Feed your Creativity - A List

Posted by Jennifer Baylor at The Writing Cocoon.  

I've been going through a bit of a slow patch the last week. I still managed some free writing and wrote a short story (it received rave reviews from my readers - hooray!), but I've not worked on The Beast (AKA WiP1) in a week. The creativity impulse has been wavering, wilted, waning (Yes, already...funny how these things go).

I saw this list, 33 Ways to Stay Creative, on Google+ (thanks, Girl Writer) and it made me think about how we creative types need to take care of ourselves and protect our creativity from perfectionism, insecurity, boredom, isolation, negativity, burn-out and fear.

The list has some good ideas ("carry a notebook everywhere"), some ideas I subscribe to but that are not as universal ("drink tea or coffee"), and then there are some ones I'm not sure what to do with ("be otherworldly"). The list made me ask myself: how can I do a better job of nurturing my creativity and protecting this still-fragile writer identity?

So, without further ado, I present to you (I've borrowed a few suggestions from the above linked list where noted with an *) my version of the list:

Feed Your Creativity - A List

1. Carry a notebook everywhere.* (I have tiny notepads with tiny pens. They fit in the tiniest of bags or pockets. I record: overheard conversation snippets, funny signs, random thoughts, etc.)
2. Take a daily walk outdoors. (Preferably somewhere pretty or inspiring and filled with nature.)
3. Write badly, boldly - just write. (or draw or paint or whatever you do)
4. Experiment with various hobbies/activities (I took boxing lessons for a while, for example, and I want to learn to pick locks.)
5. Take up a creative hobby different than your main passion. (For example: if you're a writer, do something wordless, like knitting or painting or photography.)
6. Create a pleasant, healthy ritual around your work. (Sit down to your workstation with a cup of nice tea or cocoa, start your day with your favorite song, or light a candle or incense. Don't start your creative sessions with a cigarette (or something addictive and bad for you) - trust me.)
7. Collect "found objects" and keep them in a box for inspiration. (This came from a writing teacher. I collect pine cones and dried leaves/seeds, bits of fabric or buttons, weird items from thrift shops, toys, old pictures and postcards, etc. and keep them in a nice tin or box.)
8. Take breaks and get plenty of rest.*
9. Learn how to accept criticism graciously. (Don't take it personally - you are not your art. Also, recognize when criticism doesn't feel true for you. Which leads to...)
10. Trust your gut.
11. Meditate daily. (Seems like creative types have a lot going on upstairs - ten minutes of quiet every day does wonders). 
12. Drink your water. (Hydration - it's important)
13. Take a class or join a group. (A lot of art work is solitary work. Being with others who share your passion can be invigorating.)
14. Read books, watch plays, see a film, go to a museum. Travel if you can.*
15. Study a foreign language.
16. Learn to like yourself. 
17. Don't always wait on the Muse. (Sometimes you just have to make things happen. )
18. Have goals you can control, and know how you're going to make them happen.
19. Put yourself out there: be vulnerable.  (Go ahead and create a blog, submit a story, tell your friends you wrote a book, etc.)
20. Finish something.* (Nothing feels as good as finishing a project. It will keep you going for quite some time.)
21. Cut negative people out of your life. (If someone is sucking the life out of you - take a hard look at their place in your life. Some people are vampires.)
22. Make note cards with creative, inspirational or funny quotes or images and hang them around your work station.
23. Laugh daily. 
24. Don't take yourself (or your art) too seriously. If you can laugh at yourself or your work every once in a while, it takes the edge off.
25. Share your work with others. 
26. If you can, change your work setting once a week. (For writers, it is easy: grab pen and notepad and go to the local coffee shop, park or library.)
27. Take care of your health. (Go to the dentist, already!)
28. Let yourself cry.
29. Love a pet. 
30. Enjoy the small things: a sunset, a sleeping cat, holding hands, quiet mornings, the smell of a flower, dark chocolate.
31. Be content with now, enjoy where you're at in your artistic journey. 
32. Don't expect to master your craft immediately.  (Goes along with #31)
33. Accept that there will be bad days.
34. Create a space dedicated to your art. (My "writing space" is the corner of the guest room/sewing room/exercise room/storage room, but that corner is organized with all my "tools" and decorated with stuff that inspires me.)
35. Respect your art. (Dedicate time to it, study "the masters," have your work critiqued, commit yourself to your work, finish your projects.)
36. Enjoy what you do. (If you don't, do something else.)

What do you do to protect your creativity?

Ludic Poetry as Writing Exercise

Posted by Jennifer Baylor at The Writing Cocoon.  

Sunflower field: Provence

In my writing class this week, we started off with a little ludic poetry. This poetry is more like a word game, and it is great for getting you to think about word selection. 

I particularly liked this exercise as I've been writing a lot of flash fiction lately. With flash fiction, you are forced to distill your story to its core and choose your language carefully in order to maximize your story writing potential.

Are you ready?

The exercise I'm starting with is the univocalic poem. It is simply a poem in which you use only one vowel (let's begin with the letter 'o'). To start, I wrote a list of o-words, divided by noun/verb/adjective/conjunction/etc.  The exercise was much more difficult than I thought it would be. Now, for some really odd/bad poetry!


