It has been a while, folks. I've gone through a break up, started a new business, and finished my thesis (mostly) since I last posted here, and there are a few things I've learned about writing (and life) along the way. Here are the ten most prominent.
1. There are two types of good writing: good ideas, and good prose.
You've seen the good idea writing. There's a good story there, you say, but the execution's terrible. Well the opposite is true as well: too often I've read beautiful, intricate sentences and intense descriptions, but remained unfulfilled by the piece as a whole because it lacked originality and perspective. When you write, try for both good ideas and good prose.
2. Most of the people who criticize you are jealous of you; therefore, choose those whom you listen to wisely.
I found this out the hard way, and to be honest, I am still finding it out (or at least reminding myself of this) every time I hear something hateful about my writing. It's hard to put your writing out there. I know. You pour your heart and soul and blood and tears into your work, and to have it torn apart is worse than having a knife in your gut. Some people will tell you that you have to get used to it, and you do. Faulkner would tell you to "kill your darlings," and he's right too.
But there is a huge difference between severe yet ultimately constructive criticism and vindictive jealous criticism. So the big question you might have now is how can you tell the difference?
Well, its hard sometimes, but the main thing I look for is whether or not the critic is being specific. As harsh as some criticism may be, if the critic takes the time to point out specific errors or explicitly state why a passage isn't working, I know that he or she intended to be helpful, whereas if a critic makes a lot of general statements like "this isn't working," or "I just don't feel connected to your protagonist," then you can be fairly certain his or her comments can be thrown out. Another thing to consider when choosing which critics you will listen to is their own work. Do you respect the work of the person? If you do, then his or her thoughts might be worth considering. If you do not respect that person's work, then why are you wasting your time worrying about his or her advice?
3. The main challenge of writing isn't writer's block or lack of inspiration: it is lack of discipline.
One of my wise and influential professors told me this when I graduated from undergrad, but it took me most of grad school to understand its import. I would elaborate more here, but this piece of advice is really something you just have to come to understand for yourself.
4. When your heart is broken, work (that you love) is the best medicine.
I don't deal well with heartbreak. Seriously, we're talking oceans of tears, depression, weight loss (bonus, but not a good way to go about it), headaches, and more. I tried yoga (which helps except when you are too depressed for yoga), prayer (which helps, but doesn't distract you), and hang outs with friends (which help temporarily, but let's face it, your friends can't be there 24/7 and they're tired of your mopy face after the first three days anyway). But what ultimately helped me the most was jumping into my work. Now, I've tried this before and it really doesn't work when I don't love my job, but because I have a passion for the work I do now, I feel energized and productive and confident when I'm putting increased effort into my career and getting results. Another version of this, I suppose, is the advice that tells you to focus on yourself. I want to go one step further with that advice: focus on advancing yourself. This doesn't have to be career related, but it does need to be you related. Focus on improving your health, your finances, your spirituality, or your mental stability.
5. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, even if they're public.
Mistakes are a part of life and when we fear mistakes we don't take risks. When we don't take risks, we don't reap the rewards of potential successes and we don't learn from failures. It is better to make a mistake, learn from it, and deal with the fall out than to walk through life as just a shadow of the person you could be.
6. Don't be afraid to be yourself, even if you're not who others want you to be.
It can be tempting at times to adjust our behavior to appease those we care about. Even if we aren't aware that we're modifying ourselves, such actions have severe consequences. Something as simple as turning down a job to be closer to a partner or quitting a hobby to appease a loved one can cause us to lose our identity or feel disconnected. Ultimately such seemingly small compromises eat away at your identity until the true you disappears.
7. Always journal.
If you are a writer (and even if you're not) I want to urge you to keep a journal and to write in it daily. I used to be a lot better about this than I have been lately, but I realized after the fact that if I had been journaling regularly like I used to, I would likely not have made the mistakes that I made.
Journaling helps me to sort out my thoughts and feelings and to reach clarity. Journaling also keeps me writing. When I am journaling regularly, I also write regularly elsewhere.
8. Dance if you feel like it (even in Walmart).
This advice really has nothing to do with dancing in Walmart. The point is that you should do what you like (within reason) and enjoy it. This is kind of a natural extension to number 6. Doing things that you enjoy is part of being who you are.
9. Schedule time to edit and submit work (and research places to submit).
I learned this the hard way. After scheduling writing time and continually telling myself that I could edit within that time frame, and then continually failing to ever get editing and submitting done, I decided that the editing and submitting was equally important to the writing and thus deserved a special time slot on my calendar. It only has to be one or two hours a day (or week, depending on how much you write. I write for five hours a day and I edit/submit/research places to submit for about an hour a day.)
10. Keep a calendar (and use it).
You will get nothing done if you don't organize your time. You might think you can organize your time sufficiently in your head, but get over it: you can't. Go ahead, cry into some Haagen-Dazs then get your ass to Target and buy a planner (or just exercise your thumb and open the calendar app on your phone).
Showing posts with label produce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label produce. Show all posts
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Friday, July 6, 2012
Writer's "Block"
Over the holiday, I thought a lot about topics to write about. Thinking about writing makes me feel like I am actually doing work while I am really just swimming or day dreaming or drinking bourbon with a squeeze of lemon (excellent, by the way. You should try it.)
I had some great stuff with firework metaphors (perfect, right?) and something about barbecuing -- really stellar -- None of it, though, really focused on the challenge that every writer encounters: The challenge to produce work.
I struggle every day just to sit down at my computer and pound out a paragraph before I succumb to the distraction of a word, a song, or a daydream floating in my head. And while I am sure that some small part of it has to do with the allusiveness of inspiration, I am also certain that most of my problem has more to do with fear than anything else. I am terrified of producing crappy work, so in an effort to prevent that certainty from happening, I produce nothing. Anything I manage to eek out gets over analyzed and dismissed by my overactive self criticism before it can ever develop into anything remotely close to complete.
