Advice To A Young Carley Anne

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." -Proverbs 4:23

"Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to."

- Deuteronomy 15:10

I'm writing this post at my desk at work, and the height of interest here is that the light sensors at the front door are not sensing to-day. So that means I am being bathed in the lights of these lovely leaf-patterned lamps, rather than the blinding, white ceiling lights that we normally have. It's nice. With a mixture of this and the rain, everyone is just a little bit softer in tone than usual, kind of like bees who are smoked.

So as I type away in this semi-alert state of mind, I'm going to fill you in a little bit about what I've been up to, fiction-wise.

See, I'm a writer, and I write fiction.

Oh I see! Nice to meet you.

Recently, I had the honor of having a young writer's work placed into my hands (a large red, beloved binder), with the urging of poring over said work, and offering my advice.

Well.

If there was ever a moment I could have kissed the stars without either burning myself, or running out of oxygen on the way up there (where is that great glass elevator when I need it, Mr. Dahl?!), I would have. Here was a girl who was almost exactly my age when I had been blessed with the aspiration to one day become a published author. There have been times when I desperately wished I could hop into a time machine (Mr. Wells, are you listening?!), and offer my young, long-haired, wide-eyed, procrastinating little self some much-needed advice. This, in a way, was that time.

I wrote back to my young friend with a letter (you know, paper, pencil, flashlight, blanket, the whole deal), and now, I am going to reuse some of the advice that I gave through that letter, as well as offer some advice to my younger self. No illogical strings attached.

Here goes:

Read everything. I read all things (in all those seven types of plot and all that jazz), whether it's science fiction, fantasy fiction, historical, mystery, coming-of-age, etc. etc. etc. and so forth. It could be in first, second, or third POV, it really doesn't matter to me as a reader.

What I am on an endless search for are those Great Books that are written in a variety of styles. These are the Writing Weapons I hold most dear.

My pile of books on my headboard has continued to increase at a truly alarming rate. Authors that zag across history's timeline are stacked together at random in a loud, chaotic jumble.

There are also endless online resources that you can find--websites, blogs, articles--with information, opportunities and advice, all concerning writing. It's fairly easy to spot a good website from a bad one.

Or, rather, miss logophile, a superior website from a feculent one.

Feculent? Really? I'm not sure that word placement is entirely correct.

Stay focused, love!

Right! Focused! Focused is my middle name.

You need to have a very, very, very, very, very (very), strict sense of self-discipline when it comes to your writing, Younger Carley. I know you struggle with that. The struggle is real, and the struggle needs to die.

There are going to be many opportunities where you have the chance to either read some of your work, share your work, or explain to other humans why you have chosen to be an author. Don't shy away from these moments. They're an important part of your growth as a writer. Keep a list of reasons as to Why You Want To Write, and keep that list handy, and ready to whip out at any given moment:

Why You Want To Write

• You have a talent for story-telling. Don't be scared of stating this-prove it!

• There is power in the act of writing. Ideas can be formulated into words, which can be shared through a huge spectrum of different readers.

• That being said, there are stories that you want and need to tell that you wish you would have had access to in the past.

• You desire to reverse the climbing rate of illiteracy in the world by offering the world some literature worth reading.

• Not just illiteracy: kindness, open-mindedness, intelligence! Books have power!

• Books can be friends as well as tools. Write more kindness into the world.

• There will always be room for another Newbery worthy book.

• Not to mention, you personally find peace through writing. You feel empowered by it, you even strengthen your relationship with God by trusting Him to guide you through your writing journey.

And so on. The problem is not that writing isn't a worthwhile occupation, the problem is that there are buckets and buckets of (possibly lazy, possibly lackluster), people who want to write but don't know what to write. Remember: creativity is a habit, not a feeling.

Here's what Mary Lou Cook once said: "Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun."

And for Heaven's sake, Young Carley Anne, your stories are character-driven, and there's really no avoiding the fact. Take the time to learn ev-er-y-thing you can about all of your characters. There's an excellent list of questions you should know about your MC as well as your supporting roles here.

That's all for now, I suppose. Hopefully these little tidbits of advice have assisted some of you in your writing journeys, as well as my younger self, present self, and future self too, probably.

Well, I was inspired, if that helps.

It does, actually.

Read well, and write on, fellow writers!