MAYA ANGELOU – A life that inspires

1928-2014

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”

I encountered this true statement by the late Maya Angelou, before I became familiar with her writings. One of the most distinguished women of our time, Dr. Angelou was a renowned novelist, poet, dramatist, filmmaker and actress. She was also an influential civil rights activist and educator.

In her lifetime, she won three Grammy Awards, the presidential medal of arts in 2000 and the Lincoln Medal Award in 2008. Wow! Isn’t that the dream of many creative personalities?

In 1993, President Bill Clinton requested the literary icon to compose a poem to read at his inauguration. She wrote “On The Pulse Of The Morning,” which she read live at the event while millions around the world watched.

Her memoir, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” first published in 1969, became a huge success. Time magazine has named it one of the ‘100 best non-fiction books of all time.’ With 30 bestselling titles and many honors and awards, she is definitely a woman to study.

Since her passing in May 2014, I have been intrigued by her inspiring life. I have read so much about her and discovered what made her such a successful person and influential writer.

Here are some lessons I garnered from her story.

She read and studied voraciously, mastering French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Fanti, a West African language. Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned. 

LESSON

Take it or leave it; you cannot be a great writer if you are not an ardent reader. Read works of great authors.

 

She said in an interview with Noah Charney on the Daily Beast:

“I keep a hotel room in my hometown and pay for it by the month.
I go around 6:30 in the morning. I have a bedroom, with a bed, a table, and a bath. I have Roget’s Thesaurus, a dictionary and the Bible. But I’ve never slept there… I’m usually out of there by 2. And then I go home and I read what I’ve written that morning, and I try to edit then.”

 LESSON

She took advantage of her mornings, which to me is the most productive time of the day. Serious writers set out a time to write, in a quiet place, away from distractions. Writing is serious business. It is not an activity you slot into your schedule when it’s convenient. If you want to be as successful as the likes of Dr. Angelo, you have to work it as a job and not a hobby.

 

She was also a diligent and committed writer.

She says: “Easy reading is damn hard writing. But if it’s right, it’s easy. It’s the other way round, too. If it’s slovenly written, then it’s hard to read. It doesn’t give the reader what the careful writer can give the reader.”

Her works are mostly a reflection of her childhood and other life experiences. Perhaps that’s what makes them so heart touching, so life-changing.

LESSON

When writers write from their hearts, from strong and sincere emotions, readers respond from their hearts too.

I can’t conclude this article without this final question Noah Charney asked Dr Angelo, especially now that she has passed.

What would you like carved onto your tombstone?

[Laughs] “I did my best, I hope you do the same.”

LESSON

Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. Let’s do our best to leave a lasting legacy, a worthy foot print on the sand of time.

Enjoy God’s Exceeding Grace

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BE A PRODUCTIVE WRITER

You can be a productive person if you want, but it takes discipline. We all need to make ourselves do what we should do, at the right time, whether it is convenient or not. That is self-discipline and that is what makes a person excel in his field.

Here are two tips that will help you become a more productive writer.

MAKE YOUR WRITING GOALS CLEAR

What do you want? What are you trying to achieve as a writer?  What do you want to write about? Why do you want to write it? How are you going to get it written and read? If you cannot answer these basic questions, you are not ready for success. Write down the answers. Make them clear and achievable. I read in one of Brian’s Tracy’s report that the great billionaire H.L. Hunt once said, there are only two real requirements for success. The first is to decide exactly what you want. The second is to determine the price you must pay and then resolve to pay that price.

MAXIMIZE YOUR DAY AND TIME

One of the ways you save time, energy and resources is to plan your day and time. Many things will happen to distract you, and if you don’t already have your time planned out, you may lose focus of your goals.

The renowned Christian novelist, Francine Rivers advises writers to keep their priorities in order – God, family, writing. This is achievable with proper planning. She says, “Write a little each day. Even if you only do a paragraph, you will have a body of work by the end of year. One page a day means 365 pages in a year.”

You maximize your day as a serious writer by making sure your plan includes writing every day, no matter how little.

Image courtesy of Akarakingdoms/freedigitalphotos.net

Award winning writer, Irene Hannon, said in an interview:

“Set aside time to write – and do it on schedule. It’s way too easy to find other things to do, but if you have a schedule, you’re more inclined to actually produce.

I recall someone once asked a famous writer if he waited until inspiration struck before he sat down to write, and he said something like: “Absolutely. I make sure I’m inspired every morning at nine o’clock.”

That sense of discipline - of making yourself write even when the muse is hiding or you’re not in the mood –is to me, the sign of a professional writer, whether you’re writing full time or juggling your writing with a day job. Even an hour three times a week is a schedule and it signifies commitment.”

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 6:6-11 to plan and be diligent like the ant. Great achievements require great sacrifice. So, to be a successful writer, you must be ready to pay the price. You can be who you want to be and accomplish just about anything you want if you are willing to pay the price.

A day came when I realized there is always a price to pay anyway, whether for success or for failure. I chose to pay it for success. That is paying in advance rather than paying later.

Enjoy God’s Exceeding Grace

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QUOTES ON WRITING

I am currently reading an e-book titled About Writing by Michael LaRocca. It’s a great book for those who want to improve their writing. In it are some quotes by writers. Some are instructive, some comical and some downright ludicrous. I had to go on the web to check out the bios of some of those writers and see what made them impressive.  Enjoy the snippets.

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"Everywhere I go, I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them." Flannery O'Connor

Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925 – August 3, 1964) 

An American writer and essayist, she was an important voice in American literature. With two novels, 32 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries, her Complete Stories won the 1972 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. She was named the "Best of the National Book Awards" by internet visitors in 2009.

