Tuesday, July 7, 2009

An image of a Spanish mission in Texas seen through a rock window.

A while back, I bought a book titled, For Writers Only (Ballentine Books). The author is Sophy Burham. I found it extremely interesting and enjoyable because it contained thoughts and experiences of famous writers about the writing process. This book does not offer writing tips. What it does offer are emotions that many writers experience while in the writing process. From nerves about getting started to finding joy in the art of writing. There are chapters on how these writers discipline themselves to write, how they know when to let go of the story, how they make time for their personal lives, the aloneness of writing, writer's block, rewriting, rejection and getting published. Also included is a chapter on how some writers dealt with depression, alcohol, jealousy, etc., and still produced great writing.

Most of us are not famous writers, but I think we can relate to many of the emotions these very famous writers experienced. Have a pleasant writing day. Be good to yourself.

2 comments:

  1. Hello, I found my way here from the link at Examiner. My daughter has Lupita's Papalote and enjoys hearing it read to her, so I was happy to read that you are blogging~

    I would love to hear more about your writing, including advice to Chicana's like me who aspire to write and publish bilingual children's books. I'll be reading!

    ~Anisa

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  2. Hola Anisa,
    Appreciate your comments. Glad you have one of my books. My advice to you as a writer is to be passionate about your work, write as often as you can, and, if possible, join a writer's club and a critique group. Polish your manuscript so that it's your very best and then submit your work. There are many publishers out there who publish children's bilingual books. The market is growing. Look in the Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market book for guidelines and publishers. Or when you're reading a bilingual book, look inside the cover to find out who the publisher is. Buena suerte!

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