Posts Tagged ‘Revision’

Writing Book Recommendation

Posted: October 4, 2012 in Productivity, Revision, Writer's Toolbox, Writing
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Today, I want to give a writing book recommendation for those of you looking for a fast, helpful book on writing. (I’ll continue the Catch Your Dreams series next week.) As I’ve been working on my new novel (more on that in future weeks!), I came across an amazing writing book: Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of Jill Elizabeth Nelson.

The book covers the basics of POV, then dives into seven specific techniques to help writers deepen their POV. Ms. Nelson offers helpful examples to illustrate her points. And there are worksheets at the end of each chapter for practice. The book is the best I’ve read on getting into the deeper POV we all strive for, and it’s a fast read, too! I definitely recommend it to all my writer friends out there.

Happy writing!

Ready, Set, Create! – Part 7

Posted: August 23, 2012 in Creativity, Inspiration, Motivation, Productivity, Unleash Your Creativity, Writer's Toolbox, Writing
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You’re ready. You’ve got the creative ideas. They’re flowing so fast, your pen can’t keep up as you scratch them out on paper. Now what?

Take action.

You have to produce something from your creativity, otherwise it’s just another idea that will die with you. Whether you want to start a blog, paint a picture, write a song – you have to get the idea into a form others can use.

So the message today is simple:

  • Do you want to write? Then do it.
  • Do you want to create music? Then do it.
  • Do you want to be an artist? Then do it.

No excuses. Create! That’s what you were meant to do.

3 Steps to Creative Action:

1. Plant the Seeds: Get inspired. Say no to perfectionism. Make it messy.

This week, set aside some time to think. It may be early in the morning or before you go to bed, but write your thoughts down. Let them free flow. Anything you want. If you’re stuck, ask questions or just write the first thing that comes into your head. Try this every day for a week. You’ll see some creative ideas spark.

2. Add Water: Eliminate distractions. Set creative goals.

There are tons of time management blogs and articles on being more productive out there. But let’s face it. You’ve read them before, you know what they say. The truth is, we know the things we should be doing, we just don’t do them sometimes – myself included! We let excuses take over our time.

So take small steps to eliminate distractions. Set a specific time to create. Turn off the social media for an hour. Go outside and find that tree to sit under and brainstorm. Go somewhere you won’t be bothered. For me, it’s the local library or the park by my house. Whatever works for you.

Then write down your creative goals and dreams. Why do you want to create, and what are the first steps you could do to get you there? Write them down and put the list on your computer or refrigerator – wherever you’ll see it every day.

Now do them.

3. Let them Grow: Routine, routine, routine.

Be consistent in your work. If you’re more creative in the morning, make sure you have time to create then. If you’re a night owl, wait until the kids go to bed. But do something everyday to take steps toward your goals.

In order to grow, something has to happen everyday. You may not see the progress, but trust it’s working. It may be something small, but it’s necessary to the process.

If you need help (which most of us do), get a creative partner to keep you true to your goals. A friend can keep you moving toward your dream. A mentor can guide you. You don’t have to do it all alone. Soak up the wisdom and creative talents of those around you who may be further along than you.

Repeat these steps over and over and over.

  • If you’re a writer, write.
  • If you’re a musician, play.
  • If you’re an artist, create.
  • If you’re a teacher, inspire.

Whatever your art, the creativity is there, you simply have to tap into it and let it grow.

Unleash Your Creativity Series:

Stop Being Perfect – Unleash Your Creativity, Part 6

Posted: August 16, 2012 in Creativity, Inspiration, Motivation, Productivity, Revision, Unleash Your Creativity, Writer's Toolbox, Writing
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When my niece was a toddler, I watched her stack blocks with chubby hands. One, two, three. Then they clattered to the floor and she smiled, ready to start over. Maybe she was building a castle or trying to see how high she could stack them. Only her two-year-old mind knew. But no matter how many times the blocks fell, she stacked them again.

