This is a thought experiment a life coach taught me once:
First, imagine a being in a situation that you don't like. Notice how you feel and what your thoughts are about being in that situation. Then imagine a situation that would be a treat to be in, like being handed (and this was her example) $10,000 to spend in any way you wanted for this study about how people spend money. Again, notice the thoughts and feelings.
Yeah, that second one sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Yesterday, I was at the 3rd Annual Ultimate Networking Conference held by YourLocalCity.com and the event put that thought experiment to the forefront again. I listened to people in a variety of businesses talk about how to successfully promote yourself, and gear yourself toward success. The idea of the controversial "Law of Attraction" (see Wikipedia and other sources for details), which stresses that what we think and how we think about it influences what happens, was mentioned several times.
As a scientifically-minded person, I do like to see hard evidence, but I also watch how others are acting (which is a form of data). It's already been established that we can choose our response to a situation, and we can see that people like working with people who are confident without being arrogant. The "I can do it" attitude is part of being proactive, and it's a label in itself. It boils down, to me, to one question to ask our respective selves: "What am I doing that is preventing me from being successful, and what can I do/think to get what I want?"
Of course, you have to know what you want. A word that more than one person urged attendees to eliminate from our vocabularies is "basically." You want to be as specific as possible; that makes things clearer to you and to those around you. It helps you project a confident attitude, and may make you even more enjoyable to be around.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Habit 1: Be Proactive - Word useage and paradigms
A huge aspect of proactivity is the language we use on a daily basis. Do we say such things like "I can't" or "I must/have to" or "if only" or "I'd be happy when I have..." in our thoughts? This is a sign of a mindset that pushes us toward a victim pathology - letting things happen to us rather than be the primary actor in our own lives. It also prevents us from unleashing the maximum potential of our muses; not taking responsibility for making our own destiny is surrendering power to chance - unnecessarily.
So what does being proactive mean for writers? I think it means being open to creating new ideas, trying writing in a different style, using a different way of capturing your thoughts, or trying something related to whatever you're working on. I bet that every writer has read that kind of advice in multiple writing books, and in multiple ways. Now, reading all of this advice is proactive, but it takes another step to actually implement the methods. I can't think of how many times I read something potentially useful and didn't start using it, or perhaps started and stopped with something. I'm already restarting with the idea of Morning Pages from Julia Camerson's The Writing Diet and getting current with my feelings.
Everything I've read about Habit 1 suggests that being proactive means seizing opportunities, and turning problems into opportunities to be creative. Sound hard? Well, it's a matter of how you see the world. If you assume that you can't break through writer's block on your own, then you're setting yourself up for that. But if you assume that you can by being creative, then the odds are more in your favor. My favorite poster is all about how we make our own destiny by our choices. The tropical scene is a bonus.
So what does being proactive mean for writers? I think it means being open to creating new ideas, trying writing in a different style, using a different way of capturing your thoughts, or trying something related to whatever you're working on. I bet that every writer has read that kind of advice in multiple writing books, and in multiple ways. Now, reading all of this advice is proactive, but it takes another step to actually implement the methods. I can't think of how many times I read something potentially useful and didn't start using it, or perhaps started and stopped with something. I'm already restarting with the idea of Morning Pages from Julia Camerson's The Writing Diet and getting current with my feelings.
Everything I've read about Habit 1 suggests that being proactive means seizing opportunities, and turning problems into opportunities to be creative. Sound hard? Well, it's a matter of how you see the world. If you assume that you can't break through writer's block on your own, then you're setting yourself up for that. But if you assume that you can by being creative, then the odds are more in your favor. My favorite poster is all about how we make our own destiny by our choices. The tropical scene is a bonus.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Upcoming
Life has been a weird journey lately, and I started studying The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to help change my direction. It dawned on me that my observations would make great posts, so practically all of my posts will be about applying the 7 Habits to writing practices.
The first post on Habit 1: Be Proactive will come as soon as I feel the post is ready for publication. Look for it within the next week or so.
The first post on Habit 1: Be Proactive will come as soon as I feel the post is ready for publication. Look for it within the next week or so.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Writing Classes and Books
I'm at a writing workshop on jumpstarting creativity. My goal is to push through whatever has blocked me as a writer for the last six years. My sense is that it's stress and all the tension I've built. I believe that muscle tension easily blocks energy and everything else, and I bet that it encourages sticking with habits that ease a need for something else. What I'm doing, thanks to free Wi-Fi, is writing this entry as the class progresses. I wanted to try something new, and this is good practice.
