Tag Archives: Don’t Look Down

Writers need inspiration to keep them writing. Writers’ tips can also help any writing stumbling block, including the biggie “writers block”. I am a big fan and collector of quotes from other writers and I suppose I have a few of my own. I would hope that my 43 years of writing in journalism to fiction and many other categories (yes, even poetry and TV, but not radio…yet), have taught me several somethings about writing.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to share my collection of quotes and writing tips, one at a time, one post at a time on my Facebook author page. To make it a bit more visual, I add either a graphic or photo, which is related, at least somewhat. Sometimes I repeat the graphic or photo if it is relevant to another quote or tip. I do this somewhat daily, and by that I mean on weekdays, except for statutory holidays in Canada which is where I come from.

But writing, like music, is universal. And, no I’m not going to get into a discussion about which is more valid or creative – they both are. Let’s just say I can’t carry a tune and wish I could. So, words are my creative outlet (as well as my garden, but that’s another story).

My family on my mother’s side had creative members, from one first cousin once removed who played guitar, to another once removed who crocheted, made shell sculptors, to my mom whose creation was sewing everything from clothes to curtains. She also knitted and created a garden. Guess where I got the latter from. I also used to sew (when my left eye wasn’t so bad). When I was pregnant with my son I sewed all my maternity clothes. And around about then I started to quilt, mostly wall-hangings, some pot holders and a throw. I also designed some of the wall-hangings. And except for the throw, I did all  my quilting by hand.

My son, Martin, is a musician. He plays a variety of guitars from acoustic to lap steel to regular electric. He plays in a Toronto-based band called Beams and they tour throughout Canada and the US, mainly in small local venues. He has written some music. I think he gets his music smarts from the other side of the family – his dad’s. His dad plays guitar and still jams with other musicians, although he wasn’t big on public performances. Martin plays guitar right-handed, but his dad plays the guitar like Sir Paul McCartney – left-handed. That must have been fun when his dad gave his acoustic Martin guitar to  son, Martin – changing the strings all around. But here’s the clincher as to where the music in Martin comes from. Both Martin and his dad play by ear – they don’t have to memorize.s

Not like yours truly here who has to memorize every  line in every skit I perform in my book promo. Yet, I can teach a writing workshop without notes. It might go back to when I played the piano, when I took piano lessons from age 8 to 15. Every recital piece I had to memorize and when it was something like Debussy ‘s Clair de Lune, I messed up. Here’s my memoir/creative non fiction essay Don’t Look Down about it (and how it connected with my Mom and Dad) published in Smart Set Magazine the online magazine published by Drexel University.

What I’m saying is “creativity is in the blood” and I want to share it. No not the blood; no vampires here. Just some writing quotes and tips. So here is the link to my Facebook author page.and here is one quote not up there – yet. It seems to be my life’s destiny.

Half my life is an act of revision.

• John Irving.

 And that also includes my writing, although more like all of it, not just half.

Cheers.

Sharon

Author of the Beyond mystery series.