Thank you

I used to believe that I couldn’t possibly write about writing. Although I had pieces published at Absolute Write, Writing Corner and other writing sites, I still felt I could never consistently write about writing as eloquently as the other writers did. No way could I ever invoke such passion in myself or worse, in others, especially writers. Nah, I’d stick to my decorating pieces.

Yet here I am embroiled in this blog and connecting with some wonderful bloggers: passionate, creative, joyful, inspiring writers - identifying with their stories, and they identifying with mine.

It's not about writing eloquently but truthfully, authentically and passionately.

Thank you for following and subscribing to Perspectives on Writing. You are the ones who are fueling my passion and sprinkling petals of inspiration on my journey.

Change has come

My weekly column Wright Words of Wisdom, featured in their Sunday edition will have its last run on Sunday 1st February.Below is a copy of the emailI I sent to those readers who have contacted me since the column debuted in September 2006.

The Trinidad Guardian "streamlining their cadre of freelance writers" - their words. They have terminated the services of several of their freelancers, and I am on that list.

Although I was half expecting it, now that it has actually happened, I still feel a bit lost. The column was so many things to me. It marked my transition from fulltime employment to fulltime writing - a long-held dream. It confirmed my purpose and my message. Although I have been writing for publication since 1998, the rhythm of writing an article every week helped me develop my writing style and fine-tune my voice.

To a certain extent, the column defined me. It was the focus of my day after I my morning devotions (Bible reading, prayer, meditation and journaling) and taking care of my daily chores. Even more important, at the center of all that were the readers who emailed me every week with thanks, with their own stories, with encouragement to keep writing and sometimes even with requests for a copy of my book.

For the last two years, I’ve been thinking of upgrading my skills and my writing qualifications. The Writer’s Bureau had been sending me a prospectus for their writing courses for several years. I was interested but never made a decision. When the prospectus for their journalism course came three weeks ago, I decided that it was time to move. I took my own advice in an article I wrote recently, and enrolled. These are hard economic times and the perfect time for upgrades even as the global economy is spiraling downward.

While I still have miscellaneous assignments for online publications, they don’t require the kind of daily discipline the weekly column demanded. So I have ample time to devote to the comprehensive 28-module course and I am aiming to complete it in three years instead of four. That’s my main priority after which comes that book. I plan to work on it in earnest. My blogs need attention – more regular postings. I will keep writing and submitting my work for publication both online and in print. Then I have two other activities that are more than mere interests. They are passions I have only recently renewed – photography and art.

In my articles I often encourage readers to have a support system as they contemplate, plan and embark on their own journeys. I have mine – a cheering section that won’t let me forget who is steering my life, who I am, what I have already accomplished, what I can do and what I am passionate about. With that kind of support there is no time to second guess myself, procrastinate or give in to fear. I look forward to stretching myself and expanding my boarders.

So I move on – not forgetting but fondly remembering the stage of my life that has just passed and all the people who have shared it with me and helped to make it enjoyable, successful and above all, memorable.

Thank you for the encouragement you’ve been to me. I hope to see your name in my Hotmail Inbox and in the comment section on my blogs: Perspectives on Life, Cheryl Wright Writes and Quiet Time with God.

God bless you.

Have you been considering or facing changes with regardto your writing? Come on now, you know you're not alone. Bring your stories into the comment section and let's support and encourage one another.

Saturday Soirée - Writing space

Sometimes I wonder if it makes sense to write about the same topics other writers explore on their websites and blogs and in their newsletters. We have a saying here in Trinidad, "Too much of the same thing is good for nothing." But whenever that thought about "writing about the same topics" surfaces, I am reminded of how important it is to write what is close to my heart, the topics that I, as a writer, enjoy reading, the kind of topics that inspire me and keep me motivated, the kind of topics that can turn the mundane into the extraordinary, the topics that are common to writers.

One such topic is the place where we write : how we identify, secure and use our writing space.

While I pondered on this, I received Beth Mende Conny's latest blog post on the same topic. Because our views are so similar, I decided to share it in our Saturday Soiree post.

Her post gave me the warm fuzzy feeling of connection to a writer, who shares my belief and my practice and understands my seemingly quirky obsession with the space where I engage with my passion.

Again, there is the connection, similarity and community among writers that I've written about before. I can only hope that my writing: articles, columns and blog posts elicit the same feelings from writers and readers who find my work, linger with it and return regularly.

Read Beth's post entitled "Your Sacred Writing Space" and my comment here.

As a bolster here is an excerpt from one of her articles at her website, Write Directions, entitled Balancing Writing and Family.

You must have a room of your own, Part 1
That doesn't mean you have to have an actual room with a door to close, but it does mean you need a space in which to work.

Space, by the way, is not just physical. It's mental as well. You can have a great home office, for example, but if you can't keep others out of it (or keep yourself in), it's doing you little good. The bottom line then? You must create space for yourself by laying claim to it, by setting boundaries that others cannot cross during the times you write. This ain't easy because it means you first must "come out of the closet" as a writer. You must declare to the world (your significant others) that you are more than what they see; that you want more for yourself; that you have the right to write.

