Why Wait for Permission?

Waiting for permission to write your book?  Explore watercolors?  Wear good clothes?  What on earth are you waiting for?  Here are my top 12 reasons why you shouldn't wait a minute longer:

1.  No one is going to give you permission.  Only you can decide to attend a writer's conference, experiment with felt collage, or keep a dream journal.

2.  Every day spent waiting in line for your passport to creative freedom is a day wasted and lost--a day you'll resent and feel bad about.  And who wants to feel bad?

3.  My favorite quote from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way: Q: "Do you know how old I'll be by the time I learn to play the piano?"  A: "The same age you will be if you don't."  I would rather look back on my life knowing I had attempted to follow my dreams--results aside--rather than wonder, "What if?"

4.  Waiting for anything is annoying.  The only way I can tolerate waiting is to do something else, like read a book or doodle in my journal.  Which means if you're doing something else you're no longer waiting--you're doing.  Hey, you're working on your dream without even knowing it!
  
5.  Waiting is passive--anyone can do it, with or without permission.  Action creates energy; once you start a project, it can take on a snowball effect.  One page leads to another...you'll be finished before anyone can stop you and say, "No--don't do that!"

6.  Waiting for permission can keep us stuck in creative professional ruts:  we've always written for children, or we've always written poems of exactly 17 lines each, and our editors and readers like it that way.  If you really want to experiment with a new form or genre, take a chance and break out of the mold without telling anyone.  You can always use a pseudonym or say the cat painted your latest masterpiece if it's completely different from your usual style.

7.  Waiting for permission provides too good of a pay-off to the nay-sayers and toxic playmates in our lives.  As long as you stay in the waiting mode, they'll never be threatened or have to compete with you.

8.  Remember when you wanted to do something or go somewhere as a child and the adults in your life said, "No!"  And you did it anyway?  Fun, wasn't it?

9.  Even if you did get grounded for a week, you're the grown-up now, and you can make your own decisions.  Art-making is rarely dangerous (unless you're working with fire).  It might get your clothes dirty, but it won't put you in bad company, ruin your grades, or rot your teeth.

10.  Admittedly, there are some things we do need permission for, such as spending the entire family savings on a trip to Italy to research that novel set in ancient Rome, or to rent a 5,000 square foot studio because all "real artists have studios."  However, even when choices can't be made without consulting others, there's nothing stopping you from saving up for a trip to a nearby museum, or clearing out a section of your garage to make room for a desk or easel.

11.  Even with no time, no money, and no support you can stop waiting and take baby steps.  Libraries are full of books on writing and art instruction.  Craft items can be found for pennies at thrift stores.  Connect with your creative friends via Twitter or Facebook to start an online support system.

12.  A common reason to wait for permission or for "the right time" is to simply protect our creative selves from the bullies of the world:  rejection, criticism, indifference, ridicule--it all hurts.  But a coddled child is an unhealthy child.  So kick off your shoes and let your creative self play in the dirt--one of the best ways known to build up the immune system!

Tip of the Day:  What creative dream(s) have you put on hold because you are waiting for permission to start?  Make a list followed by an action plan outlining the best way for you to begin doing, rather than waiting.

The Great Scarab Scam Book Trailer

Happy February! And Happy Book Trailer Day! Well, I don’t know if it’s officially “Book Trailer Day” for anyone other than me, but I’m delighted to present the new trailer for The Great Scarab Scam, my Egyptian mystery for young readers. I hope you’ll enjoy it and will want to share it with your friends and family.

At the same time, though, I must tell you that I had some questions about releasing the trailer. With Egypt currently undergoing political unrest and facing an uncertain future, I was torn—was this a good time to talk about a children’s mystery set in the Land of the Pharaohs? With perfect irony, the day the trailer was ready to upload was the day the protests began. For all of last week I dithered—should I release the trailer, store it away until Egypt stabilized, or maybe never show it at all? I asked some good friends for their advice and over and over I kept getting the same answer: Life is never stable—share your trailer! Kids still want to read mysteries and they want to read about Egypt. Go for it! 

I don’t think there was ever a time in my life I wasn’t fascinated by ancient Egypt: the tombs, the treasures, the mythology, and of course the enigmatic lives of both the royal and more ordinary families. Traveling in Egypt to research my book seemed like a dream to me. When I actually visited the pyramids it was difficult for me to believe that I was there—right there—as in, really there. I was also very sick, and something I remember most vividly is the friendliness and concern of the Egyptian people during my ordeals. Thinking of the young driver who insisted on buying me an ice-cold Coke when I knew he couldn’t really afford it, or the women who suddenly appeared and encircled me, spreading out their skirts to make a tent and rubbing my back when I was sick on the street, still brings tears to my eyes. The widespread poverty I saw was terrible, especially for the children, and I tried to portray some of that in my book. 

So I do understand why Egypt is in crisis, and it is my sincere hope that the country will find a way to improve the lives of all its citizens. And that’s why I think it’s important for me to talk about The Great Scarab Scam, especially now. If I can bring some of the culture, history, and excitement of being in a foreign land to young readers, then I will have done my job as a writer for children. 

Tip of the Day: What ancient era and culture has always called to you? For your next freewriting session, go on an archaeological dig through your childhood interests. With any luck there’s gold in them ‘thar hills—gold you can turn into a short story or nonfiction piece, if not a full-length book, for young readers.