October 30, 2009

“One worthwhile task carried to a successful conclusion is worth half a hundred half-finished tasks.”

B. C. Forbes

The joy of writing is second only to the joy of finishing a writing project! When Friday afternoon rolls around, we automatically take a look at our week’s To Do list. What now is the status of various projects? (e.g. proposals, chapters, revisions, marketing, website updates, blogging, speeches to write)

Seeing projects crossed off as completed brings a pure rush of joy. It gives you a fabulous finish for the week.

Half-Baked Cakes

On the other hand, the fatigue of projects that weren’t completed or even moved forward much saps our writing energy. Whatever the reason (interruptions, illness, etc.) we didn’t finish them or accomplish the amount of writing we intended to. We may simply have never committed our energies to them in the first place. Dabbling won’t do it. Only committed hours of B.I.C. time (Bottom in Chair) will enable us to complete those projects.

Maybe, as you review your work week today, you’re not pleased with what got finished. [Trust me: I'm not!!] If not, commit to completing more projects and assignments next week. Don’t let unfinished work deplete your energy–because it will! Instead, turn that energy in a direction where it will do some good.

Use it to systematically tackle your work, write with speed and focus, and complete it. Fix your eyes on that fabulous finish line–and go for it!

October 28, 2009

I finally had one night off last night after three weeks of meetings, leading two support groups, and attending some necessary functions for a group where I’m Treasurer. People every night! I was wiped out, and yet (very oddly) feeling quite lonely. I couldn’t put my finger on “why.”

Then I read my own blog from two years ago, and the light went on. I’m going to post it again below  because if I needed reminding, you may too. [Hint: being busy and around people constantly may not be fulfilling your social and writerly needs at all.]

A Case of the Lonelies

Having been sick with hacking coughs and flu this week, I didn’t get out or see family as much as usual. So I developed a real case of the lonelies and decided to run some errands that had piled up. I’d get out of my office, smile at a few people, exchange some pleasantries, and I’d feel better.

At least, that’s how it used to work.

This time I went to five or six places, was super efficient, and came home just as lonely before. Why? What had changed? I think it started years ago when we went from gas station attendants to self-service stations. My day of errands went like this:

• Last year, when I mailed a package or bought stamps, I chatted with the lady at the post office window who also had a child in the military who was deployed. Today I mailed a package and bought my stamps at a machine in the lobby.
• Last year, I chatted with the librarian when I checked out my books, and she recommended several new titles on the shelf. Today I checked out at a kiosk.
• Last year I talked to the bank teller about what bug was eating our flowers and how to treat it. Today I got my cash from the ATM machine.
• Last year I talked to the grocery store check-out lady about her arthritis and how hard it was for her to stand all day. Today I took my few items through the self-service check-out.
• Last year the lady at Wal-Mart recommended a better kind of cough drop than the one I was about the buy–her son also suffered from allergies and knew about those things. Today I probably bought another ineffective brand of cough drop because I went through the self-checker aisle.
• Last year I took too long in line at the video store, discussing with a young clerk who had multiple piercings just when the new Jane Austen films would be released on DVD. Today I checked out a movie that looked “okay” from the McDonalds kiosk.

My point? Our society has become one of so much self-service that we can go all day without actually talking to a human being. For writers who work at home–and usually communicate through e-mail–we can grow lonely without realizing how it’s happening.

Take Action Now!

It’s more important than ever that you make sure your social needs get met. Join a critique group that meets weekly. Go to your writer events at Barnes and Noble and Borders. Join library book club discussions. Talk to writer friends in person or on Skype–not just email. Hear human voices! (It’s not that I live alone because I don’t. But my husband requires deep conversation about as much as any husband I’ve ever heard of.)

While writers DO need hours of solitude in which to work, too much can be detrimental to our emotional health. Take stock of your own social life. Get out there and live a little. It will be fun–and it will give you more to write about.

October 26, 2009

 Are you still undecided about whether to try NaNoWriMo this year? If so, the following message might be enough to nudge you into registering. This offer came in an email from the director of NaNoWriMo, Chris Baty. [When he refers to a NaNoWriMo "winner," it just means that you were able to create 50,000 words by the end of November.]

