Tonight’s story is half-written, but I took some Robitussin on an empty stomach, and now *yawn* I think I’ll have to finish it tomorrow morning. The story, not the Robitussin.

xo, Amy

I got an email last night that I’m going to keep forever. Normally, I’ve got an itchy “delete” finger, but this one meant a lot. It was from my stepmom, who just wrote to say that she reads SPASMS and she likes it. She didn’t write to say anything else, didn’t want to comment on a specific story, didn’t want to do anything but say that the stories hit home for her and that she’s proud of me for my writing.

What an awesome e-mail.

It’s different from an LJ comment, because she took the time to think about it and write a note just for me, to encourage me and do a little bit of cheerleading for SPASMS. It felt so good to open that e-mail, I can’t even tell you.

Now, I know that a lot of you who read this are writers or artists of some fashion — creative types, anyway. And it’s a safe bet some of your friends are, too. Why don’t you take a few minutes today to write one of your friends a note like the one I got last night? It doesn’t have to be about any one specific thing the friend has done, just a quick e-mail or postcard to let them know that you pay attention to what they’re doing and that you like it. Be sincere about it. If the friend’s art is kind of amateurish, or undeveloped, try to only focus on the positives. The point of the note isn’t to provide constructive criticism, it’s just to send a message that what they’re doing isn’t in vain, and to encourage them to keep working at it.

Everybody could use a note like this once in a while. Heck, I get positive feedback every day through LJ and a boss who loves my writing, and that e-mail last night still floored me. I’m still floating from it. =) Imagine the effect that kind of note will have on somebody who doesn’t get that much feedback.

At the risk of going off on a tangent, I’d like to thank my stepmom again for that e-mail, and to thank my mom, dad and stepfather, too. A few years ago, my mom gave me an envelope filled with little books and poetry I’d written from ages four to about eight. It’s one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. She also let me have her manual Smith Corona and tons of mimeograph paper to type on when I was seven and I couldn’t write by hand fast enough to accommodate the words coming out of my head. My dad keeps a “file” on me where he’s got every article or interview or review I’ve published (that he’s found or that I’ve sent to him) and tons of my stories from when I was in college. I’m always embarrassed when he mentions he wants something else to update the file, but it shows he has faith in my writing and that means a lot. My stepdad still has one of my old typewriters socked away in the attic, and mentions it every once in a while. Just the fact that he’s not willing to throw away a part of my writing past (that doesn’t work and that as far as I know they don’t make ribbons for anymore) gives me a smile whenever I think of it.

I’m naturally creative. It’s just my personality, and I’d find a way of expressing it no matter who my parents were. Fortunately for me, I’ve got four parents who let me do my own thing. I can’t thank them enough.

If you’re a parent reading this, be willing to indulge your child’s creativity. Praise them honestly, sincerely, and with all your love. It’s one of the best things you can do for your children. And I bet they could use a note, too.

xo, Amy

Long, exhausting weekend, although not necessarily in a bad way. I think my SPASMS suffered for it. Okay, they definitely did: I write every day, but the result isn’t always good. Especially when life thwarts me.

Unlike the majority of LJ bloggers, I’m a parent. I’m in my mid-thirties, I have a job (two if you count my freelance gig), a long-term relationship, a house that requires cleaning and maintenance, social obligations and even non-SPASM writing projects. Writing is my escape from everything. It’s like a meditation in that I’m much happier and more content with my life when I’m being creative. Even when the result isn’t very good. The very act of writing is satisfying and expurgatory. It disconnects me from the world for an hour or so a day and permits me to do whatever I want, no matter how crazy. Some people smoke or drink. I write.

And this is something I tend to revisit every couple months or so, basically because I like to evangelize about things that turn me on: don’t be afraid to be creative. I just went back and looked at “Inchworm,” the SPASM I dashed off last night, and I’m thinking, “what the fuck is that?” It’s not very good. It’s not bad, it’s not good, not really anything but a joke, because I was tired. Am I embarrassed? Am I going to take it down or apologize for it or get upset over it? Hell, no.

Creativity carries with it a risk. As far as I’m concerned, nothing is art until it has an audience. That audience can be your mom or your co-workers or your best friend or a bunch of people on LJ. Whatever. And there is always the risk that people aren’t going to like what you’ve done. Even you might go back to it and say, “Wow, that story/song/painting/[other art] sucks! What was I thinking?” I write a lot of good stories, but there’ve been some real clunkers, too. It happens.

The trick isn’t just to express yourself, but also to get comfortable with exposing yourself to that risk. Learn to accept criticism. (And to ignore nastiness.) Some audiences are tougher than others. Your mother’s bound to be way less critical than a literary agent, but showing your mom or someone else supportive is a good start. Work your way up to people with high standards. Art takes a lot of hard work. It rarely comes out the way you’d have hoped; at least, not when you’re starting out, and often not when you’ve been doing it a long while.

SPASMS isn’t about the stories. Well, okay, mostly it is, but there’s another purpose behind it: to inspire others to try writing, too. Or whatever your chosen art(s) may be. Don’t be afraid. Don’t fear mistakes or criticism or nobody reading it. There’s an audience for everything. Don’t fear mediocrity, either. (Although I wouldn’t recommend aiming for it.)

Take the risk. If the story/song/whatever doesn’t turn out well, write another. Don’t kick yourself over it. There will be days you create something that’s lame, like “Inchworm.” (It’s cute, but still.) Whatever day that is, it will be yesterday soon enough and you can’t live in yesterday. I sure don’t.

The best advice I ever got from anybody, ever, was one word: “Persist.” It’s also the best advice I’ve ever given.

xo, Amy