There’s nothing like an airport to give you space to reflect on life and time and your place in it. One of my favorite moments is just before boarding a plane. I’m writing this post from gate 137 at Tocumen airport in Panama, surrounded by fellow travelers. Waiting at the gate is the perfect metaphor for the journey of life.
Pieces of the human story playing out before you.
Greetings and goodbyes.
Tongues from around the world.
Characters from every walk of life.
New adventures on the horizon.
The airport is limbo.
Once you enter, you’ve already left your country of origin.
But you’re not yet at your destination.
You belong to nowhere and no one.
It’s the space between an inhalation and an exhalation.
A physical and mental waiting room between past and future.
A breath between the experiences you’ve overcome and the unknown that lay before you.
Today, Writer, wherever you are, I urge you to take a pause, a breath.
Create your own bubble of solitude.
Dig out all of your writing.
Look back at your old work.
Then sit with the writer you are now.
Appreciate how far you’ve come.
Be proud.
Then let go of the past and step forward into the unknown
with curiosity and anticipation.
We are all standing on the shoulders of giants. The writers who came before us trailblazed their way to the heart of humanity and have become part of our culture.
Stealing from our favorite writers is unavoidable. We emulate them without even knowing it. If we do it strategically, we can become better writers, faster.
We don’t have to reinvent the wheel when we write. The same way new technology companies don’t develop from scratch. They use existing technology as a framework and improve upon it.
There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. —Mark Twain
Now get to reading (and stealing)!
–Christa
Who are you favorite writers? What do you “steal” from them?
Do you listen to podcasts? How about podcasts about writing?
I love listening to podcasts to learn more about writing and publishing during my downtime. I put them on while I do laundry or wash the dishes. They’re especially useful when I’m in a slump to get me out of my head and motivated again.
Here are 5 podcasts for writers that I recommend. They cover the craft of writing, book marketing, interviews with authors, and more.
Writing Excuses – Their tagline is, “Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart.” This show covers a variety of topics in segments just long enough to give you something new to think about the next time you approach your writing. They also include a little exercise with each episode.
The Creative Penn – This show is hosted by bestselling fiction author and non-fiction writer for authors, Joanna Penn. It is packed with information about creativity, technology, marketing, and tons of amazing resources. She also features guest interviews. This podcast is a must-listen!
Grammar Girl – Bite-sized episodes on all the boggling quirks of the English language. If you have a low-tolerance for grammar, this is a great way to improve your writing without forcing yourself into long, complicated lessons.
The Story Grid Podcast – This is all about story structure. “Listen along as Shawn Coyne teaches the Story Grid methodology. With over 120 episodes and a constant top 100 Literature podcast on iTunes, the Story Grid Podcast has become a favorite among writers who want to become better story tellers.”
Mark Dawson’s Self-Publishing Formula – The master of book marketing shares his formula to develop a huge readership that will buy every book you publish. He also unravels the mysteries of advertising books on Amazon and Facebook.
The more you learn about writing and publishing, the better prepared and more confident you’ll be when pursuing your goal of becoming a successful fiction author. Podcasts are the best way to absorb information on the go.