So far we've tackled word lists, and the idea of a word deck. Definitely Magnetic Poetry without the magnets. I should put up more magnetic boards for playing with what I already have. I might feel more connected with my grandma, who died earlier this year. It's hard to let go of a role that you've had all your life. I guess trying to find particular parts of speech and put them into lists, which are for putting together into something else. I guess the goal is to put together plenty of ideas for breaking through writer's block. Taking a collection of words and making them your own sounds like a great idea for poetry, which I've been stuck on for two years without question.
What does it mean to jump-start? Getting up and finding random words kills two birds with one stone; it gets you moving around a little bit - which makes for a little goal to work toward - and thinking about what's around you. This is inside the Writers League of Texas office, so we got to look around the library collection. And make up words. I thought of "politimania," but I couldn't think of a color or a shape. I thought of a pocked texture because of how unpleasant the whole campaigning experience is for the citizen who just wants to be left alone. Hmm... Maybe trying to create words for things I see around me, and for the campaign. Quite a project, but it might be fun.
Ah, introduced to a school of writing: ekphrasis. Writing based on art, another piece of writing, and evidently other things. Our teacher, Scott, says it's big in poetry. Probably helps to use something you've never seen before; makes it more likely you'll create new ideas. I guess fanfiction is ekphrastic art; the challenge is to be true to the original while making something true to your imagination. Yet there's the challenge of making others think that the actions in your story are true to the characters. I wonder if this will help me with finishing the Criminal Intent stories I have in progress, or work on the ideas that I never started but which keep catching my attention.
I just found out about this Blanton project where short stories and poems are based on art. There's a reason for going and checking out what this is like. Maybe going regularly will be worth a bunch of poetry or even an interesting short story. Now I might just go buy a few postcards or books to help. Or maybe I'll sit in front of M.C. Escher pictures. We have a few at home, but maybe I should get more to see what comes from those images. Those distorted, contradicting images may just fit with the novel I'm working on; the character feels trapped between different roles in her life, and needs to get away from how she's been thinking and what she's been doing.
It's fun to rewrite a poem in a group, and I think I'll work on that with a writing group - whenever I make the time to work with one. Maybe I'll start one if I can't find one. Scott suggested using this at a cocktail party. I wonder how this would work at a UT luncheon or a birthday party. I had a fun line to begin with, from David Wevell's poem "Death Valley":
"the pigs
must die, the poor
vomit air
inherit God"
It came back to me as:
"the women
must live, the poor
swallow air
imbibe trees"
How do you imbibe trees? That's an interesting mental image to work with, period. Maybe I'll find a poem or a short story out of that revision. Definitely worth some laughter. My parents might create some interesting images with those prompts. Instead of fill-in-the-blanks, it's replace-a-few-words. It was also pretty quick, which might be good for getting something onto the page to work with later. I think I was thinking of my novel with the first fill-in-the-blanks exercise. Ditto for the second one, which might actually help me revise the ending. The tone of the first was more prose, but the second sounds more poetic - yet still in her voice. Maybe this exercise could work a few times a day, and see what happens when I hit the revision stage. I'm reminded of Dad's editing suggestion: "If you're not sure, cut it out. That goes for boyfriends, too."
Wonder what my maternal grandmother would say. I'm told she was quite the editor, and I know I would've benefited from her guidence. Hey, I'm already sort of a grammar stickler, and I might have developed better a understanding of where our rules came from and what's happening with language if she were still here. Of course, Granddaddy might have some nice, pithy lines that I could use just as I have the ones that have come down from Mom to me.
Well, I've just been introduced to a weird idea: take a poem, insert blank lines, fill in those lines, cross out the original, and add new lines. I think I've got the start of something focusing on the frustrations of the entire presidential campaign. Everything has lasted too long, and I wish sorely for a "None of the Above" option on the ballot. I'll see whether I come up with something based on what I wrote. Worst case, I got some frustrations out of my system, or at least brought them to conscious awareness. Although it's not so fun to be reminded of your allergies. Wonder if one of the health magazines will take grown-up poetry? Maybe my allergist's office would appreciate something creative to post on their walls.
This entry is feeling much more like a journal entry than a blog, but I guess I need to get through this odd stage before I get my creativity going again. Scott said we should bring a dictionary, but I grabbed my thesaurus just to be different. Maybe I have to guess at definitions based on the synonyms, but I like seeing what else things can be called. (Still want that t-shirt with "What's another word for thesaursus?" on it.
Speaking of new words, Scott just suggested using poems from languages that are unfamiliar to you to inspire something new. This trick is called "Translitics." I definitely don't get Swedish or Polish, which shows that I've hardly been exposed to either. (And I'm a quarter Swedish. Wish immigrants could have made sure that the mother tongue survived into the following generations; I'd know at least two more languages.) I'll have to play with this one for a while to see what happens.
Well, I think this was well worth the money. Hope he does another one of these.
