I posted this over a year ago, but it’s a favorite and it boils down our ‘showing up to work’ to five minutes.
[Unfortunately, the SoundCloud link is no longer active.]
Patrick McLean’s Five-Minute Writing Pep Talk
Image from Google’s online timer
Tag Archives: overcoming resistance
Writers Horoscope for October 25: You launch into a new genre.
Yeah… mystery sounds good.
Let’s start with this one: Why, when you get some momentum in one endeavor, do you delve into something entirely new?
There certainly is the freshness factor–the exhilaration of trying something new.
But there may be the ‘Finishing the last project means I’m that much closer to rejection’ factor.
Yikes.
Solve that mystery first…then you can set up your fictional detective agency.
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A five-minute writing pep talk…
One that I revisit regularly. Give the audio version a try. [SoundCloud link on the page.]
Patrick McLean’s Five-Minute Writing Pep Talk
In the survey below, feel free to let me know which points settled into your writing ethic. Thanks.
Five takeaways from Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
This book was also overdue at the library and I was darn tired of checking out and not gleaning at least something from each item. (Plus, this is one honkin’ big book and while I got a good workout from carrying it around, I wanted something more. ;->] )
Tons more wisdom and knowledge in this book.
- “It doesn’t matter how many people don’t get it. What matters is how many people do.” Tim Ferriss, Rule #1 for dealing with haters.
- “When 99% of people doubt you, you’re either gravely wrong or about to make history.” Quote from Scott Belsky, founder of Behance. [Noted by Peter Diamandis, author of Bold and Abundance.]
- “Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” Benjamin Disraeli, former British Prime Minister.
- “The big question I ask is, ‘When I had the opportunity, did I choose courage over comfort?’” Brené Brown, author of Daring Greatly, The Gifts of Imperfection, and Rising Strong.
- “Free education is abundant, all over the Internet. It’s the desire to learn that’s scarce.” Tweet from Naval Ravikant, CEO and founder of AngelList. Co-founder of Vast.com and Epinions.
Quieting the Lizard Brain [Seth Godin]
I would say that I need this reminder at least once a week. All 18 minutes are worthwhile. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip to minute 11.
Says Steven Pressfield about resistance: RESISTANCE IS MOST POWERFUL AT THE FINISH LINE. (page 18 in his The War of Art)
Dabble Hour: Keeping Favorite Projects Alive
I have confess…there are projects I still want to stay involved with, but, as Steven Pressfield says [and I agree], delving into multiple projects–thus leading to nothing being finished–suggests yet another triumph of resistance over progress.
And so, for the next week, I’m going with a compromise: Dabble Hour.
I’ll give myself one hour a day to at least stay in touch with some of those side creation/writing projects…even if it’s five minutes to type up a few pertinent ideas, a snippet of dialogue, or log a resource-filled website or two.
Better than letting them sit in the corner of the room in a dust-blanketed notebook.
Whoa, was I off base…
So, cut to: Guide to Literary Agents blog.
I’m entering the 30th Free “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest [URL is also below].
Requirements: A first page of an unpublished middle grade fiction manuscript.
I pulled up a favorite piece and fully expected the first 300 words to need a mere light polishing.
Uhhhh, no. Major delusion.
Pen in hand, I started reading and winced at bloated phrasing, forced metaphors, and unnecessary details. Ugly, very ugly.
Luckily, I tightened things up and let it rest for a day.
Good thing.
Once again, the piece needed more clarification and a shifting of the sequence.
My conclusion: I’ve either improved the piece or I’ve locked into version two of my delusion.
Either way, I’m submitting it today.
Will it win? Shrug.
But did I win?
Absolutely. I picked up a heartless reminder to revise and revise some more. And, by putting my work in the hands of those who judge for a living, I’ve–at least for today–thumbed my nose at resistance.
Here’s the contest URL: http://tinyurl.com/jb6max3 Come join me.
Word Inventions 