we are what we believe we are & to be of service

we are

Hello all! Welcome back to this blog.

Wondering about what means to be a writer seems to be part of this thing that I have chosen to be.

We choose and we become that which we have chosen. Even if it seems a dream. Even if it doesn’t seems feasible. Even if it’s so damn hard to do.

But the Truth is, if we choose to do it, an put in the actions to have it, we are it.

This argument is part of a few books. Works about the writing craft, books by those who struggled in the pursuit of this work, even philosophical, and religious spokespersons believe firmly in this idea: We are what we believe ourselves to be.

It took me a while to understand it.

After all, we are told that, it is through outside validation of our work, through making money with it, that we believe ourselves to be validated in our choices.

But should it be? Are we what we believe we are?

Is it not by doing the work itself that we become professionals? Is it not by writing that we become writers?

Is it not that by writing, I become a writer? That I am what I believe myself to be? 

This is a rationalisation that I find myself drawn to, for the good and the bad parts of it.

Good because we feel that we are something, and feel proud by being it, getting ourselves more motivated to pursue it.

It’s kind of fulfilling our dream without actually having the solid proofs to back it up, but building the structural base as we go along.

Bad because, if we are not willing to put the work in, we end up convincing ourselves that we have already achieved it, we are already writers, and we want what is due to us… without actually becoming the thing that we want to be. Without actually Writing and learn to write.

Quoting from the already mentioned poet  Jacqueline Suskin:

“What it means to be a writer in this day and age?”

Jacqueline answers this for herself with the following words:

“My job is to be in service as a writer, and my specific outlet is this kind of accessibility, this thing that I can write for anyone. I can write a poem for any type of person.” – in The Poem Store: A Life Changer | Jacqueline Suskin | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh 

It’s not without great effort that we try to find our own answer to this question. Specially if we consider all the writing-for-hire and AI-knock-off’s out there.

I know I keep searching for my particular answers.

What does it mean to me to be of service? What does it mean to be a writer? What can I consider Writing?

I do write loads of blog posts. Are they, in due legitimacy, Writing? – is one of my most asked questions.

This reminded me of…

I have served. I will be of service.

in John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum

… and it’s kind of like that, isn’t it?!

We have served by writing. We will continue to be of service by writing. We might find other venues that support our writing efforts. We might teach, perform, add other means to one’s end. But we will be contributing through Writing.

Each one of us have to find our own answer to what means to be of service to mankind.

What means to be of service to people? What means to contribute to this big, huge, world of ours?

And how our own experience will provide something for others to discover their own questions and answer them.

For me, it’s being here, writing my way through books, articles, poems, short-stories, videos, notes, journalling and all that brings this activity alive.

For me, it’s to provide entertainment, to pass inspiration along, to connect and feel connected, to share my journey and hope it will be useful for other’s pursuit.

To be of service is to serve our passions. So that, through them, we may be here for someone else. We may be here, and let them know that they are not alone.

We believe so we can serve, and that is what has some chance to make a difference in this weird world. 

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Bye and Keep writing! ✍🏼

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References: 

Don’t let the noise get to you

noise

Hello all! Welcome back to my blog.

So, don’t let the noise get to you…

It has been some intense days here at this corner of the world. Lot’s of noise and inner chatter as usual.

I’ll give you a glimpse…

Christmas🎄 is coming in full speed, which means there’s lot’s of planning and a million of little things to do. Not to mention all the stress related with the shopping🎁 activities.

In these first days of December, I have been trying to rest a bit, because I’m still bothered by a persistent migraine… which really is a pain in the **head** 😅

Also, I find these days are a somewhat transitional period from the NaNoWriMo writing efforts (of 77 600 words) into a ‘what’s next?!?’ phase. And this aggravates me a lot.

And then it is the end of the year phase. Lot’s of reviews, and plans, and other stuff to do… I love to be well rested for planning mode but I figure this year is a no go on the rested mode.

Moving on…

This year I finally got the courage to grab one of my NaNoWriMo winner goodies by Scrivener (courtesy of Scrivener and NaNoWriMo for winning the 2022 challenge of writing the 50 000 words in November). And then I proceeded for installing the software and do the 30 days trial.

I started using it immediately for the project I have been working on, which I called ‘The Shapeshifters’, and I am really loving it.