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• I write fiction because it's a way of making statements I can disown, and I write plays because dialogue is the most respectable way of contradicting myself. Tom Stoppard
• It is always a good idea, in any type of writing, to imagine what it's like to be the reader. Carl Dickson
• An editor is someone who separates the wheat from the chaff and then prints the chaff. Adlai Stevenson

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Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers. T.S. Eliot

Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 1888 – 4 January 1965) 

I encountered his writing for the 1st time at the university when we read one of his well-known plays, Murder in the Cathedral (1935). An essayist, publisher, playwright, literary and social critic, He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948, "for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry."

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• It has been said that there is no great writing, only great rewriting. Michael LaRocca
• It is impossible to discourage the real writers - they don't give a damn what you say, they're going to write. Sinclair Lewis
• When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing. Enrique Jardiel Poncela
• Easy reading is damn hard writing. Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Writing comes more easily if you have something to say. Sholem Asch

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I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters. Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright(June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959)

He was known more as a reknown American architect of his time. He was also an interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1000 structures and completed 532 works. Wright authored 20 books and many articles and was a popular lecturer in the United States and in Europe. He was recognized in 1991 by the American Institute of Architects as "the greatest American architect of all time. one of his most popular architectural designs was the Falling Water.

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• I can't understand why a person will take a year or two to write a novel when he can easily buy one for a few dollars. Fred Allen
• Writers have a rare power not given to anyone else; we can bore people long after we are dead. Sinclair Lewis

Enjoy God’s Exceeding Grace

TWO ARTICLES ON WRITING FROM MARIE GROSSETT

BEST SELLING AUTHOR’S ADVICE FOR ASPIRING WRITERS

Most people like to read about how successful people made it in their chosen profession and the advice they give to the 'up and comings.' I assume you're no different! You too like to read your favourite authors’ life story and the counsel they give.

Since you like to do this, I've rustled up guidance from three bestselling and award winning authors that I have interviewed, to give you statements of encouragement.
The question I asked them was, 'What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to make it in the industry?'

Debora M. Coty who has written books such as 'Too blessed to be stressed' and is an award winner of over 100 internationally published articles and ten inspirational books says:

"I'd share a quote given to me by a dear friend Sherill, who was dying of brain tumour, "Work to become, not to acquire" (Elbert Hubbard, American writer, 1856-1915). Everyone encounters that "Spinning your wheels" rut at some point in building their careers. The important thing for writers is to just keep pedaling, honing your craft, polishing your technique, learning, learning, always learning. You have to believe that one day soon, your spinning tire will finally grip and propel you back up on the road again. I liken preserving to jockeys who encounter horses’ poo as an occupational hazard. They simply step over the piles, wipe the nasty off their boots, and keep moving forward."

Judy Baer who has written books, “Mending Her Heart” and “Sleeping Beauty” says:

"I'm self taught since I didn't know any writer when I started and the big writers' organizations had not yet begun. I read about writing, I read books that were of the type I thought my books would be. I took classes. I poured over Writer's Market and I wrote and wrote and wrote. I compared my prose to that of big writers and tried to see what techniques they'd used to make their stories compelling. I think motivation, determination and refining the craft can do a lot for the aspiring writer. Of course you should always read. Frankly, I listen to books on tape now rather than read because I find myself analyzing. It is either I’m thinking of how it could be improved or wishing I'd been clever enough to write like that!"

Fiction writer Tricia Goyer who is the author of 30 books and has over 500 articles published in national publications such as “Focus on the Family,” “Today's Christian Woman” and “Home Life Magazine” says:

"Attend a writer's conference. What you learn, who you meet, and your view of the industry is worth the cost! Write! So many people want to be writers but they never get words on paper. Write about everything you think of...that's how you'll discover your passion, style and voice.”

THE WRITER’S BLOCK

"Right onto the next chapter," you mutter to yourself. But as your fingers begin to touch the keyboard or the tip of your pen touches the paper, your mind goes blank.

"This can't be happening right now, what's going on?" You wonder.

The symptom is called Writer's Block.

There are times when your creative juices just pours into your imagination that you just can't stop writing, and yes there are times when the pouring comes to a halt! I know this can be annoying but it does happen even to bestselling authors.

When interviewing romance author Joan Wolf I asked her if she ever suffers Writer's Block she answered: "I've never been blocked to the point where I can't sit down and write, but I have certainly come upon points in my books where things weren't going smoothly and I felt as if I was trying to swim through a molasses. I have found in the past that changing points of view sometimes gets me going again. Sometimes you just have to write through it."

Joan is right sometimes you just have to write through it.

Here are some tips on what you can do to unblock your imagination.

·        Go for a walk get some fresh air! We can take for granted the things we see around us just because they are familiar to us. It could be a building, a park with children playing and ducks swimming in the pond. But out of these could be inspiration for your next chapter. So, don't take it for granted as there could be a story out of the things you see around you.

·        Go back to the drawing board, what is the message of your book what do you want people to learn from it. Going back to basics could help you get your imagination active again. If you are writing fiction, is there anything you can add or take away? It could be a character or the plot of the story or maybe a scenario doesn't go well with a character.

Finally, as mentioned before you just have to, sometimes, write your way through, write the first sentence that comes to your thoughts and just work your way from there.

Writer's Block is just temporary, so don't get disheartened if you experience it just keep on writing.

Marie Grossett aka Vanessa Grossett is a published Author, and has interviewed best selling and award winning Christian Authors.

She now manages The Authors Care Agency which helps aspiring Authors break into the publishing industry. For more information email authorscare@gmail.com

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS