February 29, 2008

Read Who’s in Charge? (Part 1) and Who’s in Charge? (Part 2) first…

3. Actions
That committed attitude will make choosing your actions easier. When you’re willing to do whatever it takes to revamp your personal life so you can write, the choices become clear. You will do things like choosing to write before doing the dishes, even though it bugs you to leave dirty dishes in the sink. You will choose to write for an hour instead of watch TV or talk on the phone. You will choose to have that lower carb/higher protein lunch so your writing energy is high all afternoon. You will choose to retire at a decent hour so you’re alert to create the next morning. You’ll consciously choose to make quality time with your family so you can write without feeling guilty–and without being neglectful. Instead of a mental wish list, you’ll choose to set goals, write them down, and even make a poster for your wall so you’re staring at them daily. You will choose to settle family quarrels and resolve conflicts partly because NOT doing so saps all your writing energy.

You will make choices in all areas of your life that will support your writing instead of making it more difficult. Each time you come to a fork in the road, make a choice and be in charge of your writing. Each choice might look small, but these decisions add up to your life. Do find that freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself–and thus, your writing.

“If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” —Napoleon Hill

February 27, 2008

Who’s in Charge? (Part 1) should be read first.

2. Attitudes
Changing your thoughts will change your attitudes and emotional feelings about writing. Instead of postponing happiness until you get published, choose to be content with your writing today. Choose to enjoy the act of putting words down on paper to capture an image. Choose to enjoy delving into your memories for a kernel of a story idea. Choose to enjoy the process of reading back issues of magazines you want to submit to. Choose to enjoy reading a book on plot or dialogue or characterization for tips you can apply to your stories. Instead of feeling pressured to succeed quickly, choose to be patient with your learning curve. Choose to be happy about each small, steady step forward.

Look at the larger picture, how each writing day is another small building block laying the foundation of your career. Stay present in the present! Pace yourself with the determined attitude of the tortoise instead of the sprinter attitude of the hare.

You also need to choose an attitude of commitment. Commit to your goals and deadlines, to continued improvement in your writing, and to dealing with negative feelings as they come up. Commitment is more than “I wish” or “I’d like.” Commitment is “I will.” There is a huge difference! (Like the gap between a man saying, “Gee, I’d like to marry you” and “Will you marry me–here’s the ring–let’s set a date!”) Move from the wishy-washy attitude of “I’d like to be a writer” to the commitment level of “I’ll do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to be a successful writer.” Attitudes of self-control and self-discipline will make those small daily changes that add up.

(Part 3 of “Who’s in Charge?” will be the next post.)

February 25, 2008

Your writing life is the sum of all the writing-related choices you make. Choosing means to make a decision each time you come to a particular crossroads. Most decisions are not deliberate. Instead we unconsciously follow our habits, choosing what is easiest because it’s what we’ve done for years. We choose negative thoughts about our abilities, we choose negative attitudes about our progress, and we follow with negative actions of not setting goals and not writing.

Choice or Habit?
Although many of your choices have become automatic habits, each one is still a choice you make. So if you want to have a successful writing career (however you define “success” for yourself), you must control the process of choosing. You must begin to notice your choices, moment by moment. Think about what you’re thinking about! Then start making consistently better daily choices. Take control of your writing life by being in charge of yourself.

Writers make critical decisions in three areas every day–sometimes every hour. Wake up! Train yourself to be a close observer of your choices. You come to a fork in the road hundreds of times each day, and each time you have a choice to make. Beginning today, consciously choose the direction that leads to your writing goals.

1. Thoughts
If you want to make changes that last, you must change the way you think. Your mental and emotional framework needs adjusting. You must focus on getting your MIND moving in the right direction. The way you think will ultimately dictate your long-term success or failure. Certain thoughts and beliefs will derail you before you even get started. (”I’m not good enough.” “I don’t have the talent I need.” “It’s who you know in this business, and I don’t know anyone important.” “I don’t have the time/energy/family support to write.”) Take time to recognize which particular issues negatively affect your choice to write.

Perhaps your thoughts about writing contain a few myths that need exploring–and debunking. Do you think that you’ll be a happy writer if you just manage to get published? You might be–but probably only if you’re happy before you get published. Grumpy, negative, passive writers who achieve publication tend to be grumpy, negative, passive writers with a publishing credit. Publication itself won’t make you happy.

