2014 sucked for me in many ways. I didn’t do as much writing as I would have liked, I had 3 different major surgeries (ah…growing old…) and I ended it with stuff I had sworn to myself I would already have done. (Of course that last one I do every year…) When midnight on the first day of 2015 hot I promised myself (as I do every year) this year will be different. Needless to say I haven’t exactly gotten off to a stellar start.
The beginnings are the hardest aren’t they? People ask me all the time how I come up with my stories and I tend to spout off various smart ass quips about it but to be honest the rest of the stories are easy…it’s the beginning that is always the hardest and I think it is that way for most writers.
The beginning has to grab the reader right? It has to encourage them to involve themselves in the story. If the beginning isn’t good the reader will put that book down and never ever pick it up again. As a writer I find this true of my life as well. I have to begin and it has to be good or I will spend the rest of the year playing tag with my writing. It is for this reason that I am going to suggest that whatever project you decide to begin 2015 with…make it good.
Sure we all have tons of stories in the works but if you choose a lessor project you really will not be as motivated throughout the year as you need to be. I always want to hit the ground running with a project that excites me…that compels me on so that I am tempted to do my best writing right off the bat. If I do that then I can spend the rest of the year trying to top that first great piece ensuring that the rest of the years’ writing is also good.
So folks…hit the ground running. If you are trying to finish a 2014 project that doesn’t own your heart set it aside and start something that excites you. You will go back to that lessor project but to begin the year with you need something that will pump you up. It’s important so that 2015 doesn’t suck in the end.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: advice, author, book, editing, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, novel, novelist, structure, telling story, time management, writer, writers, writing, writing process, Writing tools
I, like a lot of writers, am a master procrastinator. There are some days when I will use anything to put off work. Stressed, can’t work. Laundry to do, can’t work. Cat box needs to be scooped, can’t work. It’s sunny outside, can’t work. It’s cold and rainy, can’t work….it goes on and on. Part of my problem is that I work from home, most days alone. When you have no one but yourself to police you…well…let’s just say I can be a pretty lenient boss. The other part of my problem is that I tend to get wrapped up in other projects or small menial tasks. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest….yep…they can all be an issue.
From time to time I also try and convince myself that any writing is “writing”. While Titter and Facebook posting can be fun…it ain’t writing folks. It’s playing, it’s being nosy, and it’s a ridiculous waste of time. Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to marketing those sites have their usefulness but overall it is best to avoid or at least limit your time on them. I get up every morning allot a period of time to answer e-mails and social media update and then I try and let it go for the rest of the day. I am not always successful but if I am to be honest, I need to get a better handle on it.
The bottom line is this….if we are spending all of our writing time updating Facebook we will never be successful writers. We will be that writer with the Facebook fan page who never finishes an actual book. Don’t be that writer. You must, as a person who works from home and a writer in general, police yourself and make a point to put Twitter, Facebook and any other social media in its place…in the back of the room only to be played with when the rest of your work is done. If you don’t you may well go down in history as a great social media poster but never a published author.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: author, book, Facebook, freelance, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, learning, organization, organize, relevant, social media, time management, Twitter, writer, writers, writing, writing process, Writing tools
We live in amazing times. We have computers, tablets, even phones that allow you to write your manuscript on them….between software and hardware writing has become a streamlined practice for a lot of people. You don’t have to worry about spelling, word processors do that for you…and grammar programs improve every day. Hell, before you know it technology will take the writer out of the equation altogether! WAIT! WHAT?!
Okay, don’t get excited…writers will always be needed because a machine can’t do what we do. I know that there are a lot of old school writers out there who refuse to embrace new technology for fear of being replaced but I am not one of them. For me if it lights up and makes my life easier…whoo hoo! I know that writing is an intimate and personal practice so the concept of machines replacing us…well it’s just not going to happen so I take advantage where I can.
Technology saves you one thing that all writers complain about not having…enough time. I like the fact that I can take my tablet everywhere I go and I can write wherever I want to. If I have downtime because the spouse is shopping…I can write. If I am stuck in traffic and it’s at a standstill…I can write. If I am at the in-laws and I want to drown out my mother-in-law…I can write. (not that I would EVER do that…)
Technology should be seen as a way to enhance your writing, not take away from it. I would encourage all of my fellow writers to explore the technology out there and discover new ways to by you time, editing services and even have a little fun along the way.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: advice, author, book, computer, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, learning, novel, novelist, organization, organize, phone, tablet, telling story, Time, time management, writer, writers, writing, writing job, writing process, Writing tools
We are all guilty of this. We start a project, don’t like the way it sounds and rewrite it. Then, after a short period of time, we reread the project, STILL don’t like it…and rewrite it again. This, my fellow writers, can turn into a vicious circle.
I have been there, in fact I still am with what I refer to as my Cluster F@#* novel. (Pardon my language) This particular novel has been an eight year project just because I never seem to find the time to follow through in any given length of time. I work on it, put it down and then when I go back to it my writer brain screams…”no, no, that’s all wrong”. I have literally rewritten the story about 15 times. Will that story ever get published? Maybe…but obviously not with any help from me right now.
