Tweet What do you do when fear and procrastination threaten to derail your writing? Writer and coach Cynthia Morris has been writing since 1994, coaching writers since 1999 and published several articles and two books: a historical novel called Chasing Sylvia Beach and Create Your Writer’s Life: A Guide to Writing with Joy and Ease. What has helped her persist is a unique combination of yoga and what she calls, “juju.” Read on to find out how they may be able to help you jump start your own writing: “I think both my writing practice and my yoga practice made me this…
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Tweet I’ve spent enough time studying the grooves of my ceiling to know that every creative person, writers included, needs to take risks and risk the repercussions afterwards. Just like you may have a flood of ideas and are eager to set each one free, you may spend nights like me staring at the ceiling bemoaning over your impulsivity for not being more discriminating. That comes with the territory. In the five years that I’ve spent freelancing, I’ve banged my head over my keyboard (figuratively) enough times to put Don Music to shame. (If you need a refresher, he’s the…
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Tweet {Guest post by: Jessica Kristie} Each hand behind the pen is different in flow, technique, and ability. The spectrum covers a massive space and the outcome is always different. With all the many walls thrown up and doors slammed, still the greatest hurdle to overcome is often our own inability to continue. We ignore our unique voice and fall prey to the weight of the world’s negative intervention. I have been writing for well over twenty years and it has been only the last five to seven that I have been fully dedicated, and giving the attention my pen…
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Tweet If you’re writing every day, there will come a time when you sit at your computer and nothing comes. Zilch. Zero. And it sucks. It sucks because you still have to get whatever it is done. You can’t use writer’s block as an excuse anymore than you could blame your dog for eating your homework. So what do you do? These things have been helping me recently: 1. Shutting down. Not emotionally, but electronically. I choose one day a week when I turn off my computer, ignore my cell phone, and refuse to even read a book or a…
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Tweet Do you write because it’s your secret platform for venting and free expression? Do you write because it’s the one thing you’re good at? Do you write because you can’t imagine not writing? Or is it simply your career? Your main source of income. Your livelihood. The reason why I ask is that remembering why we write is important. When we’re in the trenches, when writing feels like walking in slowly sinking sand, it’s easy to want to give up. But the one rescue line, the key to pulling us out of desperation and dismay is to remember why…
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Tweet It’s the end of National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for those in the know. And I have to tip my hat to you all. Writing a novel in a month scares me more than public speaking. Just the thought of it brings back an old episode of Golden Girls. You remember the one where Blanche was up all night writing the greatest novel ever? After she got sleep, she realized all that hard work was for naught. Her words written on black and white marble journals didn’t make any sense. That’d be me if I did it. Instead, I…
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Tweet Ever write with a surge of energy like a torrential downpour bringing sustenance to a dry desert? Tip tap tip tap. A never-ending stream of consciousness. It’s flow at its best. Have you ever experienced the opposite? You write so tentatively so self-consciously almost like a new nurse with a needle afraid of the potential pain you might cause. When it comes to writing how do you make the letter P stand for more productive work and less paralyzing ones? It all comes down to another P word – perception (not perfection folks!). I’ve found that in an effort…
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Tweet {flickr photo by: danmachold} I used to exercise 5-6 days a week. When I was in my early twenties and really into it, I would sometimes work out for twice a day 6-7 days a week. I was not an athlete. I did not aspire to be a fitness model. And surprisingly I was slim, but not at all muscular or athletic looking. Maybe I was a bit of addict and had too much time on my hands. But recently, my exercise has tapered down a notch or two. Muscle aches and pains make overdoing it less attractive and…
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Tweet This post is dedicated to all of my writer and wannabe writer friends out there. flickr photo by: Angelina Cupcake Here is why I’m thinking of you this Valentine’s Day: 1. Your courage is admirable. Most people deal with enough rejection in their teens to never want to return to that time period again. But not you! You jump in the fire, putting your heart on the line and opening yourself up to rejection. That takes real honest to goodness courage. 2. Your determination is inspiring. To be a writer means you need determination. Even successful published writers can’t…
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Tweet {photo credit} There are two main reasons why you’re sitting in front of your computer and can’t type right now. You’re either physically or psychologically exhausted. 1. Physical Exhaustion. You needn’t run a marathon to be too tired to write. You could have been up all night with the baby or that darn hour gained from Daylight Saving Time ending surprisingly zapped your energy. Sometimes returning from a trip tires me out also. (Something that I often forget when intending on working right away after vacation.) Whatever the case, being tired and low energy makes it extremely hard to…