A room of your own, Part 2
Once you lay claim to your right to write, you can begin to lay claim to a writing space. If you have a distinct room at your disposal, replete with door (preferably a locking one), you're all set. Know, however, that such a room isn't a requirement. Many great poems and plays are written at kitchen tables, in the corners of basements, and in notebooks lovingly, sometimes furtively, carried from room to room. The bottom line is you work with what you've got and make it work for you.

Note the traffic patterns in your home. What spaces are constantly traveled? Which get only occasional visitors or none "after hours"? Which can fit a desk or filing cabinet, or even a single cardboard box containing your notes, research materials, pens, and pads? (Such boxes, by the way, make great "portable offices," enabling you to take your writing wherever you go, e.g., the library, coffee shop, or even into your car or bathroom). So, choose your space, however modest, and set up shop.

Read the complete piece here.

Do you have a writing space? Is it sacred? How often do you go there to honor your passion?

Climbing the mountain, again

Don't you just want to dance when the day find you at your most productive self?

So far, today has been one of those days. WOO HOO!

I've been writing up a storm against the backdrop of a dark and gloomy rainy day. Yesterday's productivity wasn't too shabby either.

So what's my inspiration, those dark days with no music, no drums and no muse. They help to put things in perspective and crank up the passion.

Well, Rita, my muse is in the house and between the two of us, it's a writing party down in here.

It sure makes those valley days worthwhile, doesn't it?

I listen to my heart

Last week, my thoughts were all over the place. I took forever to decide which partially finished article I should complete in time to meet my column deadline. Since the official deadline is today, Tuesday, I decided that maybe I should just hold on to the piece and shuffle through it over the weekend.

Guess what? Last night I sent an entirely different article to the ones I worked on all last week.

The piece about Solitude found its way to my heart and called to be released. Only another writer will understand this.

Sometimes, during one week, I’d find myself flitting back and forth among three or four different articles. After working on one for a while, my mind goes numb, I lose interest and it just seems all wrong. I move onto another, only to have the same thing happen, and so on and so on.

This troubles me until I decide to leave the writing alone and busy myself with some other activity that usually isn't writing-related. A half hour of HGTV is often sufficient to get a clear break and refresh my mind. And some weeks the confusion is severe enough to drag on to the eleventh hour.

The ideas are there, the topics are ones that I enjoy writing about. But somehow, my mind is not settled with any of the pieces I select, neither is my heart fully committed to completing any of them for the approaching deadline.

It is stressful and the pressure mounts with each unproductive day. Plus, that dreaded “internal critic” is only to happy to slam my discouraged heart with the usual shouts of, “Yeah, and you call yourself a writer,” “Look at you, what a fraud,” “Give it up,” and other similar soul-depleting, confidence-smashing talk.

I hear him loud and clear and admit that his words hurt. But I fight him. I may not be accomplishing much with the work at hand, I may be writing more like an amateur than the professional and passionate writer I know I am. But I’ll be damned if I let him inveigle me to quit.

In times past, when this happened, I considered choosing another area to explore, another niche perhaps, but my heart won’t let me. I must engage in the kind of writing that jingle in my heart when I sit down to write. My heart must be in it, my words must ring true to who I am and what I'm passionate about. .

Sure the words may struggle to find their way on the page or screen, as the case may be. But as long as I stay the course, ignore my inner demon, and listen instead to my heart, I know the words will come. The right words will find their way to the page, and to the person who needs to read them.

That's not to say that I don't stumble at the initial lack of focus and steady distractions. Eventually, I come to my senses and let go of the pressure. I trust God to direct me, I listen to my heart. This process may take a while to produce fruit, but it has never failed me yet.

Following are some of the quotes that have inspired me to trust my heart, honor my passion and write in no other voice but my own: -

"Don’t write what you know—what you know may bore you, and thus bore your readers. Write about what interests you—and interests you deeply—and your readers will catch fire at your words."

~ Valerie Sherwood

"Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer."

~ Barbara Kingsolver

"Writing from the heart requires vision, and vision is beyond skill. Vision writers write what they want to write. This means they write about things that have moved them deeply. Such writing is not something that you can learn. For vision is a gift. But if you open your heart wide, the gift will be great."

~ Cyn-Young Ahn

"There's one thing your writing must have to be any good at all. It must have you. Your soul, your self, your heart, your guts, your voice -- you must be on that page. In the end, you can't make the magic happen for your reader. You can only allow the miracle of 'being one with' to take place. So dare to be yourself. Dare to reveal yourself. Be honest, be open, be true...If you are, everything else will fall into place."

~ Elizabeth Ayres

Where I find inspiration

Sometimes, when I'm stuck and the words don't flow, I review the journey that brought me here for inspiration.

Not knowing anything about writing, least of all publication and querying, I introduced myself to an editor of a print woman's magazine in 1997 with a proposal for a decorating column. Two months later in February 1998, the first piece of my nine-year monthly column assignment appeared. Literally, I had stumbled unto the rebirth of my childhood dream to be a writer and it took the pursuit of a love for interior design to take me along that writing path, my writing path.

