Friday, July 29, 2011

Quotes and Cookies: Waiter or Writer?

“If you wait for inspiration, you're not a writer, but a waiter.”
~Anonymous

Lately it feels like I’ve set up my tent and pounded in the stakes in Waiter’s Camp. I’ve been hanging out, sitting in my camp chair, looking longingly across the lake at the Writer’s Camp. Sure, I’ve been revising and blog building, but still. It's nothing like what goes on over there in Writer's Camp!

Even from this far back, I can see that they are having SO MUCH FUN. I remember living there myself and having SO MUCH FUN. I remember the excitement and the drive that makes you want to eek out every second of writing time possible. I remember the thrill of creating something that didn't exist before. I remember being so in love with what was happening in my story that I couldn't stop thinking about it.

I miss it there.

That’s it. I am pulling up stakes and moving back to Writer's Camp. Who’s with me? And who's already there?

I'll bring the cookies.

stonybrookcookie.com
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23 comments:

Jessie Humphries said...

You bring the cookies, I'll bring the Diet Coke...and we'll partay! No more waiting. Let's start writing.

I love you too!

Mark said...

Great quote! And yes, cookie totally help:)

Lydia Kang said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lydia Kang said...

Argh, I hate bad typos!

Anyway, thanks for the cookies, and hope you make it back to Writer's Camp safe and sound!

Abby Fowers said...

I'll bring cookies too! I'm totally with you. No more being a waiter! :D LOVE IT!

Peggy Eddleman said...

Jessie-- Deal!
Mark-- Cookies ALWAYS help. :)
Lydia-- You're welcome, and thanks! I'll see you there!
Abby-- Nice! Let's get on it!

Talei said...

I'm sorry, I was transfixed on those COOKIES... yes please and happy writing this weekend! ;-)

Leigh Ann said...

I decided to go back this morning too. Let's share a bunk.

Seriously, I'd been obsessing over my query/synopsis/blog/twitter frequency/statistics re: my chances of getting published for the better part of this week. That camp is full of whining campers and its lake is muddy.

So I sat on the stairs while three sets of breakfast-sticky preschooler hands clawed for my laptop like zombies through the baby gate.

I got 450 words out in about 15 minutes. So I think I'm headed back to camp.

(Awesome post. :))

CherylAnne Ham said...

Ooh, I wanna be one of the cool writer camp kids, too. *waves hand in a "pick me" sort of way*

I've been floundering for a few weeks now, but I'm ready to get my mojo back. And thanks for the cookies. Yum-O!

Laura Barnes said...

Problem with writer's camp is that I can't ever quite get to anything more than a day camp. Or, actually a twenty minute camp. There's just never enough time allotted for camping! The reason why waiting camp is so popular is because you can be at that camp at the same time you can do a million other things. Sigh.

I do want to be at writer's camp. I AM at writer's camp, just not as much as I'd like to be:)

Michelle Fayard said...

I love your analogy! This sounds like one summer camp I’ll want to join stat.

P.S. I’ve left a response to your comment on Bird’s-eye View at http://michellefayard.blogspot.com/2011/07/getting-blog-comments-to-work-for-you.html.

Lani Wendt Young said...

I am totally feeling this post. Ugh. Ive had my 5 kids at home for midterm school holidays and so I deliberately put my novel and "proper writing" under lock and key so that I could devote my every waking minute to their happiness. (and not tear them to pieces because I COULDNT write with them in the house.) Yes, ive been blogging but I sorely miss being in the Writers Camp. My kids start back on Monday and I cant wait to bust out of here and live it up in full writer mode! (oh, and Im so buzzed to see some of your other readers talk abt diet Coke with their cookies, your friends are obviously exactly my kind of people.)

J+S said...

Cookies make everything better!
~Jenifer
Gordon Gossip

Golden Eagle said...

I'm so with you. I've been planning to start a new project on August 1st. :)

Also, those cookies look delicious . . .

Anonymous said...

You Rock Duty!

Liz Reinhardt said...

Funny, but I just went back to work (watching teachers' kids from my home) after a long summer of hard writing...and wrote more in the first day with the kids than I wrote in a week all summer! I guess not having the luxury of all that time off made me want to write that much more. It's good news for my newest novel anyway! Great post!

Andrea Franco-Cook said...

I liked Writer's camp so much that I decided to take up residence here. Now that I'm halfway through the second draft of my novel I'm beginning to think about my next project. I never want to leave camp.(: See you round the workshops.

Also, thanks for the cookies, now that I've had my sugar high, I'll go write for a few hours.


Andrea Franco-Cook

Charmaine Clancy said...

We all wander off from time to time. Come visit my blog this week, we're having an 'Imagination Sparks' Blogfest - writers are sharing their favourite exercises for powering up the imagination. There's sure to be something to get you writing!

Wagging Tales - Blog for Writers

Peggy Eddleman said...

Talei-- They're a bit distracting, aren't they? Happy writing to you, too!

Leigh Ann-- Hahaha! Whining campers & muddy lake= definitely bad. Yes! Let's head back to camp!

CherylAnne-- I pick you! Now let's go get our mojo back!

Laura-- Ha! A twenty minute camp! And sigh. Yes, that's the problem with the waiting camp. You can get SO much done while you're there. It's just not nearly as fun as writing. But alas. Sometimes it just has to be done.

Michelle-- Thanks! And you totally should. There's cookies!

Lani-- Look what an awesome mom you are. And I'm excited for you that you get to go into full writer mode soon!

Jennifer-- I know, right?

The Golden Eagle-- Yay for new projects! I'm chomping at the bit to start one. I love that you set an exact start date. I think I might follow your example.

Duty-- I love you.

Elizabeth-- Wow! That's so impressive! Go you!

Andrea-- Oh, wow. A residence there. That sounds downright heavenly.

Charmaine-- That sounds like exactly what I need. Thanks!

K. Marie Criddle said...

Peggy, are you reading my mind? This is EXACTLY what I was pondering today. (cue Twilight Zone music) YES. I need to put up my stakes in the writer's camp again. NOW. You got the cookies, I've got the dutch oven cobbler.

Peggy Eddleman said...

I thought I heard Twilight Zone music while I was writing it!

Mmmm... Dutch oven cobbler... Mouth wattering... Must get to camp now.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Yep, I stopped waiting for inspiration a while ago and followed the cookie trail back to sanity ;)

E.D. said...

Love the quote and love the cookies. I think I am almost past waiting and back into writing. Just have to send out the query letters and synopsis for my first before I am really ready to jump into number two!