Create a Routine

A version of this entry appeared on January 19, 2013 at "Wonderings & Wanderings," my blog about living the writer's life. 

A regular writing routine sets a career in motion. Finding time is tough at first, so once you've set a schedule, it’s frustrating when life messes with it. It’s okay if the schedule is sporadic from time to time. It will settle back into place when the timing is right. Until then, try to write everyday – for at least 20 minutes. For several years this was the only way I accomplished any writing. I call it "writing in snippets of time." The time adds up. So does the writing. In six days you’ll have 2 hours’ worth of work. You’ll be amazed what you might accomplish. 

If family interruptions stifle your writing plans, it’s even more important to set a regular writing schedule. Not only will it help your family realize you're serious about your writing (and if you want to receive payment, it is at least a part-time job) but it helps you take your writing seriously. 

One woman I know posted “office hours” to help family get the point. Another made a “mailbox” by taping a file folder to the door. If the kids wanted to ask her something, they wrote it on a slip and put it in the mailbox, which she checked several times a day. Only emergencies warranted interrupting. 

If you have small children, they won’t understand that you’re “working” so you may have to focus on adding up paragraphs instead of minutes. Target writing one paragraph during nap time. They’ll build to a story or article in a few days. Every little bit helps. 

Recharging Stalled Writing

I don't often have trouble with writers block. As a big talker it's rare for me to have nothing to say. During deadlines, though, I might freeze; sometimes because I'm working with a new editor and wonder whether I'm on target or not. Sometimes I even get stalled on projects without deadlines, such as my short stories and novel projects. When this happens, I use a variety of techniques to get the words flowing and rev the writing engine. 

1)   Listen to music. I've often used different types of music to get into the "mood" of a project. While writing The New Deal and the Great Depression (Enslow Publishers, 2000), I listened to Swing. When I wrote several Native American biographies for several specialty encyclopedias for The Gale Group, I listened to Native American flute music. I have a variety of favorite artists across a range of musical tastes and select whichever I feel will help me concentrate. 

2)   Journal of use a blank computer document. I'll focus on writing anything that comes to might just to get the thoughts rolling. Even if it's, "I have an article due on Friday and I need to focus on getting it done. I want to write about . . ." I keep typing until the words naturally flow into the begin writing the article, which is usually what happens. I then cut and paste the article or story verbiage into a new document (or my original project file) and continue writing. 

3)   Focus on one part of the project. Try thinking about a character. What is his or her problem? I'll make a list of events that will happen in the story (or points I want to convey in an article). Once I write something on the screen, I usually feel scenes and words coming to mind. Then I switch to a new document and write the story, or turn my list into paragraphs. 

4)   Switch "media." If I'm writing at the computer, I'll grab a legal pad and write longhand until the words flow. If I'm working on fiction, I might switch to nonfiction until those thoughts flow, then switch back. A few times I've focused on writing poetry which tapped into a different creative part of my brain or something. Focusing on the words, their sounds and syllables recharged my thoughts and I was able to return to the original writing task. 

5)   Switch "location." A change of scenery recharges. If I'm working in my office I might head to the lanai or living room. If that doesn't help, I might grab my laptop and head to a coffee shop or cafe. Sometimes I've even taken my digital recorder and "dictated" during a long walk. (Dragon Speak quickly transcribes which saves time.) 

I've been under deadlines on nonfiction projects when nothing was coming to mind and these methods worked. My mind recharged and before I knew it hours had passed and I'd written twice the amount needed. Try a few of these techniques yourself and create your own to recharge stalled writing. 

Breaking Writer's Block

So, have your created goals for the year? I encourage my workshop students to, complete with action steps toward achieving them. Many who are in my workshops view the class as an action toward a goal. Perhaps you're doing the same, or perhaps you're reading some books on writing craft. If you're like a few of my workshop students, you may be facing a new problem -- freezing up or struggling to actually write. 

I rarely suffer from writer's block (the inability to write), but I have witnessed my students getting blocked. Often, keeping all the details they're learning about in mind causes new writers to freeze up. Writers block is often caused by fear or anxiety. Do I have what it takes? Am I making sense? Will editors post my manuscript on the “When we need a really good laugh” wall? What am I exposing about myself – either about my (un)creativity or my (lack of) communication skills?  What if my idea is no good? 

