Beginnings

A WHOLE NEW YEAR!!!!!!

New dreams.

New goals.

New possibilities.

Isn't it awesome we have so many chances to start over?

Write what you love

LET EVERYTHING ELSE TAKE CARE OF ITSELF

While my computer spent time in the computer hospital, I caught the crud and endured a few sleepless nights thinking about writing.

Every writer I know hopes their work will be the next blockbuster. I know writers who write with that goal solely in mind. I’ve fallen prey to that malady myself.

While feeling crummy, it occurred to me that trying to write the next blockbuster could be an inspiration killer. How about is? Worrying that the story will be interesting enough for a million people to want to read could paralyze the thinking process.

Most of the time it does. It did for me. I have two rejected manuscripts to testify to that misguided approach.

How does one predict what the readers want next? Trying to guess could cause you to spend prodigious amount of time on a dud.

What if, instead, you write something you love? Write that book you would eagerly order from Amazon.com. There’s a huge chance your book will have more life in it than the best seller you’re trying to write.

And who knows…..

Are You Sure You Want To Be A Writer?

IF SO....

you must be willing to embrace the inevitable despair that accompanies doing your best.

Of all the arts, writing is perhaps the most difficult. It’s not a performing art, so you don’t have the immediacy of a live audience to let you know how you’re doing. It’s only black marks on white paper--

Um... computer screen

--it’s not pretty like painting or architecture. Everyone thinks he can do it, so writing has little prestige.

It can be lonely work.

So we have to get used to the despair.

And keep on writing, of course.

Note: I also watch my musician friends work on their recordings just as hard and with the same hope that writers do. And looking to future success in the same way. And feeling the despair. Yet keeping on....

What do you do to keep going when you want to chuck it all and take up knitting? Or sleeping?

Your Destiny

YOU CAN DECIDE

It's not what we do once in a while that counts, but our consistent actions. What ultimately determines who we become and where we go in life? The answer is our decisions. It's in these moments that our destiny is shaped. More than anything else, our decisions--not the conditions of our lives--determines our destiny.

Dream BIG. If there were no limitations holding you back, what destiny do you want?

Where And When Do You Create?

DO YOU USE CREATIVE RITUALS?

If not, invent some.

Rituals can spark our creative process. For some of us, a ritual can be a simple routine that readies us for inspiration.

One writer begins her writing day at her dining room table with a fountain pen and a yellow legal pad because she loves the color of the ink. When she finally gets to her computer, she is surrounded by pictures she has gathered that fit her story.

You could read before you start working... go for long walks on the beach or in the park.

In my case to the nearest bench... just across the street. Then I have to get my strength back to go back home. Luckily the new hospital is on the other side of the parking lot.

Ah-hem... It's not that bad, really.

A lot of writers start their day with a cup of coffee and a gander at the rising sun. I don't drink coffee, but I like to watch the sun come up.

I try to start work early, before the world comes alive.

But when I'm having a difficult time, I put the timer on for twenty minutes (I have one on my computer) and I say to myself, "Okay, you're not inspired, fine, but you're going to do this for twenty minutes. Write something, even if its a list of things you're NOT going to write about..."

... werewolves, bungee jumping, the history of the south pole, a study of Frankenfish--I don't know why.

Usually by the end of twenty minutes, I've found my inspiration.

Lately I've been reading what I've written that day before going to bed. I'm hoping for that 'something' that inspired writers like J. K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer. Maybe I'll get answers and clarity in MY dreams.

What rituals do you use that work for you? I'm always looking for other approaches I can try.

Creating A Sanctuary

A SPACE OF YOUR OWN

As writers we need some alone time to set the stage for creative reflection. A sanctuary offers a place to indulge our creative spirit to fuel our creative process.

Not everybody has the luxury of an entire room In that case carve out a corner in your living room or bedroom.

Once I created a getaway space in a wardrobe, complete with huge pillow, blankets and books. Get a chair and a basket filled with things you love - books, pictures, cds. If you don't create the space where you can go, you might not take the time to be alone. Surround yourself with meaningful treasures.

If you listen to music get a player with earphones. Or you might get candles or a string of small lights to enhance the relaxed, meditative mood for your personal space.

From time to time I have used my car as a getaway office. It was perfect because I could go anywhere.
My favorite spots were a high vantage point where I could overlook the whole valley and the cemetery where I was guaranteed privacy.

In a pinch, you could always turn your bathroom into an office. Lock the door, ignore the pounding from the other side and write.

Write To Be Great, Not Rich

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

That's not the kind of advice I want to hear... EVER. I want to be the next Stephen King/Stephenie Meyer/Tom Clancy/J. K. Rowling.

Most writers do.

As a career, writing attracts more people than any other field in the arts. It's a crowded profession and only those who love it regardless of financial reward can sustain themselves for very long.

