What Stage Are You At in Your Writing Process?
Whether you’re writing a short piece or a full-length book, knowing the answer to this question - and what it means for your writing – is crucial. Most of the below advice is aimed at people writing something book-length, but can also be used by people writing essays or other short pieces.
How to Find Time to Write
I’ve been really enjoying my Zoom “write ins.” Since I’m the host, no matter what, I have to show up and start the meeting at 8:00 every Monday through Friday. It clarifies my morning: everything I need to do before I start writing has to be done by 8:00. And I have an hour set aside. Somehow it’s easier to not get distracted when I’m in the meeting, even though our cameras and mics are off. Some days it’s just me, and that’s okay. I’m there, and I’m fulfilling a commitment to myself to show up.
This weekend was a different story.
Setting Your Schedule – Motivation & Accountability for 2022
This week I started something new. I wanted more accountability for my writing time, since by the end of last year it seemed that whatever time I set aside for writing got taken up by something else. Another task or project always crept in, and it was easier to do that than sit down to write.
So this week, I decided to make myself publicly accountable.
New Year Planning Part II - Prepare Your Time, Your Space, and Your Mind for Success
Did you work on your overall writing goals for 2022 last week? Hopefully you’ve given it some thought, because this week we’re going to tackle what it will take to ensure sure you succeed. To do this, we’ll think about five areas:
Distraction or Discipline: Which Do You Choose?
I follow Brendon Burchard on Instagram and Twitter (@BrendonBurchard). He’s a coach in the inspirational/productivity space and he gives good doses of loving but firm advice. A couple of his recent quotes struck me in particular, since they hit hard at a daily struggle I and many writers and creators go through:
What to Do When It’s Too Hot to Write
Lately we’ve had a respite from the heat here on the East Coast – but the Southwest is still baking, as are other parts of the country. And I’m sure we will have plenty of days ahead when it’s so hot my brain feels like it’s melting and my will to do anything evaporates and I flop on the couch like a fish on dry land (although with our humidity, it will feel anything but dry).
During these “dog days” of summer, it can be hard to find any writing motivation, and even well-established routines are hard to maintain. Sometimes summer is a great time to get big chunks of writing done, but sometimes it becomes even harder to squeeze it in around vacations and upended schedules.
Three Paradoxes of the Writer’s Life
Lately it’s hit me that the writing life is all about paradoxes. For every truth, there is an opposite. Keeping it all in balance is something we don’t always consciously strive for. Instead, like a see-saw, we swing one way and then the other. Except usually it isn’t fun, it’s exhausting. There are three in particular that I and many writers I know struggle with:
The Cure for Writer’s Block
The writing isn’t the problem.
It’s you.
Writers love to complain about writer’s block, and even look askance at anyone who claims not to have it. They must be a hack, surely, if writing comes so easily to them? If it’s not like squeezing blood from a stone, is it even writing?
10 Failures of Mindset That Will Keep You from Writing
This month, I’m going to be focusing on various aspects of what I call Mindset Coaching for Writers. There are many aspects to a writer’s mindset, such as developing persistence, dealing with blocks, plus the paradoxes of both staying in “beginner’s mind” while also developing mastery of your craft, among others.
Took a Break From Writing? Here’s How to Come Back Strong
This past weekend I went on a long-weekend trip to see family for Easter. Like many other people, I haven’t been able to see my extended family regularly for a while, so it was kind of a big deal. While there, I did lots of other things, but one thing I didn’t do was writing.
Feeling Stuck or Bored? Take On a New Challenge
It’s snowy/sleety/icy here today. I spent an hour and a half shoveling slush from my walks and driveway (bonus: I got a killer workout). The groundhog has officially declared six more weeks of winter. (I live in New England, where we realistically have more like 8-10 more weeks of winter. Not that I’m counting.) We’re in that long dreary pre-spring time where nothing much seems to be happening, which is especially true in this ongoing pandemic.
Thus, it is the perfect time to start a new Challenge.
Imposter Syndrome Is an Imposter
Are you a Writer?
What’s your immediate answer, when I ask that question? Is it a resounding “YES!”? Or a quieter, “Well, maybe… sort of…” or even “Not yet, because…”
If, like me, you’ve set your writing goals for the year, it’s important to start the year off with the right mindset, and foremost is thinking about our identities as writers.
Challenge Accepted!
This week I started a 22 Day Pushup Challenge – to do 22 pushups a day for 22 days, to raise awareness of the high suicide rate of combat veterans. (I know there are various estimates of how many average suicides there are per day, but this is the one the challenge uses, so it’s the one I’m going with). Twenty-two pushups is doable for me, although on top of other workouts it can be a little tougher (yesterday, between false starts filming and a workout that already included a bunch of pushups, I ended up doing 98. Today, closer to 50).
The point is, I like challenges. I tend to do my workouts as “challenges” anyway to keep them interesting and keep motivated. I’m not invested in becoming a super-athlete, but challenges are a way of setting goals and working toward them consistently.
The same goes for writing challenges. If the prospect of the blank page is de-motivating, or if your energy on a project is flagging, or you’re in query hell and feeling discouraged, a challenge may be a good way to get out of your slump.
It’s Only Too Late When You’re Dead
Okay, that’s pretty blunt. But lately I have been seeing a number of variations on the theme of “is it too late for me to pursue my dream of writing?”
Is Writing Frivolous Right Now?
I’ve been hearing many writers say they have been too depressed to write, and that with everything going on in the past six months, they can’t even focus on reading a book for pleasure, never mind writing one. And worse, what does it even matter, whether they write or not? Or they worry their subject matter is too frivolous – who really cares about some made up stories when there is so much Really Important stuff going on in the world?
