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 | Jun 1, 2012 | Writing Articles
Note: For all the naysayers who scoff when people have trouble writing — these aren’t the droids you’re looking for. You can go about your business. Move along, move along.
When you want to write, but you’re not doing it — whether not at all or not as much as you’d like — there are some simple tricks that can help get you going.
Here are some examples of times where you might see your not-writing pattern show up:
- You’ve been wanting to write but you aren’t sure what to write about.
- You know what you want to write about but you can’t find the time to write.
- You have time to write but you can’t seem to get yourself to do it — and you feel guilty and ashamed about it.
- You were writing regularly, but you just got back from a trip and you’re having trouble getting started again.
- You’re stuck on a particular part of your project and you don’t know what to do about it.
- Just looking at a blank page is overwhelming.
- Thinking of the final product (the book, the screenplay) is overwhelming and you can’t imagine how you’ll ever get there.
- You’ve had a success with your writing and you’re feeling intimidated about topping it (second novel syndrome is an example of this).
- You’re bored of the project you’re working on and you can’t think of anything else to work on that sounds remotely interesting.
First things first.
ALL of these scenarios have one thing in common: Resistance.
Resistance is that little devil we affectionately know by many names — perfectionism, procrastination, fear, doubt, apathy, etc.
Resistance is telling yourself you don’t have enough time: You do. Really. You only need a few minutes every day to get back on the horse. And it’s way less hard than you think it is. I promise.
Resistance is telling yourself you don’t care, don’t have ideas, or don’t want to write. Bull. I know you’re a writer and I know you want to write.
Let me help you.
6 steps to get back on track with your writing
Step #1: Don’t fall for the resistance.
Resistance LIES to you. It is the enemy. Resistance is not your friend. It is not the truth. It is like an energetic force you press up against when you start moving closer to your project, like you’re wading through chest-high sludge. It pushes you back. IT resists YOU.
DO NOT fall for it. Do not believe it, do not entertain it, do not listen to it.
Step #2: Start with super small baby steps.
The smallest you can muster.
Decide on the very smallest increment of writing that feels totally, completely, 100% attainable.
My recommendation? Somewhere between 5 to 15 minutes per day.
Step #3: Use a timer.
Get out your paper, your file, whatever you want to work on. Set your timer for the time you agreed upon with yourself. Write for that entire length of time. Don’t stop until the timer dings.
If you’re fresh out of ideas, do morning pages, use writing prompts, or answer questions from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way or The Vein of Gold. Or brainstorm concepts for your next novel or script. I don’t care what you’re doing, as long as you’re putting words on the page.
Do work on these with an eye on getting clear what your bigger project is about if you aren’t already.
Step #4: Celebrate!
Seriously. I’m not kidding. You just overcame the massive forces of resistance. That is no small feat. It’s like destroying the Death Star every single day.
Give yourself a treat — surf on YouTube for a couple of minutes, stretch in the sunshine. No big deal, just a little acknowledgement of what you just accomplished.
Step #5: Mark time on your calendar for tomorrow and plan what you’re going to write.
Get out your calendar and schedule the time for your next writing session.
While you’re at it, decide what you’ll work on during your session.
Step #6: Continue every day.
Keep writing, incrementally, for at least 5 to 7 days out of every week. You’ll be surprised to notice that it’s much easier to get started again when you’re staying current with your project. Experiment with how much time it’s “safe” to take off.
I found pretty quickly that anything less than 5 days off is almost unbearable for me. Seven days a week on the other day, feels exhausting. I do like to have a day off.
Next time: 10 tips to make writing regularly easier — Stay tuned!
by Jenna | May 31, 2012 | Writing Articles
If you’ve got a calling (a Big Dream, vision, goal, or project) that you’re not getting to — put it on your calendar.
Simply scheduling time for the thing you SAY is important to you is how to make it happen.
(And by the way, this is true even if your project is getting clear on what your big project IS.)
Here are 5 secrets you may not be aware of when it comes to the power of your calendar and how you use it.
Secret #1: Commitment isn’t enough.
Simply deciding to do something and hoping it will happen doesn’t fly. Yes, it’s important to DECIDE and COMMIT — but you also have to actually do it.
Show me the money, baby!
There’s far too much talking about what we want, and what we’re going to do (or why we can’t and it’s too hard). At the end of the day, doing it is what counts.
Put it on your calendar.
Secret #2: “Your calendar never lies.”
. . . as Tom Peters says in his essay, “Pursuing Excellence” in the inspiring compilation book End Malaria, piloted by Michael Bungay Stainer.
What you SAY is important versus what you actually DO is telling about where you’re focusing your energy and setting your priorities.
If you want to learn to paint, for instance, you’ll need to make time for it. If you say that business development is key to moving forward with your creative entrepreneurialism, you’ve got to make a concerted effort to make that happen. If you want to write, you must make it a priority in your life and on your calendar.
If you’re not scheduling time for it, you’re not serious about making it happen. At least not yet.
Look at your calendar and see how it reflects your priorities — or not.
Secret #3: Make a divine appointment with yourself.
There’s something miraculous about scheduling time on your calendar for something important — it’s like making a sacred appointment with yourself. If you don’t show up, there’s a nagging sense inside that you’re supposed to be doing something else.
