Inspiration from Ray Bradbury

Posted on November 30, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of Fox Nation.

You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance. ~ Ray Bradbury

Oh, the wisdom in the late, renowned writer Ray Bradbury’s words. As writers, we can easily get tripped up by rejection and caught up by acceptance. Rejection can limit our progress (if we let it). Acceptance can inflate our ego (unnecessarily). We should take them in stride, never allowing either to motivate or denigrate us.

In the creative world, or in life period, we cannot get around rejection. Many of us fear it. Some crippled by it even. For something with such a subjective (temporary) existence, why do we give it so much power? And for acceptance, why do we let it go to our heads?

We write because we’re moved to write. We write because there’s something that lives within us, something innate, that we must share. We write because there are stories that only we can tell. We write because our lives depend on it. Therefore, nothing—rejection, acceptance, or something otherwise—should prevent us from doing what we love to do.

Finding My Way Back

Posted on November 16, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

I’ll never forget a particular meeting a group of peers and I had with the head of student affairs at my alma mater… During this meeting, she told us that roughly 80%-85% of people are unhappy with their careers. Many of us were in shock after hearing this. I thought to myself, “Wow. The remaining 15%-20% have it made. I want to end up in that group, not the 80%-85% group.” Years later, I found myself slowly drifting closer and closer towards the 80%-85% group. Once I found myself fully submerged—I needed more than a white flag to save me.

Practicality lured me down this path. Armed with good intentions, I thought I could make it work. Honestly, I did. But how can you when you’re committing yourself to something that fails to hold your heart captive, no matter how hard or what you try? I listened to the “wisdom” about going into a career (technology) that would provide a good living. I was told that my dreams and what I wanted (a career in the arts/being a renaissance man) was lofty, unrealistic, and that I wouldn’t/couldn’t make a living doing it. So (unwillingly) I bought into to it. It was a good lie for a few years. But each time I got still, reality brought truth back home.

As I moved further away from my dreams, the more they haunted me. I called this the true gift and curse about dreams, talents, and natural abilities. The more you deny them, the stronger they become. If you allow your dreams to die, a portion of you will die along with them. As I found myself heading for crisis, my dreams were still very much alive. I, however, was going deeper and deeper into denial. I found myself saying, “There has to be another way. There has to be. Otherwise I want out.”

Ever been in a situation that felt like a dream that you weren’t supposed to be in? You know, when everything (including the people) seems so unreal and untouchable and you don’t quite fit? That’s how I felt. It was the dream, a fantasy, that I should’ve awakened from sooner. A fantasy that would eventually turn into a nightmare. When the fantasy ended, so did my livelihood.

I was forced to get really real. I had to find my way back to myself and all that I denied along the way. Silly of me to believe the hype and allow external factors to influence decisions about my well-being and career. Foolish of me to doubt myself and my talents and let my self-esteem and confidence suffer as a consequence. How silly… So silly.

After years of neglecting yourself, you have to get back to you and heed your calling. And that’s what I’ve been doing. While I know I’ve got a long way to go, it’s not as long now that I’ve fully embraced me and all that I have to offer.

More to come!

Don’t Let Perfection Ruin Your Quest for Greatness

Posted on November 14, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of the Glamour site.

“Perfection is often the enemy of greatness.” ~ Janelle Monae

Janelle Monae, the beautiful, extraordinary singer, songwriter, and entertainer, uttered the words above while accepting the Young, Gifted, and Black Award at this year’s Black Girls Rock! awards show. Monae’s powerful words are the just the source of inspiration many of us need as we move through this life.

On our quest to achieve our dreams, or simply on the quest to bettering ourselves, we often think we have to be perfect in everything we do. We virtually kill ourselves striving for perfection (or succumbing to perfection’s tainted appeal), when we don’t need to. When we realize we are fine just the way we are, greatness is a given. Greatness will ooze from our pores, because we’re honoring our authentic selves and simply letting it flow (just the way it was intended).