The Assault on our Creativity

We’re bombarded with images of perfection on a daily basis. Every commercial, every magazine, is filled with beauties with perfect skin and clothes, or houses made spotless by effortless cleaning, or gadgets that promise to make our lives easy. We aspire to achieve an image of perfection that is never possible, and yet believe it’s our fault when we don’t measure up.

When we try to catch the fleeting image of perfection, we always miss. We grow through our mistakes. Failure after failure, until we see the final outcome, the fort of blocks that stands tall.

We often try to reach perfection in our art and get angry or depressed when we don’t achieve it. But by releasing ourselves from the pursuit of perfection, we unlock the creative process. We can create what only we can create. We can find the ideas that are locked away, that are unique to us.

To create, we have to be free to make mistakes.

There’s no way to know the end result without sifting through dozens of not so great ideas first. Eventually, things that didn’t work will lead to the answer we’ve been looking for. And we’ll wonder why we never saw it a long time ago.

Just Create

Through our mistakes, the best art comes.

When you’re writing your first draft, don’t stop to edit your work. You have to let it flow. It will be terrible. It will break all the rules. But there’s freedom in creating, because you can always fix it later. If you’re a musician, artist or athlete, it’s the same: the more you practice at your craft, the better you get, the more you grow, and the creativity flows.

Mistakes are the key to creativity. Without them, we never get past the ordinary. In writing, I can’t find my best words unless I allow myself to write down hundreds of really terrible ones first.

The Challenge

Give yourself permission to make a mess.

If you’re a musician, play without stopping, see what new, strange melodies emerge. If you’re a writer, let your characters take over rather than you telling them what to do. If you’re an artist, don’t be afraid to create what you see.

When life is messy, we’re supposed to clean it up. But if you want to create, let the mess hang around for a while, and you may find something amazing emerge.

What ways has perfection stopped you from achieving your creative best?

For More Reading:
The Moving Target

Unleash Your Creativity Series:

Fueling Your Creativity, Part 2

Posted: July 16, 2012 in Creativity, Inspiration, Motivation, Productivity, Unleash Your Creativity, Writing
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Remember those days when you were a kid and that cardboard box was really a castle to be defended? Or when mom’s closet was a princess wardrobe? We’re all creative at heart, but as we grow older, we let the whimsy get pushed back with the all things we have to do. Things that take the creative life away so we no longer recognize our unlocked potential.

“A creative economy is the fuel of magnificence” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone talks about fuel these days. Fuel efficiency, renewable fuels, alternative fuels. How can we harness the right kind of fuel we need to be creative?

Preparation
When I was a kid, I spent hours at the piano figuring out what a chord was or a scale. My teacher told me to play a certain note with a certain finger, though I didn’t have a clue why. I’d try my own way, play a lot of wrong notes. When it was time for my lesson, she’d make me do it the right way. Again. I hated piano lessons, but I loved to play. If I hadn’t learned how to play, I wouldn’t have the ability to create music today.

When it comes to creativity, we have to learn the skills necessary before we can break the rules or turn it into something unique. The same holds true in writing. If you don’t know understand POV or the mechanics of dialogue, your reader will get confused. Preparation is fundamental to creating anything of importance.

Practice
I’ve heard the story of Mozart my whole life. A prodigy, a child genius who composed his first musical pieces at the age of five. There’s a little more to the story than the glamour and magic we remember as Mozart. His sister, Nannerl, recalled after his death that as a young child, Mozart spent much time at the keyboard. He was always picking out thirds and striking keys. His father began to teach him to play at age four.

At age five, Mozart was composing pieces by playing them on the keyboard, which his father wrote down for him, since he hadn’t mastered writing the mechanics of music at that time. Later, Mozart toured Europe, performing for royalty and meeting with famous composers who influenced his music. Mozart’s most famous works were written during his later years.

