by Jenna | Feb 18, 2016 | Guest Posts
A while back I wrote a post called, "Today is the perfect day to clean your writing desk."
In that post, I mentioned one of my pals and an amazing organizer, Miriam Ortiz y Pino. Just thinking of her inspired me to ask her to write a guest post for us about organizing our writing spaces.
Miriam and I go way back. We met in a coaching program we were both participating in during 2009. I later hired Miriam to help me reorganize my office -- virtually! We did the work remotely, by phone, after I sent her digital photos of my messy space. I'm happy to say that even though there are moments where the surface clutter still happens, underneath my office has remained well-organized, thanks to my work with her.
Check out her wisdom in today's post about "defining" our physical space for writing in five, simple steps.
Defining Space for Writing
Guest post by Miriam Ortiz y Pino
Clarity boosts creativity.
Want to write more, or better? Clear some space.
We all need a little space and time to get things done. Around the web, there has been a lot written about how to find the time for doing the writing, and a bit of idea-sharing for decorating a writing space, but I want to talk about defining a space for the doing.
For anything to happen, whether it is work or play, creativity or drudgery, there must be a space to do it in.
You can’t turn cartwheels in a room full of things you haven’t found a place for. Room for doing and creating happens if everything is put away in the place it belongs, save the items necessary for the task at hand.
In other words, an area for the doing must be defined.
Once defined, a space has an identity and a purpose. Things are much more likely to happen in a space that has been given a purpose.
Here are five steps to help you define your writing space.
Step 1. To start with: WHERE do you write?
The actual location isn’t important, the naming and claiming of it is. It might be the kitchen counter, the home office, or the table at your favorite coffee shop.
Know where you will write.
This way, when the time comes every day, you won’t waste energy or decision juice deciding where to go to do the writing.
Step 2. What do you need to write?
Now that you know where, think about WHAT you need to write. The tools that make it easier for you to accomplish the writing.
Are you a pad-and-pencil kind of writer? Or do you work better with a pen?
If you work on the computer, do you really need 12 notebooks lingering around the space? Would one for notes to check on work?
Step 3. Reverse-engineer what to keep in your writing space.
Then, reverse-engineer what to keep in the general area.
A desk, chair, cup of coffee, computer can stay. Remove anything that is not directly related to your writing. Move these items out or to the periphery.
An important note about decorations: There is a fine line between inspiration and distraction when it comes to decoration in a creative space. Keep the inspiration on the desk to a minimum and rotate it frequently or else it becomes clutter. Hang the super inspirational stuff on the wall and honor it with a frame.
Starting with a clear writing area lets you get right to the writing. If you have to move a bunch of stuff around just to get started it can take you up to 40 minutes to regain your focus. That seems like a waste of time. You could have been spewing words onto the page!
Step 4. Keep your space clear enough to write.
To keep the area clear enough to write, have a place for ALL the things that pile up to go.
Taking the time to define the spots now saves lots of time later.
Here are some specific suggestions for the typical stuff that clutters up a workspace.
- Have a place for your writing-related things. Are there things that are related to writing that pile up on your desk? Make sure there is a place for them to go. All you need to do is say it out loud and set the thing there. “This top desk drawer will be where the sticky notes live. And this pencil cup will keep my pen and highlighter safe and handy.” Now you know.
- Have a defined space for your ideas. Jenna has written about how to decide what to work on next. She suggested some criteria for choosing the next best thing and mentioned the idea of having a safe place to keep your inklings and ideas until you are ready to flesh them out. And I like it. It's what I call a defined space for your ideas to reside. Clever, right? ;)
So create a space to house your ideas for future projects. A notebook, document, bin, folder, or drawer will work. I had one client that used a crystal punch bowl and put the ideas on index cards and dropped them in.
- And while you are at it, have a place for the other non-writing stuff that comes up too. This can be a separate notebook or document for all the things that require action and flutter through your brain as you work. It will become a parking space. Instead of the thought becoming a distraction, jot a quick note and get back to work. Distribute the thoughts to their proper place after your writing session.
- Have a place for the things that belong elsewhere. Are some of the extra things items that belong somewhere else? Create a holding spot, basket, bag, or box for redistributing these items at the end of the day.
Knowing what to keep in your space, now that it is defined, also becomes easier. There is no need to keep a bag of toiletries in your writing space -- or a computer in your bathroom for that matter!
- Make sure to have a giant recycle bin and a bunch of binder clips handy to keep your good ideas together and the decided-against pages out of the way. You don’t have to empty the recycling bin very often – so if you really needed to retrieve something you can for a while.
Step 5. Put your toys away when you're done.
