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WriteMeditations™ Archives
By Beth Mende Conny
Copyright 2002-2008 Beth Mende Conny, WriteDirections.com. All rights reserved in all media.
Beth Mende Conny is the founder of WriteDirections.com and the author of more than four dozen books and collections.
The content of WriteMeditations may be forwarded in full without special permission provided it is used for nonprofit purposes and full attribution and copyright notice are given. For other purposes, contact Beth Mende Conny at Beth@WriteDirections.com.
2008
The Freelance Writer
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
In medieval days, knights were mercenaries, lending themselves out to feudal lords who needed help in fighting battles. The knights picked up their lances and trotted off into an uncertain future. Hence the term "free lance."
Not much has changed for today's freelance writers. Together, we pick up our lances (pens) and head off to battle, not just against agents and publishers but fears of rejection.
We don't know what lies before us, or even if we'll get paid (something knights didn't have to worry about). Still we persevere. Which proves a well-established fact — we're nuts.
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Why Words Matter
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
Words are words—anyone can get them onto paper. Why then should our
words matter?
Because they are ours. They are born of our experiences, thoughts, and
feelings. They make their way into the world through our distinct
filters. They have no other door by which to enter.
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Join the Club
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
Don't have enough time to write? Join the club. No one has enough time
to do all they want in life. Accept it and move on. It's a non-issue.
Time, like life, is what you make it. Short of seconds, there's
practically no unit of time that can't be put to good use. Even if you
write for just 10 minutes a day, you're writing 70 minutes a week.
Seventy minutes may not seem like much, but it's a hell of a lot more
than nothing; accumulated over a month, it's nearly five hours, which is
not an insubstantial amount of time.
Surely you have 10 minutes a day to spare, maybe even an hour or two
every other day or so. Find it. Use it.
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Don’t Be Original
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
Original thinkers that we are, we have certain preconceived notions of what it takes to write a book and how the writing itself should unfold. These notions, or myths, don’t serve us well. In fact, they get in our way. That’s because they attach all sorts of bells and whistles to the writing process, making it seem more complicated than it is and making us feel lacking in talent, courage, and discipline. What a crock, and what a trap--one we set for ourselves.
And so our first order of business is to spring loose of the trap by identifying the writing myths we’ve come to live and write by. Then and only then can we begin to move ourselves and our books forward.
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Be a Good Conversationalist
Copyright 2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
If you're going to talk to yourself, at least be a good conversationalist.
A good conversationalist engages the mind with interesting, challenging questions, insightful observations, well-articulated dreams. A good conversationalist doesn't demean or bemoan, or plant seeds of doubt that grow into giant beanstalks.
What kinds of conversations are you having with yourself? Do they invigorate or enervate? Do they inspire you to pick up your pen or to drop your creativity?
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2007
Fearless Deadlines
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
Deadlines scare you? If so, it's likely that you're focusing on all you must do to meet
them.
Try shifting your sights. Choose a date on your calendar just beyond the deadline date.
For example, if you have a monthly deadline of the 15th, circle the 16th or even the 20th.
Think about how great you'll feel on that day—work turned in, papers filed, invoice in
the mail. Think about the great lunch you've prearranged with a friend ... the new CD
you'll give yourself as a reward ... the lazy morning you'll have, coffee mug in hand,
favorite book in lap.
Remember how, in just a few short days or weeks, the pressures you now feel will
dissipate. With no more to write, you can fully enjoy the delicious sense of having
written.
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Avoiding Colds
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
Negativity, like a cold, is contagious. Smart writers limit their exposure.
They don't read negative news stories if it makes them think less of others
or fear moving through the world. They don't revisit scenes of past failures
to confirm their worst fears. They don't hang out with negative individuals
who sap their energies and challenge their dreams.
Instead, they reach for anything and everything that will boost their confidence
and skills. They seek out friendly faces and big hearts. They find in life clues
and gifts that help them better understand the depth of their stories and the
means to tell them.
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Meet Your Fate
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
A pox upon interruptions!
Just when we think we have squirreled away time to write, they descend. Doors knock, telemarketers call, kids get sick. We moan, groan and curse the gods. What did we do to deserve such a fate?
Who knows? But even if we did, it would be besides the point. We must find the time to write ... then find it again.
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Get Your ZZZZZs
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
For many of us, sleep is our only downtime. Even then, we don't get enough. This can have a detrimental affect on our writing: We're simply too tired to write with much enthusiasm—or to write at all.
