The Writing Life
heebie-jeebies [coined by American cartoonist Billy DeBeck]: jitters, willies
When I’m about to give a speech or a presentation or am about to attempt some new feat, I experience the jitters, the willies, the heebie-jeebies.* Such emotions aren’t new, and I’ve learned to face them. Sometimes, the facing requires defensive maneuvers; other times, it requires offensive.
A few weeks ago, a reader asked for my thoughts on using dialect in dialogue. He wanted to know if it were a wise choice. My answer almost was immediate: “Don’t do it.”
The only way to learn how to write and draw is by writing and drawing…to persist in the face of continual rejection requires a deep love of the work itself, and learning that lesson kept me from ever taking Calvin and Hobbes for granted when the strip took off years later. – Bill Watterson
I knew next to nothing when I took my first drawing class in undergraduate. I remember receiving the syllabus and being dizzied by the list of art supplies required. I saw the assignments and wondered what the terms meant.