At the end of the day, return all the items you pulled onto your desk to where they belong. If you are going to continue working with some of them tomorrow, just mark where you left off and stack them up neatly so they are handy when you restart.
It only takes a couple of minutes and that is a lot less than the 40 minutes to refocus. I’m thinking that’s worth it.
The added bonus of defining the space is that it helps keep the clutter pile to a minimum. It’s not clutter if you know what it is for and how you will use it.
Knowing where things go means fewer decisions and that means energy freed up for creativity.
Now, go write something. Then put your toys away.
Thanks, Miriam!
You might also be interested in checking out the Q&A I did with Miriam called Writers Get Organized.
About Miriam: Miriam Ortiz y Pino is a Certified Professional Organizer and Simplicity Expert. She helps her clients ensure that what needs doing gets done.
Miriam specializes in creating simple systems that are easy to implement and work FOR you, instead of you working a system.
Whether you're struggling to organize your life, declutter your home, manage your time, get control of your papers, or just feel overwhelmed and frustrated with all your stuff, Miriam will work with you to create the environment you need to live your best life.
Find Miriam online at http://morethanorganized.net.
by Jenna | Feb 11, 2016 | Writing Articles
I've been thinking a lot about happiness, enjoyment, appreciation, and gratitude lately.
As someone who tends to be prone to seeing "what's wrong with this picture", it isn't particularly easy for me to remember to see the positives in my life and enjoy them. I habitually look for the next thing to fix and improve upon. Then throw in some sleep deprivation and a fussy toddler, and the trip down the rabbit hole into the darkness and negativity can be a short one. ;)
However, I've been making some subtle shifts in this department that are adding up to be rather huge.
I've never been a fan of gratitude lists or journals. I mean, they SOUND like a great idea, and I BELIEVE in the idea of being grateful, but when I'm stuck in feeling overwhelmed, negative, or down about my life, it feels impossible to get into that space of gratitude and appreciation.
But what's oh-so-cool right now is that I'm noticing that by making these simple shifts in the way I'm approaching my life and what I'm doing, gratitude and appreciation have become by-products of my experience. I love that!
This all started when I decided to participate in Dr. Jessica Michaelson's online journaling program about minimizing online distractions. Just freeing myself from my small but pernicious online addictions has created a huge sense of relief and space in my life.
Then I went on and joined her Finding What You Didn't Lose program, which I'm also loving.
Here's what we're doing, on a very simple level, that I'm finding so very helpful.
- Setting an intention for how we want to approach the day ahead in a way that's connected to what's most important to us (like being present or being adventuresome).
- Getting clear on the three main things we're aiming to do in a given day (I've written in the past about "three big rocks" for the year -- this is about picking them for the day!).
- Noticing where we can build in connection, use our natural talents, and find sensory pleasure in our days.
This is all based in research about happiness,* which shows that we need to experience connection, meaning, pleasure, flow, and accomplishment in order to feel happy in our lives.
How to translate this into enjoying your writing
One of the biggest challenges in long-form writing (a novel, book, screenplay, for instance) is that it can feel endless, like we'll never reach the finish line of "done". Living immersed in that context can be disheartening at times and downright discouraging at others.
To keep ourselves feeling fresh -- and happy -- we need to stay connected to several things, like:
- WHY we're doing it. When we're clear about how important writing is to us and believe it is our calling, we stay connected to its meaning in our lives. Some days writing is hard, some days it's fun and easy. But in the big picture, we care deeply about it, otherwise we wouldn't be doing it. We can even go a little more deeply into the Big Why behind our writing. Perhaps we have a message or vision to share, or we're hoping to shape, change, and influence people's lives. When we give thought to our Why, it's easier to keep on writing.
- Small, short term goals. If a long-form writing project, with all its requisite rewrites, is a long-term deal, we need to make sure we create a short term feeling of accomplishment for ourselves right now in addition to our big picture aims. This is easy to do when you set attainable, daily goals. When you start the day with a plan, like "today I'm going to write (one new scene, 350 words, for 15 minutes, etc.)" then you KNOW when you have done it, or not. And when you keep the goal attainable, so you KNOW you can do it, it's easier to push through any resistance and make it happen. Then you'll get the satisfied feeling of accomplishment that's so important for your sense of happiness. As a bonus for this, doing the writing early in the day will only make the rest of what you get done that day a bonus. :)
- Other writers and other people. Hang out with other writers who 1) get what it's really like to write day in and day out, and 2) have generally positive and supportive attitudes about writing. Be mindful about hanging out in groups of writers who will only tell you how hard it is to break in. Instead, look for people who are finding ways to write and ways into the business that work for them, their lifestyles, and their temperaments. ALSO spend time with non-writers too: Your loved ones, family, and friends. Life is rich, and our writing is richer when we are connected to it.
