1. Keep a journal. Write in it every day - your dreams, your thoughts, something you saw in the street or in the clouds, something you read. Keep your journal secret. This is just for you.No judgment, no critics or editors, no consequences.
2. Read every day. Go on reading binges. Appreciate books that are less than perfect, because they will help you to see what you may truly be able to do better. Notice what grabs you and what leaves you yawning.This will help you recognize your natural genre.
3. Write for a short and specified time every day. 15 minutes is great, 5 minutes will do. I time myself with a quarter hourglass. I write until the blue sand runs out, and sometimes for a few minutes more, but it is important tp respect the time limit. This practice is different from keeping a journal. Now you are writing The Book. You may be clueless about the shape of the book to begin with, but if a story wants to come through, it will reveal its form and its dimensions.
When your project has taken shape, and you are ready to set deadlines and send out proposals characters, do this:
4. Apply the work habits that worked for you in the past.What work habits and schedules have made you most productive in any field in the past? Have you done best on a daily 9-5 schedule,or on wild overnight rushes to meet a deadline?Do you do better in solitude or among workmates or with a partner? Apply those past habits to your writing project.
5. Shhhhhhhhh. Don't waste energy and lose magic by talking to much about that book or script you are working on. If being in a writing group suits you, well and good. However, don't talk to the world at large about what you are doing or not doing. And avoid, like the plague, the feedback felons who bring you down instead of saying what you need to hear from a creative friend, which is More, More!
I am about to publish my 26th book, Growing Big Dreams: Manifesting Your Heart's Desires through Twelve Secrets of Imagination. I am still learning what it means to be a writer, and what risks it is necessary to take and what habits it is necessary to grow or reinforce to bring something truly new into the world. Yes, I am writing new books, different from anything I have published before.No, I cannot say any more because of rule #5.
Thank you Robert! This was something I really needed and the hourglass is simply brilliant. As a very visual person setting a timer never really worked for me. I can't wait for your new book.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to this one. I have a journal I titled, Notice What You Notice. A wink and a nod, sir.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have found very useful is to connect again with my inner child. Throughout my teenage years, I would write for hours and I was able to get lost in the universe I was creating. I did this for pleasure, and I did not bother myself with thoughts of inadequacy or shame. I am asking this wonderful being that still lives inside of me to teach how to do that again, just for the sake of rediscovering a practice I used to love. My dreamwork has been key to this process, so of course, I love reading what you have to say as I resonate a lot with your ideas. It'd be wonderful to be able to connect with you on Facebook, but it is not meant to be, I will keep reading, following, and dreaming.
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