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IWSG November - Sticks and Stones

This is my Insecure Writers Support Group post for November.


Alex's awesome co-hosts for November are:
Please stop by their blogs and say thank you. 



I'm a member of a small writer's group that provides accountability and encouragement for each of its members to reach his or her goal. One way we motivate each other is to email weekly quotes to the group on our assigned day. 

This was the one I shared last week. Maybe it will encourage you.



If you see a whole thing - it seems that it's always beautiful. Planets, lives.... But close up a world's all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life's a hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern. 
- Ursula K. Le Guin

When I read this, I thought of writing... how, at the level of the sentence, it doesn't seem like much... how we work so hard polishing each and every passage till it shines. It's a massive, difficult job, and we're tempted to give up. 

If we stick with it, though, when we finally stand back and see the whole finished thing, it's impressive.


Thanks for stopping by. Have a good week. :)

P.S. I'm chaperoning a school choir event today, 
so my return visits will be a tad delayed.


IWSG is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. It's a monthly bloghop that offers a safe haven for writers to express their feelings and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. It's also a venue for offering support, both in the form of comments and positive posts. Writers of all kinds are welcome. 

We 'meet' the first Wednesday of every month. If you're interested in learning more, click on the link above. And don't be intimidated by the size of the group. We're not expected to visit everyone on the list

Comments

  1. I love that you're on my "list" Melissa! I love this quote and your take on it when it comes to writing. So right on. Good luck with your chaperoning today!

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  2. Great quote, Melissa. Thanks for sharing it with us and have fun today:)

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  3. Ditto, good luck with the chaperoning. That quote was a good one.

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  4. Absolutely love that quote! Thanks for sharing it.

    Madeline @ The Shellshank Redemption

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  5. I've always loved Ursula K. LeGuin. Thank you for sharing that little nugget, and as I slog through my NaNo at light speed, that is something I sure need to keep in mind.

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  6. I enjoyed the quote and the encouragement. Thanks! Have fun with your choir event!

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  7. It's the whole that makes it shine.
    And approve of the use of Ninjas in this post.

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  8. Have fun with the school choir!

    You chose a great quote to share. Makes me think we all need to get our hands dirty in order for the beauty to sprout. :)

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  9. The quote is so on target. Sometimes it's hard to stand back. But definitely worth it.

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  10. Good advice, Melissa. Have fun chaperoning!

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  11. Oooh I love the comparison of writing to the quote, so true! Love the encouragement, it really can be impressive! ;)

    S.K. Anthony: My Writing Quirks—IWSG (16)

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  12. Hey Melissa,

    Aptly put, my kind friend. Then you put that finely crafted collection of words to share with the reader. They then become very much part of the story.

    All the best and have fun with the choir chaperoning.

    Oh and now I remember, IWSG aka "I Was Seeking Gary." Where is he, I wonder? LOL

    Gary :)

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  13. I love Ursula LeGuin, and I love that quote :) Thanks, Melissa. Good luck chaperoning!

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  14. That is a good way to look at it. I know I get frustrated with all the smaller aspects of plotting and writing, and sometimes it's hard to take a step back and look at the process as a whole. But all those tiny parts are necessary, so it's best to keep at them.

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  15. Big fan of Le Guin here. One of my early inspirations. Excellent observation on her part and application on yours.

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  16. yes, so hard to put those words together, every time I finish a book it feels like a little miracle in its own right :-) hugs!

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  17. Very apt comparison to writing. I think it was Hemingway who talked about getting out of a block by focusing on writing one true sentence.

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  18. I'm sure you had fun with the choir! Love the quote - very true.

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  19. Woot woot! Ain't you lucky to have smart friends.

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  20. Great advice!
    Love the little ninjas!
    Heather

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  21. So true, Melissa. I hate what I write - and myself - for the first few drafts. I'm amazed when the ugly duckling finally becomes a swan. ;)

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  22. That is a perfect quote...I'm going to have to write it down. It's so on-point and is going to be another one I'm going to have to focus on this month. Hugs to you! Eva

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  23. Rubs hands together... I simply cannot wait to stand back and see my novel when I'm done stitching together all those little words. Thanks again for the Twitter shout out this week! :)

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  24. The quote reminds me of another:
    "Evil exists in the part. Perfection exists in the whole.
    Discord is seeing nearsightedly. I can chose this latter view - not that I always should, but I always can. -Hugh Prather (I'm hoping I quoted that accurately.)

    Thanks for the reminder. It helps to keep it all in perspective. I hope you had fun at the choir event. Happy Friday and weekend.

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  25. well now, ain't that the truth! what a quote of quotes. I find when I step back for a day and come back with fresh eyes, I'm not beating up the sentences so much!

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  26. Love that quote! Thanks for sharing it.
    Hope you had fun with that school choir!

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  27. A fantastic quote. Love the message. I do sometimes get lost in the little things, but oh, the beauty of the whole. :)

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