We don’t have to be something we’re not or play into an unrealistic fantasy of ourselves to move forward. Just be yourself. “Embrace what makes you unique,” Monae said, “even if it makes others uncomfortable.” Thank you Janelle Monae, for this, and thank you for sharing your light with the world!

The Charm and Brilliance of Zadie Smith

Posted on October 28, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of the Black Enterprise site.

A little over a week ago, my partner and I attended a reading by the charming, brilliant writer Zadie Smith. This reading, sponsored by Politics and Prose and Sixth & I, was in support of her latest novel NW. Smith read two passages from NW and followed by answering questions by members of the audience. The passages from NW showcased Smith’s knack for witty, insightful dialogue between characters living in a contemporary world still very much at odds with race, class, and other social issues of the day. Works of fiction (and non-fiction) that provide a deeper look into our lives and provide social commentary on the very issues affecting us have always intrigued me. Not having read the work yet, Smith’s reading of these NW passages only further heightened my interest.

What was also interesting was learning more about Smith’s process as a writer during Q&A with the audience. When asked about character development and if she’s unable to release herself from her characters after completing her works, she said she’d never had that experience. Her focus when writing is “making sentences…and [making] them as well as [she] can.” Her characters develop as her writing develops. Sometimes she hears the voices of her characters before she writes them. Her method allows her to focus more on the craft (on good writing). There’s a sort of practicality to this, as I’m sure it allows Smith to let the her writing flow freely. While characters typically serve as projections of self, Smith takes slivers of herself and others (here and there) and expounds upon them to develop her characters.

Smith says her writing (and editing) is about control. She starts on the first page and doesn’t stop until she gets to the last page. She brought up the fact that natural flow can really help you indulge yourself, but you have to learn how to control it. Her writing, she says, “came out of her reading…a side effect like when you squeeze an orange for juice.” Because she read all the time, her writing was influenced by what she read. As writers, the rule thumb that we often follow (instinctively) is that we write what we want to read. As a recommendation, Smith says it’s pertinent that writers read as much as they can.

When asked about pop culture references in her work , she says they have to be appropriate, telling, and central to the characters. She says, “It’s part of the fabric of these character’s minds, who they are and what they do.” Not a fan of throwaway references, she hilariously quipped that she would not be including Honey Boo Boo in any of her novels.

After attending this reading, I developed a deeper respect and appreciation for Zadie Smith. Instead of following formulas (like some of her peers), it’s clear that she challenges herself with each work. She takes risks. She writes stories that require us to really think about our world and how we coexist within it. Smith’s style and voice, I believe, will continue to push boundaries in the literary world—further solidifying her as one of the best writers of her generation.

Inspiration from Neil Gaiman

Posted on October 15, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of the Loony Archivist Neverwhere site.

The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it’s definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter. ~ Neil Gaiman, “8 Rules of Writing,” Brain Pickings

Only you can write the stories that lie within you. With trust, confidence, and belief in yourself (and your talent), you can pull back the veil and unleash them unabashedly, freely, and authentically. You have free reign to tell your stories as best as you see fit. But you have to tell them. Don’t shortchange them. Don’t hold back. Don’t let them linger too long. Let their life bleed onto the page with zest, vigor, and urgency. Just write. Let it out. You’ll be glad you did.

The featured quote (above) is one of Gaiman’s 8 rules for writing featured by Maria Popova on the Brain Pickings site. Be sure to check out the full list. It’s yet another excellent resource for writers.

Inspiration from Zadie Smith

Posted on October 13, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of the New York University site.

Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you. ~ Zadie Smith, “10 Rules of Writing,” Brain Pickings

Zadie Smith, one of my favorite authors, has provided a gem of wisdom regarding the time and space in which we write. The time and space in which you write is a precious commodity. This is where you delve deeply into yourself and allow the creativity to flow onto the page or the computer screen. You want to respect yourself and your craft enough to provide the solitude that’s necessary to do your best work. It’s essential that you find a time and carve out a space that’s free of distractions and that contains all the tools and resources you need to be productive. I believe this is an essential aid to being disciplined, honest, and fair to yourself and your craft. Remember that this is for you and the benefit of your writing (and your writing career, if you so chose to have one). Keep it to yourself. This is one time when you shouldn’t feel guilty about being selfish.

