishers of Chicken Soup for the Sisters' & Brothers' Soul have moved the deadline up by a year, so they need stories now. Deadline: January 15, 2007.

Continue reading "Sister-Brother Story Callout"

Posted by Julie on November 19, 2006
This entry was posted in the following categories: Calls for submissions
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Combating writerly self-doubt

Over at his blog, screenwriter/director/man-about-Hollywood John August answers questions from aspiring writers and filmmakers, and lately he has been posting followups to advice he gave some time back. Today's post is terrific: It talks about that feeling that every writer has at some point, the sinking feeling that maybe you're a crappy writer after all.

At a workshop last week, one writer said her trick to getting through these bleak times started before she even began working on a project. She would write a half-page letter to herself about why she was excited about the project. Then she’d take this letter and seal it away. Hopefully, she’d never need to look at it again. But if she hit hopeless despair, she could rip that envelope open and be re-inspired.

It’s a smart idea. Unfortunately, it does nothing for you, Carey, right-here-right-now, with no hope, no confidence, and no damn letter to inspire you.

Self-doubt is essentially an argument with yourself, and it’s impossible to win a battle when you’re fighting both sides. So concede defeat and move on to the real questions: Do your thirty pages really suck? What changed that led you away from thinking they were great? Do you really know what the movie is that you’re trying to write?

Read the whole thing.

Posted by Cindy on November 17, 2006
This entry was posted in the following categories: Inspiration
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