First, remember that all the craft details are for guidance. Don't worry about them as you put words onto paper; worry about them as you revise.  Think of your draft as your clay which you'll shape and add detail to later. Second, find a topic to write about that matters to you. Third, have faith in your skills and creativity! 

The following exercises should help you find a topic you are motivated to write about:  

1) Make a list of high points, low points, and turning points in your life. (What’s the best thing that ever happened to you? The worst? What events made a difference in your life?)

2) Think about specific incidents related to each event and assess what you learned from that encounter.

3) How might you turn the truth of each experience into the theme for a story or article? What events will you use to illustrate that theme? How will the main character grow or change by the end of the story (to realize that truth?)

Good ideas, passion for a topic, a desire to share, and faith in your skills are key to breaking the block. In the end, focus on having fun writing! 

Play it Again, SAM: Setting Goals instead of Resolutions

The new year is upon us. Have you set your resolutions yet? I hate resolutions. Declaring your purpose for the new year doesn't make it happen. I resolve to lose weight, exercise more, and get more done, but without a plan my enthusiasm waivers and I find myself drowning in my own resolve.

About a decade ago affirmations and intentions were the latest thing at the new year. Both are more positive forms of new year's resolutions. You state that you will do something. I will trim down. I will incorporate diet and exercise into a healthier lifestyle. I will organize to achieve more. While positive and presented with the mood that we all have the power to make these intentions happen, again, if enthusiasm waivers the positive crumbles into negative inaction. Before long I’m beating myself up for blatant laziness. Not exactly positive and affirming. So, I like to focus on goals. Some creative people freeze up at the thought of setting goals. It’s so . . . business oriented. If you fall into this category, think of goals as stepping stones toward achieving your dream.

Like task management, goals take the bigger picture and break it into manageable pieces. Each smaller task or goal leads to accomplishing the bigger task. Many of us do this without realizing it—during the holidays, for instance. In order to get those holiday cards in the mail, there are steps involved. You need to create the list of people you’ll send them to, make labels (or address the envelopes), write notes and/or sign each card, stuff the envelopes, stamp, and drop at the post office. Each step might be done in 5- to 15-minute segments as your schedule allows. In the end, the cards are in the mail and on their way.

Goal-setting is the same. Set a goal, a time frame for achieving it, and then create action steps (or small goals that lead to the larger goal). Use S-A-M as a guideline. The goal should be specific. Select a target and set a deadline such as trimming 2 inches off your waist by summer, losing 15 pounds, or sending out 20 manuscripts by December. It should be achievable. This means you need to make it happen; you cannot rely on what someone else does as a step in the process (such as an editor accepting just 1 manuscript to launch your career). You need to find an exercise you enjoy doing if you are going to trim 2 inches off your waist. You will need to write a manuscript in order to reach that goal of submitting 20.  Finally, your goal needs to be measurable. Notice that these three goals include a specific number. This helps you track your progress as the year progresses.

I had a writing friend who decided to set of goal of receiving 10 rejections in a year. She was working to fit writing into a busy life as a mother, wife, and office manager. She had heard me speak and a comment I made about taking the plunge and getting over the fear of submitting really struck her. She knew that manuscripts left in a drawer would never become books. Setting a goal to get rejected took away her fear of rejection. It is part of a writer’s life after all. Her goal was specific and measurable. She knew she had to send out a MS a month to reach that goal. That was achievable given her busy life.

When the first MS was returned, the sting of rejection wasn't so bad. She sent it out again. And again. She had nearly reached her goal of 10 rejections by summer when she received an acceptance. Then a second. Now she was forced to write new material in order to reach her goal. She did. But she also had credits to list when sending out those new MSS. By the next year, she was ready to “play it again, SAM” in setting new goals. No floundering in good intentions or vague resolutions. Just specific, achievable, and measurable goals with action steps toward reaching them.

Here’s wishing you all a happy and productive 2013. Happy Writing!

