Category: Gratitude
NaNoWriMo Inspiration – Great Expectations
| November 2, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Gratitude, Things that inspire me, Writing with confidence |
I’m about to show my nerdy colors here, but I hope you’ll bear with me. This post is about expectations and how those really do matter in propelling us toward meeting our potential.
I worked in Student Affairs at a university. In our office, one of the biggest things that we talked about was student persistence. Basically, that discussion is about how to keep students in college and how to make sure that they graduate. One of the most cited researchers, Vincent Tinto, explains that expectations play an HUGE role in whether or not a student stays in college and graduates. In his article, Taking Student Retention Seriously, he gives this finding: “Students are more likely to persist and graduate in settings that expect them to succeed.”
A friend gave me a truly wonderful gift recently. She gave me a grayish blue leather journal.
What does this have to do with expectations and success you may be wondering?
Well, for me, this journal is a symbol of my friend’s support for me in my writing endeavors. She knows that writing is my dearest dream and in giving this gift, she has communicated to me that she believes that I will succeed at writing. I decided to deem this journal my NaNo notebook. Every time I see it, I feel loved, supported, and encouraged. Knowing that she has expectations for me to succeed at writing makes me feel empowered to do it!
Knowing that somebody else cares whether you succeed or not is a real and important factor in this process. Sometimes, we writerly types have the tendency to think that our own stubborn determination should be enough to get us through the book. I know that I didn’t start even admitting that I wanted to be a writer until the last couple of years. Don’t underestimate the power of the support of a friend or two.
Who are the people in your life that have great expectations for you? How have they shown you? Are there ways that you can remind yourself of this support each day?
Keep writing!
And Brittany, if you’re reading this, thanks again! You’re the best!
LJ
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In honor of Steve Jobs
| October 5, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Gratitude, Things that inspire me |
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
-Steve Jobs (2005)
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Gratitude to the greats: Elizabeth Gilbert
| September 29, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under did you see this?!!, Gratitude, Things that inspire me, Writing with confidence |
This is my favorite Ted Talk. Totally worth the twenty minutes. I have connected with Liz Gilbert’s books as a soul searcher and someone who doesn’t believe that the conventional life plan is for everybody (you know, me in particular). I just feel so thankful that she has been willing to write about this stuff, much of which I have experienced for myself, but never really put into words. Same with this Ted talk. This lady’s an inspiration.
This talk has been very important to me as a writer. Each day, I have to ask myself if I have shown up to work.
Who has influenced you? What stands out to you about this talk?
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Gratitude to the greats: Will Thomas
| September 14, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Gratitude, Things that inspire me |
Dear Will Thomas,
I just wanted to send a quick note to tell you how much I enjoy your novels! I stumbled upon The Black Hand in a random browsing session at Barnes & Noble. I devoured it in a couple of days and then absolutely had to read the other books! This was a couple of years ago and I have certainly done my best to share your wonderful books with friends and family.
There are a few things in particular that I love about your books:
1. The imagery is absolutely wonderful. I was hooked by the fight scene in the prologue of The Black Hand (which was the first book of yours that I read). Your style of writing is such a pleasure to read. As I reflect now, I can still see the dark conservatory, shadows moving around in a tussle, illuminated by lightning for a second a at a time. Very vivid.
2. Great characters. I love Llewelyn as the narrator. His history seems to give him a sense of humility in all of his activities. He isn’t perfect, but he does the best that he can. I also really enjoy the conversational storytelling voice that you have created for him. I just love him. I also really enjoy Barker. I never really know what to expect from him other than that he will surprise me. He seems to have such an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Having lived a rich and adventurous life, he has amassed a varied and fascinating array of skills and just knows a lot of stuff. He reminds me of my grandpa a little, in that I feel as though I know him well, but never quite as well as I think.
3. I love the way that you craft your mysteries. I’m usually pretty good at figuring out what’s going to happen in stories, but yours are so well constructed that I hardly ever know for certain who the culprit is going to be. Some authors don’t introduce enough options for who could be behind trouble. Some give too many options. You give just enough information that I can imagine all sorts of things that might happen, but I don’t know for sure so I absolutely have to keep reading. I love it when a book makes me think and keeps me in full suspense!
Again, thank you so much for writing such fun and adventurous books! I thoroughly enjoy them and cannot wait for the next one!
Sincerely,
Lj
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