Mozart was practicing from an early age. He was learning how to play, how music worked. It wasn’t magic. He didn’t sit down at the keyboard one day and plunk out a perfect concerto. Sure, he was a prodigy and a genius, but he still had to learn and practice.

This holds true for any creative field, whether you are a writer, an artist, a musician. Or maybe your not in an “artistic” field. Maybe you’re a teacher who creates lessons to inspire young students, or you’re creating a presentation to a potential business investor. Practice unlocks your creativity.
In-Filling

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7 KJV

What we put in our hearts and our minds will shape the output of what we produce. It’s crucial to practice daily habits that will foster your creativity. If you’re not feeding your writing, you’ll get sparse words back. If you starve your musical mind, you won’t be able to create melodies that move others.

Busyness is the enemy of creativity. When we turn off the opportunity for our brains to think or process, we stifle the growth of creativity that could be possible. Take time to try some of these ideas, and start filling the creative reservoir God gave you.

Fuel the Creativity:

  • Read – books, magazines, blogs, quotes, etc.
  • Exercise – Blood flow improves cognitive processes.
  • Ask questions – Why is something like this? How could it be better? What could I do with these elements?
  • Take a trip.
  • Go to a store that inspires you, like a craft store (Don’t spend any money. Just get ideas!).
  • Observe people at the mall.
  • Go to the zoo, botanical gardens, park or lake.
  • Go somewhere or do something you’ve never done before – horseback riding, archery, historical reenacting, etc.
  • Serve others – feed the homeless, work at a women’s shelter, help at an orphanage or boys and girls home, etc.
  • Volunteer – at an archaeology dig, in a lab, at a hospital, at a vet clinic, etc.
  • Go on a police ride.
  • Go on a mission trip.
  • Volunteer at your child’s school.
  • Volunteer at church – VBS, kids programs, media ministry, etc.
  • Take a class/workshop – writing class, art class, pottery, cooking class, music lessons, dance class, astronomy class, etc.
  • Go to the symphony or a play, recitals and broadway show.
  • Go to a museum or observatory.

The key is to do something different. You never know when the inspiration will hit you when you open yourself up to new places and activities.

What ways have you found to fill up your creativity?

If you missed Part I, check it out here: Finding Your Creative Voice.

Declutter Our Writing

Posted: June 19, 2012 in Inspiration, Revision, Writer's Toolbox, Writing
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15 Habits of Great Writers Challenge – Day 11, Declutter

Jeff Goins has challenged us to declutter our writing today. So, I’m pulling out one of my short stories, which needs some serious decluttering. I’ve got my desk cleaned off (except for my cat laying on it) and my red pen out. Here goes!

Three Tips to Declutter Your Writing:

  • Look at the Big Picture First: Hone what you want to say before you get nit-picky about the grammar. Focus in on the heart of the story or article. Is it truly expressing what you want to say? Or is it rambling through an overcrowded trail of dull dialogue and pointless anecdotes? Identify the core of what you’re writing about and cut the rest.
  • Get Picky: When you have the general flow of your story or article and all your points are clear, then you must get picky. Cut those extra words. Search for stronger verbs. Check your grammar and spelling. Be relentless if you want to write tight.
  • Get Fresh Eyes: Have someone else read your revised work. No matter how many times I go through a piece, I always find typos or mistakes. It’s so frustrating, but it happens. Let another pair of eyes check for you.

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”

~Hans Hofmann

How about you? Is there anything that has helped you declutter your writing?

15 Habits of Great Writers Challenge – Day 7, Make it Ugly

Posted: June 13, 2012 in Creativity, Inspiration, Revision, Writer's Toolbox, Writing
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Make it ugly. That’s one of the hardest things to do as a writer. Jeff Goins encourages us to start writing, and not worry what it looks like yet. Get it down, then fix it later.