Weave in Story Details

Work on observing your surroundings using all five senses. What does the wind smell like? What does rain taste like? What does a wooded area sound like? Describe the bark of different trees. How is today’s rain storm different than yesterday’s? How is a hot day different than a hot night? Start now to really notice the world around you—listen, feel, taste, experience it.

Next, translate these sensations to your character. What does he or she smell or hear when he or she enters the dark woods behind the row of houses? Instinct tells the character not to take the path through the woods as a short cut, but he or she has no choice. So, allow the reader to experience this place through the sensations the character encounters. 

New writers often tell the reader what happens in the story rather than showing the story unfold. The rule of thumb is "show, don't tell" (SDT). Showing involves the reader. It makes him or her feel and see the details of the story. Telling, or summarizing, slows the story down. You then risk losing the reader to the action of television or computer games. Sensory detail helps you as the author ensure a connection is created and maintained between the character and the reader. In many stories, depending on point of view, the reader will momentarily become the main character. So, describing what the character smells, hears, touches, sees, thinks, etc. strengthens the reader’s connection to a story. Dialogue is another great way to sneak in story details because it draws the reader into the story—and it ensures that something is happening in the scene. 

So, practice noticing details around you and translate that to your characters. Remember to show the reader by weaving in these details in through the reaction of the viewpoint character and through dialogue. 

Happy writing!

How Writing is like Cooking

NOTE:  I'm trying to fix glitches with links between my different accounts. This blog, originally posted at Wonderings and Wanderings was supposed to also post here. I've posted a condensed version that focuses on the writing connection. 

I usually spend a good portion of my weekend in the kitchen making meals for the coming week. This weekend, however, none of my recipes turned out. I tried to blend two muffin recipes to create a "harvest fruit" muffin. Dud! I think I needed more baking powder or perhaps some baking soda. And, I plain forgot to include an ingredient in one dish until it was in the oven. Too bad I couldn't pull it out and add it (which is a wonderful revision technique for writing but doesn't bode well with step-by-step instructions).

But, in the end, I wasn't upset. First, not all the kitchen mishaps were inedible. Second, the time spent perfectly links with writing. Like these failed  recipes, sometimes we need to write scenes in stories, only to discard them later. It's not that they are awful; it's that they don't work with the other "ingredients" in the story for the most tasty outcome.

I think this is one of the hardest things for newer writers to understand about revising. Sometimes we need to write a specific scene with a character but its purpose is to help us further develop that character. It doesn't necessarily need to remain in the finished story. And sometimes, we need to add a scene (or ingredient) to boost suspense or keep the reader hooked. In the end, the reader doesn't need to know all that you had to accomplish in the kitchen---or even how many attempts it took to get the "recipe" right. The reader only cares about how tasty the end result is.

So, test your ingredients and don't be afraid to toss the "duds." Happy writing!

Life only Seems to Get in the Way

I know. I know. It's been too long since I've posted here. My only excuse is that this blog is dedicated to "all things writing." And, I've been blogging about life in general at my other blog: Wonderings and Wanderings. 

Even at that blog, I haven't posted all that often because this has been one insane year! But, the holidays are approaching and as busy as I am personally, I am even more determined to make time for my writing projects. The lesson here is that even when it seems life is getting in the way, it does not have to. 

Despite this busy year (and by busy I simply mean that my plate is full to brimming with the main course--my writing and teaching--as well as side dishes with family issues and other stuff demanding time), my business is growing. I have been asked to teach new classes. The first is a self-publishing class through an evening community education program. Now, other locations are requesting something similar. I've also taken on extra workshops during this part of the year (when I usually wait to offer these January through April). But, members were requesting my workshops. 

Also,  few good things have been happening with my writing and I've decided to launch a companion site to help people overcome writing challenges. One thing I emphasize with my students--of all ages is that writing does not need to be painful! So, that's the focus of this new site, called Lisa Wroble, Word Coach. It will launch soon through Weebly but until it does, you can find out more at www.word-coach.info

So, though I haven't been here much, I have not given up or fallen in the wake of the publishing industry confusion and economic adversity. I will be posting again soon, so watch this space.