by Jenna | Jun 5, 2012 | Writing Articles
Note: This is a continuation of last week’s blog post: What to do when you want to write but you’re not writing: 6 steps to get back on track. If you want to receive my special Writer’s Series of articles in your inbox, make sure you sign up for my Free Writing Tips series (see the graphic in the sidebar).
Writing regularly is easier than it looks. Like I said recently, discipline isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. My personal goal is to make NOT writing a whole lot harder than it is to write. It’s working! So far I’ve finished a feature length script, 3 shorts, a short story, and countless articles and blog posts. You can do it too.
Here are 10 tips for getting unstuck and making writing regularly a whole lot easier:
Tip #1: Brainstorm.
If you’re good and truly stuck on a specific part of your project, first try brainstorming. It’ll let your mind relax and give you a chance to “try on” ideas rather than feeling like you have to come up with the “right” one.
Then, if you’re staying stuck, check to see if you need more information — research, a class, training, a mentor, etc. It’s OKAY to get help. Really!
Tip #2: Be in community.
Writing can be a dismally lonely business at times. Sure, when you’re on fire and things are rolling, you’re fine. But what about when you hit the skids and you feel that desperate sense of isolation or feel like you’re the only one facing the fear and self-doubt? Every single writer in my sphere talks about the same challenges and issues. It’s heartening to know you are not alone.
Tip #3: Never look at a blank page.
If a blank page feels overwhelming to you, don’t use one. Start with questions, a structure, an outline, anything.
When I start a script I first outline the major story beats by numbering and listing them on the page, then I break them down into smaller beats. By the time I paste that into my screenwriting software, I’ve got a pretty good idea of where I’m headed. And I never stare at an empty page wondering what to put onto it.
Tip #4: Keep the “parts” on the table for as long as possible.
Perfectionists that we are, we are often too quick to make creative decisions and rule ideas out — often before we’ve really explored them. Give your ideas their due, and “keep the parts on the table,” as Accidental Genius author Todd Henry says, “for as long as possible.” This means that you don’t throw ANYTHING out too soon.
Tip #5: Give yourself permission to write crap.
Ernest Hemingway said, “The first draft of anything is shit.” Why would you EVER hold yourself to a higher standard than him?
I’ve been seeing a guy practicing his clarinet in a car in the parking lot lately. I love that he is doing whatever he has to do to give himself permission to be bad at something while he finds his footing.
You deserve that too.
Tip #6: Ratchet back the over-achieving.
Yes, I know it’ll take a long time to write a book in 15 minute increments (though it CAN be done — I wrote 25 pages of a script that way and Terri Fedonczak — below — finished the first draft of her parenting book that way).
I know you think you need to write for at least (1 hour, 4 hours, 8 hours) a day. Trust me when I tell you that when you’re getting back on the writing horse, that’s the surest way to shoot yourself in the foot. You can write more once you’ve got the habit firmly in place.
Start small, and start now.
Tip #7: Keep your head down.
Stop thinking of the bigger project. Keep your head down and just take it one step at a time.
As you repeat these steps, you can work up to more writing as it feels appropriate. When I started writing my last script, all I could bring myself to do was 15 minutes per day. Now I’m writing more. You’ll work up to it. Just take it one word at a time for now.
Tip #8: Deal with the fear.
Underneath resistance to writing is fear. It’s okay. Of course it’s scary. Fear is common when we face things like failure, success, the unknown, and putting our abilities to the test. You can get help with it or work with it on your own, but at the end of the day, your biggest job is getting out of your own way.
Tip #9: Avoid burnout.
It’s much more important that you write regularly and consistently in small, short bursts than it is to write in long blocks of time. Give yourself a break and pace yourself. Being a serious writer means being in it for the long haul.
Tip #10: Write early in the morning.
All those writers who have been getting up at the crack of dawn have got it wired. Writing early, before your rational brain fully kicks in and wants to do all those “important things” that keep you from writing, is so much easier than trying to wrangle it into your day later on. I’m not even a morning person and I love it.
by Jenna | Mar 14, 2012 | Writing Articles
Writing, creating, making changes.
All of them require a leap of faith.
I’ve been making a series of leaps over time.
I left my “great” job as an urban designer to become a coach. I put myself out there as a coach for sensitive souls. I’ve grown a business out of nothing.
I’ve claimed my dream of being a writer, and I’m making it happen. One word at a time.
Each of these mega leaps has required many mini leaps.
And I’ve realized that every day when I sit down to write, or put myself out there to be seen in some way, I am taking a leap of faith again.
With every single word I put on the page or on the web, I’m taking a risk that I’ll be seen as wrong, foolish, or stupid. I’m also taking the risk that my work will be valued and well-received. Often when I push the publish button, I DON’T KNOW which of those it will be.
It’s scary.
It requires a leap of faith to see it through.
I believe that all creating is like this. It is terrifying to make ourselves vulnerable in this way. To be seen, heard, and read by people we don’t know who may judge us or not like what we have to say.
In fact, I know there are people out there who do not like what I have to say. And there are probably people who won’t like what you have to say either.