Getting Nowhere

“I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” ~James Michener

When I was in high school, everything had to be in the perfect spot. I’d organize my closet by style and color, line my shoes up in perfect rows. Then my sister would come in and mess it all up. I’d get so mad. Of course, she thought I was crazy. For some reason, making things orderly made me feel as though I was doing something right.

As I began writing, I did the same thing to my words. I’d spend hours thinking up the right description or character. My heroine always have clever things to say, but never much to do. Years later, she was still telling me great lines, but there was no book.

I was getting nowhere, real slow. It was as if my high school english teacher was still screaming in my head. I had to find a way to turn the editor voice off.

Tell the English Teacher to Go Away (For Now)
I went to a workshop on creative writing and came away with an idea I’d learned years ago, but never put into practice. Freewriting.

It doesn’t matter what I write, as long as I put the words down. Giving myself a time minimum helps, say ten minutes. And the biggest challenge is not going back to change anything. Practicing these ideas every day helps me let go of the english teacher voice.

I’m not perfect at it, but that’s okay. Even as I am working on the rough draft of my new book, I find myself hitting the backspace key, my eyes drifting to a previous scene to fix. I still fight the temptation. It’s always there. But when I keep writing, letting my mind wander through new words, not worrying who will read them, I find freedom.

What ways do you struggle with writing ugly? Is there anything that has helped you with this?

For More Reading
On Writing Faster

On Fighting Perfectionism

15 Habits of Great Writers – Day 6

Posted: June 12, 2012 in Creativity, Inspiration, Writer's Toolbox, Writing
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Jeff Goins challenges us to steal today. No, not from a convenience store or anything like that. From the people who inspire us to write. It may be a quote or a picture, some other idea that makes the wheels of creativity turn. Don’t be afraid to use them. (Always give credit, of course.)

Inspiration

“You can’t steal a gift. Bird [Charlie Parker] gave the world his music, and if you can hear it you can have it.” —Dizzy Gillespie

When I perform on the flute, I always listen to a recording to get ideas of how greater players than I have played the piece before. I listen for musical phrasing, style and tone quality. Anything that will help me in understanding the piece.

If I’d never heard a flute before, how would I know what it was supposed to sound like?

Creating Something New
As I learned to write novels, I did the same thing with my favorite authors. I read their books, analyzed what was going on in the scenes. If a particular passage blew me away, I reread it and figured out why. Then I tried some of those tactics in my own pieces.

The end results were completely different, but inspired by others. An idea here. A plot line there. I learned structure, scene-building, character building and how to develop my voice from those who were pros.

Challenge

  • If you’re stuck for a blog post or article, find a great quote to write about.
  • Read a novel this week that inspires you and write about it.
  • Talk about something different at the dinner table. I get tons of ideas talking to my husband and friends.
  • Watch an old movie or TV show. Maybe there’s something in it you wish was more exciting or funnier. Maybe you could write a scene about it.

What inspires you? Have you stumbled across anything truly inspiring? Did you write about it?

(quote from 25 Quotes to Help You Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon
www.austinkleon.com/2010/02/10/25-quotes-to-help-you-steal-like-an-artist)

Writing Faster Isn’t So Scary

Posted: May 25, 2012 in Creativity, Inspiration, Revision, Writer's Toolbox, Writing, YA
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I went to a writing conference this weekend, and everyone was talking about increasing your speed as a writer. With the digital age of publishing taking off with lighting speed, publishers want more books, more articles, more stories. And I was thinking, it took me a year and a half to write the first one. You want me to write it in half that?

Turn Off the Fears

So how can we write faster? I think it’s all about using the tools we have and simply writing. Don’t get stuck with that editor in your head that tells you what you wrote isn’t good enough. Just write it down anyway. Then you’ll have something to work with.

When those voices come that tell you your work is terrible and no one will want to read it, ignore them. Don’t worry if the words aren’t exactly what you want yet. You can always go back later. The important thing is to get them down. You can’t fix something that’s not there.