 

“We hope that you’ll be joining us for another month of literary abandon in 2009. For this year’s winners, we’re excited to announce that CreateSpace.com is once again offering all NaNoWriMo 2009 winners a free proof copy of their winning manuscript. What this means: A free proof copy of your 2009 manuscript in paperback book form. They’ll even cover the costs of basic shipping to you. We’ll be posting the code for all winners on the “I Wrote A Novel Now What?” page on December 2. In the meantime, you can read more about the offer in the NaNo forums.

To redeem the CreateSpace offer-and grab this year’s awesome NaNoWriMo winner’s certificates and web badges-you just need to come by the NaNo site and sign up for another season of literary abandon if you haven’t already. And then, when November 1 rolls around, we’ll sit down together and watch our latest high-velocity masterworks spill out onto the page.”

Countdown November 1st!

You don’t have anything to lose, but a lot to gain by signing up for NaNoWriMo. You’ll receive inspirational articles and emails from famous writers to help you keep going. There are forums, local social gatherings, and NaNo videos at the website. Keep up with current events and offers on the NaNoWriMo blog too.

I’ll remind you NaNo writers at the end of next month to go and claim your free bound copy of your NaNo project. You’ll choose your own cover, so keep that in mind as you near the end of November. Make this year’s NaNoWriMo project a keepsake you can hold in your hands–and let it inspire you all year round!

October 23, 2009

My best friend (who once lost 100 pounds) leads a successful weekly weight loss group. This week she and I discussed how much time it takes to stay on top of habits you are changing–and the shock of how much time it takes to maintain your success. (Not move ahead, mind you. Just not go backwards.) I was struck by the similarities of her discovery and my own (pertaining to new writing habits.)

Be Warned!
Just as it’s easy to regain weight you’ve lost, it’s also easy to slip back into the old habits that left you with no time or energy to write. It’s oh-so-easy to slowly slide backwards. You’ve made a lot of gains—but you also must maintain. How? Ultimately, the answer lies in how you think.

Single-Minded Focus
“There are approximately 5 percent of people in any country, in any nation, who will always raise the quality of their life above others. They so do because they choose how to think, day in, day out,” says Richard Bisiker, author of Unlock Your Personal Potential. In other words, where the mind (or thinking) goes, the man follows. Raise the quality of your thinking, and raise the quality of your life.

It’s important to keep your mind focused daily on your new beliefs, your new boundaries, and your new time-saving policies. Why is monitoring your thinking so important? As psychologist William James said, “That which holds our attention determines our action.” So, at least until all your new behaviors and attitudes are rock solid habits, pay attention daily to your new beliefs and goals. Each morning, plan ahead daily for interruptions and how to divert them. (“No, I can’t discuss that right now. I’ll phone you back at 5:00 p.m. and set up a time to talk.”) Or better yet, use your answering machine to avoid being pressured into snap decisions.

Review
Also, weekly and monthly, study your schedule of how you actually spent your time and compare it to your goals and policies. Is there slippage? Where did the writing time go? Did you get guilted into one more volunteer job or another home decorating party? Did you rescue someone again from consequences of their own actions, using your time to fix their self-created problem? Be ruthless as you examine how you actually spent your time.

Learn from both your successes and mistakes. What things worked that you’d like to repeat? What things would you like to change? Calendars and journals remind you of how you spent your time, show you whether your activities match your priorities, and help you see whether you are making progress. If you’re not sure you’ll do this essential checking up, find an accountability partner (writer or nonwriter) who will ask you the hard questions every week. The accountability check-in for time spent writing will prevent bad habits from sneaking back in unnoticed.

Setbacks
Sometimes interruptions occur that no one can help or avoid. You need to drop everything and attend to your sick child. Or there’s been a car accident, or in-laws have arrived for the holidays. The key to rebounding from these necessary interruptions is to view them as one-time events—not your new lifestyle. The events have a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Then you go back to your previous writing schedule. You do not stay stuck in the familiar people-pleasing role. See unavoidable interruptions as temporary.

A New Routine
In order to maintain your new writing life—and keep on gaining—certain things need to be done daily. Every day you will need to reflect on your life and chart your course. Every day you will need to renew the promise you made to yourself to make time to create. Every day you will need to seek out solitude where you can create. Every day you will need to take some action—small, medium or large—in the creation of your writing life. Every day you must plan how to spend your time that day—then follow that plan.