Okay, so I have diagnosed the problem. What can I do about it?
1. Create a low-stress writing outlet.
A blog for example? Great. I've already got one of those. This solution stuff is going to be easier than I thought.
Blogging provides a writer with a reason to write every day without the added pressure for everything to be perfect and brilliant. After all, it's just a blog. Once a writer gets in the habit of sitting down every day and writing for a half hour or so, half the battle is won.
2. Free Write
Yeah, I know free-writing is cliched advice and I know it normally doesn't work but I don't expect anyone to do that free association Freudian crap. Write something you are interested in and don't expect it to turn into anything publishable. Sure, make it cohesive. Don't float random words on the page like a hippie, but don't put pressure on yourself to make this an art piece. Instead, focus on the rhythm of writing and concentrate on your sentences. Something might come out of this exercise that can be expanded but even if it doesn't, the act of writing itself will loosen your creative juices and concentrating on your word choice and sentence development is a good exercise for any writer, so you're not wasting your time.
3. Walk Backward
Is this Voodoo? No. It's a way of getting your mind unstuck by doing something you don't normally do. Do you have to walk backward? Of course not. Just doing something out of the ordinary will work. Take a different route on your daily walk through the park. Go on a bike ride. Rock climb. I do advise you do something physical ( don't just buy a new video game to play or watch CBS instead of FOX. I don't think that will work.)
While you are participating in your chosen new experience, think about all the sensory elements. What does the air smell like? How does the sun (or the cold) feel on your skin? Do you hear sounds? What are they? Where are they coming from? Can you develop origin stories for the sounds?
This may seem pointless but try it anyway. You may return to your computer with a new story or scene taken directly from your experience or, at the very least, you will return refreshed from physical exercise and mentally renewed from the change in scenery.
4. Discipline
Fundamentally, the hardest step is the last one. Discipline. The word alone evokes nasty images of drill sergeants or screaming children getting spanked. Discipline, though, just means a regimen that develops or improves a skill.
The regimen of daily writing is the most important step in producing work. I know it is hard. I know your brain screams at you and everything you produce is crap and ends up getting trashed anyway. I know. But write anyway. Write every day. Eventually something you pound out will have some merit.
My dad used to tell me Writer's write. It's obvious, sure, but think about what is hidden behind those words. Many people are "aspiring writers." What holds them back? Discipline. Many other less talented people have made a living doing that very thing of which more talented "aspiring writers" only dream. What sets them apart? Just their ability to glue their butt in a chair and write their hearts out.
I had some great stuff with firework metaphors (perfect, right?) and something about barbecuing -- really stellar -- None of it, though, really focused on the challenge that every writer encounters: The challenge to produce work.
I struggle every day just to sit down at my computer and pound out a paragraph before I succumb to the distraction of a word, a song, or a daydream floating in my head. And while I am sure that some small part of it has to do with the allusiveness of inspiration, I am also certain that most of my problem has more to do with fear than anything else. I am terrified of producing crappy work, so in an effort to prevent that certainty from happening, I produce nothing. Anything I manage to eek out gets over analyzed and dismissed by my overactive self criticism before it can ever develop into anything remotely close to complete.
Okay, so I have diagnosed the problem. What can I do about it?
1. Create a low-stress writing outlet.
A blog for example? Great. I've already got one of those. This solution stuff is going to be easier than I thought.
Blogging provides a writer with a reason to write every day without the added pressure for everything to be perfect and brilliant. After all, it's just a blog. Once a writer gets in the habit of sitting down every day and writing for a half hour or so, half the battle is won.
2. Free Write
Yeah, I know free-writing is cliched advice and I know it normally doesn't work but I don't expect anyone to do that free association Freudian crap. Write something you are interested in and don't expect it to turn into anything publishable. Sure, make it cohesive. Don't float random words on the page like a hippie, but don't put pressure on yourself to make this an art piece. Instead, focus on the rhythm of writing and concentrate on your sentences. Something might come out of this exercise that can be expanded but even if it doesn't, the act of writing itself will loosen your creative juices and concentrating on your word choice and sentence development is a good exercise for any writer, so you're not wasting your time.
3. Walk Backward
Is this Voodoo? No. It's a way of getting your mind unstuck by doing something you don't normally do. Do you have to walk backward? Of course not. Just doing something out of the ordinary will work. Take a different route on your daily walk through the park. Go on a bike ride. Rock climb. I do advise you do something physical ( don't just buy a new video game to play or watch CBS instead of FOX. I don't think that will work.)
While you are participating in your chosen new experience, think about all the sensory elements. What does the air smell like? How does the sun (or the cold) feel on your skin? Do you hear sounds? What are they? Where are they coming from? Can you develop origin stories for the sounds?
This may seem pointless but try it anyway. You may return to your computer with a new story or scene taken directly from your experience or, at the very least, you will return refreshed from physical exercise and mentally renewed from the change in scenery.
4. Discipline
Fundamentally, the hardest step is the last one. Discipline. The word alone evokes nasty images of drill sergeants or screaming children getting spanked. Discipline, though, just means a regimen that develops or improves a skill.
The regimen of daily writing is the most important step in producing work. I know it is hard. I know your brain screams at you and everything you produce is crap and ends up getting trashed anyway. I know. But write anyway. Write every day. Eventually something you pound out will have some merit.
My dad used to tell me Writer's write. It's obvious, sure, but think about what is hidden behind those words. Many people are "aspiring writers." What holds them back? Discipline. Many other less talented people have made a living doing that very thing of which more talented "aspiring writers" only dream. What sets them apart? Just their ability to glue their butt in a chair and write their hearts out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)