Put first things first. We often put our writing off until after everything “important” or “immediate” gets done. Our dreams, our happiness—OUR WRITING—are BOTH important and immediate. They need and deserve to come first, not last.
Beginning has “genius, power and magic in it.” Start writing. First one word, then another, and another. Before you know it, the words will be flowing.
Be fearless in your first draft. Bury all your “shoulds” in the backyard. Send your inner critic out for ice cream. Relax. Have fun. Let ‘er rip!
Without commitment, discipline is impossible. With commitment, discipline is inevitable. So let go of trying to force yourself to be disciplined. Instead, focus on deepening your commitment to yourself, your dreams and goals, and your writing.
Writer’s Block is not “the problem.” It’s merely pointing you towards whatever’s really getting in your way: fear; lack of commitment, clarity or organization; being tired, stressed or not feeling well. With “writer’s block” don’t get frustrated, get curious. Once you discover the real problem, the solution becomes obvious. To move forward you’ll need to: brainstorm, make a choice, be specific, get a good night’s sleep.
Find a brainstorming partner, or join a mastermind group. Besides the wonderful ideas that others will come up with just for you, brainstorming with others sparks ideas in you that you wouldn’t have come up with on your own. It creates a powerful synergy.
Fear is a liar. It says, “You can’t do this,” when you can. It says, “You’re not inspired. Why bother writing,” when writing is the very thing that will open up your connection to inspiration. It says, “You’re too tired to write,” when writing is what gives you energy. It says, “You’ll never be as good as them,” when it’s your unique voice that is your greatest asset. It says, “You’re a dreamer. Get real,” when everything of value that sas ever been created, started as a dreamer’s vision. Fear is a liar. Start writing and turn the volume down on fear.
Whenever you're stuck remember—where focus goes, inspiration flows. So stop, take a deep breath, relax and focus.
Always remember to “Divide and Conquer!” Or, to be more specific, “Divide and Complete!” There isn’t any writing project, no matter how large and overwhelming, that can’t be divided into smaller, more easily completed pieces. As you complete more and more of the “pieces,” your large project will feel more doable and less overwhelming. One day, one piece, one page, one paragraph at a time.
When facing the blank page makes you go blank—treat it like a Jackson Pollock canvas. Throw words at it without worrying how they’ll land, or what picture they’ll paint. The more words and the less white you have, the easier it is to write, and the more confidence and creativity you bring to the page.
Celebrate! every page, every piece, every publication. Celebrate! every risk taken, every goal met, every milestone achieved. Celebrate! every fear faced, every excuse overcome, every time you thought you couldn’t do it, and then did. Focus less on “when?” and “not good enough,” and “so much more to do,” and focus more on acknowledging how far you’ve come, appreciating who you are and what you’ve done, and celebrating every step along the way.
This week's main article on our beliefs about "work" started out as a quick tip I was simply going to jot down and send out on Tuesday. As you can see... it grew! Enjoy.
With the next email, along with "quick" tips and writing resources, I'm going to start exploring The 7 Keys to Writing With Ease.
So that you don't have to wait, I'm giving you a little taste of what's coming.
Key #1 Harness the Power of Commitment
Many years ago, I woke up with the words below dancing through my head. I have experienced their truth over and over again in my own writing life, and have seen many of my coaching clients get laser-focused and more productive by strengthening their commitment to themselves and their writing:
without commitment discipline is impossible
with commitment discipline is inevitable
So, if you're not writing as much or as often as you would like, don't beat yourself up over it. Let go of trying to force yourself to be disciplined, and focus, instead, on deepening your commitment to yourself, your dreams and goals, and your writing.
I'll talk more about the power of commitment next time. Until then...
Are your beliefs about "work" getting in the way of your writing?
I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend. Although Labor Day is now more closely associated with the end of summer than with honoring workers and Labor Unions, which is how it began in 1882, it did remind me of one of my biggest pet peeves.Work!
Well, the word, "work."
For a long time, now, I've been advocating the creation of a new word that would describe work that you love. Work that fills you with joy, and feels like play. Work that you're passionate about. Work that you would do even if no-one paid you.
Writing is that kind of work for many.
The word "vocation" actually encapsulates both definitions of work, as it describes both employment and the expression of passion. It can refer to somebody's job, but also to feeling called to a certain type of work. And that calling is taken quite seriously, for a hobby is considered its opposite, an "avocation."