Do you think there is a magical short-cut to writing success? You DO need to study your craft, but are you on the constant lookout for the latest quick fix writing book or article, the latest get-published-quick scheme? Do you think, if you just find the “key,” you’ll get published immediately? Although we’re a society of instant gratification promoters, it is still true that excellent writers don’t spring up overnight–they are grown.
S-l-o-w-l-y.

Do you think it’s someone else’s fault that you aren’t published? Do you have a general mental habit of blaming your lack of success on others? While it’s a human tendency to do so, this kind of thinking will keep you stuck–and unpublished. Every career has obstacles to conquer on the way to success, and writing is no different. The obstacles only change from time to time. (Obviously, writers fifty years ago did not worry about their hard drives crashing or scanners not working.) But writers of all ages have had barriers to overcome. At one time women writers had to disguise what they were doing–and even use a male pen name in order to get published!

Choosing your thoughts is noticing when a thought like this passes through your head (”When am I going to get published? I’ve been submitting for months and months! I should just quit!”) and replacing it with one that is both true and positive. (”Getting published takes time for all new writers, and if I’m persistent and consistent in my efforts to improve and market well, I will probably get published eventually!”) At first, it’s reinforcing to say these new thoughts out loud.

(The next two posts will be on making choices in our “attitudes” and “actions.)

February 22, 2008

The pain in my side from coughing turned out to be a broken rib. Each cough is a big OWEEE. But the rib cage belt and painkillers are helping, and the cough is getting better.

Today I am going to take this opportunity to point you to a wonderful resource for children’s writers: Write4Kids.com. Scroll down on the home page for a long list of very helpful articles. They also have a terrific newsletter, Children’s Book Insider, and they’ve posted sample articles here. If you’re a children’s writer, you need this resource!

February 20, 2008

I had so much writing planned for today–alone in the house with no distractions or appointments. But, alas, I did something last night to my ribs in a coughing fit and have to see a doctor this morning. Distractions! Interruptions! How does a writer get anything done? Well, I printed out the chapter. I’ll take it along to read in the waiting room (emphasis on waiting–you always wait forever at my doctor’s office.) This all reminded me of an article I’d written a few years ago about dealing with distractions, so I’ll post that here–and head off to the doctor’s office.
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During the early stages of a writing project, when you’re gathering ideas and deciding on your approach, it’s useful to daydream and be unfocused in your thinking. However, there comes a time to focus, to fully concentrate on the work, as if you were putting a beam of sunlight through a magnifying glass to concentrate its power until the paper it touches bursts into flame.

Why Focus?
When you focus, you’ll accomplish writing projects in half the time, and your concentrated efforts will produce better work. Focusing also builds momentum and enthusiasm, urging us to move steadily toward finished stories, articles, and books.

Being able to focus is critical. As Stephen Covey (author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) says, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Getting Sidetracked
What keeps us from focusing? Distractions. They have always been with us. Agatha Christie once said, “I enjoy writing in the desert. There are no distractions such as telephones, theaters, opera houses and gardens.” While our modern-day distractions may have changed a bit (e-mails to answer, faxes coming in, the World Series on TV), the result of being sidetracked by them remains the same. We don’t finish our writing. We don’t study guidelines and mail that manuscript. We don’t follow up on marketing tips. If we stall long enough, we may quit altogether.

So how do we deal with things that take us away from our writing? Try adapting the Serenity Prayer for this purpose: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the distractions I cannot change, courage to change the distractions I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

Wisdom to Know
What are some distractions you cannot change or ignore? Sometimes it’s a sick child or spouse or a crisis with a friend. Sometimes your boss gives you an overtime assignment with a “now” deadline. There may be a project that needs to be attended to without delay, like your teenager’s last-minute college entrance application. This type of interruption or distraction you have little control over. You grin and bear it.

However, we need wisdom to know the difference between the distractions that are unavoidable and those we allow. Chances are, you’re your own worst enemy when it comes to distractions that keep you from writing. So take courage! Change what you can in order to focus on your writing.

1. Use an answering machine to screen calls. Better yet, turn the ringer off altogether so you’re not tempted to pick up when you hear your best friend’s voice. Then return calls at lunch time or when you’ve finished your daily writing stint.

2. Isolate yourself as much as possible from the traffic flow. I now have my own office, but I’ve written in family rooms and bedrooms and dens. The family room was the most difficult with constant interruptions of TV, kids, and doorbells. The more you can shut the door on distractions, the easier you’ll find it to focus.