There is a reason why seasoned writers will tell you to make it through the first draft before you edit. We are our own worst enemies when it comes to that internal editor. If we don’t get the story down on paper, we will never finish it at all. We will, instead, edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite…and it will go on forever.
Keep in mind that whatever you get down on paper may not be exactly what you originally wanted to say in the way that you wanted to say it…that’s okay….that’s what the editing process is for. This is the place we can take the sum parts of our stories and move them around until we have built the story we meant to tell. Its okay not to say it exactly correct the first time around, at least you have your main pieces on the page.
So before you go over that story for the 90th time…stop and give yourself a break. Just get it out there, say it…then go back over it and edit it.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: advice, book, creation of character, editing, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, learning, novel, novelist, organization, organize, relevant, telling story, time management, writer, writers, writing job, writing process, Writing tools
I am a lifetime student of writing. Hell, I’m a lifetime student of darn near everything if I’m honest. I love to learn and I love to learn from other actual people. When I first discovered Ted Talks I thought, “I’ll never be able to devote enough time to listen to all these”…but, as I explored I couldn’t justify NOT finding time to listen to them.
For those of you living in a cave, Ted Talks is a forum where experts in just about every field get 20 minutes to wow us with what they have discovered. These gems are informative, fun and sometimes downright mind-blowing. And the REALLY cool thing???? They are being added to all the time.
Below are some of the Ted Talks that I personally have found fascinating and helpful as a writer. Take a moment and sit down in a quiet room and enjoy these pearls of wisdom shared by others who have been there before us.
David Kelley: How to build your creative confidence
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: advice, author, book, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, learning, novelist, organization, organize, relevant, story, structure, telling story, time management, writer, writers, writing, writing process, Writing tools
Life has gotten overwhelming. The summer is over, preparations for Fall and Winter have begun, the kids are back in school so lunches, getting up on time and homework are added to your to-do list, winter brings extra clients who had been too busy having fun during the summer to work AND somewhere in there you have to write. Sound familiar? It does to me…it’s basically my life.
My summer this year was busy, which is weird because my summers are usually not busy writing wise. I am a winter writer, meaning I do my best work when it is raining or snowing outside. Summers are for trying to keep up with the kids and grandkids. This year my world went wonky and I had clients like crazy so needless to say I am a little stressed going into the Fall and Winter months not having had a break this year.
So how does one keep themselves from stressing when their “other” writing life (client work) appears to have completely taken over? First off, breathe…remember that you get to do what you love no matter how stressful it is. I talk to friends who have jobs they hate…so I am grateful for my work all the time. Second, schedule…I can’t stress how important it is to schedule your writing. I’m not talking about clients, I’m talking about yours. If I don’t I simply push my own work aside in favor of the almighty buck….don’t do that. Your own writing is the balance you seek grasshopper… (Just dated myself there)
Finally, don’t give in to the stress. I know that I am capable of this and then some. I can have a total work stoppage if I allow the stress to take over. That’s when you will find me on the couch with a bag of Cheetos watching reruns of Castle. You have to pace yourself and see each project as its own world; if you don’t you will get overwhelmed. So remember, schedule and then write because while the money for all those other jobs is great, not having balance will ensure that absolutely nothing gets done.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: advice, author, book, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, learning, novel, novelist, organization, organize, time management, writer, writers, writing, writing job, writing process, Writing tools
As many of you know I went through an ordeal two weeks ago that knocked me off my schedule. Recovering made me have to push projects back and rearrange things last week and, to some degree, this week. I would be lying if I said that it didn’t suck. I’m now behind my own schedule and I hate it. What I hate more is the lack of motivation I feel in catching up.
Going through a major life change or event can make procrastination look even more inviting than it usually is. Because I have had no choice but to pull back on work it makes restarting that much harder. Don’t get me wrong, procrastination in its purest form is the bane of every writer but usually it is easier to combat; throw in some life altering thing and suddenly procrastination becomes that lonely beer in the fridge that you know you shouldn’t drink…it’s lonely…it needs you.
So what has been the lesson for me this week? You have to just force yourself past the urge to sit staring at a blank screen. No amount of waiting is going to help you catch up on all that work. I have to make a list, a to-do list and then I just start knocking things out one at a time. I also stick to my schedule. I have my writing schedule set up in blocks of time. When my schedule says that I am writing from 8-10, that’s what I do and at the end of that block of time I move on to the next thing no matter where I am in the writing. If I don’t do things this way the writing takes over and my clients suffer. I have to stay focused on the task at hand.
If you find yourself behind, don’t give up. It is easy to feel buried and just grab the remote control but if you choose that route, the behinder (as my son would say) you will get. It is best to make that list and start knocking things out. Forward momentum is the name of the game folks. You will catch up, I promise.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: advice, book, freelance, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, Jai Farris, learning, novelist, organization, organize, time management, writer, writers, writing, writing job, writing process, Writing tools
