- I will never say, “I can’t write unless I have my special pen.”
- I will learn to write with earplugs in, cramped in the backseat of my car on my lunch break.
- I will not put off writing until I tidy my office, get the kids into college, or retire.
- I will learn how to summarize my novel in one sentence.
- That sentence will not be “it’s complicated.”
- I will read rejection letters quickly for they are only proof of my effort.
- I will hold praise close to my heart.
- I will be honest even when I am telling lies.
- I will not spend countless hours wordsmithing the thirty-second sentence of my book.
- I will not neglect craft in favor of unpolished rubble.
- I will never use the phrase “the rod of his manhood speared her womanly core.”
- I will breathe the world in deeply, for it is my inspiration.
- I will read.
- I will let writing make me kinder, for in creation I feel the world’s pain.
- I will be gentle with beginners. I will be patient with experts. I will remember that no other creature has ever had my story to tell.
***
Karelia’s fourth novel, Something True, comes out January 13th, 2015.
Visitant 
These are the best I’ve read in a sorry lot. I’m adding my own No. 16 to your list: I will write first, tweet later. (Success rate so far: Abysmal.)
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Thank you! I love your addition to the list. I need to remind myself of that every day. Write then tweet, FB, Instagram (is that a verb yet?), etc.
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Exactly! Not so easily done. It helps me to stick to just one of those, and Twitter happens to be the one I prefer. But that’s a topic for another post . . . hmmn, idea!! Thanks again for your inspiration.
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Reblogged this on Karelia Stetz-Waters.
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Your attitude is so much better than mine.
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I loved this. Writing is all about not making excuses and believing the story you have is incapable of being created by anyone else and that’s why it has to be told. Love love love.
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I am so glad you enjoyed the post! Thank you for taking the time to post a reply.
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