So I know I promised to do a post on the fabulous Emily Giffin, author extraordinaire who spoke at the skirt! Magazine Creative Conference. She imparted some excellent wisdom to our group, mostly pertaining to writing, but it could also really apply to whatever your dreams might be.
If you aren’t familiar with Ms. Giffin, she wrote Something Borrowed, the book recently turned into a motion picture starring Kate Hudson & John Krasinski. Something Borrowed is followed up by Something Blue, both of which I really enjoyed poolside a few summers back. Anyway…
I’m not going to try and list everything EG said, although I was furiously scribbling notes from my spot on the front row…hence the blurry pic! But here are some of the tidbits that spoke to me most and my thoughts on each.
EG: Don’t assume that other writer’s have an easier time than you…writing is just plain hard [but worth it!]
EG: Think of yourself as a ‘real’ writer no matter what your circumstances are. [In other words, call yourself a writer and you’ll be a writer. Don’t think that just because you haven’t ‘published’ a book or had your book turned into a movie you aren’t a real writer…this one meant a lot to me!]
EG: Every book in a bookstore is just the product of one person who sat down and wrote one page at a time. Also, editors are just people…all it takes is one person who wants to publish your book. It is possible. [When you think about it this way, it really does seem like an attainable goal]
EG: Don’t worry about being perfect and DON’T compare yourself to anybody else. [LOVE that]
I really appreciate Ms. Giffin taking time to come speak to us…it was one of the highlights of the whole conference for me. I’m embarrassed to say I still haven’t seen the film version of Something Borrowed but it’s on my to-watch list! If you’ve read her books or seen the film, what did you think?
{top image via Atlanta Magazine}