Get Inspired with Judy Blume
Judy Blume is one of the most loved authors for some time now. Her novels sure have provoked controversy, but her works were sold in over 82 million copies worldwide and translated into 32 languages.
Maybe you thought that she had some crazy luck and found a publisher as soon as she submitted like in some fairytale? Nope, Judy was rejected for two whole years, receiving up to six rejection letters a week before the publishers Reilly and Lee accepted her first book, The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo. There is even a story that someone in the publishing industry called her and said, “You’re a nice girl, Judy, but get out your hankie and get ready to have a good cry because you just can’t write.”
However, “Determination is every bit as important as talent”, she claims, and, thankfully, that didn’t stop her. Blume said that you have to learn from the criticism and learn to spot your mistakes so you can polish your writing. And, of course, you must carry on however painful the rejections are.
And now, let’s get inspired with some quotes from this master:
When you ask, did writing change my life? It totally changed my life. It gave me my life.
I was sick all the time, one exotic illness after another, which lasted throughout my twenties. My worst decade. But from the day the first book was accepted, I never got sick again. Writing changed my life.
The best books come from someplace deep inside… Become emotionally involved. If you don’t care about your characters, your readers won’t either.
The best books come from someplace inside. You don’t write because you want to, but because you have to.
I’m a rewriter. That’s the part I like best . . . once I have a pile of paper to work with, it’s like having the pieces of a puzzle. I just have to put the pieces together to make a picture.
What I remember when I started to write was how I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning to get to my characters.
I’ve heard that some authors do dream their books and I would love that if it happened to me, but so far it hasn’t. Sometimes I’ll get a good idea during the night and if I don’t write it down, I won’t remember it the next morning.
I don’t believe in writer’s block. There are good days when you’re writing and less good days. I’ve learned that if it’s not happening to walk away and return later. I doodle a lot and often get my best ideas with a pencil in my hand while I’m doodling. The problem is, sometimes I lose my doodles and that’s bad!
When writing a book, you can’t think about your audience. You’re going to be in big trouble if you think about it. You’ve got to write from deep inside.
The only thing that works with writing is that you care so passionately about it yourself, that you make someone else care passionately about it.
I hope that Judy’s words inspired and encouraged you. Do you agree with her thoughts? Care to share some of your hacks for overcoming writer’s block, rejection blues, or the fear that your writing is worthless and that you have nothing new to say?