Writing Rituals

"The inner heckler laughs even at sages" - Jeff Davis (from The Journey From the Center to the Page)

Everyone loves a success story.  It invigorates us to see others do well.  We all love to see someone fight against the odds and come out victorious.  It's a universal theme.  We identify with the struggle.

Think for a moment of what goes into the success of a writer.  We think a person becomes an "overnight success" in Hollywood only to discover that said person had years of training under his/her belt or worked behind the scenes for decades before venturing out on his/her own with an original project.

Things take time to mature.  Wines, cheeses, and writers all benefit from the effects of time.  I do believe we get better as we get older because, hopefully, we've kept learning, kept digging deeper at the essence of things.  We get better simply because we keep doing it.

Invent and structure your day around to enrich and empower your good writing habits.  My writing rituals necessarily must include walking two dogs three times a day and lots of coffee.  But every morning I'm at the keyboard around 10am.  I put in as much time as I can before the other demands of the day press on me.  I make time for at least one hour of exercise a day.  It's that simple,  Just show up.  But, that doesn't guarantee that you'll have a finished novel, play or short story.  It just means you're engaged in the process.  You've committed to the life of a writer which involves a lot of uncertainty.

Recently, I've been looking over some short stories I wrote years ago and am mining for gold, looking for something perhaps forgotten that can be further developed.  These old paper copies also need to be re-typed up nicely on my word processor so it gives me a chance to polish stories I haven't looked at since I wrote them in 2003.  For me, this is a way to keep my writing flow going while the new ideas perculate in the background.  It also keeps me organized.

This blog sprung from a few journal entries that focused on writing and prompted me to collect my thoughts on the subject and my approach to it, along with helpful exercises in one place and share my discoveries with others.  I've been thrilled to see so many people use it.

Make every part of your day part of your writing practice.  While I may not do 100% of my writing at the keyboard.  Sometimes an idea comes to me at odd times throughout the day.  Part of being a writer is always having a pen and notepad handy to capture ideas as they come to you.  This becomes second nature and it's very necessary.  A notepad becomes part of your personality.  Capture a friend's witty comment during a brunch date.  Incorporate writing into every part of your day.  Practice describing the room you're in.  Practice describing people's posture, speech patterns, modes of dress.  It's all connected to your writing.

This week's suggested website: Constant Content - (http://www.constant-content.com/) List your work for sale and name your own price on this website.  

This week's writing prompt: Give yourself five uninterrupted minutes of quiet time. Think about your favorite fairy tale (Cinderella, The Ugly Duckling, The Three Little Pigs, etc.) try rewriting the story with a new ending.  Introduce a new character or switch the point of view.  Imagine what Little Red Riding Hood's story would sound like if you were hearing it from the wolf.  Would the three bears have a completely different take on that little bitch Goldilocks?  Have fun, do your best work and have a great writing week.

Laying Track

"The real leader has no need to lead - he is content to point the way." -- Henry Miller  

How many times have you someone say "keep putting one foot in front of the other." It sounds like a well worn yet good piece of wisdom.  And, what a marvelous game plan it really is for getting someplace.  Guess what?  Everything in life is that simple.  Keep putting one foot in front of the other.  The outcome is assured.  You'll get there eventually.  Getting somewhere eventually is better than never getting there at all.

While preparation, vision and planning count for a great deal of success quotient, planning doesn't get you there.  Moving gets you there.  Yes, there's a time and a place to plan and envision a successful outcome but actively moving forward toward a goal amounts to more than planning.  100 words a day is better than 0 words a day.  Don't keep yourself from your writing desk because you don't have a solid block of time to commit to writing.  Write for as long as you can.  

While every individual step may seem inconsequential, their cumulative effect is profound and certain.  Keep showing up at the blank page until it's as natural as brushing your teeth.  Some days will seem like a chore just to arrive at the page and attempt to focus.  You'll feel empty and uninspired.  The process may seem lackluster and even a wasteful use of your time.  If all you have is 20% then make the commitment to show up at the page and bring 20% to it.  You may find that once you get started you actually had 25%  The point is - do something.  Anything.  Keep covering ground.

The best selling author and writing guru, Julia Cameron calls this process, "laying track."  It's simply showing up and putting something down on the page.  There will be many days where there isn't anything magical going on.  It might even seem downright boring.  (Remember boredom is just masked resistance).  Just as a seed needs to establish roots before it can shoot out of the ground sometimes our writing needs to incubate, unseen in order to bloom at a later time.

Jhumpa Lahiri's first novel, Interpreter of Maladies, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2000.  A gifted writer with a unique voice whose passion for story and character is fresh and exciting.  She brings out the universal humanity in her characters and engages the reader with rich detail and witty circumstances.

This week's suggested website:  - MediaBistro.com (www.mediabistro.com) This site is a good place to find freelance jobs online. Other features include forums, courses and industry news.


This week's writing prompt: Give yourself five uninterrupted minutes of quiet time.   Revisit a character biography you've been working on.  Imagine that this character is looking for a job and meets the difficulties of today's economy head on.  Prepare your character's resume and give it some realistic level of polish.  For extra fun submit it to one of the online job boards and see what happens.  

Is It Worth It?

"By helping you win, I win too.  We all do.  And that is the only way to become not only a better writer, but to make the world a better place." - Blake Snyder

Rome wasn't built in a day.  As frustrating as it may be, things take time to come to fruition.  When you embark on a project as daunting as a novel or screenplay, be prepared to be in it for the long haul.  You'll need to put off your desire for instant results or even noticeable progress.  It may happen that way, but more often than not it's a slow methodical approach to a clearly realized goal that gets you to the finish line.

Along the way, if you're fortunate, you'll encounter other writers on the path, struggling with the same issues.  Remember that not every day will be a great writing day.  Sometimes you'll struggle and wind up with a measly paragraph that only brushes up against mediocrity.  There will be days when you read what you've written so far and wonder why you didn't listen to your mother and become an accountant.

The important thing to remember here is that this is all part of the process.  You have to be willing to enjoy the process of writing not just the act of being finished.  The process of agonizing over a sentence, pouring over a thesaurus for the right word, getting turned on by spell check is all part and parcel of being a writer.  These are the mundane things that will fill your days and build into a great work.  The richness of writing lies in the struggle to write not in the accolades that come from critics or readers.  Some days your blog will suck ass and you'll feel like you have nothing to say, or that you've said it all before.  This is where most wannabees quit.  A writer, will write anyway.  A writer will write through the depression and self doubt.  Don't be surprised if you arrive at more depression and self-doubt for your trouble.  That's part of the process too.  Take the time to understand your process.  Learn when to shut up, turn off your mind and keep writing.  All great writers have one thing in common.  They finished.  They got across the finish line and completed their vision.  It's that simple.  Arrive at the page.  Give it what you can.

Is it worth it?  Is writing ever going to pay off?  Will I ever be published/produced?  You may never know the answer to these questions.  The truth is, it doesn't matter one way or the other.  Riches?  Fame?  So what?  Write.




This week's suggested website: Guide to Literary Agents (www.guidetoliteraryagents.com)  If you're looking for representation, this comprehensive guide may be your best method of identifying which agents are best suited to represent your type of work.


This week's writing prompt:  Give yourself five uninterrupted minutes of quiet time.  Compile a list of five of your favorite writers.  Spend a little time researching their personal lives.  Notice what their struggles and triumphs were.  What were their greatest literary achievements?  What was going on in their personal lives when their writing was at its best?  Are there any similarities between the authors on your list?  What are they?