Branching out with my writing
Granted, some listeners might require a little more encouragement than others.
And remember yesterday’s advice to ‘be interesting’?
You stand a really good chance with this demographic. Just give it a little time.
Okay, you embraced that willingness to be an awkward beginner.
Bravo!
Now that the inclination is there, let’s look to something you’ve not tried yet.
Like–don’t take this personally–‘being interesting’.
Check out list item #24 in Shaunta Grimes’ 25 Habits That Will Make You a Writer.
Go be interesting!
Willingness to flail.
Willingness to fail.
Jill Badonsky, in her book The Muse Is In , calls it a willingness to be an awkward beginner.
She would be on board with yesterday’s message: Lighten up.
And keep it simple.
Shrink your goals.
Finish something…other than those cinnamon rolls you pulled out of the freezer.
Willingness to fail?
Sure.
Just don’t fail yourself.
Your writing might change the world.
But that’s not for you to decide.
Don’t start with the world.
Start with your world.
And with each new written word, realization, reminiscence, character, or plot twist, your world will change.
Even if just a little bit.
Okay, so you’re past the guilt. You’ve conquered despair. [Frankly, you were a mess this week.]
It’s time to finish something.
Yes, to you, a foreign concept.
But today’s the day.
The TV is unplugged [yes, you’re that serious], the wi-fi will soon be off, fresh coffee awaits, and you dove into the freezer for those cinnamon rolls. [Cooking takes a back seat today.]
And you’ve reached a conclusion: You don’t work well under pressure.
So you’re going to: A) Start with the smallest unfinished project first. B) Work in 15-minute increments.
Joe Bunting from thewritepractice.com prescribes small deadlines. Sounds contrary to your not working well under pressure, but…
Cut to Jon Acuff in his book Finish–“Cut your goal in half.”
Jane Porter also chimes in with solid support in her Fast Company contribution.
Final word: Go!
You made it past yesterday’s guilt.
Time for another demon.
You want to give up. Words aren’t flowing. Ideas aren’t flowing. Tears, however, well, they might be another story.
Ben Angel in his contribution on Entrepreneur suggests two steps to win out:
Ali Luke’s guest post on Goinswriter.com teases out the issue even more extensively. Lots of good ideas here to think through, including ways to cope with:
And you could always subscribe to Copyblogger’s Brian Clark’s mantra: Keep going.
Greetings.
I’ve added four new components to the free prewriting course:
More details here: [The Teachable version will be available this weekend.]
https://wordinventions.blog/prewriting-course/
You’re camped out under your apple tree watching a woodpecker five feet away.
It’s the closest you have even been to one in your life.
And you wonder, ‘Geez, am I so lethargic that a woodpecker has no clue a living being is nearby?’
That’s when you should reach for a trusty source of inspiration:
Yes, it’s just a bird. And yes, you’re not raking in serious cash, but your writing life is not routine. And for that, you can be thankful.
Your search for new stories has taken its toll.
There is no way that chapter’s getting done. You’d be lucky if you make it past the title.
Shrug it off and take that nap.
If you wake up the next morning, so be it.
Who knows–all that rest might have launched your subconscious into overdrive.
And that brilliant plot twist will appear when you least expect it.
And here’s another convincing benefit–you’ll live longer.
That search for new story material from yesterday?
Perhaps you were a little overzealous.
Take your quest down a notch. Or at least wait till the clothes are dry…and nobody’s around.
Word Inventions