Artist's Way Week 2

One week down, eleven to go. I'm glad there are a lot of weeks left, because I need a lot of help. :)

First, I'll start with my check in for Week 1. I did my morning pages every day. I can't imagine a morning without them. I tried really hard to not make them a glorified To Do list. I tried to actually write about issues I was having, and to write about my WIP and problems I'm having with it. By the end of the week, I'd figured some things out with my WIP. Which is good. Was it enough to get me writing every day? Uh, no.

I didn't really go on an Artist's Date, because the definition of an AD says it must be done alone. I did, however, go to three Oscar-nominated movies and watched the Academy Awards last night. Those are all artsy endeavors. Did I do them alone? No. Do they count as Artist's Dates? This week, they do.

I did most of the tasks. I didn't like the ones about our creative monsters in our pasts, so I didn't put much effort into those. I don't know why I resisted these. It probably means those are the tasks I need to do most...

I really liked all the information in Chapter 1 about positive self talk. I try to pound this into the heads of my personal training clients (I'm a personal fitness trainer in my day job)--if you're mean to yourself and put yourself down, you'll never reach your goals. Do I practice what I preach? No. So I've written affirmations most days and try to remember to read them throughout the day. Is it working? Not yet. I'm the meanest person I know...to myself. Not good.

Week 2 is about recovering a sense of identity. I'm looking forward to it.

How are you doing? Any breakthroughs or realizations? I'd love to hear.

Have a great week 2!

The Artist's Way Week 1

If you've never heard of/read/followed The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, you're really missing out. This book about breaking through our creative blocks was originally published in the early 2000s. I followed the 12-week program back then and saw great results.

But I wasn't really blocked back then. I hadn't been writing that long, so I was young and dumb and didn't know any better. Now, I'm older and supposedly wiser, and I have become my own worst enemy when it comes to my writing and my art (I'm an artist as well as author). I feel like I'm wearing a straightjacket; no matter how much I want to write/draw/paint, I just can't seem to make myself do it. At least not on a regular basis, or as often as I should. And when I do start a project, I have a hard time completing it.

So, that's why I've decided to do the 12-week Artist's Way program again. I'll check in weekly here with an update.

This week... I've read the Week One chapter. I've been doing Morning Pages most days ever since I orginally did the program in 2002 (or whenever it was). Mornings just aren't mornings if I miss my pages. They're usually more of a running To Do list than anything else. "I can't forget to make an appt with the vet." "I really need to clean out the fridge--it's a mess." Other times, if I'm going through a stressful time in my life, it might be full of four-letter cuss words. If anyone ever read my morning pages, they'd either think I'm 1) the most boring person in the world, or 2) a complete psycho bitch.

Both descriptions are probably fairly accurate. LOL.

I haven't done any of the tasks yet... however, I did make a list of possible artist dates (this is hard for me to do. If I have time to do an artist date, then maybe I should be writing/working out/cleaning the toilet...).

Artist date ideas:
Play the piano (haven't done this in years. Literally.)
Take a sketchbook to the park (if it's not raining)
Take a hike with my dog
Browse the little shops in my town
Go to a movie by myself
Watch an old B&W movie in my jammies
Go to the art supply store and browse
Visit the new antique store in town
 
If any of you are doing the program, even if you're ahead of me, I'd love to hear how you're doing. Tell me what prompted you to do the program and how it's working for you. I'd also love to hear your artist date ideas.

Have fun this week!

--Becky

Stepping out of our comfort zones

Periodically, I come across a blog post that I think you, my lovely readers, would enjoy. Here's once from Word Wranglers about taking chances. Enjoy. :)

--Becky

The new face of marketing

As much as I love the idea of doing all my promo and marketing from my house and in my ratty sweats, I'm learning that I might have to make myself get "out there" more and actually meet the people.

Meh.

This is SO not what I want to hear. 

Check out this great post by Esther Wheelmaker, in her blog Zombiepunk Series: The New Face of Marketing. 

If you're an introvert/shy person like me, you may not like what she has to say, but I'm thinking we should listen to her.

After reading Ms. Wheelmaker's great post, check out her newest release on Goodreads. 

How to Ignore Your Mother's Warning

by Brinda Berry

A few years ago, I only socially interacted with people I'd known for years. Even then it was sporadic. I'm not the party type, and I didn't really do Facebook. Then, I signed my first publishing contract and discovered I was expected to engage. I needed to ignore my mother's warning: don't talk to strangers.

I've always loved technology, so it wasn't difficult for me to pick up how different sites worked. Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads are all fun platforms to use "technically". The more difficult task was to actually talk to complete strangers. What do I have to say that would be of any interest at all?

I'd like to share what I've learned about talking to strangers.

