Comments on: Saturday Guest Blogger: Jane Porter

By: Jane Porter

Jane Porter — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:33:52 +0000

Hi everyone, I just wanted to return and say how much I appreciate you having me here on Plot Monkeys and thank you for the participation. I so enjoyed myself and am hoping to send that book to someone. Has a name been drawn? My computer crashed Sunday and I’m trying to track down missing emails and posts. If there is a winner for the Flirting with Forty book, I want to put it in the mail to you!!

Jane

By: Patricia Cochran

Patricia Cochran — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 01:07:25 +0000

Thanks for being today’s guest blogger and providing us, the readers, with such a great insight into the
life of a writer.

Pat Cochran

By: Kelli Estes

Kelli Estes — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:59:36 +0000

Jane, this was a wonderful workshop! As always, you’ve shared a ton of valuable advice and information with us. One thing you said that really struck me was to “Trust Yourself”. When I started trusting myself in my writing, I saw a dramatic improvement. Before, when I worried about using proper grammar or worried about what others would think of my writing, the stories were boring and predictable. When I started trusting myself and my process, my writing finally became interesting (at least in my eyeshttp://www.plotmonkeys.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/wink15.gif
http://www.plotmonkeys.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/wink15.gif). It’s hard to stay focused on that trust because the voices of criticism work their way in, but it’s so worth it.

Thank you, Jane!

By: nancy

nancy — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:51:33 +0000

Hi Jane, Hi everyone. Super great post. You listed all my Serenity stealers plus Two kids and a husband. Today is my youngest sons 2nd birthday I am running on 2 hours of sleep and my last nerve. :wallbash:

By: Estella

Estella — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:24:47 +0000

Great post, Jane.
I love your books!

By: Luanna

Luanna — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:08:38 +0000

Jane, thank you so much for this mini workshop. Much food for thought and you hit many many nails on the head for me. I believe I am the reigning Queen of Procrastinators, would rather scrub the kitchen floor ( on my knees with a scrub brush, seriously) than sit at the computer. It’s a battle I fight daily, and your inspirational post has certainly helped.

Luanna
P.S. our high school mascot is a dragon LOL

By: Darlene

Darlene — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:20:08 +0000

Jane, your post was just the kick in the “Yeah but” that I needed. Thanks!

By: Jane Porter

Jane Porter — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:17:29 +0000

I said it above, but a great book–an absolutely soul-nourishing book for the writer–is Ray Bradbury’s Zen And The Art of Writing. He is a huge advocate for writing from your heart and your deepest imagination and maybe because I’m not an analytical writer but a more intuitive writer this has really helped me. He believes we all have very personal themes that hold our imagination and these really empower our writing. He once made a list of all the things that fascinated him–moonlight, creaky stairs, carousel music, midnight, train whistles, etc–and he’s written novels and stories with all of these things. His suggestion is for writers to use whatever imagery or emotions we have rather than fight what we are, or what we feel, to write something we think we should write. Anyway, a great book and my all-time favorite writing resource. It’s definitely more inspirational than technical but sometimes what we need most is fuel to keep writing and dreaming.

By: Kimberly Raye

Kimberly Raye — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:14:58 +0000

Hi Jane! Thanks SO much for showing up today and giving this wonderful and insightful article. I loved it! After writing so many books (and wrestling with my own dragon), there are so few things I read that actually resonate in my soul and inspire me anymore, and this did. I definitely wouldn’t trade my dragon for my neighbor’s, but I’m so guilty of thinking that way sometimes. No more. Thanks for helping me to see things in such a different light!

By: Carly

Carly — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:47:45 +0000

I just posted this at the end of Jane’s post but I’m adding it again here:

Jane has been gracious enough to offer a signed copy of FLIRTING WITH FORTY to one of our posters/commenters today! Check back Sunday for the winner!