Tuesday, August 30, 2011
A Gratitude Journal Is Just a Click Away!
I have a tip for you today that will help you keep a gratitude journal. Yesterday, we talked about writing something positive, instead of a lot of negativity. Well, today I found this website (through another blog) that emails you every evening to write down 3-5 things you are thankful for. The site keeps these in a private journal that you can read anytime. It also randomly sends you some of your old entries, so you can be reminded of good things that happened to you in the past. Best of all, it's FREE! The site is http://www.happyrambles.com/ . You can get started today!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Writing Down Your Happiness
I was wondering what I was going to write today. The writing is going smoothly, work is coming in, and the rest of my life seems to be taking care of itself. Now what?
This is a feeling familiar to most of us who write, that the most intense, creativity-enhancing emotions, are the negative ones - anger, sadness, jealousy, etc. (we writers are a dour bunch). What are we writing about if we are content? The answer I have is: I am not the person to ask.
But there is joyful productivity in happiness, as well. There are parades to watch, and lazy movie days reclining on the couch, and the sheer exuberance of watching the dog play in a lake. Our lives are lived, not from trouble to catastrophy, but breath by breath. Today I encourage you to find one joyful thing and write about it. Give the negativity a rest for a while.
This is a feeling familiar to most of us who write, that the most intense, creativity-enhancing emotions, are the negative ones - anger, sadness, jealousy, etc. (we writers are a dour bunch). What are we writing about if we are content? The answer I have is: I am not the person to ask.
But there is joyful productivity in happiness, as well. There are parades to watch, and lazy movie days reclining on the couch, and the sheer exuberance of watching the dog play in a lake. Our lives are lived, not from trouble to catastrophy, but breath by breath. Today I encourage you to find one joyful thing and write about it. Give the negativity a rest for a while.
Friday, August 26, 2011
How to Make Writing More Important in Your Life
Annie Dillard says, " How you spend your days is how you spend your life." I one hundred percent agree with that statement. But. But I feel like the amount of time I spend doing things that don't contribute to a good feeling is huge. We all have to work, but what about the time outside of work? How much time do we spend watching t.v.?
Today, I sat down to write two different times. The first time, I ended up watching the Today show and wrote only two sentences. The next time I decided it was of the utmost importance that I spend hours on the phone with my insurance company. Neither activity contributed to my happiness or sense of fulfillment.
So, I want to make new habits. I want to make time for writing everyday because it does make me feel good. This is something you can incorporate into your life. 15 minutes a day for something that enrichs you. I don't think that's too much to ask.
Today, I sat down to write two different times. The first time, I ended up watching the Today show and wrote only two sentences. The next time I decided it was of the utmost importance that I spend hours on the phone with my insurance company. Neither activity contributed to my happiness or sense of fulfillment.
So, I want to make new habits. I want to make time for writing everyday because it does make me feel good. This is something you can incorporate into your life. 15 minutes a day for something that enrichs you. I don't think that's too much to ask.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Is Fiction an Act of Kindness?
I know, I know. I have been lax in posting;) I am back in the game and will have a post for you today and tomorrow.
I have been trying to write some fiction lately and having a very tough time. I write in my journal almost everyday and get a joy from it like no other. Fiction, on the other hand, is like trying to get the last bit of food caked on a plate. Difficult.
I can't seem to write without injecting myself into the story. Usually my journal entries are just the daily update of my feelings, and it's easy enough for my to think about what I'm feeling. After all, I'm with me all day and night.
However, fiction is about thinking about what your characters are feeling.
Hmm. . . maybe writing fiction is an act of kindness, a way to think of someone else before yourself. Maybe it is a way to step outside yourself and look at the world with fresh eyes.
Perhaps with time and practice, this will get easier, both in fiction and in general. I'm not saying I'm going to write the great American novel, but we could all use a little less egocentrism. With that in mind, let's get started.
I have been trying to write some fiction lately and having a very tough time. I write in my journal almost everyday and get a joy from it like no other. Fiction, on the other hand, is like trying to get the last bit of food caked on a plate. Difficult.
I can't seem to write without injecting myself into the story. Usually my journal entries are just the daily update of my feelings, and it's easy enough for my to think about what I'm feeling. After all, I'm with me all day and night.
However, fiction is about thinking about what your characters are feeling.
Hmm. . . maybe writing fiction is an act of kindness, a way to think of someone else before yourself. Maybe it is a way to step outside yourself and look at the world with fresh eyes.
Perhaps with time and practice, this will get easier, both in fiction and in general. I'm not saying I'm going to write the great American novel, but we could all use a little less egocentrism. With that in mind, let's get started.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Patience and the War of Art
I have mentioned before in this blog a few books on writing that I like and have one more to add to the list. I recently heard about The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield (author of The Legend of Bagger Vance). This is a book on stoking your inner creativity, like The Artist's Way, but much more enteraining.
One idea he stresses is having patience. Patience is something I am working on right now. Building a writing career takes time, as becoming a better writer takes time (and practice). As a writer, I have to work at both.
My career has been moving forward in fits and starts; it takes patience to not give it up for something easier to achieve. Then I am reminded that businesses take time to build and am again using Pressfield's much vaunted patience.
There are so many things that take patience and we live in a get-it-fast culture. I increase my patience by reading books like The War of Art and writing about my thoughts in my journal. Meditation also helps me learn to wait more patiently. What do you do?
One idea he stresses is having patience. Patience is something I am working on right now. Building a writing career takes time, as becoming a better writer takes time (and practice). As a writer, I have to work at both.
My career has been moving forward in fits and starts; it takes patience to not give it up for something easier to achieve. Then I am reminded that businesses take time to build and am again using Pressfield's much vaunted patience.
There are so many things that take patience and we live in a get-it-fast culture. I increase my patience by reading books like The War of Art and writing about my thoughts in my journal. Meditation also helps me learn to wait more patiently. What do you do?
Friday, August 19, 2011
Learning to market yourself as a writer
If you are going to write full time, there are some steps you need to take care of. If you're a book writer, you've got to find an agent. I, as more of a business communications person, have different issues altogether.
When it's a hobby, writing is a craft; when it's your livelihood, writing is a business.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that writing professionally takes the art out of your writing. I am suggesting that perhaps as a professional writer, I need to spend more time think about marketing myself.
I went to a seminar last night on web writing and was amazed at how the writers there used the Internet to promote themselves. I kept thinking, "I wanna do that!"
The following are a few things I learned that you can do to promote yourself as a writer:
When it's a hobby, writing is a craft; when it's your livelihood, writing is a business.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that writing professionally takes the art out of your writing. I am suggesting that perhaps as a professional writer, I need to spend more time think about marketing myself.
I went to a seminar last night on web writing and was amazed at how the writers there used the Internet to promote themselves. I kept thinking, "I wanna do that!"
The following are a few things I learned that you can do to promote yourself as a writer:
- Get on social media - I have a blog but have been igmoring other forms of communication.
- Have a website
- Check out blogs by other writers
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