We need to take better care of ourselves and our projects. One way to do this is by going to bed an hour or so early once or twice a week.
Think of this extra snooze period as a way to stretch your writing muscles before you get down to the business of creating. Doing so puts your body and mind on notice that they'll be called on shortly and are expected to serve you with vim and vigor.
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Study Time
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
Need writing guidance? Pick up a book. Don't get lost in it, however. Study it, for
books are among the best writing instructors you'll ever find.
Round up several of your favorite novels, for example, and study how their respective
authors open and close their works, introduce major and minor characters, make use of
dialects, settings, etc.
Study how nonfiction writers introduce complex concepts or controversial issues, use
quotations and citations, organize their chapters, resources, and the like.
Borrow from the best and create hybrids from the rest, adding your special take and
unique elements to your project.
Read, enjoy, study, play.
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Talk to Yourself
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
When the words won't come, try talking to yourself.
Verbalizing your thoughts makes them tangible, real. Like lumps of clay, they
become the three-dimensional material from which you fashion your article's
opening and transitional paragraphs, or your novel's scenes, characters and dialogue.
Voice whatever comes to mind and heart. Ask yourself questions, then listen
carefully to the answers. Pay close attention to the words that surface most
quickly. Often, they reveal what you are blocking and why, and, more importantly,
ways you can move forward at last.
(For help in using positive self-talk, go to Beth's newly launched
site http://www.ArtofSchmooze.com.)
`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Find Your Prime Time
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
Some of us are evening writers. We get our best ideas when the moon rises and the
world settles down for the night. With the day behind us, our bodies relax and our ideas flow.
Some of us are morning writers. We're up before dawn, minds buzzing, even without
coffee. Whole scenes come to us; characters reveal their motivations; we're on a roll.
When are you most apt to hit your creative stride? Midday? Late afternoon? Just
before lunch? It's important to take note, but even more important to act on
this knowledge. Writing, after all, takes energy, so why not do it when your
energy is at its peak—when you're most alive, alert and motivated?
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Pinpoint the Benefits
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
You can read any book you want on time management (and there are literally hundreds),
but the fact remains that you will have trouble making time for your writing project,
whatever it may be, if there isn't some payoff in it for you.
Therefore, one of the first things you should do is list all of your project's benefits.
The longer the list, the more compelling the project becomes. The more compelling it
becomes, the more likely you will find time to start and complete it.
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Be Conventional
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
Nearly every form of writing has its conventions. Novels, articles, columns, and the
like follow general "rules," be it in style, content, or formatting. This can be a
good thing for two reasons:
First, conventions help narrow our possibilities.
That's a real plus, for as writers, we often drive ourselves crazy trying to
decide which, countless ways, to take our work.
Second, conventions force us
to learn, even internalize, key rules of style, grammar, presentation, flow, etc.
Once learned, these conventions allow us to rebel—with confidence. They provide a
solid to jumping off point to worlds unknown.
So let conventions work for—rather
than against—you. You may well find your writing benefiting as a result.
`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Follow the Leader
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
If you're not a serious writer, don't expect others to take you seriously.
Respect from others begins with self-respect. You must set the ground rules
that they—and you—will follow.
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Take 10
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
Feeling blocked? Instead of rolling up your sleeves, gritting your teeth and gearing
up for battle, put your energy elsewhere.
Go for a walk. Curl up with a book. Catch a movie with a friend. Give your writing a
rest. It can work wonders.
That's because blocks are effective only when they have something to block. If you
refuse to be hampered by them and turn instead toward what's easy, even fun, they
lose their power.
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Performing Your Final Nips and Tucks
Copyright 2002-2008 by Beth Mende Conny. All rights reserved in all media.
All works need revision—that final nip and tuck, spit and polish that can make your
writing sing. Before you begin the process (or start procrastinating) keep the following
in mind:
Revision begins with re-vision, a stepping back to assess if what you've written is
what you intended to write. Almost always there will be something you will want or
need to change. Welcome the opportunity, for it gives you a second chance to
achieve your goals.
Copyright 2002-2008 Beth Mende Conny, WriteDirections.com.
All rights reserved in all media.
The content of WriteMeditations™ may be forwarded in
full without special permission provided it is used for
nonprofit purposes and full attribution and copyright
notice are given. For other purposes, contact Beth Mende Conny at Beth@WriteDirections.com.
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