1. Share topics that you are interested in and someone else will chime in on the conversation.

2. I like books and reading, so I talk about my current reads or discoveries.

3. Learn to poke fun at yourself. Others will laugh with you.

4. Ask questions. If you need help with anything from finding a good movie over the weekend to solving a computer issue, there are experts who love to help.

5. Be consistent. Don't be the friend who only visits every ten years. Show up on a regular basis and others will feel comfortable knowing that you are a presence.

6. Respond to others when they post. This is a two-way street. Don't expect others to be interested in you if you ignore the opportunity to respond to them.

7. Build relationships in a community. I've made lists in Twitter where I can view posts from people I've learned about and know. I have writer lists, editors lists, reader lists, etc.

8. Introduce others. If you have friends who need a boost up in this social media world, introduce them. It's exactly what you would do in person, so do it online as well.

9. If you're not funny, borrow someone else's humor. I'm not talking about stealing anything. I only suggest that you quote or share humor from others and give them credit. We all like to laugh. Smile!

Do you find it easy to engage with others on social media? What's your favorite or least favorite platform. Why?

You can find Brinda online here:

Website  | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

About Brinda: Brinda Berry lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She is the author of the Whispering Woods YA series published by Etopia Press. She's terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality. Brinda doesn't mind being called a geek or "crazy dog lady". When she's not working the day job or writing a novel, she's guilty of surfing the internet for no good reason.

Q&A with Margaret Fieland

Thanks for being here today, Margaret. Would you please share a short bio about yourself?
Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. Her poems and stories have appeared in journals such as Turbulence Magazine, Front Range Review, and All Rights Reserved. She is one of the Poetic Muselings. Their poetry anthology, "Lifelines," was published by Inkspotter Publishing in November, 2011. She is the author of "Relocated," published by MuseItUp Publishing, and of "Sand in the Desert." Her book, "The Angry Little Boy," will be published by 4RV publishing in early 2013.

Do you consider yourself a shy and/or introverted person? 
I consider myself more of an introvert than an extrovert. I've taken Myers-Briggs and at first I was surprised I was more balanced than I would have guessed at the time.

In what ways has being shy or introverted hindered your writing career?
I'm less eager to approach folks about opportunities, especially in-person, to volunteer to teach workshops and the like. I'm working on this.

In what ways has being shy or introverted helped your writing career?
It's a piece of who I am. I bring myself, my vision, my use of language, my interests, my fantasies, the characters and stories I imagine, to my writing.

What’s the hardest part of this business for you?
Selling and marketing. I don't like it, and I don't have enough experience in the area to believe I'm doing everything I can to get the word out about my work.

Tell me about a time that you had to step outside your comfort zone either in your writing career or in your personal life?
When I decided to write "Relocated." I am a huge science fiction fan, have read reams of the stuff, but at the time -- 2010 -- I'd never written any at all. I had a phobia about the world-creation aspects, and I'd only written two novels: one a chapter book is due to appear sometime this year, and another that needs a major rewrite. On a whim, sometime in late September, I decided to do NaNo. I spent the next six weeks mostly on the world-building, some time on the characters, and about a page of plot notes. On Nov. 1, I started writing, and by the end of the month, I had a first draft.

Then, of course, came the months and months of editing.

What’s one tip you could share with shy and introverted people that’s helped you?

Just go for it. Don't dwell too much on all the eyes you're convinced are staring at you or on all the things you're convinced will go wrong or you will do badly. Just do it.

Would you please share a short blurb of your book and where my readers can buy it?

When fourteen-year-old Keth's dad is transferred to planet Aleyne, he doesn't know what to expect. Certainly not to discover Dad grew up here, and studied with Ardaval, a noted Aleyni scholar. On Aleyne, Keth’s psi ability develops. However, psi is illegal in the Terran Federation. After a dangerous encounter with two Terran teenagers conflict erupts between Keth and his father. Keth seeks sanctuary with Ardaval. Studying with the Aleyne scholar Keth learns the truth about his own heritage. After Keth's friend's father, Mazos, is kidnapped, Keth ignores the risks and attempts to free him. Little does he realize who will pay the cost as he becomes involved with terrorists.

Available now!

Muse It Up Publishing | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Smashwords | Bookstrand

Where can my readers find you on the web?

My website:

http://www.margaretfieland.com/

My blog:

http://blog.margaretfieland.com/

Relocated's website:

http://relocated.margaretfieland.com/

Why So Serious? Tales of an Author Hobbyist

by Melinda Pierce

First, thank you, Rebecca, for allowing me to hijack Once Written, Twice Shy today.

Second, let me throw in a Happy Birthday to my hubby! Love you lots, babe.

