Postcards from the Funny Farm

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The new Harry Potter movie is out and news of its success is all over the internet. It makes me and probably the minions of other undiscovered writers in the blogosphere wonder: “What does ‘JD’ Rowling have that I don’t?”  Without being a millionaire of my writing, I’ll still attempt to answer that through these 5 habits:

1. Time: A well paid author makes time to write and to get inspired to write. Creating this space in life is an art form, even apart from the art of writing itself. Rowling made time and now continues to make time to create her fantasy world for her readers. Although I would wager a paycheck that it is easier to make time to write after her millions have rolled into her ATM stash. BUT - If I want to be an effective writer (and a well paid one) I must make time to write.
2. Inspiration: This falls into the category of content. If you have nothing to say . . . you will never write anything worth reading. You have to identify where the inspiration comes from and then foster it’s growth in your heart and mind. We all know what Rowlings inspiration is: witchery, magic, old English architecture . . . things along those lines. My inspiration can be seen in my categories listed and linked in my sidebar. It’s taken me a long time to identify them and here is the “central” where they come together and get archived. It’s my hope that they are interesting enough to keep readers coming back. Rowling has the same hope . . . and for her it’s paid off quite nicely. To sum it up: DEFINE YOUR INSPIRATION.
3. Be methodical and regular at your writing. Without getting a divorce or making your kids hate your out of neglect, write every day as much as you can. If you have to, set aside times to write and then be regular. Amazing things can happen during those times. (At least for me on a blogging level and with one short story publishing I can attest to that).
4. Take your vision and work seriously. When you get something going you like: QUERY IT! Human dreams and visions are the stuff that corporeal dreams are made of. It’s not what you take with you that will define your life, it’s what you leave behind. So QUERY the publishers and believe in yourself.
5. Last . . . Don’t be so hard on yourself. Half the time I throw out stuff that people close to me say they would have liked to have read. I dumped it because I thought it revealed too much or that it was dull. Bottom line: IF YOU HAVE THE PASSION . . . there are good chances your reader will have it too. Have fun and don’t be so hard on yourself.

Rowling’s actual writing is wimpy in my opinion. Her work is contrived, derived, despised, and mollified. Having said that, she’s freagin rich and that is saying something big. Her work is bought!!! Someone told me recently in a private email discussion that blogging is detrimental to writing a novel. that can be true. it can also be true that blogging can help us work grooves into our routine including the 5 habits I listed above. In that sense, blogging can help the novel . . . as long as sufficient energy is saved for the novel ;) Oh, and by the way . . . I know it’s JK Rowling and not “JD” as I called her in the intro of this post and Rowling instead of Browling in the title. I just wanted to poke fun and appear as if she wasn’t all that well known to me :) As if. Unfortunately, this tag at the end gives it away that she in fact is.