- The rest of life. Writing doesn't happen in a vacuum. As writers, we tend to be hunched over desks and computers more than average. We need to get out and enjoy the world and take care of our bodies too. Turns out that sensory pleasure happens mostly in the real world, so give yourself some gifts in this regard. I've been savoring the simple things, like walks in the beautiful weather, delicious tea, snuggling with my littlest one while he goes to sleep and with my eldest one while I read to him at night, taking Pilates classes, and blowing bubbles for the kids in the sunshine.
- Our writing itself. Writing, by nature, can produce the wonderful state of flow that's part of the recipe for happiness. When we're writing, we're in the flow of using our innate talents. So if you're having trouble getting past the natural resistance that comes up around doing the writing, get support to get into the flow. A working writer is a happy writer.
Here are some power questions to help you put what I've written about today into practice:
- What's important to you about your writing?
- What short term writing goal can you set and achieve today?
- How can you connect with other writers today?
- What can you do to experience pleasure in the real world today in your life?
- What support do you need, if any, to get into the flow of your writing today?
Use these questions to make simple shifts and enjoy your writing (more!), and your life. You deserve it.
by Jenna | Jan 27, 2016 | Writing Articles
We're closing in on the end of the first month of the year. I can't quite believe it!
Most of us started off the year with solid intentions to write. How's that going for you?
If you're writing less than you'd like to be, this is the perfect time to make a course correction.
In fact, in some ways, it's the BEST time to make a course correction, because we're early enough in the year that small adjustments will go far.
So dig out your end of 2016 writing goals and take stock. (And if you haven't created your 2016 writing goals yet, here's a great tool to help you -- and no, it's definitely NOT too late!)
Do the Math
If you haven't done this yet, reverse engineer your goals so you can see where you're wanting to be by the end of the month (and at any point along your projected timeline).
Example 1: Finish an 80,000 word novel by December 31.
For example, if you're aiming to complete an 80,000 word novel by the end of the year, you can figure out your approximate daily word counts. The math for this tells us that you'll want to be writing about 320 words per day, 5 days per week, all year, excluding holidays (there are 251 working days in 2016).
This means that by January 31, you'll want to have completed approximately 6,080 words (19 working days in January). This assumes that you're either writing by the seat of your pants (a "pantser") or that you've already plotted the novel. It also assumes that you work on weekdays and take holidays and weekends off.
Example 2: Plot AND finish an 80,000 word novel by December 31.
Another example: If your goal is to complete an 80,000 word novel by the end of the year, but you haven't plotted it yet, you can set a timeline for the plotting and the writing. You might allow two weeks or two months to plot; it's up to you, your writing process, and your available time.
But once you know your timeline, you can break down the plotting into increments, such as chapters or plot points that you want to hit by a certain date. Then you can assess your progress.
Let's say you're aiming for two months for plotting, and we're nearing the end of January right now. So you should be halfway through the plotting at this point, or ideally around the midpoint of your novel. Then, starting in March, you'll have 212 working days left to write those 80,000 words, or about 377 words per day.
Tools and Adjustments
I love spreadsheets for this kind of calculating and planning. (In fact, I'm working on making a special one for you right now -- stay tuned for that!)
Of course you can adjust these calculations for your project and schedule, such as if you prefer to write on weekends, for instance.
Or as in my case, if you're writing screenplays, you might want to set a daily target page count rather than a word count.
Also, be aware that these calculations don't include revision or editing time, which may not always lend themselves to a linear progression since deeper cuts and reworking tends to work better from a to do list method.
Assess Your Progress
Once you've reverse-engineered your goals, check in: Are you on track to meet your goals by the end of the year? Do you need to bump up your daily word counts or adjust your time table?
One of the smartest things I see writers do is get crystal clear on the math of their projects so they know exactly what to aim for and can pace themselves well. It's all too easy to live in fantasy land, unclear on what you're trying to accomplish, floundering in hope and optimism rather than grounded, practical reality.
So check in on where you're supposed to be, and make an assessment of what — if any — adjustments you need to make, and you'll be good to go.
by Jenna | Jan 21, 2016 | Writing Articles
Last week I shared an interview with my colleague Jeff Lyons, master storyteller, Enneagram expert, screenwriter, novelist, and author, about his new book, Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Master Premise and Story Development for Writing Success.*
This week, I'm sharing a powerful two-part article from Jeff about HOW to craft a premise line that will guide all your story development.
