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| This is my cat, Metaphor. Aka Stinky. Aka holy cat kibble, Batman, that is one BIG Cat! |
I do have one, around the house, but although she's very verbal, most of it translates to, "I'm starving! Feed me now, before I waste away to nothing!"
(FYI, she is on a veterinarian-supervised cat-diet. Not that it has helped, over the course of several years, but we live in hope.)
Anyway, there's a saying, about food, "Eyes too big for your stomach," which we all know has to do with feeling hungry, heaping one's plate high with food, and then being unable to finish it. Obviously, it would be very difficult for this Metaphor's eyes to be literally too big for her stomach.
IMO, we need a saying like that for writing. Because every weekend, my eyes/brain think they're going to get all kinds of writing projects accomplished. Actually, when it's all added up, I do get a fair amount done.
I just don't come near to "cleaning my plate." And I need to learn how to be okay with that.
A few years ago, I asked around and got a great adaption for "All talk, no action." My screenwriter friends came up with, "All pitch, no script."
Here's some English proverbs, adapted for writing.
Don't try to walk before you can crawl.
Don't ever query an uncritiqued manuscript.
The longest journey starts with a single step.
The best novel is written one sentence at a time.
Don't count your chickens before they're hatched./Don't cross the bridge till you come to it.
Don't spend your royalties before you're sold your book.
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| Or, don't let your chickens cross any bridges. photo by Living off Grid at Flickr |
If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again.
If your first query is rejected, review and query again. And again.
Practice makes perfect. (No change necessary here.)
Strike when the iron is hot./Make hay when the sun shines.
Write when the muse is with you.
Right now, I am trusting that all things come to she who waits.
So, how would you adapt "eyes too big for your stomach" for writing?
Have you shared that experience?
