July 28, 2010

I received a lot of email about “Obsessed? Absolutely” based on Brainstorm by Eric Maisel. I want to write more about it this week, plus the 30-day “Creative Obsession Challenge” I’m planning with a writer friend in August.

I also want to clarify that this obsessing is more than just heavily thinking about something; it’s about turning that obsession brainstorm into actually creating.

From Thinking to Writing

I’m 2/3 of the way through Maisel’s book, which I am finding intriguing. We all obsess about things or events or people. It seems to be the human default position. However, the idea of turning that wasted obsessing into creative obsession that moves the writing forward excites me.

I like his tips on spotting negative obsessions, as well as preventing your creative obsession from sliding into something negative. His ideas of how to work this creative obsessing time into an already full life were good and echoed many of the things we’ve discussed on this blog.

FYI

While I want to share a lot of Maisel’s ideas, my concern is that I don’t plagiarize his book here. For example, I’d like to give you his ten steps from Chapter Eleven on “Your Productive Obsession Checklist,” but I shouldn’t. You’ll need to buy his book for that.

However, a friend of mine who was involved with the research Maisel did for Brainstorm sent me a link to a lengthy interview with the author. This gives a good overview of the book and its ideas. I hope you’ll read it.

To whet your appetite for exploring this “creative obsession” idea on your own, I will quote from some of the people who took his 30-Day Challenge.  There were many ups and downs throughout the month as people bit into their creative obsessions and held on for the ride. But reading their final reports made me say, “I want that too!”

Productive Changes

For example, at the end of the month of “creatively obsessing,” here’s what some people were saying:

• Jerry: The thing that surprised me the most was how happy I have been this month…It made me realize that I’m the one who makes up the rules that I live by, so it helped me break out of some old habits.
• Alice: I recognized the difference between my negative obsessive thoughts and my productive obsessive thoughts. The negative thoughts just walk circles in my head, and nothing else happens…The productive obsessive thoughts push me into motion. They excite and energize me.
• Marissa: I was suprised that I could keep obsessing in spite of interruptions and day job busyness…I don’t have to lose it whenever life throws in a monkey wrench and then find it all over again.
• John: I am no longer rushing yet am getting infinitely more done.

I hope those statements (by formerly frustrated, blocked, anxious writers and artists) inspire you to look into creatively obsessing. Start by reading the author’s interview on the subject.

Does this subject intrigue you? Does it sound like something you’d also like to try for 30 days? Give it some thought!

July 2, 2010

I can’t believe I never thought of this before! I feel ditzy even admitting this, but maybe it will help you like it’s helped me.

Aha! Moment

I have dozens of great writing books, and many of them contain terrific writing exercises to help us improve our craft. Some will improve the quality of your description, some will develop character emotions, some will pep up your dialogue, etc.

When I buy a book like this, I start out with great enthusiasm, using a clean notebook to do the writing prompts and exercises. Less than a week later, I’ve put the book on the shelf. Why?

Doing the writing exercises takes time. And I have so little writing time that I don’t feel I can spend it doing writing exercises.

What’s the Answer?

I never thought–until today–to combine the two things! I can’t believe this never occurred to me. I’m reading The Writer’s  Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writing Life.  At first, I groaned when I read this: “Basic productivity underlies everything else. Take the chapters one by one. Actually do the exercises!“

I sighed and almost quit reading. But the author, Priscilla Long, added this instruction that created the AHA! for me: “But–and this is crucial–do every exercise in relation to some peice you are working on. Don’t just make up sentences on the fly, out of your head. Instead, in your writer’s notebook, write out a paragraph from the piece you are working on as it currently exists. This is your ‘before’ paragraph. Then work the paragraph, using whatever craft technique you are currently deepening… When you get an ‘after’ paragraph you like, type it back into the piece.”

Paradigm Shift

Actually doing the exercises in the craft books (or your lesson manual) is what improves your writing craft. So put your study/craft book right beside the manuscript you’re working on and use portions of your current work to do the exercises. You’ll be growing as a writer AND revising your manuscript at the same time.