Note: Creative nonfiction writers can also benefit from learning these tools, because biographies, "true stories" and other creative nonfiction adhere to the same storytelling principles as fiction.
Read the article below, or download our Master Your Premise Line Guidebook here:
Five Essential Steps to Crafting Your Premise Line, Part I
by Jeff Lyons
Before a novelist, screenwriter, or creative nonfiction author writes down a word, or thinks of scenes or characters, an idea sparks the imagination and a story is born. Or is it? When inspiration strikes, many writers think they have a story, when in fact they have something else. Untethered by the foundation of a real story, they risk becoming lost in the story woods, writing down creative blind alleys and painting themselves into literary corners.
How can you know if an idea that excites you one day, will have legs over the long course of developing a book, screenplay, or series of books? The only way to know for sure is to master the skill of story premise development. A story’s premise is more than a quick synopsis, or a simple statement defining the theme or hook of a story. It is your canary in the storytelling coal mine and your lifeline as a writer.
A story premise, along with its tool the premise line, is a container that holds the essence of your story’s right, true and natural structure. When properly conceived, it expresses your whole story in one (preferable) or two neat sentences. Finding this premise line is no small task; in fact the process of premise development can be the literary equivalent of water boarding. But when you get it right, the payoff in saved time, money and creative blood, sweat, and tears is worth the agony.
Fortunately, there is a process that can lessen the pain.
There are five essential steps you can learn now to facilitate mastery of the premise process. (For the full seven-step process refer to Jeff’s book Anatomy of a Premise Line.*)
These steps can give you a repeatable and proven methodology for developing any story. This is a critical skill for any writer, because the premise line is a key ally in writing effective agent or publisher query letters, or pitching film production companies. But, the premise line is more than a pitch tool. When you find a premise line that “works,” then you can know with confidence that you have a story that will stand the test of development.
These five steps will guide your writing process, acting as a roadmap to keep your narrative on track and focused, literally cutting development time in half.
After all, if your story is going to go off the rails, isn’t it better to discover that before you get to page four hundred in your novel, or page 150 in your screenplay?
Step 1: Identify the Core Structure of Your Story
A story is defined as: a metaphor for a human journey that leads to change, as played out by the dynamic interdependence of character and plot. A story is further defined by possessing a natural structure, a structure that is not invented by anyone, including the writer. At this basic level, story structure is a natural force like electricity or the wind. The job of the writer is not to impose structure on a story, but to discover what is already there.
This first step helps you identify the seven structure components present in any story—regardless of genre.
- Character: Stories are about us: human beings, even if it is an anthropomorphized version of a human being. And this person (protagonist) is central to the telling of the tale, not tangential, even in ensemble stories. Who is your protagonist?
- Constriction: The person at the focus of the story is constricted in some way. Some “personal problem” haunts them, drives them and motivates them. Try to get a sense of what your protagonist’s problem is and sense how it triggers them into action. The constriction is usually activated by some initiating event that forces the protagonist to move from where they are at the start of the story, toward a new path of action (the adventure).
- Desire: The protagonist wants something tangible. They don’t want to be happy, they don’t want world peace and they don’t want to be one with the Universe. They want the money, the girl, or to find the radioactive dirty bomb. They want to get something by the end of the story; what is it?
- Focal Relationship: Stories are conversations, not monologues. No protagonist exists in a dramatic vacuum. Who is the protagonist talking with throughout the middle of the story? What relationship is the focus of the protagonist’s attention? This relationship will be the engine that drives most of the drama in your story, even in multiple point of view stories.
- Resistance: More than a personal constriction, there is also the sense of serious, external pushback. Something opposes the goal-seeking of the protagonist, and this force creates dramatic friction. Ideally, this is a person and not some abstract force like Nature or the internal angst of the hero-heroine. This is the central opposition and is bent on stopping the protagonist from getting their desire fulfilled. Who is this opposing force?
- Adventure: Entropy is defined as the tendency of all things to move toward disorder and chaos. This is what has to happen in the middle of every good story. Along with resistance/opposition, focal relationship, desire, and constriction try to sense the messiness that will become the middle of your story, i.e., the twists, turns, reversals, and general mayhem that will occur. This is the adventure.
- Change: You may not see the exact endpoint of your story, but you can sense that your protagonist will not end up where he or she began. While the details of the middle may be a blur, there is a sense of a beginning, middle, and an end. If there is such a sense, then there must be something present that allows for these three points. That “something” is character change. Is this change for the better or worse? Does your protagonist evolve or de-evolve?
