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I want to start by saying how proud I am of all of you who are attempting NaNoWriMo. I’ve done NaNo before, and I know how hard it is to plan and write an entire story in one month. I remember the struggle, and I still remember the lessons that I learned during the process. Because I know that many of you might be hitting the wall, I’d like to share some inspiration that might help you soldier through.

The thing that frustrated me the most when I started drafting was how blah the writing was. It was hard enough to get the words down, and once I did, I was completely underwhelmed by them. Then I stumbled across this quote by Shannon Hale that’s been making the rounds:

I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles. 

Yes. Yes! By all that is holy, YES! This is what we do. We shovel words onto paper, as fast as we can, knowing—even expecting—them to be fairly crappy. Don’t worry about correct word choice, proper grammar, or flair. Just get the words down. That’s what you’re aiming for this month.

And that ties in to my second mantra, stolen from Dean Wesley Smith:

Dare to be bad

I’m a little weird in that drafting is the most difficult part of the process for me. Every day when I sit down to write, it takes forever to get going. For me—and for a lot of writers, I’ve learned—it all comes down to fear. Fear of starting in the wrong place, of wasting time, of going through all this effort and the story not being any good—all of this stymies the writing. It wasn’t until I read Dean’s advice that I freed myself up to write badly. I realized that the only writers who do get it right the first time around are the ones who’ve been doing it for years and have written roughly a gajillion words. I’m not there yet. But I will be, if I keep writing. And so will you. So when you’re struggling through that first draft and you’re afraid that it totally sucks, don’t worry. Dare to be bad, and just finish the story. You’ll have plenty of time to pretty it up later. That’s what the revision process is for.

And that leads to a favorite quote—this one from Kristen Lamb—that we all need to remember from time to time:

Redefine Failure

When I started my NaNo, I aimed for the standard goal of 50,000 words. It became clear very quickly that I wasn’t going to make it. Wasn’t even going to come close. I had to revise my goal, and I ended up with 30,000 words— barely a third of my novel. At first I was disappointed that I had achieved so little. But then I realized, No. I had planned and outlined an entire novel. Wrote the first third of it with a preschooler underfoot. Wrote 30,000 words that I wouldn’t have had under my belt if I hadn’t tried. Mastered some new techniques that are getting me closer to being able to write those solid first drafts. I had to redefine my notions of success and failure to appreciate all that I’d accomplished in just thirty days.

And that’s my hope for each of you: Get the words down on paper. Don’t worry about the quality. And realize that what you’re doing is A-MAZING. This month is about more than just finishing a book. It’s also about the writing, whether that’s 5000 words or 50,000. With every word you write, you learn. As you learn, you improve. And as you improve, the process gets easier.

You’re doing great! Keep up the good work!

The post On Writing Badly and Redefining Failure appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS™.

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It’s September, y’all! That means the kids are back in school and many of us have a little more time to write. NaNo is coming, which means many of you are gearing up to write that next novel. But sometimes, amidst the excitement of a new project and a new season, worries creep in and threaten to steal our joy. Can I do this? What makes me think I’m qualified? Will I have the time? What if I fail? No one wants to be derailed by self-doubt, so Jordan Holman is here to share some helpful thoughts on how to overcome those negative thoughts and return to positivity.

As a writer, I know that we all have those tiny moments of self-doubt when it comes to our work, but what happens when those tiny moments turn into full-on negative thinking? I’m currently still working on my first novel and, at first, I found myself sporadically writing and then scrapping everything. I went through this process over and over until I almost got to the point where I thought I should just stop writing. Then, one day I got on Pinterest and saw something interesting. I saw this pin that talked about how Veronica Roth wrote a bestselling book before she even graduated college! That was something inspiring to me and it told me that if she could do it, then so could I. Self-doubt is something that not just every writer, but every person, struggles with. So when it comes to your writing, here are some tips to help get you out of your rut and back on track.

Give Yourself a Deadline

A major fear that has crossed all of our minds is that we can’t do it and it’s too big of a mountain to climb. I know it has crossed my mind more than a time or two. Giving yourself a deadline for your project is a way of keeping you on track. That way you can write as little or as much as you want to everyday. You can break down your big project as you build your confidence. Even if you write 500 words a day, that will help break down the mountain of work so it’s not so daunting.

Make Yourself Write

Making yourself write may not seem like the best way to go, but you don’t have to work on your project all of the time. During the summer, I wrote short stories, alternate endings to books—anything that kept me writing. Working on different projects refreshes your mind and opens it up to new ideas that you may not have considered before.

