Writing is the craft of progression, not perfection.
Mark’s Writing Motto #47
Craft
It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint
Writing is a journey
that’s not instant or passive
and
it is not completely result oriented
It’s a process of
delayed gratification
It’s an ongoing routine
that takes consistent training
over months and even years
Though the result is creating
art through your words,
the real reward is
the blueprint to perfecting your craft
and
the person that you become
To show up persistently
and put forth the effort,
it’s what you as a writer does
because that’s your nature
Someone willing
to expose and share
your emotions and heart
through prose
Make Your Reality Happen
Strive to do your best
in all facets of your craft
Never settle for ordinary,
stretch your imagination beyond your horizon
Create words of
love, hope, humor and inspiration
and pour every ounce
of your heart into your art
If you can do this,
success will surely follow
So take action,
make your reality
take the place
of your life long vision
“Why I Love Writing” Haikus
Imagination
Words and emotions inspire
It sets your soul free
Creativity
Your mind is elevated
Your words become art
Inner voice wakes up
Time to unleash your passion
True love reflected
Let Your “Inner Voice Shine Through
In my opinion, one of the best things about being a writer is showcasing our inner voice through our pieces of prose to the world. Our writing style, our choice of words and our descriptive passages all reflect our artistic expression hidden deep within. 
Everyone’s writing style is unique; it can be eloquent, serious, humorous, wordy, concise or simple. The fact that we get our point across to any and all readers, in whatever fashion our voice dictates, is truly amazing. AND the painstaking years that it took just to get us comfortable in writing is a feat in itself. AND the tremendous courage it takes to put forth our laborious effort for strangers to read. 
That’s why I enjoy reading other people’s work; I love the fact that they took the time to share something that was on their mind. I’m able to get a semblance of their personality through their choice of topics and words. It’s like meeting a stranger and getting to know them through their writing. The more I read, the more I become familiar with them. 
We as writers share a piece of our soul in the hopes of bringing to view something that we feel has value and get a sense of self-satisfaction from doing so. Our reasons for exhibiting our work can be therapeutic, informative or for entertainment.
I’ve known a couple of writers, however, that were quite hesitant to impart their work for public viewing for fear of crucifying comments or lack of praise. They toiled over their piece but found it difficult to take it to the next step; in the end, they abandoned their desire for writing. It was a sad loss because I felt that they had something of quality that was worth sharing.
We need to lose all inhibitions and accept the fact that there will be some people that’ll like what we write and others that’ll hate it. It all comes with the territory of our craft and shouldn’t be a factor in deterring our passion for writing.
The joy we get from putting pen to paper, the dedication to honing our craft, the anticipation of producing something substantial from a mere thought and the gratification from seeing the final product are qualities that strengthen our passion. In the end, our devotion to writing should outweigh all reactions, whether it be good or bad. So let loose, face your fears, WRITE and let your “Inner Voice”shine through.
Our “Special” Gift
I always marvel at the fact that we, as writers, can conjure up practically anything we desire with our writing. We come up with the most creative stories, the most enticing screenplays, the most eloquent poetry and the most humorous prose.
No two stories, poems, blog posts or screenplays are alike. Yes they may have the same idea or premise but the way it is executed on page and presented to the reader is very individualistic. Our inner voice comes through our choice of words and how we arrange them and the reader is fortunate to choose which voice he or she best relates to.
We really have a gift if you think about it and we choose to share it with others in hopes of educating them, inspiring them, entertaining them and even provoking critical thought among them. Our passion has no bounds.
The world, our experiences, our family, our friends and random conversation overheard is our muse. We get a spark and it gestates in our subconscious mind until it is ready to flow freely onto our computer screens.
AND some of the stuff that we come up with is totally mind-boggling. As writers, we choose to ignore the plausible and go with what our inner voice is screaming at us to write. Just imagine if we put limitations on ourselves and our creativity, you know how boring our concepts would be.
Every day I thank God that I’m able to write something that at least someone, somewhere would enjoy reading. I might not be the most creative, eloquent or concise writer but I write how I feel and that’s all that truly matters; I think that this is the common thread that is prevalent among all of my fellow peers.
Writing is our craft, our voice…and our desire to share it with the world regardless of the outcome is admirable don’t you think. 
When I started as a writer, I came across a poem that really spoke to me. Unfortunately it was written anonymously and I lost my only copy of it. But I remembered a portion from that particular poem that I took to heart and I want to share it with all of my fellow writing colleagues – all you screenwriters, poets, bloggers, story tellers:
“Writing is a gift
given to few,
Don’t ever give it up
or you won’t be you”
A Writing Dry Spell
Did you ever have those times when you had a dry spell with your writing? Whether it be for your blog, script, story, essay, correspondence letter or note to a friend, your mind’s well was empty. No topics are in play, no words come to mind, things just don’t flow freely from pen to paper so to speak.
It’s like you struggle just to get a cohesive sentence together; every brain cell is squeezed to spew out the words needed to bring forth a sentence. AND the kicker is that it’s really not what you want to convey. You just put something down for the sake of having something substantial to work from.
All of us as writers hit this dry spell throughout our careers, it’s inevitable and just plain sucks. During these times I just don’t feel like a writer and I truly feel as if I failed. Don’t know why, but I just do.
“Why does this have to happen?!”
Our minds are capable of doing and creating so much more…so why is it that our minds fail us? Is it just a way of our brain telling us that it’s going on a short vacation so we can’t write until it gets back?
What do we do in the meantime? How do we continue on with our craft if our mind isn’t cooperating? Not writing anything makes me feel empty and having to endure this drought is challenging. Often during times like these is when I start to worry…has my mind’s well of creativity gone dry? Will I ever come up with another idea or story ever again? 
So many questions with no immediate answers. My confidence gets put through the ringer and then some. But luckily for me, I’ve been through this rodeo and I know that I just need to ride out the storm.
My mind eventually regains its composure and my creativity resets itself. My brain becomes cognizant of all the new ideas and stories and starts to file them in my intellectual storage file; the amount of information is so overwhelming that I’m faced with another dilemma…which story to work on first, too little time to get all this stuff out and words constantly oozing out just begging to be put on page.
Guess that’s a better situation to be in than a writing dry spell but either way I’ll gladly endure both as long as my passion for writing remains constant.
Midlife, Maniacal & Me 