The featured quote (above) is one of Smith’s 10 rules of writing featured by the insightful Maria Popova on the Brain Pickings site. Take a moment to read the full list. I’m sure you’ll find the rules to be both eloquent and useful.

101 Days Project: Politics, Social Issues, Inspiration from Writers, & Other Passions

Posted on October 5, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

You know those times when you’re on a website and you see a category that appears to be a dumping ground for all the content that couldn’t fit into any of the other more descriptive categories? It’s like the miscellaneous category (though they usually don’t call it that). Well this last commemorative post for the 101 Days Project may appear to be that way. Although, I’d like to call it the “Potpourri” category. It also sounds better (and serves as an ode to Jeopardy). “Potpourri” highlights a variety of posts on politics, social issues, writing advice, and some of my other passions (like cooking and tea). Since I did not write as many posts within each highlighted area (as I did for poetry, music tributes and reviews, anecdotes, and inspirational writing), I thought it made the most sense to combine these into a hybrid category of sorts. I probably delve into social and political issues more so when I’m not writing on my blog. But I’ll hopefully be able to share more of this writing in the future.

Please check out the following:

Politics & Social Issues:

Inspiration From Writers:

Other Passions:

101 Days Project: Anecdotes & Inspirational Writing

Posted on September 24, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

When working on the 101 Days Project, there were several periods where I was not churning out poetry and prose the way I normally would. If remembering correctly, there were times when I wasn’t writing creatively at all. But that soon changed one day while on my way home from work on the train. The muse returned and the words started coming to me in the form of anecdotes. These writings, many of them brief, were about everything from communication and relationships to self-esteem/self-love and spirituality. Check out some of my favorites:

Day 96: Michelle Obama at the DNC 2012

Posted on September 5, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of The Washington Times Communities site.

Michelle Obama is the epitome of what a First Lady should be. She exudes class, grace, eloquence, and wisdom. She hasn’t forgotten where she came from and she will not allow us to forget where we’ve come from either. We cannot sit back and allow ourselves to falter. We have to bring each other up. It’s about OPPORTUNITY. When you have it, make sure you’re leaving the door open for others to follow. Set the example. Lead with character, honesty, and integrity.

Day 95: Inspiration from Chinua Achebe

Posted on September 4, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of the Chinua Achebe FB page.

I believe myself that a good writer doesn’t really need to be told anything except to keep at it. Just think of the work you’ve set yourself to do, and do it as well as you can. Once you have really done all you can, then you can show it to people. But I find this is increasingly not the case with the younger people. They do a first draft and want somebody to finish it off for them with good advice. So I just maneuver myself out of this. I say, Keep at it. I grew up recognizing that there was nobody to give me any advice and that you do your best and if it’s not good enough, someday you will come to terms with that. ~ Chinua Achebe, 99U & The Paris Review

When it comes to writing, if you want to get better at it—write. Just write. And keep writing! Believe in yourself and what you’re writing and do the very best that you can when writing. There simply is no other way. You must continue to work at your craft. Write, rewrite, edit, revise, finalize, and repeat as many times as it’s necessary. Don’t be scared to do the work. It will pay off.

You have everything you need within you already. You must trust what lies within. It will very rarely steer you wrong. And write about what you feel. Write about what moves you. Write about what you’re most passionate about it. Let that be your guide. Write from your heart first. Be critical about it later. Use the feedback you get from others to help fine-tune and guide your work. But please, don’t take it personally. If you can do this, everything should fall in place.

Don’t be scared to take risks either. You never know how it may help you grow not only as a writer, but also as a person. If it proves to be a bust, so be it. It’s still a learning lesson that will help guide you as a writer and as creative being as you move forward.

Buddah Desmond

Author of Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics

Category Archives: Inspiration