Top Ten Reasons Not to Write: Doris Richardson

Recently in my writers group, The Write Circle, we got to chatting about all the excuses we make to not write. So, in George's infinite wisdom, he made that the assignment for the following week. When we returned the next week, for the first time, everyone had done the assignment! Granted, I did mine as I was sitting there because I didn't have time during the week. I mean, I have a baby and a house to clean and Christmas shopping to do...oh, wait, those sound like excuses.

Anyway, I told the group if they sent me their top ten, I'd post them once a week on my blog. Doris was the first to respond. Doris always shows us all up. She writes more than anyone I know and that's between the millions of other things she does that would easily give her an excuse to set the writing aside. So Doris has become our inspiration. If Doris can write despite all the other things she does, surely we can get a few words down on paper.

So I leave you with Doris's thoughts on her top ten reason not to write.

Ten Reasons Why I Can’t Write

By Doris Richardson

1. I don’t have time.

      I’m working almost every day and housework and spiritual responsibilities plus a lot of other things.  My plate is full enough. After all, I am supposed to be retired.

2. I don’t have the ability.

      I write because I enjoy it and feel compelled to do it, not because I’m a great writer.

3. I haven’t done anything worthy of writing about.

      What I’ve done has been for the Lord, not for people to pat me on the back.

4. I’m lazy.

      I require five or six hours of sleep a night.  Can’t navigate as well on less.

( Ed. Note: Five or six? That's a nap for me!)

5. I don’t always feel like it.

      I discipline myself to do what I should, not what I feel like.

6. I don’t know what to write.

      That is occasionally true of an assignment, especially if it is abstract in nature and requires more imagination that I possess.

7. Nobody will read it anyway.

    Yes, there is great satisfaction in writing but why write if no one is going to take the time or have the interest to read it?

8. There are too many interferences.

      I start writing and the phone rings or my husband starts talking to me or I have to do this or that.  So my best concentration is after midnight when I’m suppose to be sleeping.      

9. I have arthritis in my hand.

      Yeah, but it is under control and my hand works just fine.

10. People will take what I say and misconstrue it to mean something contrary to what I intend.

            There are ten reasons why I can’t write.  But why am I looking at all these negatives?  “I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13), so away with all the reasons.  I can and will write.

Thanks, Doris, for being an inspiration to all of us. 

If any of you writer-type would like to set a spot on the Top Ten. Please contact me. 

Defy The Stars--Stephanie Parent--review

Defy the Stars Blurb:

Julia Cape: A dedicated classical piano student just trying to get through her last semester of high school while waiting to hear from music conservatories. 

Reed MacAllister: A slacker more likely to be found by the stoners’ tree than in class.

Julia and Reed might have graduated high school without ever speaking to each other…until, during a class discussion of Romeo and Juliet, Julia scoffs at the play’s theme of love at first sight, and Reed responds by arguing that feelings don’t always have to make sense. Julia tries to shake off Reed’s comment and forget about this boy who hangs with the stoner crowd—and who happens to have breathtaking blue eyes—but fate seems to bring the two together again and again. After they share an impulsive, passionate kiss, neither one can deny the chemistry between them. Yet as Julia gets closer to Reed, she also finds herself drawn into his dark world of drugs and violence. Then a horrific tragedy forces Julia’s and Reed’s families even farther apart…and Julia must decide whether she’s willing to give up everything for love.

DEFY THE STARS is written in an edgy free-verse style that will appeal to fans of Ellen Hopkins and Lisa Schroeder; however, the writing is accessible enough to speak to non-verse fans as well. The novel’s combination of steamy romance and raw emotion will appeal to fans of Gayle Forman, Simone Elkeles, Jennifer Echols, and Tammara Webber. With a story, language and form that both pay homage to and subvert Shakespeare’s play, DEFY THE STARS is much more than just another Romeo and Juliet story.

This novel contains mature language and themes, including drug use.

My Review: 

Over the few days it took me to read Defy the Stars, the book became like a drug to me. Each moment away had me itching for more of the high. Granted I had to take breaks to do things like, *Gasp* feed my children or *sigh* shower. But if I could have avoided those things, I would have in order to get the next fix of this book.

