by Susan Lovett | Nov 20, 2015 | Blog |
“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”
― Anne Lamott
I had a conversation with a writer friend the other day that saddened me. He has just started his journey. While we talked about writing, he kept justifying his right to write and apologizing for how badly he did it. Now, I have never read any of his work, but I balked at his attitude, mostly his justification for pursuing this craft.
Why is it that we question our desire to write? Does the gardener question her right to plant flowers? Does the golfer justify his right to play the game (not counting to his wife, which is another matter altogether)? No. They just do it. Yet I find this apologetic manner in many people who pursue writing. They act as if they are doing something illicit.
I think it’s a curse of the creative to question our choices. I know as a twenty-something I wondered whether writing was too frivolous a pursuit. Should I do something more? I questioned the value of writing compared to saving lives or fighting injustice until I realized that stories can do that too. They tell human stories that touch people and change lives. They matter.
by Susan Lovett | Nov 13, 2015 | Blog |
Today is one of those wonderful days when I face one of my favorite reader moments—that brief interlude between books that is filled with anticipation. What book comes next? Which will I pull from the shelves?
I finished my book last night and chose to wait until tonight to pick a new one so I could live in anticipation. All day I have mentally listed the books on my bedside table and crammed onto my bedroom shelves. I thought about the books in my office library, which total nearly 7,000. I considered going new school and reading one of the several hundred on my Nook, which is not my favorite way to read. Heck, I even considered buying a new book to add to the masses. So many choices.
It is the choice of what comes next that makes me happy. It’s that potential of unraveling a new story and falling into a new world that keeps me moving from one book to the next.
by Susan Lovett | Oct 9, 2015 | Blog |
I love stories. I love immersing myself in them, be they books, movies or episodes from my favorite television shows. I don’t care. Heck, you can plop yourself beside me and spin a yarn. I’ll listen. I’m a story addict. It’s so bad my family teases me about getting...
by Susan Lovett | Sep 30, 2015 | Blog |
The buzz word in publishing these days is platform. Accepted wisdom (or rumor) is that an author cannot sell without one. I find this debatable, but I will call it plausible. The problem with this idea is that it suggests that platform is the most important part of publishing. It is not.
The writing is.
The story is.
by Susan Lovett | Sep 9, 2015 | Blog |
School has started and I am back to work as well. I took a bit of a break there at the end to snatch some time with my son. It was a long summer of working in odd hours around my son’s schedule because I am one of those stay-at-home-working-moms who writes around my family. It’s the best of both worlds. Yes, it’s easier on camp days or when he’s in school, but I would never give up my time with him. It is what makes working late at night (after bedtime) or sneaking in a bit of writing time while he’s distracted by Minecraft (thank you, Notch!).
That is all done now though. Labor Day has passed and I find myself back behind the desk during normal hours. It is heaven. Pure heaven.
by Susan Lovett | Jul 10, 2015 | Blog |
Twenty tips to strengthen your research and add more depth to your stories. Research is the key to details that bring your writing to life.
by Susan Lovett | Jul 7, 2015 | Blog |
Reading is my hobby, my passion and my obsession. I am not afraid to admit that I collect (hoard) books and have more than 7,000 books in my house. They are in every room, in every corner. My husband fears for the structural integrity of our floors on higher levels. He is not wrong to do so. Books are heavy.
I cannot stop buying them. Each one offers such possibilities. Will they become a friend or a mentor? Will they disappoint, but teach me why that is? Will they linger on my shelves for years waiting for me to open them knowing I may never catch up with my stack of books to read.
My library is a source of pride, happiness and anticipation. It feeds me and sustains me. It gives me comfort.
I am an addict.
A book addict.
When I can’t read, I turn to audio books. I love to listen while I use the treadmill or go on long solo road trips. For those short jaunts about town, I turn to audio short stories.
The great news is that there are plenty of places to get audio files for free, here are some of my favorite:
by Susan Lovett | May 5, 2015 | Blog |
My father was a master storyteller. Not by trade, but by personality. He couldn’t help himself. He refused to accept an average life and instead turned simple trips intro grand adventures. It was far better to live large.
by Susan Lovett | Apr 28, 2015 | Blog |
“If everything goes according to plan, you have no good stories to tell.”
This is my motto in life and writing. Stories (and life) happen in the detours. Embrace them. Look for opportunities to explore and have an adventure.
by Susan Lovett | Apr 21, 2015 | Blog |
You heard me. I listen to people talking whenever and wherever I can. I tell myself I am just collecting examples of dialogue, but that is not always the case and I am not ashamed to say it. Sometimes I know that what I am hearing will never make it into a story, but it often piques my interest and gets me thinking, which is why I do it.
by Susan Lovett | Apr 2, 2015 | Blog |
I grew up on a military base, or more accurately many military bases. It was my childhood and life. Even today my idea of home is anyplace filled with military uniforms and flags. Home is not a place, but a community—one I miss a great deal. I did, however, learn a lot growing up in that world. One of them was the value of cadence.
by Susan Lovett | Mar 27, 2015 | Blog |
I am an introvert and I have the test results to prove it. Three sets of test results in all. That’s how many times I have the Myers-Briggs test and each time I have scored a consistent 49 (on a scale of 1-50) as an Introvert. It’s a fairly extreme condition, I’m afraid.
Essentially, I am a hermit. A writer who loves words, books, movies, fictional worlds, music and quiet. Blessed quiet. I crave it. I need it to stay sane.