So far we've tackled word lists, and the idea of a word deck. Definitely Magnetic Poetry without the magnets. I should put up more magnetic boards for playing with what I already have. I might feel more connected with my grandma, who died earlier this year. It's hard to let go of a role that you've had all your life. I guess trying to find particular parts of speech and put them into lists, which are for putting together into something else. I guess the goal is to put together plenty of ideas for breaking through writer's block. Taking a collection of words and making them your own sounds like a great idea for poetry, which I've been stuck on for two years without question.
What does it mean to jump-start? Getting up and finding random words kills two birds with one stone; it gets you moving around a little bit - which makes for a little goal to work toward - and thinking about what's around you. This is inside the Writers League of Texas office, so we got to look around the library collection. And make up words. I thought of "politimania," but I couldn't think of a color or a shape. I thought of a pocked texture because of how unpleasant the whole campaigning experience is for the citizen who just wants to be left alone. Hmm... Maybe trying to create words for things I see around me, and for the campaign. Quite a project, but it might be fun.
Ah, introduced to a school of writing: ekphrasis. Writing based on art, another piece of writing, and evidently other things. Our teacher, Scott, says it's big in poetry. Probably helps to use something you've never seen before; makes it more likely you'll create new ideas. I guess fanfiction is ekphrastic art; the challenge is to be true to the original while making something true to your imagination. Yet there's the challenge of making others think that the actions in your story are true to the characters. I wonder if this will help me with finishing the Criminal Intent stories I have in progress, or work on the ideas that I never started but which keep catching my attention.
I just found out about this Blanton project where short stories and poems are based on art. There's a reason for going and checking out what this is like. Maybe going regularly will be worth a bunch of poetry or even an interesting short story. Now I might just go buy a few postcards or books to help. Or maybe I'll sit in front of M.C. Escher pictures. We have a few at home, but maybe I should get more to see what comes from those images. Those distorted, contradicting images may just fit with the novel I'm working on; the character feels trapped between different roles in her life, and needs to get away from how she's been thinking and what she's been doing.
It's fun to rewrite a poem in a group, and I think I'll work on that with a writing group - whenever I make the time to work with one. Maybe I'll start one if I can't find one. Scott suggested using this at a cocktail party. I wonder how this would work at a UT luncheon or a birthday party. I had a fun line to begin with, from David Wevell's poem "Death Valley":
"the pigs
must die, the poor
vomit air
inherit God"
It came back to me as:
"the women
must live, the poor
swallow air
imbibe trees"
How do you imbibe trees? That's an interesting mental image to work with, period. Maybe I'll find a poem or a short story out of that revision. Definitely worth some laughter. My parents might create some interesting images with those prompts. Instead of fill-in-the-blanks, it's replace-a-few-words. It was also pretty quick, which might be good for getting something onto the page to work with later. I think I was thinking of my novel with the first fill-in-the-blanks exercise. Ditto for the second one, which might actually help me revise the ending. The tone of the first was more prose, but the second sounds more poetic - yet still in her voice. Maybe this exercise could work a few times a day, and see what happens when I hit the revision stage. I'm reminded of Dad's editing suggestion: "If you're not sure, cut it out. That goes for boyfriends, too."
Wonder what my maternal grandmother would say. I'm told she was quite the editor, and I know I would've benefited from her guidence. Hey, I'm already sort of a grammar stickler, and I might have developed better a understanding of where our rules came from and what's happening with language if she were still here. Of course, Granddaddy might have some nice, pithy lines that I could use just as I have the ones that have come down from Mom to me.
Well, I've just been introduced to a weird idea: take a poem, insert blank lines, fill in those lines, cross out the original, and add new lines. I think I've got the start of something focusing on the frustrations of the entire presidential campaign. Everything has lasted too long, and I wish sorely for a "None of the Above" option on the ballot. I'll see whether I come up with something based on what I wrote. Worst case, I got some frustrations out of my system, or at least brought them to conscious awareness. Although it's not so fun to be reminded of your allergies. Wonder if one of the health magazines will take grown-up poetry? Maybe my allergist's office would appreciate something creative to post on their walls.
This entry is feeling much more like a journal entry than a blog, but I guess I need to get through this odd stage before I get my creativity going again. Scott said we should bring a dictionary, but I grabbed my thesaurus just to be different. Maybe I have to guess at definitions based on the synonyms, but I like seeing what else things can be called. (Still want that t-shirt with "What's another word for thesaursus?" on it.
Speaking of new words, Scott just suggested using poems from languages that are unfamiliar to you to inspire something new. This trick is called "Translitics." I definitely don't get Swedish or Polish, which shows that I've hardly been exposed to either. (And I'm a quarter Swedish. Wish immigrants could have made sure that the mother tongue survived into the following generations; I'd know at least two more languages.) I'll have to play with this one for a while to see what happens.
