It All Adds Up

Like many other people, I have struggled to lose weight. When I look at the amount of blubber, I'd like to lose, it seems overwhelming. In March, I enrolled in Weight Watchers (again), and since then I've dropped nearly 14 pounds. I'm not taking it off as fast as I'd like, but it is coming off. SLOWLY. It is adding up.

I have found many similarities in my battle to lose weight to the desire to write. Often when you contemplate writing something, it seems so overwhelming. You might think, "I can't write my memoir, a novel, etc. That's too great a task."

I'm not up to the task of losing 40 pounds, but I am up to the task of burning a pound a week. You may feel that you are not up to the task of writing a complete memoir or a whole book, but I know you can write a page. Everyone can write a page. And if you can write a page the next day, you have two pages, etc. Eventually, with persistence, you have a whole memoir or novel.

What's that old adage: A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Take that first step. Then take another. And another.

It all adds up.

Another Little Piece of My Heart

Writing can be a very scary proposition, especially when you consider how much of yourself you are giving away when you write. When I first started to write, I began by attending a greeting card writing class, and to start it off, the instructor asked everyone in the class to introduce themselves. Each student told his or her name, where they were from, why they were there, etc. Then we came to the man sitting next to me. He said his name was John and that he wasn't giving any more information, that he wasn't good at sharing that kind of stuff.

After my writer's imagination went into overdrive and had him pegged as a serial killer on the lam or a mafioso in the witness protection program, another thought sprang to mind. Are you kidding? This is greeting card writing--you are writing your thoughts and feelings in greeting cards with the hope that they capture the potential thoughts and feelings of a card purchaser. Obviously, he didn't feel like reaching out and touching someone.

But in some ways I could sympathize with this man. It can be terrifying putting your thoughts and heart in print. But it is the only way to write. What is the writing adage --No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.

Several years ago, I wrote a column where I took a stand. I knew it would offend some people. I was very passionate about what I wrote and submitted it to my editor. The day the column came out, I was sick to my stomach. Why had I put myself out there? I wanted to go into seclusion. To my surprise, that column received the most feedback of all the columns I've ever written--all positive.

This taught me that to be a writer you have to be willing to put yourself out there--on the page, on the editors desk, on the edge of being uncomfortable. Sometimes you will be criticized or rejected, but if you believe in your writing (and you must) you will eventually be rewarded.

So I encourage you to write fearlessly!

Janice

Memorial Day a Time to Remember

Memorial Day was carved out on our calendar as a holiday for remembering our war dead. When we contemplate our soldiers sacrifice, it's helpful to note that they fought for something larger than themselves--they fought for a dream. They sacrificed for the dream of a better tomorrow.

This weekend might also be a good time to remember your dreams, especially those that have died from neglect.

What was it that made you want to write in the first place? Where do you see yourself as a writer? What dreams are you willing to fight for?

It is so easy to lose sight of your dreams. I know I've often been pulled in other directions because an opportunity was just too irresistible. This summer I plan to refocus on my dream of becoming a published novelist.

Take this time to examine your dreams, but remember, as Memorial Day teaches, dreams require sacrifice. Is your dream worth the sacrifice? I don't know about you, but I believe mine are.

Good luck with your dreams and have a Happy Memorial Day.

Janice Lane Palko


The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Welcome to Jan's Writing Lane

Welcome to Jan's Writing Lane

Everyone wants to "have written," but the hard part is actually doing the excruciating work of writing--putting the ideas swimming in your head onto the pages and changing the tense from writing to have written. For a long time, I've been wanting to "have written" a writing blog, but I have been too busy to sit down and blog.

Busy is good. It means you are active, engaged in life. Busy times are a good way of stockpiling experiences that you can draw on when writing.

This past year I went back to school to work on a degree in creative writing and literature. Other than my article writing and editing job, I haven't had much time to write creatively. But oh my, have I been stockpiling.

What new experiences have you plunged into lately? I don't believe in writer's block. I believe in writer's blah. I think lack of creativity is a result of ruts--doing the same thing, going the same places, seeing the same people, reading the same things.

Shake up your life. Do something different. Drive to work a different way. And very soon little bubbles of inspiration will rise out of that stagnant pool that has been your mind.

Janice