Be vigilant. Be diligent to put these habits into practice daily–and watch your creativity flourish. You’ll no longer dream of having a writing life. You’ll be living it.

October 21, 2009

Songwriter Irving Berlin knew that while talent may first separate you from others, the advantage it gives doesn’t last long. “Talent is only a starting point,” Berlin said. ”You’ve got to keep working that talent.”

Okay, but how?

John Maxwell, motivational speaker, often talks about finding your “strength zone,” or the areas you excel. He says the majority of people don’t do that. Instead, they waste time focusing on strengthening their weaknesses instead.

For example, I can write short nonfiction very quickly, and little rewriting is needed. On the other hand, I can’t write a poem to save my life. It would be silly for me to spend a large amount of time trying to write verse novels. Instead it makes more publishing sense to get even better at what I already do well.

Increased Talent?

Are you stuck with a certain amount of talent, and you just have to make do with it? Or are there ways to maximize whatever God-given talent you might happen to have? Maxwell (whom I follow on Twitter) says there are thirteen ways you can make the most of your talents. For writers–for anyone–that’s good news! Choose one of these ways today, and use it to help your talent grow.

1. Belief lifts your talent.
2. Passion energizes your talent.
3. Initiative activates your talent.
4. Focus directs your talent.
5. Preparation positions your talent.
6. Practice sharpens your talent.
7. Perseverance sustains your talent.
8. Courage tests your talent.
9. Teachability expands your talent.
10. Character protects your talent.
11. Relationships influcence your talent.
12. Responsibility strengthens your talent.
13. Teamwork multiplies your talent.

Get Started Today!

Many writers compare themselves to others and feel as if they were on the short end of the stick when talent was distributed. Even so, there are things you can do to help your talent grow. In tough economic times, this is good to know.

Which one of the ways above can you choose to implement today? And tomorrow? I challenge you to take each attribute and focus on one per week–and watch your talent grow in the coming months.

October 19, 2009

A couple weeks ago, I reminded you that It’s NaNoWriMo Time Again. This November marks the 10th National Novel Writing Month, when writers around the world attempt to create 50,000 words in 30 days. Participating the last two years helped me blast past some procrastinating and get moving again.

Help!

Several people wrote for tips on how to actually make yourself write that much. They asked about tricks of the trade, starter exercises, or anything that might help them stay productive throughout the month of November.

In the November Writer Magazine there was a short article about this, and several computer applications were suggested to help you. Here they are, for your perusal. I plan to try a couple of them myself. (Click on the headings to go to the programs.)

Write or Die

This online app at Dr. Wicked.com encourages writers to create a steady flow of prose. You can set a word and/or time goal and choose the severity in the “consequences” mode. (See below for your choices.) The strongest consequences come with kamikaze mode–it starts deleting characters if the user stops typing for too long. (Don’t worry–there’s a pause button if needed.) When you reach the goal you set, a trumpet sounds as your reward! (This online application doesn’t require downloading, which is nice, nor does it require creating logins.) Just don’t forget to copy and paste your writing into a word document when you’re done–Write or Die doesn’t save it for you. You can’t edit in the box they provide–only write new material. The idea is to separate the writing process and the editing process as much as possible.

Here are your “consequences” choices:

• Gentle Mode: A certain amount of time after you stop writing, a box will pop up, gently reminding you to continue writing.
• Normal Mode: If you persistently avoid writing, you will be played a most unpleasant sound. The sound will stop if and only if you continue to write.
• Kamikaze Mode: Keep Writing or Your Work Will Unwrite Itself

Blovel Spot

This is for people who are comfortable writing a blog. The novel is written in a series of blog posts using blogging software. Each chapter or section is published as a blog post. You can’t go back and edit previous chapters so you don’t slow down your progress. CAUTION: your writing goes public with the blog posting. You may not want your rough drafts out there where people can read them. Also, I’m guessing that most publishers would shy away from buying a book that has been published online. However, this could be a great way to warm up for the day, sort of “Diary of My Novel-in-Progress” sort of thing before you start writing.

Dark Room

This is designed for writers who crave a simple writing environment without distractions. (We ALL need that sometimes!) An easy download gives your computer the Dark Room effect. There is nothing on your dark screen but your writing. No other buttons, no way to play games or check email or hear Twitter tweets. Just you and your words until your writing time is over. (Mac users would need to go here for a similiar version.)

