Amber Leggette-Aldrich
Painting Pictures with Words
Why Am I Doing This?
It takes a certain amount of insanity to be a writer…
In the 1946 book “Confessions of a Story Writer” Paul Gallico wrote: 2
It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little that you establish contact with your reader. If you do not believe in the characters or the story you are doing at that moment with all your mind, strength, and will, if you don’t feel joy and excitement while writing it, then you’re wasting good white paper, even if it sells, because there are other ways in which a writer can bring in the rent money besides writing bad or phony stories. (Gallico is perhaps best known for the novel “The Poseidon Adventure”.)
Whether it be truth or fiction, it requires a great deal of effort to paint a picture with words. If it is not done properly, the portrait becomes too cloudy for the mind of the reader to see.
I have always believed that the best writing comes from the heart, and it seems that many other writers agree. However, it is the never-ending urge to share the images and emotions that our hearts and minds create that drives the writer through impossible days and nights, with the endless flow of pictures and thoughts and ideas. It is enough to create an image of pure madness to the outside world.
But it takes more than just writing the words down.
Living with integrity…
When I started writing, I knew very little about the writing industry. In my mind I pictured myself pecking out words on the computer, then hitting the magic “send” button, and POOF… I would become a best-selling author.
I very quickly discovered, however, there is so much more involved.
Of all that I have learned over the last seventeen years, one thing stands out above everything else…be a person of integrity.
In my quest to learn about the industry, it became quite obvious that the most successful authors and writers, the ones that really contribute something of value and interest to the world, are the ones that have a heart of integrity. These are the great men and women, the leaders dedicated to perfecting the craft with commitment to their audience, the ones that wouldn’t settle for less than the best for the sake of a dollar.
One key resource in my education came from Michael Hyatt, former chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. Throughout his career, one of his top priorities has been to establish and maintain a reputation for being a leader with integrity, which earned him my trust as a follower.
In the words of Mark Twain, “When you are seeking to bring big plans to fruition it is important with whom you regularly associate. Hang out with friends who are like-minded and who are also designing purpose-filled lives. Similarly, be that kind of a friend for others”.
My Promise…
One of the main reasons that I created this site is to be able to connect with others. I see an opportunity to establish friendships here (I hope you do too), along with building an audience that wants to share the journey of reading and writing with me.
I will not lie to you, I am not a best-selling author (yet, though I have published two books on Amazon). I am, and will continue to be, a work-in-progress. It is my goal and commitment to produce top quality writing for my readers, and to help other writers in their goals to becoming successful authors.
From time to time, I may share links and advertise a few products (primarily books) that I believe you will find helpful or entertaining. And while I may earn a small monetary gain from such links and advertisements, I guarantee that I will never promote anything that I do not read or use myself and find to be of value.
I hope that you will join me on this weird, whacky, and wonderful adventure! I also encourage you to sign up for my monthly newsletter where I will be sharing previews, excerpts of current work, news, and insights for readers and writers.
I also would love to hear your thoughts or comments, so please leave a reply. And don’t forget to share with your friends!
Until next time, go out into the world and #MakeADifference!
Amber
Amber Leggette-Aldrich 