Branching out with my writing
come more options.
But does that choice mean you’re taking a chance? At alienating an audience? At annoying an editor? At disregarding the usually treasured advice of a colleague?
And that choice might mean a complete change in direction. You tilt toward fiction. You opt out of long, luxurious passages for a staccato delivery. You drop the local writing group that’s lost touch with its members’ needs.
Lots of ways to go with this writing thing.
Always.
Especially in what you’re writing.
Yes, you might have to sacrifice a few gigs.
But you can look yourself in the mirror, convinced you followed your own compass.
Take a look at numbers 3 and 4 in this list. [Thank you, Stephen King.]
Perfect time of year for it, of course.
There’s a good chance someone out there has shifted your writing life in a positive direction.
You don’t even have to trot out the flowery prose. Just talk to them on paper.
Ex. “You know what? You believed in me when I was ready to chuck it all. You were my audience of one and, at right then, that was enough for me. Thanks for being there. [and for the coffee].”
Keep it simple and sincere.
Then, go old school and pop it in the mail.
Polish off that piece of pumpkin pie and find that pen and paper.
You knew it was in there.
Under the mounds of ‘have-to’s’ and the ill-timed ‘what about this?’…
an ever-expanding inventory of ideas.
Just like writing for you, and you alone , you make time to delve into ‘what if?’ and ‘why not?’
No concrete goal.
Just play and see what materializes.
And to keep that momentum, check these out…
The Ultimate Guide for Becoming an Idea Machine
Writing projects…coming at you from all sides.
Most of them half-completed. [if you’re lucky].
Let’s hope you’re taking yesterday’s dealing with guilt advice to heart.
But there’s still work to do.
Sort out the three or four ‘loudest’, most insistent projects.
And get back to scheduling.
Give each of them at least 15 minutes.
[You and I both know those sessions will stretch to 25 or 30 minutes.]
You will see real progress and, even more important, you can sleep soundly knowing these projects are no longer collecting psychic dust.
Regret.
The TV show can wait.
The dishes can wait.
The laundry can wait.
Your creative life can’t.
“Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.”
—Larry L. King
“Style is to forget all styles.”
—Jules Renard
“It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.”
—Ernest Hemingway
Credit to: writersdigest.com
Life’s treating you like a captive in an outhouse.
But wait! Those ill-fated moments can launch you into some quality writing.
You shrug your shoulders, admit you have nothing to lose, reach for your pen and durable paper [no bathroom tissue, please], and have at it.
And…even if, in your heedless state, a little doubt is tucked in your back pocket, here is a vital kick in the seat of the pants.
Yes, it’s time…
One of your favorite characters has to meet his demise.
You’ve written yourself [your character, actually] into a corner.
Buck up, put on your ‘audacious author’ pants, and lead him off the pier.
So to speak.
To coin a phrase.
As it were.
Need a little help with this challenging next step?
Word Inventions