Well, I think this was well worth the money. Hope he does another one of these.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Thoughts about research and writing
If you don't have knowledge about your subject, the process is harder and less enjoyable. So far, no matter how many times I remind myself to read ahead and maybe jot a few notes to remind myself of important points, I still read as I'm writing. Not fun, and I haven't figured out what is my mental block.
Habits are rough to reform or eliminate. Establishing a new pattern is also hard. In yoga, it's said that 40 straight days are required to form a new habit. I think it is more like 42 to 49 days; the extra time re-enforces the new patterns and provides greater satisfaction with the process. But the trick is not stopping after the end of the cycle; I did a breathing practice for a 40-day yoga challenge two years ago and found so much freedom in my nose, but I forgot to continue the practice and the habit did not stick. I feel that 80 days are needed to give a habit a chance to establish itself in the neural pathways, so I think I have a new goal to reach.
Habits are rough to reform or eliminate. Establishing a new pattern is also hard. In yoga, it's said that 40 straight days are required to form a new habit. I think it is more like 42 to 49 days; the extra time re-enforces the new patterns and provides greater satisfaction with the process. But the trick is not stopping after the end of the cycle; I did a breathing practice for a 40-day yoga challenge two years ago and found so much freedom in my nose, but I forgot to continue the practice and the habit did not stick. I feel that 80 days are needed to give a habit a chance to establish itself in the neural pathways, so I think I have a new goal to reach.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Reflections on NaNoWriMo
I told myself last year that I would join the program, but I was chest-deep in a seminar and a writing course at the time. So it was impossible. This year, I tried it. Unfortunately, I was also in a seminar and struggling with work. Didn't make it, but I did make it to 15,000 words. So my story is well on its way to a complete first draft.
At least I discovered that I can keep writing for minutes on end. Handwritten. I don't exactly have the best handwriting in the world, but this was an excellent chance for practice. Trouble is that I didn't remember to keep to an idea that my dad suggested: not writing complete sentences to force myself to edit it later. That's the trouble with being a perfectionist.
But the website is well-designed. The counter telling how long until the program is done was a cute touch, but the emails providing encouragement were important. Now I'm preparing for next year's NaNoWriMo. I don't need an idea just yet, but I'm developing a plan so I'm ready for that round:
Now, it's back to the grindstone of graduate school. Glad I'm getting to other projects as well.
At least I discovered that I can keep writing for minutes on end. Handwritten. I don't exactly have the best handwriting in the world, but this was an excellent chance for practice. Trouble is that I didn't remember to keep to an idea that my dad suggested: not writing complete sentences to force myself to edit it later. That's the trouble with being a perfectionist.
But the website is well-designed. The counter telling how long until the program is done was a cute touch, but the emails providing encouragement were important. Now I'm preparing for next year's NaNoWriMo. I don't need an idea just yet, but I'm developing a plan so I'm ready for that round:
- Note what else will be on the schedule for that month. In my case, I'll be in the midst of the final seminar for my graduate program.
- Note what needs to be done - or at least have well in hand - by November 1, 2008.
- Read a few books on writing. My focus choices will include ways to write fast, and keeping up when the muse is drying out.
- Select an idea by mid-October. (There'll be no shortage of possibilities.)
- Outline the story, and play with the order of the scenes to see what to focus on. That way, if I get stuck on one scene, I can skip ahead to another.
- Block out some time on my schedule and reserve it for NaNo writing. Sure, I'll need time for school work, and perhaps for writing that might earn money.
- Write every day. What I have to figure out in the eleven months until then is when do I do my best writing streams. Morning, afternoon, evening - I'll know by October 31st.
- Remember that editing is for December and beyond.
Now, it's back to the grindstone of graduate school. Glad I'm getting to other projects as well.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Two articles I'm proud of
Both are from That Other Paper. My internship there has been one of the best things I've ever done. Certainly the most fun, which is important in any job. I've found it's necessary to have some fun on the job to keep yourself from growing bored with it. Anyway...
Free the books!, October 1, 2007
Local author whips up delicious mysteries, August 22, 2007
Next projects? Finishing the article on Evelyn Palfrey (aka Judge Evelyn McKee) and secure an interview with the owner of Pots and Plants. I want to hear how the penguins became a fixture every August.
Free the books!, October 1, 2007
Local author whips up delicious mysteries, August 22, 2007
Next projects? Finishing the article on Evelyn Palfrey (aka Judge Evelyn McKee) and secure an interview with the owner of Pots and Plants. I want to hear how the penguins became a fixture every August.
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