If these helps are enough to inspire you, then click over to NaNoWriMo right now and register. You have nothing to lose–and 50,000+ words to gain! Who knows? These applications may work so well for you that they become part of your personal writing routine. If so, let me know!

October 16, 2009

A year ago, I urged you to sign up for the free Muse Online Writer’s Conference. It’s been running this week, October 12-18, and my brain is over-stuffed at the moment. (Next time I won’t sign up for 28 different workshops!)

I’ve attended lectures on voice, overcoming creative blocks, writing tight, plot points and tension, enjoyed Q & A with agents and editors, pitched my middle-grade novel to an agent and got a “go ahead,” and so much more. Forums contain lecture notes and assignments, plus postings of lessons with feedback. The handouts were especially good, and I have a small binder full.

It was also especially helpful to me this year for health reasons to be able to sit in my good office chair, sleep in my own bed, eat my own food, and get up and walk around when necessary. I Skyped with a writer friend a couple of times this week (who was also “attending” the conference via her computer.) Discussing some of the workshops was helpful.

Don’t Miss Out!

It’s been a full week, and admittedly I got behind on the assignments. Next year, if I’m lucky enough to get one of the 1,000+ spots available, I will have to be more selective. I was, admittedly, like a kid in a candy store–where the chocolate was all free!

There are so many wonderful things about the Muse conference, and directors Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard-Johnson are to be commended for the tremendous amount of work they’ve done to give writers this chance.  I’ll let you know when it’s time to sign up for next year’s conference. You don’t want to miss this opportunity.

October 14, 2009

I’m still working on freeing my brain from worries that have robbed me of hours of creative time. It’s been rather an exciting discovery. I wish I’d done this digging years ago. (This follows the posts on “Fighting to Focus” and “Helping Yourself Worry.”)

Where’s Your Focus?

From what I’ve read, when you’re going through a crisis (yours or someone else’s), there is a single-minded focus that will help you regain your peace. And there’s a (more common) split focus that won’t help you at all. In all likelihood, it will make it worse. (Remember: we’re talking about how to keep hold of your creative hours when problems hit. Staying calm is paramount.)

Studies were done on people facing severe problems ranging from the terminal illness of a child to divorce. The people under strain who re-gained and maintained their peace did one thing very differently from those who fought desperately to be peaceful, but failed. This is a truth that can also apply to even the simplest worrisome problems you’re facing–worries that are stealing your writing time.

A Healthy Single Focus

The people who regained their peace and rode out the storm were those who had one focus: regaining their peace of mind. Once they did that, they were able to offer comfort and aid, but without worrying about the outcome of their help.

A Split Focus

The people who continued to worry and obsess and eventually get sick had a split focus: they tried to regain their calm mind too, but they also tried to control some aspect of the outcome. They were trying to control another person or an event that was beyond their control. There is nothing quite so crazy-making as trying to control something outside your control. And crazy-making pretty much equals obsessive worrying.

Regaining Your Focus

The quickest way to stop worrying is to give up trying to control something you have no control over. Instead, pour all that wasted energy into regaining a calm mind. I use a variety of things: a hard run, a bike ride, prayer, meditation, yoga, talking to a trusted friend, and watching uplifting movies. Find what works for you, and make that your single focus.

Get calm. Give your aid, if it’s healthy to do so. Then get on with your life.

If you’re consistent with this, you’ll find your emotions coming down out of the rafters and settling in so nicely. And then you heave a sigh of relief, rest a moment or two, and head to your writing room.

Creativity awaits!

October 12, 2009

Enable: to make possible or easy

I’ve been called an enabler before, and it usually has a negative connotation. It brings to mind a wife calling her drunk husband’s boss to lie for her husband’s absence. Or the dad who continues to pay for the college son’s tuition, even though he rarely goes to class and is flunking most of his subjects.

After Friday’s post on “Fighting to Focus,” I made a concerted effort to root out the reasons for my obsessive worrying. I knew from experience that I was believing some lies, and that those beliefs were stealing precious hours that I wanted to spend writing instead. Here are some ways I enable myself to worry. (Do you see yourself in any of these beliefs?)

