…the writing life… – Page 2

The Writer, Narrative, and Evolution…

Leave a Comment / ...the writing life..., Musings / Anjuelle Floyd

Make up a story. Narrative is radical, creating us at every moment it is being created.
–Toni Morrison (Accountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise by Tavis Smiley)

These words gripped me the first time I read them. That was over a week ago. In the days since, I have repeated and shared them with others.

Each time I speak them their meaning, the truth of purpose and process of what I do as a writer, the depth of impression left by the work I do, enlarges.

As writers we are constantly remaking ourselves through the words we write, the stories we tell, the plots we weave and unbraid.

The Writer, Narrative, and Evolution… Read More »

‘My Name is Khan’, Bollywood, and Writing…

Leave a Comment / ...the writing life..., Musings / Anjuelle Floyd

This weekend I saw the movie, “My Name is Khan”. It was a lovely, entertaining and deeply moving experience for both me and my husband.

For writers unfamiliar with Bollywood movies, I high recommend beginning to watch them.

Though long, they are a wonderful artistic creation to behold. As with any art form, not all are excellent.

A significant number have moved and restored hope to my consciousness over the last decade such that I now have a collection of around 100 DVD’s of various Bollywood movies.

My children, ages 10 years to 23 years love them and even purchase their own. Through a contract made with Fox/Searchlight Pictures, Bollywood, located in Mumbhai, India, will now have its films shown on the big screen throughout America.

This is a wonderful venture that ideally will lift the craft of American movie-making from the dearth of ideas and imagination.

‘My Name is Khan’, Bollywood, and Writing… Read More »

Writing, The Enemy of Good, and ‘Goldilocks’…

Leave a Comment / ...the writing life..., Musings / Anjuelle Floyd

What draws us to write is often comprises that which presents our greatest challenge when writing a story, or novel.

The psychic and emotional wounds that compel us to write present the greatest, and yet oftentimes, most invisible obstacles we encounter throughout the process of crafting and refining our stories for public consumption.

So what are these demons that lay in way upon the trail we hew in seeking to manifest our dreams, the demons that rear their heads, beautiful and ugly that can distract and pull me from the path as ordered by my heart?

They come in many sizes and shapes.

Writing, The Enemy of Good, and ‘Goldilocks’… Read More »

Perfectionism, Fears and Good Husbands…

Leave a Comment / ...the writing life..., Musings / Anjuelle Floyd

Readying your book for publication, i.e. the printing and binding of the words you have penned is an illuminating process.

First of all, if you’re like me, a perfectionist, nothing you read of the novel or story seems right.

All the sentences you spent hours upon hours crafting, shaping, editing, refining and then re-writing sound horrible. I read my stories and novels aloud during the last stages of editing.

Perhaps the words sound awkward because I don’t want to believe that I’ve reached this point. And under my own steam.

Perfectionism, Fears and Good Husbands… Read More »

Last Edits, My Personal Best, and Being Present…

Leave a Comment / ...the writing life..., Musings / Anjuelle Floyd

The past two weeks have been a blur.

I’m in the last stages of editing my novel, The House, that is due out later this year, and times have been quite interesting.

It’s funny what happens when you reach a point of having to let go of a book and “put it out there” so to speak.

For me it’s a scary time.

And particularly so, since I’m self-publishing. My first work, Keeper of Secrets…Translations of an Incident” a collection of short stories, was brought to print by a traditional publishing house.

Last Edits, My Personal Best, and Being Present… Read More »

Distractions, Passion and Showing Up…

Leave a Comment / ...the writing life..., Musings / Anjuelle Floyd

Why is it so difficult to write sometimes?

Distraction.

It is the secret enemy of writers and authors that slithers in, most often unnoticed, when we have many things going on.

Ahhh, the art of multi-tasking.

Distraction presents an especially difficult challenge when good and positive things are happening for and to us.

Writers, like most artists, come to our work because we were not seen and acknowledged by our parents.

Well-meaning, and by no means Mommie Dearest, our parents held our well-being as their utmost concern when guiding, and coercing, if not blatantly steering us from pursuing the work we sought to accomplish as artists in our efforts towards financial fulfillment.

They cared for us. Yet, their ideas were oftentimes the least supportive. And so we found ways of distracting ourselves from their desires and will to have us be more normal by choosing careers offering what they felt certain would provide a more stable and secure lifestyle.

Distractions, Passion and Showing Up… Read More »

Publishing Contracts, Motherhood, Dreams, Hopes and Wishes…

Leave a Comment / ...the writing life..., Musings / Anjuelle Floyd

I’ve been busy these last few weeks refining and making last changes to the document files for interior and book cover of my novel, “The House”. It’s been an interesting experience bringing this piece of work, “The House” to fruition.

My first book, a collection of short stories, “Keeper of Secrets…Translations of an Incident”, was traditionally published. The decision to self-publish my novel came quite easily.

October 2008 was not a good time for economics in America. The publishing industry that has long been languishing, and like other areas is presently struggling with balancing their books.

Writers lucky enough to get a contract with a publishing contract despite the industry’s recent financial struggles that have folded into present challenges walk a tight rope and need to be able to donate their time to following through on the contract to which they have agreed.

I don’t believe in seeking the opportunity to take on or agreeing to follow through on a task to which I cannot give over my best.

A wife of 28 years, and a mother and psychotherapist with three children at strategic points in their lives I feel a strong commitment to seeing my children in place before venturing wholeheartedly into manifesting my dreams through involvements and contracts that require enormous amounts of time.

Publishing Contracts, Motherhood, Dreams, Hopes and Wishes… Read More »