While nagging might generally not be a good thing, when it comes to your soul pestering you about fulfilling your divine calling, I’m okay with that.
Use your calendar as a tool to help you to get back on track with what you were put here to do.
Secret #4: Learn from what you don’t do as well as what you do.
When you don’t show up, you learn something about yourself and your project. You can test your commitment and ask, “Is this something I truly want to do, or is it something I think I should be doing?”
If it’s the latter, it’s time to reevaluate. A true calling is never a should.
If it’s the former, treat your lack of action as information and explore what would make it easier next time. Take a look and see where and how you’ve scheduled it — is it in the right place on your calendar? Is there something you’re doing beforehand that’s spilling over?
For example, I’ve learned that I have to write first before I do anything else. I’ve also learned that I have to go to the gym on the way home from taking my kid to school, or it’s never going to happen. This is about smart scheduling.
Pay attention to what’s working and what’s not — then make adjustments to make it easier.
Secrets #5: Discipline isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
I know I look disciplined to the outside world, writing weekly blog posts, consistently offering classes and programs, and screenwriting regularly. I gotta tell you, it isn’t discipline.
It’s a weirdly fascinating combination of calendared deadlines that are publicly announced and an inner knowing that unless I say I’m going to do something and make time for it, it ain’t gonna happen. I also make it much harder NOT to do it than it is to do it. More on that next time.
Use your calendar to inspire you to take action.
Warmly,
by Jenna | May 23, 2012 | Writing Articles
When it comes to building a habit, consistency is self-reinforcing.
As I walked to the gym today, I noticed how important it was that I was simply going to the gym at all.
Because this is a habit I’m working to newly reestablish in my life, I want to make sure I create a solid routine of going to there on a regular basis. Not easy for someone who has excuses about a million other things she “should” be doing. (Sounds an awful lot like what I used to say about writing. Ahem.)
It dawned on me that in some ways it doesn’t matter how much I work out or what exactly I do for exercise — at least not at these beginning stages — as it does that I am there and exercising at all.
First get the habit in place
This is exactly the same principle we use in my writing community.
We ask our newest writers to focus primarily on first building the habit of checking in regularly on the site and noticing what happened around their writing, whether they did it or not.
There such deep power and information in that noticing. It’s the power to refine, hone, and improve. To make something actually work.
This is true with all endeavors that generate resistance, like taking action to build your business, practicing your art everyday, prioritizing your personal growth work, making your spiritual practice a priority, etc.
Do it as early as you can
And very often, it involves making sure you do the hard, scary thing first, before you have a chance to think about it.
That’s why I write before I’m even fully awake, and before I do anything else.
That’s why I frogmarch myself to the gym directly after I take my son to school, because I know I won’t get there otherwise.
We have to be smarter than our extremely tricky, slippery selves that would rather go along with the same-old, same-old than try something new, grow, or rise into being all of who we are here to be.
Interestingly, building those habits makes overcoming the resistance in the long haul much, much easier.
And of course, it begins with a single step.
by Jenna | May 16, 2012 | Writing Articles
I'm fascinated about the debate about "writer's block." Some people claim that it does not exist, while others find themselves in the grips of it and feel invalidated by the people telling them it isn't possible.
I think it's a question of definition.
What does it mean to be blocked?
I met a writer once who claimed he was "blocked," which to him seemed to mean that he was completely unable to think or express anything, verbal, written, or otherwise. He simply refused to try to express what was going on inside him (we were in a coaching session), saying, "I don't know. I'm blocked," as if it was a disease that had consumed him that he was unable to control and he was unable to speak, think, write, or act.
I think this is what people mean when they don't say they believe in writer's block -- that it seems unlikely that writers are so completely unable to communicate.
I'm inclined to agree, but I've also heard so many stories about writers who have been blocked for years, it's a bit confusing.
Plumber's block?
Chris Guillebeau said to me in an interview, "Have you ever heard of plumber’s block? Of course not — so if you’re a writer, you just need to write."
It's like writer's block has become a passive excuse for not taking action on our writing, just like saying we're creatively blocked is a passive way of not taking action on our creative work. And while I think it might actually be possible for a plumber to feel blocked, Chris makes a good point.
Can we redefine it as resistance?
On the other hand, if we redefine writer's block as that constellation of perfectionism, procrastination, fear, excuses, anxiety, negativity, confusion, apathy, discomfort, and self-doubt otherwise known as resistance, then I think we've got something we can understand and deal with.
To my mind, resistance is a truer naming of writer's block. It encompasses that sense of reluctance we feel about pursuing things that we know we want to do. I've known I've wanted to write for years, but hadn't completed any larger works until recently.
Resistance is the stumbling block, and fear is its silent partner.
Writing — or taking action — is the answer, according to Seth Godin and Ira Glass. I'm inclined to agree.
Interesting links on writer's block
Wikipedia article on writer's block
Seth Godin on the writer's block epidemic
Ira Glass on storytelling (animated)
i09 on different storytelling writer's blocks and how to deal with them
Trippy therapy techniques for blocked Hollywood writers and executives
Warmly,
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