3. Take note of your own personal distractions. The blinds in my office are pulled because I look outside every time a car/garbage truck/motorcycle/UPS truck/bus/delivery truck goes by. I also remove all chocolate from my work space. Even hidden in the back of a drawer, it calls to me while I work and distracts me, whether I stop to eat it or not. Nice weather tempts me to go out for a while, so I don’t put on makeup until late in the day. I know I won’t show my face in public without it–so I’ll stay home and write instead.

4. Leave the mail alone. Reading letters and e-mail and surfing the Net can be a major distraction. It interrupts your flow to stop and sort the mail. And if your mail contains rejection letters, bills, and bank statements, it can create an instant slump. So get the snail-mail if you must, but stash it in a basket until the end of the day when you’re done writing. The same is true for e-mail. Leave it unopened and unread till late afternoon (unless it’s a response from an editor!).

5. For non-emergencies, make your family wait. Barter with your family for writing time. When you’re finished, you’ll make popcorn. When you’re finished, you’ll play catch. When you’re finished, you’ll go rent a movie. (Just be sure you actually follow through on your promises!)

6. Leave home. If home is too chaotic sometimes, take your work to the library or a park or a cafe, somewhere quiet with no phone and a minimum of distractions.

7. Organize your work space first. Arrange your work space before you begin writing, to ensure that you have everything you need. Don’t run out of paper halfway through typing your chapter. Keep things within reach. Even finding a new ink cartridge or box of paper clips in your supply closet can distract you. Before you know it, you’ve spent half an hour rearranging the closet shelves.

8. Silence can be golden. Are you as distracted by noise as I am? I run a fan on high speed for white noise, and during school vacations I also use ear plugs. If traffic bothers you–or if you’re in a quiet neighborhood where twittering birds distract you–close the windows during your writing time.

9. Change your schedule. Get up earlier and write when the world is still asleep. Phones don’t ring. Kids don’t interrupt. Your spouse is still snoring. (This works equally well if you’re a night owl and can write after the world shuts down for the night.)

10. Eat healthy meals at regular intervals. Avoid the distraction of a growling stomach or a hunger headache. If you’re always thirsty, keep cold drinks within reach. A mini-refrigerator in your office, filled with bottled water and fresh fruit, an keep you from constantly running to the kitchen.

Focus!
Take time to study yourself, discovering your own favorite distractions. Once in a while we have absolutely no control over interruptions. However, most of the time, we (consciously or not) use distractions to keep us from having to face the work and anxiety of putting words on paper.

The next time you sit down at your keyboard, close your eyes and imagine yourself as that concentrated beam of light focused by the magnifying glass. Then open your eyes, hit the keys, and set the world on fire!

February 15, 2008

A Rose Is a Rose Is a Rose . . .
If you’ve been writing any length of time at all, you’ve experienced writer’s block. You may have read articles about it, following different authors’ recommendations to blast through your block. Did the solution you tried do the trick? If not, the reason could be that you applied the wrong answer to your problem.

Aspirin or Band-Aid?
If you go to a physician, he doesn’t doctor you with a one-medicine-fits-all or one-treatment-fits-all solution. Instead, there are specific treatments for specific ailments: the broken arm gets a cast, the cut gets stitched, the infection gets an antibiotic. Only when you identify the specific ailment can the right treatment be given, or a cure found. The same is true for writer’s block.

A Multitude of Sources
Reading an article on writer’s block might help you if you happen to stumble across a suggestion that truly corresponds to your problem. But 27 years of writing and 22 years of teaching the craft of writing have led me to believe that there is no single type of writer’s block.

If you can’t identify the origin of your block, treating it is impossible. Have you stopped writing because you can’t face any more rejection slips, or your spouse (or a parent) is/was overly critical, or you’re disillusioned with having to shape your writing for the market? Are you blocked because you eat or drink too much, sleep too late, or are just plain exhausted from trying to combine writing with earning a living for your family?

Possible Causes of Writer’s Block
1. Critical childhood voices: those voices from the past that tell you you’re not good enough, you’re not creative, you’re untalented, or lazy. They might have originated with parents, grandparents, caretakers, teachers, or siblings. While you may no longer hear actual voices in your head, you’ve incorporated their views of you somewhere along the way, and they crop up at the worst times for your writing. The resulting feelings of anger and self-doubt produce confusion, sap your motivation, and make you wonder if you should just throw in the towel.

