Make yourself write with Jeff Goins

You might remember the post where I mentioned several free books from writer Jeff Goins. He started like most of us, wishing he could write and get published. And then he did it.

Why not you?

A writer's determination, drive, and will to see a project to its end is one of the biggest hurdles we face. Time management, insecurity, and fear (even of success) can be major roadblocks in the pursuit of our dreams. It's easy to let the big and small emergencies that pop up every day keep writing at the bottom of the list of things that must be done.

I know. I'm there right now.

So here are a couple of posts that helped.

Study the habits of great writers. Even the great ones must have had sick kids, and financial reversals. Days of no energy or stretches of time when ideas seemed scarce. What did they do when writing seemed like the very last productive thing they could do with their day?  In 15 Habits of Great Writers, Goins posts a free mini-course that goes along with his book You Are a Writer (so start acting like one). Read through one each day, and two weeks from now you might enjoy a different mindset.

Focus on the basics. Writing a book can be hard, but the individual components are pretty basic. Why do some people finish, and others live knowing their work languishes on a thumb drive? Goins breaks down the essentials into three groups: getting started, staying accountable, and staying motivated. Check out his 10 Ridiculously Simple Tips for Writing a Book. Sometimes simple is exactly what I need. 

How about you? Are you inspired by the lives of other writers, or do you forge your own path?

Photo courtesy of Stock.xchng

At home with famous writers

My post is late today, because I've been wrestling with a case of tomatoes.

They started out like this.

Then I had to skin them (requiring both a boiling water bath, followed by an ice water bath), squeeze the juice from them, slice and cook them. Then they looked like this (though my pot was huge!)

Then it was time to puree the sauce to separate out any extra seeds or skin. Leaving a huge pot of this.

So, what do you think we're having for dinner tonight?

(all photos courtesy of Stock.xchng, because I was too messy to touch my camera!)

So there's a day at home with me. And my tomatoes. Which I did not grow. But I don't want to leave you without something inspirational. Here's a link to photos of the homes of five famous writers. Authors like Stephen King, Anne Rice, and several others with amazing homes. I'd show you mine, but there are tomato sauce splatters everywhere. 

Even on the dog.

Would you like your home to appear on a site like this someday?

Writing Inspiration from Martin Luther King

Today's post is short. My husband came down with the flu yesterday, so nursing skills will be put into use more than writing skills today. I decided to browse through some Martin Luther King quotes to see if any could apply to writers. He was a gifted man with words, himself.

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent.

Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.

 

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.

And my favorite of the day:

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. 

The staircase of publishing is long and winding, but there are many traveling with us. Hoping you'll find inspiration to write today. 

When Writing Gets Difficult: 5 Things I Learned from Sue Grafton

 We're getting close to the halfway point of NaNoWriMo, and this is where it gets hard to keep going. To give you a little inspiration for the weekend, here's a repost with some writerly encouragement.

If you love mysteries, you already know about Sue Grafton. A prolific writer, she is currently on book twenty-one of a twenty-six book series, each titled with a letter of the alphabet. Her first novel was A is for Alibi in 1982. With a career that spans almost three decades, an author is bound to develop some sound advice. I ran across a Writer's Digest interview with Grafton, and made a list of what I learned.

Writing is hard work. Aspiring authors often think that if you're a "true writer", the words just pour onto the page. That happens sometimes, but the fact is, writing is hard work. Like any other job, there are days when you can't wait to get to work, and at other times you have to force yourself into it. Combined with the fact that new writers must have a finished product before they have even a shred of hope of getting paid, it can be difficult to spend time and energy on a dream.

Even successful writers fear they've lost their edge. Novice writers wonder all the time if they're any good. They crave feedback. Positive comments keep them writing, while negative ones often shut them down--somtimes for good. We imagine that if we can just get an agent, or get published, or sell so many copies, that we'd have all the assurance we need. Not so. Even bestselling authors, with piles of awards and accolades, wonder if this next book will prove they've come to the end of their talent.