And it is mine, after all.

You see, looking back, I can see, clearly, how all my life, I was being prepared for this, for writing.

1. It began with my mother's appetite for reading, which I adopted. Authors' photos on their books intrigued me and I envisioned my photograph on a book too, a book that I imagined I would write. She was a dreamer too but it didn't translate to me. My father showed no emotion with respect to her dreams. And my brother and I were too young to understand it all. I realized later in life that that was where I got my penchant for dreaming, making lists and living with an eye toward the future.

Apart from that, I had no model of what to do with my recurring thoughts of being a writer. I didn't even know that it was a dream that could be pursued. But I wrote, all through my life. I feared confrontation; my mother was a hopeless nag. So I wrote letters of apology, love letters, diary entries and later in life when I discovered the wonderful freeing world of journaling, I adopted the practice as my main avenue to write and understand the thoughts in my head, the feelings in my heart and the growing desire for a life that revolved around words, books and writing.

2. Another thing I remember is how much of a loner I was. To this day, I enjoy, crave and seek out solitude and silence. It stands head and shoulders with writing as my deepest passions. I accept that it is strange to my family and friends so I no longer make excuses. They just leave me to my devices and that works for me.

This love affair with solitude and silence was the precursor and indicator of the career that I dreamer of and eventually pursued. They fit me, I feel at home with them, almost at one with the three. It is in that place where I am alone and silent that my heart sings and words flow.

3. My life experiences and the stories I've heard and read make me at home with the topics I write about. I've tried to write about other topics but the words don't come easily.

I'm much more comfortable writing about what I am passionate about: self-improvement, inspiration, motivation, setting goals, self-care, gratitude, working at what we love, finding one's passion, pursuing dreams, finding balance, making changes, starting over, living simply, being true to oneself, finding joy in simple things and simple practices, interior design from a more philosophical perspective such as creating personal space, designing for one's lifestyle, those sort of things. Sometimes I wonder if my scope is too limited but look at the list – it's pretty broad and encompassing. Don't you think? There is so much more to write about under each item I've listed. I call them lifestyle topics because they encompass my mantra about creating a lifestyle that allows us to be creative, open, free, grateful, compassionate, inspired and passionate.

4. For as long as I can remember, I've been enthralled with words and their history. I go to the dictionary to look up one word only to find myself in the throes of researching a long list of others. One thing leads to another; one word leads to another. I think no one can enjoy doing this and not have a gift or love of playing with words. I do.

5. Then there was my habit of daydreaming of owning a bookstore or working in one or in a library. It never happened but I never miss an opportunity to linger anywhere where there are stacks of books. What joy! All those books, authors, pages, words, stories. There is nothing more exciting or soothing except writing, of course.

I believe that God destined me for this, to be a writer. I could not possibly have had the experiences I did, the dreams I've had, the passions I've felt, the quirks and idiosyncrasies I live with and this passion for writing without His design and leading.

That is why whenever, the mild bouts of depression and periods of dissatisfaction with where I am in my writing career surface, I don't stay there long. There is no need to. God has brought me this far and by His grace I will keep going, doing what He has prepared and equipped me to do – write the words that help and heal, encourage and inspire others.

When I labour over a piece of work I try to follow the rules of good writing. But more so, I keep in mind that I have an obligation to the people who read my work. I have to keep on topic and keep it real. My voice must be clear, my heart bare and my words true. They must be sure that I write for them when I open my heart and share myself, my flaws, my weaknesses, my strengths, my triumphs and my dreams.

People have asked me when I'm going to write a book. I want to. I am working on a few ideas, taking it slowly, in stride, a page or two or several at a time. They are not a high priority but are progressing at a leisurely rhythm. For now, I'm simply doing the work. The rest is in God's hands. I am convinced that if book publication is in His plan for me, He'll show me, He'll make it clear, He'll lead the way and it will happen. In the mean time, I savor every silent and solitary moment I have to write and enjoy the process.

More than anything else I take time to count my blessings, make use of the lessons I've learned and say thanks for the wonderful life I have, filled with people I love and a career that allows me to write the whispers of my heart.

Anniversary Reflections

August 30^th marked the first anniversary of my resigning from my job to retire and devote myself to writing fulltime.

Making that decision it seemed, cleared the way for one of my dreams to materialize - to write a weekly column for the Trinidad Guardian newspaper. It was a long-held dream that I had kept front and center for many years.

Nothing happens before its time and the timing was perfect. As a Christian I believe that God orchestrates everything in my life. Sometimes I don't understand His reasons for giving, taking and holding back. His divine wisdom is far above my minutest imaginings but by faith I trust Him to do what's best for me and often that means I must acquiesce to His timing.

In this case, He gave me the desire of my heart at the best possible time and it came with blessings aplenty too.

It has been a wonderful year of discoveries too. I discovered my capacity to dig deeper within myself and write from my heart more than I ever had before. That has not only helped and enhanced my writing, but eased my anxieties, alleviated some of my fears and made me more focused and dedicated to my passion.

What a year!