If you're only writing because you want praise and notice, it won't keep you going.

You've got to want to write even more then you want praise and recognition.

Of course most of us want money.

After writing because you love it, its really nice when it pays. I wonder how many people dance around with their check from working at the grocery store. I'd bet that every writer who got their first royalty check did a happy dance around the house and then posted the news on facebook and Twitter, and any place else they could shout about it.

THE KEY... Being able to see your project through to the end.

Professional writers complete a book and then work just as hard, if not harder, to get it published.

It's that stubborn stick-to-it-ness.

I have a closet shelf lined with novels waiting for rewrite. Instead of starting that next tempting story I need to take those down and finish them. Any one of them just might be the next Best Seller.

Taking Time to Capture Your Ideas

DIPPING INTO YOUR WELL OF CREATIVITY

If you're out of touch with your inspired self, making a date to reconnect with that part of you opens the window.

Inspiration comes quietly. If you have to sit in front of your computer screen and look out the window absent-mindedly for an hour or two, don't worry. That's as it should be because its the sitting at your computer knowing you are going to write that gives your creativity permission to resurface. This is the time you've picked. It's going to happen, sooner or later.

And you must sit there tomorrow at the same time, for the same length of time, and the next day and so on, and so on, even if you don't write anything.

You'll begin to notice what your inspirations are, where they come from, what about them excites you. Then you must find a way to capture them. Many creative people keep journals of their insights and ideas. This is not a dairy of every day activities. This is a place to put your musings.

Chronicling your awarenesses, meandering thoughts and feelings gives them value and signals to your inner self that your creative process is getting attention.

Time is absolutely vital to your creative self. Sitting and staring isn't unproductive. Most writing happens while staring out the window. Don't berate yourself for day-dreaming. You're dipping into your creative well.

What is writing after all but putting your dreams to paper?

We All Have Dreams

WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS?

We all want to believe deep down in our souls that we have a special gift, that we can make a difference, that we can touch others in a special way, and that we can make the world a better place.

What is your dream? Maybe its one you've forgotten or let go. If that vision were alive today, what would your life be like?

Don't give up. Dare to dream again.

Train one eye on the mountain peak, the other on the path.

Enjoy the climb.

How To Find That Illusive Inspiration

TRUE INSPIRATION

Must Be Earned.

If you wait to be inspired before you start writing, you most likely will wait for a very long time. That bolt of soul-clarifying insight usually doesn't happen while you sit around waiting for it.

You have to write.

The physical act itself will free the imagination.

There's a technique known as stream of consciousness, and that should be the strategy of your first draft. Whatever words flow into your brain, let them continue to flow through your fingertips.

In theory, at least in its initial phase, writing is easy. One word after another. Inspiration usually comes mid-sentence.

Your muse will sing, but only when you're already on stage.

Advice From The Book of Quotes

OR A REALLY GOOD *FRIEND*

Since the first of the year my daily to-do list has been very short.

1. Work on my current rough draft.
2. Work on the current rewrite. (That's a different project than the rough draft.)
3. Focus on the current rewrite. Let the others stay in the closet until I'm finished.

This three point list is a lot harder to stick to than it sounds. The siren calls from the closet keep distracting me.

I get stalled trying to decide which one is the most advantageous to work on. I keep wondering if another one would attract an agent more.

Maybe I should work on one that keeps my interest. If what I'm working on doesn't even keep my interest then it's a piece of crap--right?

But what if it has potential? What if it's really good and I can't tell?

Then I should spend some time and energy on it. But is it this one or another one?

My mental debate keeps digging my indecisive hole deeper. Forward progress just isn't happening.

It wouldn't be a big deal if it had only been a two week debate, but I'm prone to this back and forth wrangling. Frequently. And I can work myself into some really good moods.

Which doesn't help with the writing.

SO I TURN TO THE BOOK OF QUOTES.

Being an author is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum. ~Graycie Harmon

Uh-huh. Got that one down.

To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing. ~Eva Young

Yeah. Got that one down too.

In desperation I turn to my best source of advise--and get the same thing she tells me over and over again.

"Just pick something and stick with it until it's done." -- Jaime Theler

That would be Number 3 on my daily to-do list.

For more from Jaime Theler see [Bookmom Musings]

Palin Mania

HOWEVER YOU FEEL ABOUT HER

WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO HAVE BOOK SIGNINGS LIKE THIS?http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Sarah-Palin

Believe in Yourself

EVEN IF NO ONE ELSE DOES

If you think you’re a writer…

If you read books thinking, “I can do this…”

In my case, “I WANT to do this… only better.”

