If you lack confidence in your writing ability… If you doubt that you have anything unique to say to a reader… If you think it doesn’t matter if you share your writing with the world, you’ll want to read this. Your Writing is Unique Last week when in Waco, TX, I visited the beautiful Homestead […]
writing
Perfectionist Writers
Does perfectionism keep you from getting started on your writing? Does trying to write your best create pressure for you? If you, you’ll be encouraged something in Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland. It’s about being a perfectionist–and how to deal with the pressure […]
A No-Guilt Writing Life
Does taking time to write make you feel guilty? In her book Writing as a Way of Healing, Louise DeSalvo said, “Many people…have told me that taking time to write seems so, well, self-indulgent, self-involved, frivolous even.” Does that describe you? Do you fight your own guilty feelings that say you should be doing something […]
Writing Momentum: the Unexpected Bonus
During the six weeks so far of running the October-November writing challenges, I have rarely missed writing daily. My goal for putting my writing first each day was to accumulate more pages. Despite a couple of personal setbacks, that has certainly happened. I’ve logged in anywhere from twenty minutes to four hours, depending on the day’s […]
A Writer's Flexibility
Persistence: the first quality a writer must have to make it in this business. What ranks a close second? It’s being able to give up control and go with life’s flow. That quality is flexibility. Persistent Flexibility I’ve been writing seriously for 35 years, and there are many things I’ve loved about writing. I’ve been […]
Do Facts Equal Truth?
About ten years ago, someone said to me, “You write fiction because you can’t handle the real world.” I was stunned by the accusation. For one thing, my fictional characters were very real to me! And I tackled real situations in my books–often based on actual events. From my childhood on, I’d learned a lot of […]
The Pain of Overload
As I mentioned last time, writers need margin in their lives in order to write. However, margin has disappeared for many people. Frazzled mothers, office workers, retired grandparents, and other writers struggle to find both time and energy to write. Make no mistake: it is harder today than at any other time in history. It’s […]
Change the Equation This Year
Four areas are essential to your success in 2015, according to Randy Ingermanson. Consider his four factors below when making this year’s writing goals. Don’t set goals that only target areas where you’re already successful. Instead, ask yourself, “Am I strong–or at least growing–in each of these four areas?” They’re all necessary. If one area […]
Writing Fast or Writing Slow: Which is Better?
I’ve always been a fan of writing rough drafts at high speed. Turn off that internal editor! Get those words down as fast as you can! Don’t read anything till you get to the end. And after absorbing Anne Lamott’s classic book on writing, Bird by Bird, I gave myself permission to write really rotten […]
To Survive as a Writer: Finding Margin
Certain Type A personalities seem to thrive on overloaded lives, but most writers don’t. Our best ideas – and energy to write about them – require some peace and quiet, some “down” time. To get that, we must rebuild margin into our lives. Defining Margin What exactly is margin? According to Richard Swenson M.D. author […]