2. Personality style: passive or aggressive, outgoing or shy, rigid or flexible, courageous or fearful. An outgoing person may be great a book signings and marketing his work, yet block when it’s time to sit down–alone–and write for three hours. The flexible person may have numerous ideas that flow effortlessly and may be able to juggle a number of different projects, yet he may block when it’s time to choose just one idea and get to work. The insecure person may write fluently and happily alone, yet block when nearing the end of her story because she’s too afraid of rejection to submit a finished product.

3. Self-criticism: harsh and self-punishing judgments on our work and marketing efforts. Even when our self-criticism is well founded and accurate, it can defeat and block us before we get started. Self-esteem plummets, courage fails, and we shut off the computer and head for the refrigerator. We’re afraid we’re deluding ourselves both about the viability of the project we’re working on and about our ability to pull it off. This can certainly stop our writing in its tracks.

4. Marketplace blues: delays and rejections. After a few months or years of nothing but rejection slips, it can become harder and harder to keep pouring your heart into your work. Sometimes, after numerous near misses and “almost” sales, writers can come to mistrust editors, agents, even the writers in their critique group, wondering if they have hidden agendas. After being rejected enough, the writer may feel unable to face another editorial comment, bad review, or misplaced manuscript, not to mention payment that never arrives and stories that never get scheduled for publication. It’s not surprising if he’s blocked.

5. Regular life: finding time and energy to write while attending to the ongoing demands of life. All the pressures we human beings face–family and financial needs, inner compulsions, leaky faucets, illnesses, difficult bosses–make us feel sometimes that we can’t have both a writing life and a regular life, one that includes time for play as well as work. When we’re busy writing, we feel guilty about neglecting friends and other interests; yet when we’re playing or socializing, we can feel guilty for not writing. This inner push/pull can eventually cause us to block.

6. Fatigue: physically worn out. Each step in the creative process requires energy. If you’re working a day job to put food on the table, coaching soccer on the weekend, and hosting a dinner party for a friend’s anniversary, there may simply be no energy left. You may still want to write, truly want to, but be blocked because for the moment your tank is running on empty.

7. Environmental blocks: too much noise and chaos in your surroundings. Writers who can’t write at home–who swear they’re totally blocked–have been able to write easily and prolifically when transported to a cabin in the mountains or an isolated seaside retreat. Why? They were removed from the noise of city streets, roommates’ stereos, toddlers crying, other people’s phones, or whatever was keeping them too distracted and on edge to write. Freed from the noise and chaos, surrounded by peace and quiet, these blocked writers often find they’re not blocked at all.

8. Information-specific blocks: when you can’t answer or solve a particular question in your writing. Perhaps it’s your first mystery novel, a private eye whodunit. You realize you don’t know how it should differ from a police procedural, nor are you sure of the legal limits on a private eye’s operations. Or perhaps the 12-year-old hero of your children’s book aspires to be an Eagle Scout someday and you don’t know just what activities that will entail. You’re blocked because you lack specific knowledge. These types of blocks can be taken care of easily, as soon as you identify what it is you need to know.

9. Skill deficiency block: when you don’t have the practical skill needed to proceed with your work. Perhaps you’re blocked in finishing your biography of the first African-American astronaut because you don’t know how to acquire permission for the photos you’d like to use. Or maybe you’ve planned to take your own photos for an article about a local nature reserve; you have the writing all done, yet you’re blocked from finishing because you realize you don’t really know enough about cameras and lighting and film speeds. These are practical skills you need to acquire before you can unblock.

10. Anxiety and/or depression blocks: nerves, doubts, worries, fears, and panic. This may be the first sign of any kind of block, and the foremost symptom to deal with. Sometimes our worries are realistic. Can we afford to spend time writing stories that might never sell? On the other hand, if we sell a book, will our insecure partner sulk or even walk away? If we write that “coming-of-age” novel, will our parents or siblings recognize themselves in our work and be upset or angry? Anxiety can produce a restless energy that keeps us from being able to sit still long enough to write. On the other hand, depression can leave us too lethargic to get up off the couch and make it to the desk.

A Tailor-Made Solution
Different blocks require different solutions. A few days of peace at a seaside cottage wouldn’t help the blocked writer who didn’t know how private eyes operate–but it could work wonders for the parent of twins. Taking an assertiveness training/confidence building course won’t help the weary postal worker moonlighting to write a historical novel–but it could work miracles for the shy, retiring writer with a drawer full of manuscripts he’s afraid to s
ubmit.

