“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” — Kurt Vonnegut.
Writing Advice
My writing companion, Pepper. She lays on my bare feet when I’m sitting at my computer. — Photo by Pat Bean
I just read an article that said it is better to write tired than not write, especially when working on a major project. The author, I would give credit except I deleted the article and couldn’t find it again, said, if you don’t, then you often have to start at the beginning again.
That’s exactly where I am with my book, Travels with Maggie. I’ve left it untouched way too long, and I’ve got to at least read it again from the beginning.
I also know that writing tired sometimes even turns into really good writing because the brain lets go some of its control. But even if I have to rewrite the next day, the continuity hasn’t been lost.
Now all I need to do is take this advice.
Recent doodling by me. I make a connection between it and Vonnegut’s quote.
The truth is I’ve been doing plenty of writing, the past couple of months. Just not on Travels with Maggie. And I’m at the point that I need to finish it, because I can’t move on to all the other ideas bouncing around in my head until I do.
So what’s stopping me?
I keep trying, so far unsuccessfully, to figure it all out.
Bean’s Pat: I’m giving it to myself today. One of the writing projects I have been working on faithfully is the blog I do for American Profile magazine called Discovering America. I’d love it if you would check it out at: http://blogs.americanprofile.com/author/patbean/
Pat Bean's blog 
Great quote by a great author!
Thanks for it and the sweet photo of Pepper, she could be my boy’s sister.
Love your doodles, Pat. Sometimes I find I have to let things percolate until they are ready to come out. If I try to push it, no luck or bad writing. Usually I will go to bed and put it out there that I need help with such & such, and the next morning I wake up and it’s there. Works better for me than trying to push my way through, and I still meet my mostly self-imposed deadlines.
I checked out your blog at American Profile — great stuff! I hope you’re having a nice Easter weekend, Pat, and btw, I never worry much about the things I don’t do – cus, well, it would do absolutely no good. 😀
I had a very nice weekend. Colored Easter eggs on Saturday, and stayed over at my daughter’s through Sunday dinner. Thanks, re the kind words about my magazine blog. Hope you had a happ Easter, too.
Beautiful drawing, and beautiful photograph of a sweet friend. Well, my dear, as someone who has “followed” you around through your blog for a while now, Old Doc Marian thinks you don’t want to finish TRAVELS WITH MAGGIE because it will be closing that part of your life away. You don’t want to say goodbye to Maggie, and writing THE END at the end of her part of your story will feel like a final goodbye. Them’s my two cents’ worth, anyway. But, really, it will be giving Maggie to people who remember her through your blog, and to people who don’t know her yet. I look forward to having my very own copy of Maggie’s story to open and share any time I want to. ❤
Wonderful post… And we seem to be in the same place! In fact, I JUST pulled up this quote yesterday. Uncanny. And I’m in a bit of a creative stall as well, getting my gumption back up. 🙂 Good luck to you (whatever your reason is)!!