Still, it would be nice to have a specific word that has no other meaning than "engaging in work you love."
The reason this is a huge pet peeve of mine is that I see how feelings and beliefs about "work" can get in the way of your writing.
A common dream of those who love to write, but don't yet earn their living from it, is to be able to leave their "day job." In other words, they want to stop "working," and write full time. So, working and writing are seen as two very separate occupations.
Because of this, problems arise when trying to move writing from passion and play to employment. Often a person's negative feelings about work get transferred onto writing and either take the joy out of it, or get in the way of inspiration and full self-expression.
I've experienced this myself. Years ago, I started noticing that when I wrote for myself, my creativity flowed freely. But when I looked at writing as my "work," I experienced a lot of resistance every time I sat down to write. I finally realized that I was transferring my beliefs, feelings, and frustrations about "work" and my "day job" to my writing every time I focused on my goal of getting published and making a living as a writer and creativity coach.
Now, if you're thinking there are a lot of other emotional issues that can get in the way of writing towards publication, you're absolutely right. There's fear of rejection, fear of success, not wanting to be judged or disapproved of, and the list goes on and on...
I've definitely experienced many of those, as well. But having explored my relationship to the idea of work, as well as to the word, itself, I know that it's gotten in my way at times over the years.
Here are some of the beliefs about work that I was raised with, or around, and had to look at and overcome:
Most people have to work at jobs they hate in order to have enough money to enjoy their time off.
The only way to get what you want in life is to work 18 hour days. It takes hard, hard, hard, hard work to get ahead.
Writing is a hobby, not a job.
Artists should not make money from their art, because it commercializes and destroys their creativity. Artists should ONLY work for the love of their art. That's what keeps it pure.
I've also dug deeply into my feelings about work. Although the volume has been turned way down on all of these, I still have to be vigilant, awake, and aware to make sure they stay quiet.
Are your beliefs or feelings about "work" getting in the way of your writing?
Does the word "work" fill you with dread? Is it synonymous with drudgery? Does it equal bondage? Even if you don't think or believe that, does it feel that way? Here's a easy way to find out...
Draw three lines on a piece of paper, at least three inches long. On the left end of the top line write the word "bondage," on the right end of the top line write the word "freedom," and put a dot smack-dab in the middle of each line. Label the first line "my day job." (If you write for a living, now, you can label it "my old job.") Label the second line "writing for pleasure." And label the last line, "writing to pay the bills."
Linger over each line for a minute, thinking about different aspects of your job or writing. When you start to get a feeling sense about it, make a mark on the line indicating where that feeling falls between bondage (a tight stressful feeling) and freedom (open, relaxed and happy).
Even if both of the writing lines were well above the mid-point. If your "day job" line was below it, you might have some thoughts or feelings about work that could get in the way of your making a full commitment to writing for a living. It's worth exploring.
Natalie Goldberg, in "Writing Down the Bones," said...
There is freedom in being a writer and writing. It is fulfilling your function. I used to think freedom meant doing whatever you want. It means knowing who you are, what you are supposed to be doing on this earth, and then simply doing it.
Here are some questions that will help you explore your feelings about work. Keep answering each question until you run out of answers. And then ask and answer that question some more. When you think you're done, keep at it a little while longer. Often, after drawing a blank for a minute or two, a whole new level of feelings and beliefs will open up for you.
What are your beliefs about work?
Work is...
What messages about work were you raised with?
My parents (siblings, teachers, mentors, friends) believed that work is...
How do you feel about work?
Work makes me feel...
Whether you want to, or are already making a living as a writer, what are your beliefs about making a living through your writing?
Making a living as a writer is...
Whether you want to, or are already making a living as a writer, what are your feelings about making a living through your writing?
Making a living as a writer makes me feel...
When you're done...
Look over your answers to the questions about what you believe, and how you feel about work, and see if they match any of the answers you gave about what you believe and how you feel about writing.
For any negative answers you gave to the questions about work, ask yourself... Do I believe that about writing, as well?
For any negative answers you gave to the questions about writing, ask yourself... Is that really true? What would it take for me to see this aspect of writing more positively?
For anything that gets in the way of your writing with ease, ask yourself... Would I be willing to simply let that go, so that I can write more freely and easily?
Happy exploring, Julie
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