Is that a good reason not to say it?
What about all the other people who want to hear it?
What if?
What if there isn’t anyone who is interested? What if you offend everyone?
First, I doubt that there isn’t anyone who is interested.
But secondly, if it were true that you did offend everyone, what if it was a good thing? What if you pissed us all off enough to wake us up out of the stupor we walk around in? What if it made us fight back against things we don’t like?
Art is a powerful catalyst and it deserves to be treated with reverence.
Treat your art with the fierce and reverent commitment required to bring it to the world. It’s a powerful antidote to the doubt and fear you’re likely to experience along the way.
by Jenna | Mar 7, 2012 | Writing Articles
Being in the spotlight means having your creative work witnessed and responded to by an audience.
It means being read, seen, heard.
Being in the spotlight means having an audience.
Whenever our work is seen, we are seen.
- If you’re a novelist, you’re in the spotlight when you publish your work, whether you publish it online or in print. Writers are in the spotlight through their books, articles, on their websites, at public readings, and in interviews.
- If you’re a blogger, you’re in the spotlight every time you hit the publish button. People are reading your words, thinking about them, and responding to them.
- Artists are in the spotlight whenever you share your creative work, and receive feedback on it. Think of gallery showings, exhibits, and studio tours. Or website galleries online.
- Actors are in the spotlight when you are on stage, on the big screen, or on television. And celebrity actors are in the spotlight anytime they are in public.
- Screenwriters are in the spotlight when the movies you’ve written play on the big screen or when someone reviews your writing publicly.
- Poets, journalists, public speakers, radio broadcasters, and many more professions are seen, heard, and read.
I’m surprised to discover how many people feel drawn to the spotlight even while they (we) also have contradictory instincts toward strongly preferring peace, quiet, home, and solitude as a general rule.
Many artists, actors, introverts, sensitives, empaths, and writers much prefer the solitary life, but still feel some pull to sharing their work and being seen, read or heard in some way.
by Jenna | Feb 15, 2012 | Writing Articles
In a writer's coaching session with one of my clients the other day, we discovered that she was holding herself back from what she truly wanted with her creative work because she was afraid of being disappointed if it didn't come true.
Does that sound familiar to you?
So many of us, myself included (!), tend to vacillate between wild dreams of incredible success and being afraid to admit to what we truly want for fear that we won't get it.
We even hold ourselves back from knowing what we want, as if staying confused will keep us safe.
Lessons from little tots
The other day on the way to preschool, my son tripped, fell flat on his hands, and dropped his toys. After he stopped crying and we had a good hug, he said to me, "I was running too fast and I threw my toys."
I thought about that for a minute and responded, "I don't think you were running too fast, but sometimes we do trip and fall down."
I wanted him to know that sometimes, things just go wrong, and we don't necessarily want to: 1) blame ourselves, or 2) hold back overly from enjoying life because "something might happen".
Making decisions to protect ourselves
We have all had experiences in our lives where we reach for what we want and don't get it.
In our disappointment, we make decisions to protect ourselves from even wanting it in the first place, so we won't get hurt again. We decide that it's safer to aim low than to proclaim our dreams and be embarrassed when we don't get them.
I've run into this with my creative work and my coaching work -- setting my sights high, only to have it all come crashing down, and then deciding it's not worth pursuing anymore.
In fact, I can't tell you how many times I've given up on my creativity over the years to protect myself, like the time I dropped out after ONE DAY in art school because another student ridiculed my work, or how I decided not to be a writer when I was a kid because my parents told me I couldn't make enough money that way.
What's the right lesson here?
So while it's true that we might be disappointed and sometimes we do aim higher than we achieve, is the right lesson to learn NOT to aim high? Is it truly better to be "realistic"?
I think we have to ask ourselves which risk is bigger. Is it the risk of playing small and holding back, never quite going for what you want most? Or is it the risk of going for it, maybe falling hard, but possibly grasping that star you're reaching for?"
Let's all agree to admit what it is we truly want, and to say to ourselves, "I'm going to give this dream the respect it deserves, and play full out to get it. After all, it's something I truly, deeply want."
by Jenna | Feb 8, 2012 | Writing Articles
Are you waiting for the right mood to strike before you work on your creative project?
Are you waiting until you have the right room to write or paint in?
Are you waiting until you have the right computer before you can start writing?
Are you waiting until you have the right “voice” or platform before you start sharing your message?
Are you waiting until you’ve picked the right project to start working on?
Are you waiting until you have more money before you do your art?
Are you waiting for big blocks of time before you write songs, start your novel, or get that screenplay off the shelf for a rewrite?
Are you waiting to be divinely inspired before you start your project?
Are you waiting for permission to create?
Wait no longer.
Your art will not happen unless you do it. And sometimes that means showing up and doing it even if you don’t know what you’re doing yet.
Besides, in a study by Robert Boice about academic writers, he found that writers who committed to writing daily were TWICE as likely to have a creative thought as writers who wrote when they “felt like it.”
The key here is consistency. Making the effort to show up every day to your creative passion will foster and spark your creativity, not the other way around.
Warmly,