Attitudes (Lies) that Enable

#1: It’s natural to worry.  It’s normal, and everyone does it, you say. Our default mind position seems to be toward problems, not solutions and answers. But lots of things are “natural,” including colds, flu, and accidents. Worry shatters your focus, robs you of sleep, destroys your peace, and (if you’re like me) really tints your thinking with mud-colored glasses. Worry isn’t natural or helpful. It’s harmful. And it’s one of the stinky things in the fridge that has to go.

#2: Failure to worry is dangerous. If you grew up in an unsafe environment or with a lot of chaos, you learned early that you needed a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C ready because people outside your control could tornado through your day and create a mess, requiring you to fall back and regroup. Having a back-up plan (or two) becomes so second nature that you wouldn’t think of not doing it. Letting go of worry and just “going with the flow” is downright risky, you believe.

If you have a basic fear that life is very unreliable–usually due to some traumas in your past–then worrying and planning excessively gives you a  false feeling of safety. It really does. However, excessive planning is just a way to worry on paper, it doesn’t stop out-of-control people from doing their thing, and it robs you of time you should spend on your own life.

#3. Worrying is a sign that you care. When something is happening to someone you love, or they are making poor decisions, it can feel callous to give a sign of caring (note or phone call), pray for them, and then turn your mind to something else. Somewhere along the path of life, I took on the believe that if I truly loved someone, I would be thinking (worrying) about them all the time. When I ran into someone who was able to care in a healthy way, but then attend to her own life, I (secretly) decided she was a cold human being with very little heart. (I know that sounds horrid, but I did.)

Argue Against the Beliefs

Now that I’ve pinpointed what I believe are the stinky lies in my rank refrigerator, I will systematically argue against them each time they go through my mind. I know how to counter lies with truth. The trick is to pay attention to your thinking, catch the negative thought, and pounce on it immediately. Then replace it with the truth–out loud, if necessary.l

Repeatedly and consistently take the thought captive, expose it to the light, tell yourself the truth–and sooner or later, the worry trap will spring open. When it does, walk away and don’t look back.

Freedom (and hours to be creative) await!

October 9, 2009

After receiving a couple of pieces of very unwelcome news last weekend, it took me the better part of this week to regain my writing focus.

Most mornings were spent getting my mental and spiritual act together, which resulted in having to work till very late at night to complete some projects with deadlines. I got the work done, but I didn’t enjoy any of it.

Today I found myself very mad–at ME.

Time for a Change

Neither situation last weekend was my fault. I didn’t cause either thing, I couldn’t cure either problem, and I can’t control what those people are still doing. So it really, really irritated me that I spent so many hours this week thinking, reading, praying, and journaling about it.

I’ve always been this way, as far back as age four, the earliest I can remember. Obsessive thinking doesn’t help the other person, and it sure doesn’t help me. It robs us of hours and hours of productive, HAPPY times. And for writers, it robs our time to write, our relaxed ability to create, and a focused mind so necessary for our projects.

Enough is Enough!

Yesterday I read a quote that really got me to thinking. In The Little Book of Letting Go by Hugh Prather, it said: “We talk to children about the ‘power of the imagination.’ We attend seminars that tell us our minds have immense reserves of untapped capacity. All in all, we have done a superb job of kidding ourselves that in our roomy ‘attic’ all is useful, worth keeping, and in good repair. But if we observe our minds closely for just one hour, we see that instead of a boundless chamber of magic and wonder, our minds are more like stuffed and stodgy refrigerators that emit peculiar odors.”

It’s time to clean out my refrigerator. I’ve come to realize that all this obsessive thinking and worrying is a life-long bad habit. It’s not a mental illness that needs a pill. It’s not an emotional illness that needs counseling. It’s a bad habit–and habits can be broken.

Identify the Culprit First

I’ve broken lots of harmful habits in the past, and nearly every time it involved discovering the lie I was believing about something. We all have them. (The obese person may believe the lie that “gorging myself will bring comfort.” The procrastinator believes the lie that “I work better under pressure.” The rescuing mom believes the lie that her grown children shouldn’t/couldn’t be responsible for themselves.)

Time to dig into this stinky “mind” refrigerator and find the spoiled junk emitting the odors. Look out! Don’t stand behind me. There’s gonna be some bad stuff chucked outta here!

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