Will Power--Thanks to Shakespeare!

From Kate's Writing Crate...

          As a writer, it's difficult not to be inspired by William Shakespeare. He wrote prolifically. He wrote beautifully. He wrote without the aid of a dictionary, a thesaurus, spellchecker, or Google. And he wrote by hand with a quill and inkwell.

          I once tried to write with my great great aunt's pen with a slightly bent nib and an inkwell. It was frustrating. The ink would run out mid thought. It dripped and smeared, too. I gave up after one page. But Shakespeare had no other choice so he got on with it. He was driven and dedicated.

          This leaves me--and everyone else who wants to be a writer--with no excuses not to write. I have plenty of modern pens and paper, a computer, and every reference book and web site I need, including refdesk.com, which I take for granted.

          I am constantly reminded of this by a sign I received for Christmas that now hangs in my Writer's Crate. It makes me laugh--and it keeps me writing.

         It's a picture of Shakespeare with WILL POWER written underneath.

          So if you are not writing, what is the obstacle?

          No time? You can find pockets of time. Cheryl wrote her book, Pregnant Women Don't Eat Cabbage, on a series of Saturday afternoons when her husband took charge of their children for an hour or two. A woman in Japan has written two books on her smart phone while on trains going to and from work.

          No writing space? The Writer's Desk, by Jill Krementz, shows authors writing in all sorts of places: Toni Morrison on a couch; Walker Percy and Cathleen Schine each in their own beds; Rita Dove and Saul Bellow standing at tall writing desks; Ann Petry at her dining room table; and Veronica Chambers sitting on her kitchen counter. A majority of the authors are sitting at their desks, some with their feet up, most with their feet on the floor. With few exceptions, the 55 writers photographed have very cluttered or sparse spaces so your level of neatness/organization is no excuse either.

          Face it, writing all comes down to determination and dedication. You need to sit, stand, or lie down in your writing space and write.

          Now list five writing goals for 2013--then make them happen!

          My 2013 goals:

                    write every day;

                    write 52 posts for this blog;

                    continue to edit or co-write articles for trade and/or national magazines;

                    take another writing class;

                    and finish my novel.


          Cheryl and I each have started novels, but we want to finish them. We decided to test out two writing books to help us reach that goal. Starting January 1, Cheryl and I will follow 90 Days to Your Novel: A Day-by-Day Plan Outlining & Writing Your Book by Sarah Domet. I was also intrigued by The 90-Day Novel by Alan Watt so I will be following it as well until I find which one really inspires me.

          Wish us well!

What are your 2013 writing goals?