And now I’ll get down to the business of being serious – or not.  When I started my writing journey three years ago, I connected with a fabulous critique group of newbie authors, all yet to be published.  We each laid out our goals, and I introduced them to my ten year plan.

The Ten Year Plan:  To publish anything within a 10 yr time frame or give up writing, because if I couldn’t do it by then, becoming an author wasn’t my thing.

Them: Snickering behind their hands or full out laughing, while writing away at their soon to be published manuscripts.

Why would they laugh? Because it was obvious I knew nothing about the publishing industry.  Nothing.  I’d entered a few Writer’s Digest short story contests and I’d even had a short story published in an on-line magazine. (The magazine went under after the second issue, totally not my fault.)  I’d read a few craft books and I knew I had a lot to learn about writing in general.  I joined a few writers’ groups and communities, attended some online workshops, and generally I started paying attention to the overall world of writing.

That’s when I noticed the trend of blogs and articles defining what it was to be a serious writer. A serious writer is one who treats writing like a business.  He/she has a book plan, a marketing plan, short term goals, long term goals, a tribe, a presence online, an appealing website, attends conferences, networks, knows if she wants to self-pub or find an agent, and pumps those manuscripts out like there is no tomorrow.

Suddenly my ten year plan turned into a get-it-done-right-now plan.  All of it.  Otherwise, I wasn’t serious about being a writer or a published author.  So I dove in head first.  I set aside my writing time and started manuscripts that I thought would sell, because I had to sell to get my foot in the door.  I joined more groups, started more manuscripts (all without finishing the one before, mind you) and started a cycle that consumed my life.  But that’s the way it’s supposed to be, right?  Serious writers are consumed by writing.  There’s no time for anything else.  Butt in chair, butt in chair, kid in front of t.v., laundry piled on the floor, dishes stacked in the sink, mad at hubby because why the hell can’t he pitch in while I work on my break out novel?! So what if he worked 12 hours, I’m on to something this time, dammit!

Yes, almost three years of this cycle – running in circles and getting nowhere but miserable.  I hated sitting down at my computer and instead of trying to write, I’d surf the net, spend hours on Twitter, and think about writing and talk about writing, yet never actually added many words to page.  Then a couple of things happened.  The first, I had my little baby boy and it forced me out of the chair.

Second was a conversation with a friend that went something like this:

You have talent, just finish one of those manuscripts.

I weakly respond, I have a ten-year plan remember? Plenty of years left, hee hee.

That makes writing your hobby.

Lord have mercy, not the dreaded H word.  Anything but that.  Serious writers don’t treat writing as a hobby.  Hobbies are things you do when you have spare time.  In fact, when you Google the definition, here’s what pops up:

Hobby - An activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.

Wait a second – stop the presses (yes, I’m a cornball too).  That doesn’t sound like the definition of a dirty word.  Pleasure, well that’s kind of the whole reason I started writing in the first place.  I enjoyed creating, and it was about time for me to find that joy again. To do this, I had to change my way of thinking and I knew right where to start.

My own definition of a serious writer: A writer who cares about craft and producing a damn good book.  One who wants to give the reader an experience to remember.  Period.  All the rest doesn’t matter, at least it doesn’t to me right now.  Not at this stage of my ten-year plan, and this stage of my life.  This doesn’t mean I don’t care about my writing, it means it takes a lower rank in my list of priorities.  Kids want to play outside – writing gets set aside.  Hubby wants to watch a movie – writing gets set aside.

Call my writing a hobby, that’s okay – does that mean there isn’t any room for me in the world of writing? Nope. Does it ruin my chances of becoming a best-selling author someday? Not at all.  It does mean I’ve removed about 80% of the stress that I had placed upon myself, and I’m all the happier for it, and I’m positive my writing will reflect this.  If it takes two months or two years to get a book finished, it doesn’t matter to me as long as the end result is something I can be proud of.

Does writing as a hobby work for everyone? – of course not.  For many authors, it is your business, it is your career and you have to continue to treat it as such.  But for a few others a light bulb may go off and you may join me in this laid back journey of hobbyism.  ß which I’m not sure is a real word, but if I can someday get Snookie or Kim Kardashian to say it on a reality show, I have no doubt it’ll be added to the dictionary.

So good luck to each of you on your writing journey, however YOU decide to define it, and happy writing!

--Melinda

P.S. That critique group I mentioned above – every one of them is now a multi-published author, but that’s a post for another day. J

About Melinda: Melinda B. Pierce is an author hobbyist, mother of two, and self-proclaimed trophy wife – although her husband defines her as being more of high maintenance than anything else.  She writes in almost every romance genre and refuses to follow the path of most resistance.  Connect with her on twitter @MelindaBPierce