It’s been a while since I have written for this blog. Health issues have kept me from doing any serious work and now I am just getting to a point where I can jump back into the deep end of the writing pool. I apologize for my absence.
One of the things that I have been dealing with since my butt hit the chair again in procrastination at it’s worse. Being in poor health taught me the joys of sitting on the couch binge watching television shows that I would not have otherwise watched…Wynonna Earp is really good by the way…. Getting back into the chair has been painful enough with the heath issues making it physically hard to do BUT getting motivated has been equally as tough. I found myself last week declaring to a friend that I was “blocked”…I’m fibbing…I’m just being lazy.
When you have had your writing interrupted from any reason it is often hard to get back into the flow of things. Writing means you have to show up and if you have spent any time at all on a couch in a haze of pain pills and television it can get even harder. The easy way is to tell yourself, “one more week and I’ll be ready” but the long and short of it is…it’s now or never.
My health issues are not resolved yet but the writing is helping me focus on the work rather than the pain. I am still finding myself on the couch but now it is with my computer with the television off. I said all of that to say this…if you have a life issue that takes you away from your writing, don’t allow it to do so for very long because the longer you stay away…the harder it is to get back. If you have to write in smaller blocks but write because it is a muscle that needs to be exercised. As for me…I’m back and I have to tell you…I really have missed you all!
© The Writer’s Advice, 2016. 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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Like throwing a pebble into the water some writers put advice out into the ocean of hopeful newbies hoping the ripple effects will reach them and they will learn a thing or two. Here at The Writer’s Advice it is pebble collection time. I will post some of the pebbles of wisdom I discover and I encourage you all to do the same. We will help each other. So here are mine….show me yours!
© 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, freelance, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, novel, novelist, telling story, writer, writers, writing, writing process, Writing tools
We live by the clock. We have watches, cell phones with clocks, clocks on the wall, reminders and even annoying little beeping sounds that come from our computers reminding us of the time. It’s enough to drive you a little nuts. I myself tend to over compensate for time and deadlines. I am a “scheduler”…one of those people who try to schedule out my time so that I am spending time on many projects instead of getting mired down on one. I like to think that doing this keeps me sane but lately I have been wondering if I am doing myself more harm than good.
I had a writer friend tell me that other day that she killed her clock. When I laughed she said, “no, really, I did…I killed it”. When I pushed for an explanation she told me that she had decided to try to write at least one day a week with no time constraints. She would get up on a designated morning and just work on whatever came to mind. She told me that on that first day she did better writing than she had in almost a year. She explained that without the time constraints she didn’t feel anxious but instead felt free to do what she wanted to do. She just let it flow and when it did, it was beautiful.
She did go on to explain that she only did this new “dead time” writing once a week because she still had other projects to take care of that did require deadlines but for at least one day a week she now has her “dead time” writing. I had to try it so yesterday I did and you know what….it works!
I spent the day on a project that I had a deep passion for and I didn’t worry about anything else the entire day. Like my friend I discovered that this “dead time” writing was a God-send. I did some of the best work on that project and when the day was over I felt…well…not to sound corny but…fulfilled.
I now have that “dead time” on my calendar at least one day each week. I think that it is really going to help me regroup and get reoriented to my work. Let’s be honest, the ideal writer’s life would be one project at a time with enough money in the bank to keep buying food while you work…sadly…it doesn’t work that way and our Great American Novel is sustained on a million freelance jobs that require…well…scheduling.
I challenge you my writing friends to give “dead time” writing a chance. Let me know by posting here how it works for you. Maybe, just maybe, we have a small movement on our hands!
© 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, blog, book, Character, Deadline, freelance, Jai Colvin, novelist, Writer's Block, writing
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 have been mulling over what the best possible advice for 2015 could be over the last week. 2014 was quite a year for me as I am sure it was for everyone else. At the age I am at right now I am looking back over half a century wondering where the time has gone. One thing is very clear when you reach age 50….time keeps going even when you beg for it to stop.
As a writer time flows differently for us. We see time in a way that others take for granted. We see it in stories and when you do that, I personally think that you tend to see the passing of it clearer than others. Each story has a beginning, a middle and an end so we, as writers, see life as a never ending series. My series is far from over at this point but when you are half way through the book you do tend to wonder what’s next.
The best advice I have for 2015 is something that is actually written on a tattoo on my upper arm. It is a phrase that my kids are very familiar with, as are my friends….One Dragon at a Time. It is a simple saying and it means exactly what it says…you have to fight one dragon at a time if you want to win the game. Yes I am a Game of Thrones fan but no this phrase didn’t come from that. It’s something that my grandmother would say to me as a kid. At the time I had no idea how hard her life was and that she often said this phrase to herself just to get through the day. Now, 27 years after her death, I still mutter it to myself when times are trying and it is the thing I say to the kids as well as friends when they come to me with a problem that they feel is bigger than they are. It is, in my opinion, the best advice in the world.
So this year, when things get tough and you think you just can’t finish that book, walk that mile, or deal with that situation, remember to take it one dragon at a time. If you take on all the dragons at once, you are bound to lose but one dragon….one dragon is doable…..
Happy 2015 everyone. Sending my love and my positive energy out to each and every one of you.
© 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, healthy, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, novel, novelist, story, writer, writers, writing, writing process, Writing tools
Like throwing a pebble into the water some writers put advice out into the ocean of hopeful newbies hoping the ripple effects will reach them and they will learn a thing or two. Here at The Writer’s Advice it is pebble collection time. I will post some of the pebbles of wisdom I discover and I encourage you all to do the same. We will help each other. So here are mine….show me yours! -
© 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, freelance, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, learning, novel, novelist, organization, organize, structure, writer, writers, writing, writing job, Writing Pebbles, writing process, Writing tools
Like throwing a pebble into the water some writers put advice out into the ocean of hopeful newbies hoping the ripple effects will reach them and they will learn a thing or two. Here at The Writer’s Advice it is pebble collection time. I will post some of the pebbles of wisdom I discover and I encourage you all to do the same. We will help each other. So here are mine….show me yours!
© 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: book, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, learning, novel, novelist, organization, organize, writer, writers, writing, writing job, writing process, Writing tools