Tips for Faster Writing:

  • Blogging: Since I started blogging, my writing output has increased and my ability to shape a story has improved. It’s an invaluable way to communicate your thoughts and stories to the reader.
  • Freewrite your thoughts: Don’t go back and edit until you’ve got your thoughts down. Give yourself a specific amount of time to write, say fifteen minutes, and don’t stop.
  • iPad: I got and iPad last week, and I have been writing everywhere with it. It’s so small and easy to carry. As I was waiting for a band concert to start last night, I pulled it out and typed a few hundred words to my next novel. Wow!
  • No excuses: If your current writing schedule isn’t working, make adjustments. Summer is a great time to revamp your writing life.
  • Reward Yourself: When you reach a word count victory or finish a chapter in your book, celebrate. You’ve worked hard!

The Challenge

See what creative ways you can come up with to write more. I know I was challenged at this conference to think about writing in new ways. I’ve set my writing goals higher this summer, and plan on finishing the first draft of book two in my YA trilogy.

What ways have you found to help you write faster?

Cool Writing Websites

Posted: April 19, 2012 in Revision, Writer's Toolbox, Writing, YA
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Writer’s Digest just put out their list of 101 Best Websites for Writers, and it has tons of cool stuff listed on it. I thought I’d share a few that are helpful, especially if you’re a young writer looking for help.

Kidlit.com

Plotwhisperer.blogspot.com

Youngwritersonline.net

And one that’s not on the list but I just came across the other day that I love: goinswriter.com.

My Crazy Idea

Posted: April 5, 2012 in Revision, Writing
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A few years ago, I had this crazy idea to become a writer. I wanted to write the next great novel, so I thought, how hard could it be? Yeah…I found out it was way more difficult than I thought. But I was still determined, though I worked a full-time job. After a while, I realized my job was taking more time than I wanted away from my writing, and I was letting my busy-ness get in the way. By driving too far to work (I drove an hour each way – what was I thinking?), staying late after work, watching too much TV, going on errands that I could do later – you name it, and I’d find an excuse to not write. I had to decide if I wanted to be a writer or not. So, after much prayer and encouragement from my husband, I chose writer and drastically changed my life. I had to make writing a priority and find ways to write every day, otherwise, I’d never see my novel complete, let alone published.

So, I found a job closer to my house, one that allowed me a more flexible schedule as well. I committed to limiting my TV until I had written my quota for the day. I also started using the DVR to record programs so I could watch them when I wanted, commercial free. I found places away from my house (library, coffee shops, etc.) to make myself write and not allow myself to get distracted. Now, I keep a time log as though I’m on the writing job. I track my writing hours in an Excel spreadsheet so I can see when I’ve been slacking.

My writing friend and mentor Henry McLaughlin told me that he began getting up an hour earlier every morning as he worked full-time in order to write his novel, Journey to Riverbend. That meant getting up at 4:30 am. And his efforts paid off, as that novel was published last year by Tyndale House Publishers.

If you’re caught in that cycle of busy-ness that invades our culture these days, take a step back. Give yourself a time to reflect and see if you can find a couple of ways to take back your time. I always tell my music students, “You need to control your time, not let it control you. You have to find ways to practice.” What is it you love best or want to do more than anything else? Are there some things you could eliminate from your schedule that may allow you to do them? Can you consolidate your errands into one or two trips rather than five or six? Try “disconnecting” from social media, texts, e-mails for a chunk of time during the day – maybe only check those things at a specific time once or twice a day rather. There’s tons of great time management advice out there in books, blogs, etc. if you need more ideas.

So, I’m encouraging myself to keep up with this daily writing. The first major round of revisions on my novel in progress is complete!! And I’m excited to read through the manuscript again this weekend and to begin the next round revisions. Maybe in my near future, I’ll be finished with this first novel, and be working on the second one soon, as I keep writing every day.

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