So take the time to get to know yourself. If you’re blocked, find out why. Then outline and implement a step-by-step plan for blasting through your block. Read excellent books on the subject, like If You Can Talk, You Can Write by Joel Saltzman, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont, Deep Writing by Eric Maisel, and The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes. Help is available if you want to break through your personal blocks and create the writing life of your dreams.

(excerpt from Writer’s First Aid by Kristi Holl, 2003)

February 13, 2008

Do you ever wish you could ask an agent your “beginner” questions? Maybe something like these?

• “What do I need to know about creating a proposal for an agent? Is it like filling out a form, or do I create the story for them to see?”
• “Do you suggest a writer seek endorsements before approaching an agent?”
• “How extensive of a platform do you look for in a first-time novelist (as opposed to a new non-fiction writer)?”
• “What do you think about getting a copy of your book printed by LULU or some place like that, for the sole purpose of showing it to publishers during a pitch session?”
• “How has the huge influx and influence of blogging in recent years affected writing, writers, and the writing industry?”

Well, now you can find the answers to these questions. Agent Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary answers them for you here.

February 11, 2008

“I don’t care how much power, brilliance, or energy you have, if you don’t harness it and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there, you’re never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants.” — Zig Ziglar, author and motivational speaker

I’ve been thinking about focus a lot lately. There are two kinds of focus for writers to consider. First is the type Suzanne Lieurance writes about in “Where Is Your Focus?” In part, she says, “Generalists can take on all sorts of assignments. The trouble is, generalists are never recognized as experts in anything. And, we all know, experts are paid big bucks for their expertise. So take some time this weekend to figure out what your focus should be.” That’s one kind of focus. On what topics or genres do you choose to concentrate your writing energies?

The second kind of focus has to do with the steps we need to take to achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves. If you don’t focus, though, you can end up with “Too Many Balls in the Air,” according to motivational speaker, Craig Harper. Among other things, he says that “we simply try and do too many things at once. We are unrealistic in our approach. We don’t use our time, resources or skills optimally. We work hard, not smart. We are very busy achieving not much. We are emotional and reactive, rather than methodical and strategic… We don’t get focused. We have the attention span of a two year-old. We change our mind every five minutes and we get distracted easily. Every week we’re gonna do, and be, something different. We need single-minded, unwavering determination and focus, not occasional bursts of enthusiasm.”

How focused are you? When you lose focus, how do you regain it?

February 9, 2008

I’ve journaled off and on for years, but last week I found a use for it that was new (for me, at least). During my career, I’ve sold 35 books and been blocked numerous times. There are many causes of blocks, but not so many solutions. Getting away from my computer to relax–my favorite solution–wasn’t really an option. The proposal was due and nowhere near finished. Plus, the block occurred when I’d only been at my desk twenty minutes. Hardly time for a break yet!

I had read somewhere, though, about a writer who journaled about her block when she was stuck. She claimed it unstuck her quickly. I’d never tried it because, frankly, I couldn’t see how it would work. But last week I gave it a try. I was having trouble with a plot outline for a new juvenile novel. The structure appeared solid, with several complications and disasters that led to a climax and good ending. But something bothered me–something was wrong with it. But I just couldn’t put my finger on the problem.

So I decided to stay glued to my chair, open another (blank) document, and call it “Journal.” I sat there and journaled about the problem I was having. I wrote that I felt something was wrong with the outline. I explored several things that bothered me about it. Within three or four paragraphs of journaling, I had figured out the problem. In the opening and middle, I’d created several complications and disasters related to the main plot problem, but the dramatic climax scene involved the SUBplot, not the plot! Since the same characters were in main plot and the main subplot, I hadn’t noticed that I’d veered off-track. Journaling about what bugged me brought it to the surface. It wasn’t a hard fix to make, once I realized what the problem was.

From now on, for every book I write, I’m going to have a separate file in the folder just for journaling about the book as I write it. Last week I used the technique several times: to develop a more believable character motivation in one scene, to find ways to make the setting impact the characters more, and to create ways to spice up dialogue that dragged.

What unusual ways have you found a journal useful?

February 8, 2008

Do you read widely? Do you study the techniques of all genres–short stories, novels, screenwriting, poetry, thrillers, sci-fi–not just the one you want to be published in?

Cross-training is just as important for writers as it is for athletes. If you don’t study widely, read “It’s All Useful” by Sherryl Clark–and you’ll change your mind!

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