I’m going to go back and systematically use the writing exercises in all the books on my shelf–while applying the exercises to my current revison. This technique will revolutionize my studying from now on!

I realize that many of you have probably been doing this for years! But it’s news to me–and I’m excited to see how this is going to change the way I write. If you try this, let me know how it works for you.

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.

January 23, 2009

“I want to be my own boss.” That statement is often heard by people who want to quit their day jobs and work at home. As writers, we love the idea of no one telling us what to do. We love being able to schedule our work and our days. It’s a wonderful system–but only if you have a wonderful boss.

Are you the kind of boss you’d like to work for? Most days I am, but it’s taken years to get to this point. Over the years I’ve been many kinds of bosses–some of them good, some destructive. Which kind are you?

The Coach Boss

In my early years of writing, back when it was all new to me, my boss was a real coach. Enthusiastic, fun, excited, non-restrictive. She wanted me to explore all my writing and publishing options, try various topics and formats just to see if I liked them, and she never harped about the bottom line. She was fun to work for–and my work showed it (in terms of both quantity and quality) despite being surrounded by babies and toddlers at the time.

The Authoritarian Boss

I worked for this boss next. He held a whip over my head, which he cracked often (like if I slowed down or considered taking a sick day.) To be honest, this boss got a LOT of work out of me. I dragged myself to his office no matter how sick I was. Days off were frowned on, so I rarely took one. It wasn’t worth it anyway. I felt his condemning glare no matter where I tried to hide from him. It was easier to give in and work nonstop than fight him. After all, there were bills to pay! I knew the quality of my writing was going down, but this boss didn’t seem to notice or care. Quantity was everything to him.

The Paranoid Boss

This boss believed in lots of networking, and at first, I liked his ideas. I met other writers, read their work, saw their websites and blogs and podcasts and newsletters and UTube videos and book trailers. Unfortunately, my boss couldn’t let me enjoy all the new things I was seeing. He started breathing down my neck, changing orders every half hour. “We’re behind the times!” he’d whisper in my hear. “Create a newsletter!” I’d start that project, but soon he said, “Yours isn’t as good as the competition’s! Drop that and create a teleseminar instead!” No matter how many projects I juggled, this boss let me know it was never good enough. My job was always in jeopardy. I took out stock in an antacid company.

The Dream Boss

While I was in the hospital recovering from working for the paranoid boss, a wonderful thing happened. My dream boss visited one day with a bouquet of daffodils and box of chocolates–and offered me a job. I’ve been working for this boss ever since, and I hope she lives forever! She gives me one project to do at a time. “Multi-tasking is another name for fragmented,” she informed me. I now write for two hours before I’m required to do anything else. My boss doesn’t compare my work to anyone else’s. She loves quality, but she doesn’t measure quality by the size of the advance. She’s understanding about sick days, yet she makes sure I show up for work most of the time because she knows I’m happier that way.

You’re the Boss

Writers are in the enviable position of being their own bosses. Are you the kind of boss you’d like to work for? If not, you have the power to change that. Starting today, be your ideal boss. List the traits of your perfect boss, the kind of treatment you’d love to receive. Then turn around and give yourself that treatment. You’ll be a happier, more productive employee!

January 21, 2009

Do your writing first! Leave the dishes and your exercise routine and everything else–and just write. Haven’t we all heard that advice a hundred times?

I have–and I’m still no good at it. But from this point on, I will be!

Accountability, thy name is Donna!

In the online class I’m taking this month, we were encouraged to pair up with what is called a change coach. We hold each other accountable and encourage each other to pursue our goals. And we’re supposed to confront (nicely) when our partner isn’t keeping her commitment.

My change coach is Donna McDine, the middle-grade novel reviewer at the Writing for Children Center. A graduate of the Institute’s course, she also blogs at the “Write What Inspires You!” site. We noticed this week that while we both have great written goals, put in lots of hours, and truly LOVE to write–we weren’t getting much writing done on our own projects. (We wrote for others, critiqued, reviewed, taught, and blogged–but by the time we got around to our own books, we were too tired or it was evening and others needed us.)