These are the seven components of the any story’s core structure. If they are present, then you have a story. If they are missing, or vague, or so muddled it feels like pulling teeth to find them, then you don’t have a story. You have something else, and that “else” is a situation.
Step 2: Assess Whether You Have a Story or a Situation
What’s the difference between a situation and a story? The main difference is that the 7-core structure elements are missing.
But there is a quick way to identify a situation without worrying about a structure analysis. Any situation has these five conditions:
- A situation is a problem or predicament with an obvious and direct solution.
- A situation does not reveal character; it mainly tests problem-solving skills.
- A situation has no (or few) subplots, twists, or complications.
- A situation begins and ends in the same emotional space as it started.
- A situation has a weak, underdeveloped, or nonexistent moral component.
A good example of a situation is the classic twenty-something kids caught in the cabin in the woods with the monster outside that’s going to eat them. The focus of these stories is all about who’s going to die, how bloody is it going to get, and who will get out alive. Protagonists don't change; there is no deeper message in the material, other than figuring out how to not get eaten; and characters are tested for their ability to avoid danger, rather than having their characters tested. Situations are parts of stories; they are not stories themselves. These five conditions are not present in a story, so if you see them, then you know what you’ve got.
If you find that you have a situation and not a story, then you can reevaluate your idea to see if you can develop it into a story using Step 1, above, or decide to simply take the "situation" route, which would not require the development of a premise line.
Read on for Part 2 of this article series, where Jeff will guide us through Steps 3 through 5:
- Step 3: Map the Core Structure to the Premise Line Template
- Step 4: Finalize the Premise Line
- Step 5: Test the Premise Line with Objective Readers
Thanks, Jeff!
About Jeff: Jeff Lyons is a published author with more than 25 year's experience in the film, television, and publishing industries as a writer, story development consultant, and editor. He is an instructor through Stanford University's Online Writer’s Studio, and lectures through the UCLA Extension Writers Program, and is a regular presenter at leading writing and entertainment industry trade conferences.
Jeff has written on the craft of storytelling for Writer’s Digest Magazine, Script Magazine, and The Writer Magazine. His book, Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Master Premise and Story Development for Writing Success* is published through Focal Press and is the only book devoted solely to the topic of story and premise development for novelists, screenwriters, and creative nonfiction authors. His second book, Rapid Story Development: How to Use the Enneagram-Story Connection to Become a Master Storyteller, is due in 2016. Visit him at www.JeffLyonsBooks.com and follow him on Twitter @storygeeks.
* Amazon affiliate link
Want the Workbook Version? Download our Master Your Premise Line Guidebook here:
by Jenna | Jan 18, 2016 | Writing Articles
Here at Called to Write, we’re rereading Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art.
I’ve read it at least five times already. And referred to it many times in between.
This month, as part of starting off the new year, I invited my Called to Write members to read (or reread) The War of Art with me. We’ll have an online book club discussion about it next week where I’m sure we’ll learn even more about this brilliant book as we discuss it together.
Here’s why I made this pick.
The War of Art is a Bible for Writing
The War of Art has been like a bible for me since I first read it. It was the first time I understood that I wasn’t struggling to write because I was lazy, or “a procrastinator” by nature, unoriginal, or lacking ideas. When I read it, a lightning bolt of understanding flashed through me. I was afraid. I was afraid I would fail, that I would succeed, that I wouldn’t do my ideas justice. Resistance was what was paralyzing me.
It was then I began to understand what it meant to face the fear and work anyway, and to help other writers do the same.
We Sometimes Need Help Finding Our Way
2018 was a hard year for many of us. It was rough personally, socially, politically, and more.
In my own life, 2018 was borderline apocalyptic. Between losing my father early in the year, several temporary-but-limiting-and-impacting health issues, wretched tech problems with the (old) writing program I was running, the terrible air quality and fires on the west coast over the summer and deep into November, and the political and cultural climate we’re living in right now, not to mention the day-to-day regular stuff of taking care of a family and running a business… well, like I said, it was rough. And between dealing with grief and all the other ruckus, my writing took a bit of a hit. I was writing, but not the way I wanted to be and resistance was high as the year drew to a close.
When life gets rocky, I focus on getting back on track as quickly as possible.
The War of Art felt like the perfect way of clarifying and reorienting, for all of us.
We Do Better, Together
While I knew reading The War of Art alone would be fruitful, I also know there is power in reading and learning together.
I also know it can give us a common language to communicate about our writing challenges, much as we were able to do after reading Finish by Jon Acuff last year.
I also sense, in the midst of this globally challenging time, that collectively strengthening our resolve, grit, resilience, sovereignty, and drive will help us better support each other to stay on track with what we were put here to do.
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