If you stay up late into the night because you have to put your thoughts on paper…

If you self edit over and over (and over and over) because it doesn’t sound right and it’s driving you crazy…

If you know there’s a better way to say it, you just have to figure it out…

If you spend more time in the pen and notebook aisle than in the rest of the entire supermarket…

You’re a writer. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.

It takes a lot of work. Don’t kid yourself. Lots of sleepless nights. Years of study. Don’t let the hardship stop you.

Writing Is More Caft Than Art

MASTERING YOUR CRAFT

When I was studying art I was told the world's masterpieces didn't come about from brief flashes of inspiration when the artists sat around eating their breakfast. There was a lot of work and a lot of failures that went on before the great pieces of art came into being. It was the daily doing, the painting and sculpting, the hour after hour of constantly refining those efforts and frequently producing flops before the artists were able to create their works of genius.

Dolly Parton, a hugely successful songwriter, in a 2009 interview with CNN's Larry King Live, indicated that she had written "at least 3,000" songs, having written seriously since the age of seven. Parton went on to say that she writes something every day, be it a song or an idea. Not all of them are recording material but many of them have become huge successes.
[Larry King Live: March 7, 2009]

As a piano teacher I've seen students with less talent than others go farther because they did the hard work. Two of my students, who were very talented, went divergent ways because one did nothing with his talent, while the other practiced all the time. He has gone on to make a wonderful career in music.

Even though some may argue there is a measure of talent required, I believe anyone who wants to learn how to write can if they put forth the discipline and practice.

Heavy emphasis on practice. And I guess you can't slight the discipline.

Wait a minute....
This is getting kind of serious.
The bloggy me demands to be heard.

Breathe.
Okay.

Back to mastering the craft of writing.

You have to write because you can only learn it by doing. You improve with every word. It's like running. The more you run the farther you can go.

I have a mantra I chant to myself while I do something hard, "Its not the the nature of the thing that gets easier, but our capacity that increases.”

Unlike running, where the body eventually tires and gives out, your mind will keep you in the writing game.

THE KEY...

Study the craft of writing by doing it. You can read all the how-to books you can find, but you have to actually write to improve.

Write. Everyday.

Controlling Your Time

NOT WASTING YOUR MOST CRUCIAL COMPONENT

The fact that there are thousands of places to go for helps on maximizing time tells me that I'm not the only person who is plagued with this problem. In desperation, I've gone to countless of those sources. I've bought books, looked it up on the internet, went to seminars, and attended classes at writer's conferences.

No matter where I went, the topics covered were pretty constant.

* set priorities,
* set and achieve goals,
* get over your internal barriers,
* effectively organize your daily actions,
* make smarter decisions faster,
* uncover better options,
* prevent burnout,

So... after reading/hearing/watching the same topics over and over--I have to face the ugly truth--my biggest obstacle to writing is...

Procrastination.

A basic definition of procrastination is putting off the things that you should be doing now.

So how do you know if you are affected by this terrible condition?

When you put off your most important tasks.. (in my case,writing).. until later and then later and later, while you are getting busy with many not so important activities, you might be a procrastinator.

The problem might be as simple as

* Waiting for the right mood
and
* Waiting for the right time

But sometimes publishers move dates forward for when they want your project. If you've been procrastinating and waiting for the mood to hit, you might have to do your entire rewrite in a week. That's happened to me twice.

Since I'm looking at procrastinating from a writer's point of view, I see other things that lead to procrastination. (Besides, computer games, that is.)

* Lack of clear direction in your story
* Underestimating the difficulty of the task.

Sometimes writing is just plain drudgery. The actions scenes are fun, but rewrites, or rough drafts, or line editing can be mind boggling hard. In my case its the rough draft. THE WRITING IS SO BAD. I wonder from the beginning to the end if I'm any good.

* Underestimating the time required
* Unclear standards (each genre requires something different)
* Too ambiguous plot

* Fear of failure or fear of success
* Perfectionism

For me, better planning is the answer. Though, over planning can be a way to procrastinate the actual writing. I know one guy who's been planning his book out for 3 years.

Developing a set routine is working for me. Not turning on the internet is the hardest habit for me to break. That is a work in progress.

When You Can't Get Out of Bed Because of Christian Bale

WHO WANTS TO GO TO SLEEP?

My creative time is early in the morning.

I'm talking 4:00 am early.

Which means I have to get out of bed--frequently when I don't want to.

I have to plan ahead. Getting up early actually starts with going to bed early the night before. Sometimes that's a lot harder than getting up.

For example, I really shouldn't have stayed up late watching the Christian Bale movie I discovered at 10:30 pm.

Only I hadn't seen this one....

RESCUE DAWN

Who can resist Christian Bale?
I know... I'm weak.
It sucked me right in and didn't turn loose until it was over.

So.... as I have many times before, I slept through my alarm clocks. All three of them.

I need something bigger.