Ready, Set, Go!

So, we made a deal, Donna and I. We have committed to writing first thing each morning on our own projects. I’m aiming for a minimum of an hour daily. If we can do more, great. But Monday through Friday, we’ve promised to spend time on our books first. When we’re done, we’ll email each other to say how long we wrote. It won’t take us long to send that email, but since I’ll know Donna is waiting for my report, I bet I get the writing done.

It’s on our schedule first now. And we’re planning ahead for success. We’re taking time before we quit each day to set up our desks with all the materials we’ll need to get started right away in the morning. One iron-clad rule we agreed on: absolutely NO Internet until the writing is done.

Do YOU write first thing each morning, before you get caught up in the day’s demands? If so, what are the tricks YOU use to make it work? We can use all the tips you have as we try to establish this new habit!

March 28, 2008

Lately I’ve felt overwhelmed when I looked at the various writing projects sitting on my desk. Given a choice, I’m a one-project-at-a-time gal. But right now, I’m in the middle of a nonfiction teen book requested by an editor (yeah!), a series proposal which needs sample chapters written, a serious middle grade novel that needs revision, and a lot of marketing ideas for my websites. I had “Mexican jumping bean mind” and couldn’t seem to stick with any project, but bounced from one thing to another.

So I looked for answers in the “Morning Nudges” I’d saved for several weeks. And I found it! (I’ve mentioned this free bit of encouragement before. At the Working Writer’s Coach, you can sign up for Suzanne Lieurance’s free e-book, Get Your Freelance Writing Career Off the Ground. When you sign up for the e-book, you also receive her daily “Morning Nudge” in your inbox.) When I re-read the one below, I knew I’d hit pay dirt. Several weeks ago, Suzanne had written:

People always ask me why I’m not stressed out over all the things I have to do every day. My answer is simple. I schedule everything. Once something is on my schedule, I don’t think about it any more until the scheduled time for it. That way, I’m able to relax and focus on just one thing at a time. I also avoid guilty feelings when I’m enjoying myself because I schedule leisure activities into each day as well as work. Scheduling is very powerful. Try it!

So that’s what I did this morning before starting work on anything. I sorted notebooks and papers into four project piles. Then I tackled one pile at a time, in order of priorities. (A requested book manuscript always takes priority with me.) With calendar and daily planner in hand, I mapped out deadlines, then broke all the projects down into very manageable sizes. I discovered this week that I can work 90 minutes at a time at the computer before getting neck pain and headaches. So while making the schedule, I penciled in breaks after each 90-minute working segment. (For me, it has to be get-away-from-the-computer time, both to rest my eyes and to exercise my back and neck. Example: this morning’s breaks were spent weeding a flower bed and walking.) I came back refreshed, and with my brain ready to switch gears and focus on the next project. Part of the walking/weeding time was spent thinking about the next project and mentally shifting gears.

Suzanne said scheduling was powerful. So far, I have to agree. Powerful and productive both. I like being able to focus on one thing at a time, knowing the other projects will get their turn in due time. I’m all in favor of anything that helps me focus!

February 4, 2008

I was interviewed today (2/4/08) on Book Bites for Kids, a website run by Suzanne Lieurance, a fulltime children’s author, freelance writer, and owner of Working Writer’s Coach. On BlogTalkRadio, she interviews children’s authors and editors. Today we talked about making writing into a career, obstacles to overcome, tips for new writers and other topics. The interview was thirty minutes, minus the first few seconds when I had trouble getting online–so be patient for about a minute.

I also encourage you to check out the hostess’s website. At the Working Writer’s Coach, you can sign up for Suzanne’s free e-book, Get Your Freelance Writing Career Off the Ground. When you sign up for the e-book, you also receive her daily “Morning Nudge,” which I truly enjoy. Her word of encouragement arrives in my inbox each morning, nudging me to get started and make it a great writing day.