I’m kind of in a learning process but I can already see the upsides to using this software. I have been hearing so much about it, but I find that I never really grasped what it could do for my writing and editing processes.

I am quite thrilled with it and have already started my editing process for this story.

So… the transitional period got cut really short and on December 2nd I started editing this story☺️

I came across a little quote I took a few weeks ago and it goes like this…

keep it simple

This quote’s context was about the practice of meditation but I figured it is applicable to other kinds of practices.

I have always thought these kinds of things, like Scrivener, were nice to have but quite dispensable. Most of this idea came from a budget tightness that never seems to allow for nice to have’s.

But I’m taking this seriously. I have been writing for decades and I can see this software serving all my writings for different formats and genres.

There is no fixed formula for getting our steps right. No full proof formula to approach our writing practices the best way. No grand scheme that gets us good results.

There are practices, and commitment, and lot’s of work.

All we can expect is to have the courage to look for what works for ourselves. And the insight not to overcomplicate things. And, above all, to refrain from all the noisy channels that keep blaring into our hearts why something shouldn’t be as it is.

It’s better to work with what is. To keep it as simple as possible. And to tune the noise down.

Yes, this is a very complicated time of the year for a lot of us. And we have different reasons for it to be so. I just get to remind myself that I work with what works for me, to keep it as simple as I can, and not permit the bad noise to get to me.

And to renew my commitment with this writing project… now, using Scrivener.

Thank you so much for reading this blog. I hope you have a happy and tranquil December.

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Bye and Keep writing! ✍🏼

 

To start or not to start a writer’s blog… going full-on English mode

sara farinha writer

Hello world! Welcome to my new blog. 

My new writing blog.

I have been pondering about starting another blog for a really long time. Now seemed a good choice.

I’m a Portuguese writer, with a few published works, in paper and online, and have been blogging, more or less frequently, for the last fifteen years (my other blog).

On blog.sarafarinha.com I focus mostly on themes related with discovering our Creativity, Pursuing an Artistic Life, Readings and other Writing related themes… the How to’s and How many’s articles about the writing craft, are usually the one’s with more traction with my readers.

I also write in a poetry blog, full of poetry for poets, called Ser Poeta, that I have been maintaining for a few years.

How did I got to writer.sarafarinha.com?

I have always been an enthusiastic for the english language.

I started learning English by myself (at six years old) at the same time I started Portuguese formal teachings, in a time when English wasn’t part of the curricula until the fifth year of public school.

Sometimes I pretend I can get away with publishing english written articles on my Portuguese platform, which is fine, but not something that I think I should do.

My readers have found me online because I wrote in Portuguese, it wouldn’t be nice to switch things just because I fancied it.

Another thing that bugged me was that I kind of avoided talking about my personal writing efforts.

I was supposed to be sharing my writing journey, I have stated that much in a lot of articles through the years. But I found myself engrossed in helping others find their way around writing basics, and finding creativity, and allow ourselves to do our crafts without judgements… and usually didn’t share much about my personal efforts towards my writing craft.

I didn’t want to make it all about me and my writings. So I focused on helping the community, on writing about useful stuff and availing most of my sources (books, articles, documentaries, and referencing other creative people in all kinds of different but creative journey’s).

Allowing myself to write about writing

As for my writing journey, I was convinced people wouldn’t be interested in THAT!!!

And, it would be lame to share my own difficulties in pursuing this craft… in Portugal, and writing in Portuguese, in a so closed off market, striving to put my efforts and time into such a difficult area, in this tiny sea bathed country… it kind of seemed like whining to me.

Now I think it’s time to start talking with an english speaking world.

Stop denying my english writing practices, and give something for all to read. And it’s definitely time to talk about my writings and the writing craft, which is just my cup of coffee (sorry, not a tea person over here).

I really wanted to start a blog where I could post my english writings, and that it would be fully devoted to the writing craft, by sharing my own journey and related issues.

I feel stoked to be here, writing this first article, and putting it out in the world… and a bit scared. Anyway…

And this is how writer.sarafarinha.com came to be…

I will write about:

  • writing experiences
  • daily challenges I encounter on this path
  • different writing projects
  • favorite genres
  • personal choices
  • editing and revising
  • markets specificities
  • self-published and tradicional publishing
  • writing career
  • all sorts of writing related themes

I hope you keep me company on this writing journey, which is my life’s chosen path.

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Bye and see you soon.