Don't let your ego get in the way. Sue Grafton believes that while her ego thinks it has the ability to write, it's actually the still, small voice inside her that really has the skill. So even if you have received some great feedback--a contest win, an article published in a magazine--don't let the heady scent of success derail you from the work of writing. 

Be ready to learn new things. Your characters will need skills that you don't presently have. Take lessons, ask experts, and keep your eyes open. Whether it's self-defense, spinning wool, or waiting tables, your readers will be able to tell if you're making it up or you've really tried it.

Give yourself time to get better. I was thrilled beyond belief to finish my first novel. Though it might never see the light of day, it proved to me that I was capable of completing something that made sense and was 100,000 words long. Now, several projects later, I am only beginning to see how much I need to learn. Being a writer means being in it for the long haul. There is no instant success.

If you'd like to read the entire interview with Sue Grafton, go here. We've all got a lot to learn.

Become a Better Writer

I know that to become a better writer, I have to write. So that's what I'm going to do today. I'm deep in revisions and plotting, and I'm determined to spend as much time as I can getting them done.

But I don't want to leave you hanging. My daughter (a Creative Writing major) recently sent me this link to 25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer. It offers advice on motivation, routine, organization, discipline, and fear, among many others. All the quotes are short, so it's a great way to jumpstart your day!

Do you have days where you clear the calendar just to write? How do you manage it?

Writing Video Roundup: Learn from the Masters

Once upon a time, writers were either lucky or rich enough to hear masters of the craft speak about their work. Now, with the access the internet provides, the opportunities for learning are endless.

Two of my online friends have pointed me to videos I wouldn't have been aware of otherwise. Author Beth Vogt shared a video today from writing teacher James Scott Bell. It's a short, humorous piece focusing on the topic of writer frustration.

And the incredibly helpful C. Hope Clark, founder of Funds for Writers (an excellent site), shared a GalleyCat link to five college-level writing and literature videos. Since most of us can't expect to sit at the feet of such writers as Ray Bradbury and Clive Cussler, these videos are the next best thing.

Any recommendations for your best video tutors? Leave a link in the comments for the rest of us to check out.

Hemingway's Tips on Writing

For a long time now I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.                            ~Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway possessed many talents as a writer. A distinctive voice. Spare, tight prose. A genre all his own. What would he think of all the books on craft today? The multitude of writing conferences and workshops? The writing software--and even NaNoWriMo?

I decided to pull together some resources connected to Hemingway. Check them out. Then you can decide for yourself.

In A Short Course In Writing, Donald L. Hughes examines four points that Hemingway used in writing. I'm impressed that he would edit his stories until he couldn't find one word that wasn't essential.

Find even more tips and solutions in How to Write Well, the Ernest Hemingway Style.

Read about Hemingway's Iceberg Principle on Timeless Hemingway.

And here's Ernest Hemingway's Writing Tips for Bloggers.

There's actually a book called Ernest Hemingway On Writing, by Larry Phillips.

And finally, here are two videos with more tips from Hemingway:

Ernest Hemingway on Gulf Stream Fishing and Writing

Hemingway's Quest for One True Sentence

What do you think about editing out every non-essential word? Is it a realistic goal?

C.S. Lewis on Writing

C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors. Whether or not you agree with his spiritual beliefs, they're always thought-provoking. For example:

"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest."
— C.S. Lewis

 Lewis had a high opinion of what children could comprehend in a story, and the idea makes writing for children and young adults a weighty task. My favorite of his books is not widely known. Till We Have Faces is a retelling of the story of Cupid and Psyche. I guess you could say it's an early paranormal! But sharing the story from Psyche's sister's point of view makes it deep and compelling.

Here's a sampling of what Lewis has to say about writing:

This week, a friend sent me a link to 8 Writing Tips from C.S. Lewis. Reading through them, I wholeheartedly agree with each one. Check them out. You won't be sorry.

I also found a .Pdf file with quotes from Lewis on writing for the child-like.

And here's five tips on writing Lewis penned to a girl who asked his advice.

One of the tips Lewis gives is "write with the ear, not the eye". What do you think he means, and do you think it's true?