Find the good in your work

Not all of your work is going to be perfect. In the past, I’ve come up with an idea that I loved, then two weeks later, I hated myself for even thinking it up. It’s okay to realize that some ideas may not be right for some stories, but it’s also okay to find the good in your ideas.

Make an outline

A common fear for writers is not knowing where the story is going; that can become an overwhelming thought. If this is a struggle for you, an outline can make the project more manageable. For helpful tips on creating an outline, check out these posts at She’s Novel and Now Novel.

Get Inspired!

Along with other art forms, writing requires creativity. It is an outlet that allows a person to express their ideas and ultimately themselves. To get inspired, try reading, watching a movie, or exploring your neighborhood. If you’re having trouble finding inspiration where you live, then take a trip on Pinterest. It has a lot of cool ideas you can try out.

Believe in Yourself

Cliché, I know, but it’s true. Like I said before, I used to think that I should give up writing. I thought that my work wasn’t good enough for other people to read. Once I surrounded myself with people who believed in my abilities, that led to me believing in myself. The change didn’t take place overnight; I actively worked on my confidence by submitting stories for contests, blogging to get more practice, and enlisting others to read my story. If you believe in yourself and your ability to learn and grow, then you’ll be able to improve your craft. You’ll see the improvements in your writing and will gain confidence in your ability to finish that project and make it awesome.

I know that self doubt is a struggle for a lot of first-time novelists. However, I believe that these struggles that we endure make us not only better writers, but better people. Your literary journey will be full of ups and downs, but if you persevere, you’ll get to the pot of gold, the heroic rescue, or whatever else awaits at the end of your story.

 

 

Jordan Holman is a College Junior who is currently working on her first novel. She studies Media Industries with minors in Communication Studies and English. She is from St. Louis, MO but wants to attend NYU to obtain a Masters in Publishing.

 

 

The post You vs. Yourself: Defeating the Self-Doubt Slump appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS™.

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anthonyholden:

It’s almost the weekend! Get out your best outfit and strut your stuff!

-Anthony Holden

Oh yes I am reblogging this.

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Today is Leap Day. It happens only once every four years. And to me there's something magical, mysterious, even hopeful about a day that doesn't show up every year.

Or maybe it's the word.

Leap.

It's an action word that hangs out with other words such as spring, vault, bound, jump. The images that skip through my mind:

I don't really know. But I do know that it's got me thinking about taking leaps and trying new things that take me out of my comfort zone and stretching me in new ways.

What about you? What is something that you would like to take a leap and do?

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I didn't realize just how many of my daily thoughts are crap.  Seriously.  Unless you're a positive person by nature, I think you'll agree that our thinking tends to lead us down a negative road.  Want to abolish those crappy thoughts forever?  Then grab a copy of, Happy Crap - 8 Tools to Choose Your Thoughts for Prosperity, Productivity and Peace by Erika Oliver.

This book isn't just another 'self-help-find-the-golden-path-to-life' read.  It's laid out in a simple, easy-to-follow and practical format that truly will open your eyes to how much negativity our brains can conjure up; most of it needless.

Oliver offers short exercises that point out areas where negative thinking creeps in and 8 easy tools we can use to combat it. 

We all want to be happy and lead productive lives, so don't waste another moment letting your brain rule with crappy thoughts, get your copy of Happy Crap today.

"It's all crap, so why not make it Happy Crap?"

For more information check out Erika's website at; http://www.erikaoliver.com/ also avialable on Amazon

About the Author:

Erika Oliver, MPA, is the "Positive Approach Coach."  As a positive communication expert and recovering pessimist, Erika helps people, teams, and organizations find their "happy."

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Life is also very insistent when it needs attending to and easily distracts one from creative pursuits no matter how much one procrastinates ... :) I've had so much to attend to lately that I find myself slightly (or hugely depending on how I want to view it) blocked where art is concerned at the moment. So I've been fiddling around more with typography lately and this is one of the results.

I hand-draw into my sketchbook first now, as my tablet PC seems to have given up on me, and then scan the drawing in and polish it up in photoshop. After which I transfer it into Illustrator to fine tune the lines as it's the smoothest way of changing the colours on the letters if I wish to do so. 

I'm considering opening up a new store on zazzle devoted entirely to my play with fonts and type design, as they seem to be getting increasingly popular. It's also fun and almost as therapeutic as drawing, so I won't be giving up on it anytime soon. Cheers!

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