Defy the Stars is a beautifully written, poetic interpretation of the classic Romeo and Juliet story. The flow of the writing is flawless and draws the reader into the story. These real, raw characters are beautifully flawed, creating people we as readers can relate to. Despite depiction of drug use in this book, we love and understand these characters. We want these characters to grow, to learn, and every time they fail, we urge them to get back up and fight again.

One of the things I was the most impressed with was the connections to Shakespeare’s masterpiece. Now, someone could have come along and twisted the original story and come up with a less than impressive knock off, but Ms. Parent weaves the story into her own, creating something beautifully impressive. It is by no means a knock off. She makes the story her own and in reading Defy the Stars, we forget that we’re reading an interpretation of the Bard’s story. Yet, when I finished and began a few notes for this post, I began to realize just how closely she was able to tie in bits and pieces of the original play. From the apotheCARY, to the beloved cousin/uncle, to the banishment of Romeo, all pieces that are skillfully played by Ms. Parent. Upon finishing this book, I want to now go back to my English studies from college and reread Romeo and Juliet. I think if I do, I’d see even more connections that Parent slipped in under the radar.

This is one of the most amazing books I’ve read in a long time. Parent has found a new fan in me.

5/5 stars.

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15770390-defy-the-stars

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Defy-the-Stars-ebook/dp/B008RA3RIW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351808917&sr=8-1&keywords=defy+the+stars

 Be sure to go back and check out the rest of the tour.

http://yabound.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-tour-schedule-defy-stars-by.html

 Author Info:

Stephanie Parent is a YA author repped by Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. She is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major.

Giveaway Info:

1^st prize: $30 gift card from Amazon and a e-book copy of Defy the Stars.

2^nd place: 4 e-book copies of Defy the Stars.

Additional Prize: A query letter critique by Stephanie Parent.

All giveaways are open internationally!

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Sarah Ross--AVENGE

Avenge is now Available!!!

Sarah M. Ross, author of Awaken and Echo of an Earth Angel, has released the highly anticipated sequel, Avenge. This must-read book is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

About the Book:

Six months ago, Lucy Donovan thought that being killed by a drunk driver was the worst thing that could happen to her.

She was wrong.

Now, the person she loves most has been ripped away from her, soul held hostage, and Lucy has vowed to stop at nothing to get it back.

Part of a new team with enhanced powers, Lucy and her friends begin a quest to avenge the souls that have been stolen. Enemies of the Patronus have united, however, and a spy from within the Patronus realm is feeding the enemy their every move.

When a mission goes horribly wrong, Lucy’s soul becomes compromised. It will take a strength she didn’t know was within her to escape the darkness, return to the light and avenge the soul she loves.

Price:

$3.99 for ebook

$12.99 for Paperbacks. (Autographed copies available at www.sarahmross.com)

To celebrate this release, Sarah has placed Awaken on sale for only $.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble!!

About the Author:

I started my obsession with reading at an early age, getting in trouble for sneaking BabySitter Club and Nancy Drew books into math class in elementary school. I would read any fiction book I could get my hands on. I knew it was an addiction when instead of grounding me from TV or music, my mom would take away my books as punishment (The Horror!). My love of all things paranormal was inspired by my good friend Laurie, who convinced me that books with vampires, witches, and all things shifter were amazing. After a little reluctance, I gave it a shot with the Sookie Stackhouse books, realized she was right, and the rest was history. 
I grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from The University of Pittsburgh with my degree in English, and taught 8th graders to love reading as much as I do for several years. I will always be a proud member of the Steelers Nation, but I couldn't take the cold and moved my frozen tush to Florida where I now live with my family and two cats. You will find me now with my trusty Kindle in hand and toes in the sand!

When I'm not writing or reading, I am probably partaking in my favorite vice: sunbathing. I know it's wrong, but I love the feeling on the hot sun on my skin and could lay in it for hours. I do live in Florida for a reason!

Please feel free to contact me!

Website- http://www.sarahmross.com
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/SarahtheAuthor
Twitter- http://twitter.com/#!/SarahtheAuthor