I have been on a slump these past few weeks and felt discouraged (as a writer and even carrying on with my other dreams) after my last two posts on my blog did not generate the effect that I was aspiring: I wrote a very short memoir for my mother and a micro-fiction on kids who pray the rosary. My mind was also losing focus on my other pursuits (including my day job) as I preoccupied it with the success of others in social media.
After a glitch (I could not find a link to purchase in Kindle the book some weeks back) of sorts was sorted, I finally got to read this new book from Bryan Hutchinson. It was heaven sent.
What I like with Bryan’s books is its simplicity: the reading process itself is like having the author speaking in front of you—advising and comforting you for your shortcomings. Sampling one paragraph on the book, you'll find it has a gunning-fog-index of 6.886: that’s remarkably easy reading and less time for you searching difficult words online.
“It’s the eye of the tiger! Just because you sit at a keyboard without an opponent in front of you doesn’t mean you are not competing. You are always competing for the attention of readers to win it, you’ve got to give them your best. You’ve got to say what you mean and mean what you say—with authority. Don’t hold back. This is the age when audacity matters.”
I like the way Bryan inserts motivation with cinematic sports themes. Well, it is inspiring. Try plugging in Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger on Spotify and you’ll feel the effect.
“Write to create permanent memories of your stories and don’t just let those words live in your head as unfulfilled dreams.”
One reason I started to blog was that I was anxious that one day, God forbid, life ends,
and it will bury my grand ideas on the ground. I have always been distant (forced: day job requirement) from my family and another aim of my blog—other than satiating the writer dream—is for them to understand what is in my head and how I have been living my life away from them.
“That means closing Facebook and Twitter and picking up a book to read or taking the dog for a walk to give yourself time to reflect.”
This important piece of advice is also applicable not only to writing but also to our other pursuits. Bryan explains the value of focus, which includes fixing that Facebook addiction and focusing on things that are most important.
Bryan’s book is for people like me: people on the verge of quitting. I remember the first time I came across his other book and felt inspired by it: I was seeking a resource to help me improve in writing—in terms of audacity, well; it kicked-start my writing endeavour.
This is a good book that encourages results: after reading it, I wrote this review (which ends the slump; I guess) and somehow got that positive attitude burning again. I love that the book conveys advise not just about writing, but also about fixing your mind-set and developing a habit of being positive despite the struggles to complete your goals—reading while procrastinating. That I completed reading the book is a miracle—well, I guess that’s The Way.
No comments:
Post a Comment