julyforyears

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A view of Monet’s house and own inspirational garden: Giverny, France.

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“Visible Light” series by Alexander Harding

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Peter Turnley, French Kiss – A Love Letter to Paris

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Jason Lee

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do you ever think about this quote by mary lambert because i think about it all the time

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A beloved grandmother's home where every room is like a museum

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Edinburgh, Scotland.

pics by pandeyrr, lynne.sword.

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“In my friend, I find a second self.”

c.s. lewis / my best friend by the coral / alivia horsley / @billypotts / hanya yanagihara / ‘after party ll’ salman toor / the kids aren’t alright by fall out boy / a summer’s tale / lorde / hanya yanagihara / abed and troy (community) with a winnie the pooh quote @weelezzer / isabel norton

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ミースケ : MIESUKE ( miːsukɛ ) by eriko_jpn

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Maximalism! Cover your walls with art, clutter your shelves with trinkets and ceramics, fill your corners with potted plants!

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Jean-François Jalabert, Galatée (detail)

19th century

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I am PANICKING!!! I think I’ve lost interest in my book but I feel obliged to continue it because I’ve already written 6 chapters and worked a year on it... wHAT DO I DO???

Lost Interest in WIP and Panicking

#1 - Don't Panic... I know that's easier said than done, but truly, this is normal. Take a few deep breaths and keep reading.

#2 - Repeat: This is Normal... Part of being a writer is getting used to the ebb and flow of, well, everything. Inspiration, motivation, confidence, interest, how you feel about your WIP, how you feel about your writing--it all fluctuates. One day you may love your WIP, the next day you may hate it. Three days later you may love it again. One week you may have a million ideas buzzing around in your head, the next week you might struggle to come up with a single idea. Just know you'll always hit a better spot again.

#3 - Troubleshooting Helps... Sometimes you just need to wait for the feeling to pass or for your interest/motivation to return. Other times you need to dive in and figure out what the problem is. Are you distracted by other ideas? Did something shake your confidence in this story? Are you stuck because you don't know where the story is going? My posts Have Plot, Can’t Write and Feeling Unmotivated with WIP address some of the more common ones.

#4 - Try Re-Kindling Your Motivation... Sometimes you just need to be reminded why you were excited to write this story in the first place. Other times you just need to see your story or character from a new angle to rekindle your interest. Writing exercises are great for this. Have a look at the following posts for help:

Getting Excited About Your Story Again Guide: How to Rekindle Your Motivation to Write Getting Unstuck: Motivation Beyond Mood Boards & Playlists

#5 - Take a Break and Fill Your Creative Well... If all else fails, it could be that you just need to take a break from this story or writing all together. It happens sometimes, especially when you have other things going on in your life that are zapping your energy, mood, or interest. One thing you can do during this time are activities to "fill your creative well." Story ideas come from all around us, so making sure to engage with places that are rich in ideas can sometimes get our interest in writing back on track. Read my post Guide: Filling Your Creative Well for help.

If you try everything here and nothing works, it's okay to set the story aside for a while or permanently and start on something else. What's important is this: there is no such thing as wasted time or effort when it comes to writing. Even if you decide to abandon that story, all of the time and effort you put into it made you a better writer. If the only thin that story did was help sharpen your writing skills, it was worth every second you spent on it. ♥

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dogs on the window.

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I don’t know who needs to hear this.

But if you are an artist or writer.  You do not always need to be putting out the best content possible.  Every piece doesn’t have to be portfolio worthy.  Every blurb you write doesn’t have to be high art.

There’s this weird expectation that everything you do has to be the highest quality possible. That everything from your fanfiction and drabble to your fan arts and personal work has to be the BEST or you are not trying hard enough.

Every single thing you produce and put out in the world doesn’t have to be a magnum opus.  A Magnum Opus is supposed to be the pinnacle of an artists work.  Their greatest achievement of their lifetime.  Not something you put out every Tuesday.

Its simply not tenable.  Go easy on yourselves. Doodle that dumb thing.  Draw that thing you wanted to BADLY. Write that stand alone scene for no reason other then you want to. It doesn’t matter. You are doing it for fun go wild guys.

Like if you are trying to make a portfolio piece or something that’s another thing. Or its for a job.  Or you are just really motivated to put in the extra work by all means. But don’t expect that from yourself all the time.

Its all part of practice. And who knows you might discover something about your art in the process.

Picasso could paint photo realism at 14 years old. He stopped and started doing his abstracts because he wanted to explore. Allow yourself to explore and don’t lose your joy doing it.

And for fans- keep this in mind. You favorite artists and writers out here are often doing things for fun. Let them! Don’t get to uppity if their ‘quality’ isn’t always their best. Most artists and writers out here these days are doing what they do for fun and for free.  Enjoy what they make.  Its a rare opportunity to ride along one these kind of journeys.

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