So, when you are a writer and you occasionally (daily) spend too much time on social media, you may start looking for writing wisdom and inspiration on Twitter. Unfortunately, I must not be like other writers because oftentimes these memes completely miss the mark for me. For example:
You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.
Trust me, I’m perfectly capable of writing complete crap in the middle of the night. Am I the only one? I’m awakened by a sudden, brilliant stroke of inspiration, stumble to the computer, and feverishly type, convinced I’ve solved all my plot problems. The next morning, I’ve got nothing to show for it except a headache and bleary eyes from losing sleep.
The scariest moment is always just before you start.
Just before I start, or just as I get started on a new book isn’t the scariest time for me, at all. It’s actually the most fun and exciting moment! When ALL the possibilities are still open and I haven’t written myself (or my character) into an impossible corner. The scariest moment is when I have a deadline looming and a plot hole the size of Texas staring at me.
The road to hell is paved with adverbs.
Exactly! No, I mean it. This meme works perfectly. Absolutely. Positively.
What’s your favorite inspirational quote, or the best—or worst—meme you’ve seen on social media? Please share in comments.
Chicks on the Case 
“Write what you know.” If I did that, all I’d write about is a middle-aged white woman in the suburbs trying to figure out how to get her son to wise up and be successful in college!
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Yes, THIS! There was a recent Twitter war started when someone made the comment: “Isn’t it odd that Jane Austen wrote so much about romance and marriage, when she herself never married? And Madeleine Friggin L’Engle weighed in to say “Yes, isn’t it odd that I’ve written so much about time travel, when I myself have never time traveled?” Jeesh.
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Exactly, Face4Audio. A number of people I know write about murder… I’m assuming most of them don’t have hands-on experience!
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I love it – go Madeleine!
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…and of course I should mention that Madeleine L’Engle died in 2007, but she is still tweeting courtesy of an account managed by her granddaughter. Or she’s time-travelling; one of those.
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Liz, I’ve heard that switched to “write what you WANT TO know.” That makes more sense to me.
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I like that a lot better, Becky!
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Like Liz said … the world doesn’t need any books about a middle aged woman covered in dog hair and bad ideas!
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Yes, that’s what I’ve always used.
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Liz, LOL!!
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Liz, I know, right? What I know seems to be mostly useless trivia. Wait, maybe I should do a trivia-themed cozy!
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Yes, DO THIS! But first, go watch the entire series of “The Librarian” starring Noah Wyle. Useless trivia to the rescue, AND a baddass Bob Newhart thrown in for good measure!
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Love these, Vickie! 😄 My favorite inspirational quote comes from the Minnesota naturalist and author Sigurd Olson. “If you have the power of wonderment, you are forever young.”
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What a great quote, J.C.!
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THAT is an inspirational quote, Jim!
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If you’re a writer, write. That sentence, from a fellow writer, inspires me, for some reason. Like, don’t call yourself a writer if you’re not gonna write. It makes me write, anyway!
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I should remind myself of this advice often, Kaye! Especially on those days I go down the rabbit hole of unnecessary “research” — or social media!
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Hans Fallada had a rule for himself, “No day will you write less than yesterday.” But that seems like an impossible bar to reach. I like Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour idea of putting in the time to get proficient at something. But for practical matters? BICHOK—butt in chair, hands on keyboard is the only way to write a book.
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Excellent advice, Becky! Although I do have those days when my butt’s in the chair and my mind is a million miles away!
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If it doesn’t relate directly to the story, leave it out. Our fam is reading Herman Melville’s Moby Dick right now. All of that ancillary material has sparked some wonderful discussions! And don’t get me started on Les Miserables…
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My mom, an English teacher and librarian who lived to 97, never forgot having to read Moby Dick in college. She never recovered, really.
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MD is one of my top 5 lifetime. The fam, maybe not so much.
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Tom, reading a classic together as a family sounds lovely!
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I would hope that first one is sarcastic because I know it can’t be true.
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I know, Mark! Who can even READ what they wrote down in the middle of the night?
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For some reason this reminded me of Michael Keaton in the movie Night Shift: “Feed mayonnaise to live tuna.”
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Mark, the only time I’ve written anything coherent during the night is when I have insomnia anyway!
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All so true, Vickie! Though I have never actually gotten up to write anything down, so that way I’m not disappointed in the morning. Here’s a fave quote of mine from Jean Kerr, of Please Don’t Eat the Daisies fame. She wrote plays also–and I think this one could apply to books as well: “I think if you can write a play, or produce a play, the first step toward success [is] if people don’t want to kill themselves in the lobby. Now there must be four or five other steps, but that’s the first.”
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LOL, Lisa! It would hurt sales, for all kinds of reasons, if they did!
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I really like Joanna Penn’s idea for a successful author mindset: “Think about the Olympic time periods because often one year is not enough to measure your growth.”
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Love this one, Jen! I’m coming up on the anniversary of the publication of my first novel (Dec. 29). Five years and five books later, I think I’ve learned a few things. But, I’m not yet ready for the writer olympics, lol!
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Thank you, V!! “occasionally (daily)” = ha ha ha
I found this very helpful! > “Everybody feels as bad as you do: this is just what writing a novel feels like.” — Lev Grossman
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I so love that quote, Cyn!
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Yes, THIS, Cynthia! Glad to know other people know the “often painful, punctuated by glorious moments when it comes together” experience of writing. (Not that I’m complaining, since I don’t want to do anything else!)
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I’ll return to my favorite quote from my law professor father: “There are only two times I’m miserable—when I’m writing and when I’m not writing.”
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So much THIS, Leslie!
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#sorelatable
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Vickie, I love this! You know what I hate? All rules. Like, “Never use anything but ‘said.'” I hate Elmore Leonard’s rules. There, I said it! Do NOT tell me what to do or not do. Nobody died and got made a writing God, as far as I know!
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LOL! Me, too, Ellen. I think mystery writers are the kind of people who like to break the rules. (Or maybe it’s just us!)
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This is great, Vickie!! And SO many great quotes to love (and not love).
My favorite (for today, anyway) is by Elmore Leonard (sorry, Ellen!): “Try to leave out the parts that people skip.” I don’t know if I succeed, but it’s a writing beacon when I want to go on and on. 🙂
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You’re doing great, Kathy! I can honestly say I didn’t skip or speed read through any bits of your Maggie O’Malley mysteries!
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When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.
Raymond Chandler.
Is there anything else we need to know about writing?
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Works for me, Hestia!
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Haha. That was great.
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