Only Sorrow 

No moon, no glow
Sorrow won't go
Tomorrow blows cold
Comfort grows old 


 Top Show

Stop to pop corn
Hot dogs, top notch
Won't borrow no flops 
Only mock crock plots     


Storm's Doom

Gloomy snows follow storms
Downtown grows cold
Comfort fools forlorn folks
Rooftops won't hold. 

Bloody socks do no good
Footsteps grow slow
Sorrow knocks sorry moods 
Only doom to sow. 
  

Poor Frogs

Horned frogs slowly hop, 
Onto stools or rocks.
Soon flocks boldly drop,
Down to scoop frogs off.  


Before you laugh at my efforts, give it a go yourself. Post your own poems and link back to them in the comments - I'd love to read someone else's poems. Someone has to be better at this than I. Anyone have some good two and three syllable words with only 'o' as its vowels?







 

Setting Goals: Anyone can do it

Shah Jahan met his goals.

 Setting Goals is Child's Play

Setting a goal (or announcing a resolution) is very easy. All it takes is a whim and a moment’s thought, maybe some time putting pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard. Even if you spend quite a lot of time thinking about and analyzing what you want to do, it is only the first step and let's face it,  the easiest step. I can set goals and make lists all damned day. (See, I've done it, here.)

Making Dreams a Reality is a lot of Hard Work
 
Meeting goals, now that is a whole different kettle of fish. This is where I fall down. Perfectionism usually rears its head in this phase, that’s my kryptonite. I have a dream, I create a goal, then I go completely insane and make schedules and lists and plans that very few humans could endure until I’ve strangled any ounce of drive or passion out of whatever it is I’m in pursuit of.

 But, this time is different! Again

Given my above confession, I’m  a little hesitant to make sweeping, bold proclamations, but here goes: This year will be different! Go ahead and picture me pumping my fist triumphantly into the air as I say this. Maybe I’m even wearing a viking helm or something, hair blowing in the wind as I stand on top of a mountain, proclaiming my intentions, grandly for all to hear.

Flexibility, not just for my yoga mat

There is this little thing called flexibility; I’m going to try it. Hell, I’ll even give "realistic" and "sane" a go, too. I don't have a magic formula, but get this: I’m going to expect to struggle and find myself in need of a rethink or revision of my plans. I will look at my goals for the year and  figure out how to meet them, one day at a time. At the end of the month, I’m going to see how I progress and adjust my goals accordingly. See, no failure in 2013 here. I’ve got a plan, and it’s flexible.


January’s Plan to meet Writing Goals:

• Daily Plan:
• Improve writing skills - Need to write new words, every day. So, at the very minimum, I will free write in my writing journal (10 minutes timed writing with or without prompt) six days a week. This is my very minimum daily writing goal for January.

• WiP1 (novel) - To finish the redraft of my first novel by June, I need to write 550 words per day, 6 days per week. I do type and write fast, so in theory, this should be very doable.

• Weekly Plan:
• Write 1/ Submit 1 - I have at least 6 completed short stories that I can revise and submit in January. I know where the first story is going. So, there is no reason I can’t submit 2 stories in January. I plan to do it the first two weeks in January, so that the hurdle of hitting “enter” on the keyboard to send off my submission is past, and I start off with a success in January. I may even submit more than 2 stories. I have have to write one 1,000 word story per week for my writing class, which starts next Tuesday, so that should keep me going on producing new short stories. 
• Need to assemble the submissions folder/binder and get organized.

• Take a class/workshop - Done! I’ve signed up for the second trimester of a writing class/workshop I started back in September. I’m so glad I did this and wish I had done it earlier. Second trimester starts next week.

• Critique Group - I’ve joined a few on-line, but I’d like to form one in real life. There is one woman from my writing class with whom I’ve exchanged emails. I will post one story to one of the on-line forums and post one critique - see how it goes.

• Read books on writing - I have a long list of writing books, and already own half a dozen from said list. I’ve never read any of them. Going to start with “The Making of a Story” by Alice LaPlante. I’ve been on page 165 for over a year. Time to finish this (enjoyable, really) book.

• Read 52 books -Not a problem. Right now I'm reading "Her Smoke Rose Up Forever" by James Tiptree Jr, a compilation of her short stories. Nothing like reading the short stories of a master to intimidate you. 

 For some links to help with goal setting, read here.

How about you? Are your goals just a static list sitting in a file folder on your computer? Do you know how you're going to get there (wherever that may be for you) in 2013? Do you think my plan makes sense?

Posted by Jennifer Baylor at The Writing Cocoon.  

Writing 2013 - A Manifesto!

Posted by Jennifer Baylor at The Writing Cocoon.  
Filed under "The Writer's Desk"

Taj Mahal: What's your passion?

Happy New Year and welcome to 2013!

Time to post my 2013 writing goals. First off, I'd like to thank Lisa Walker England for her blog post 6 Reasons to Trash Your Creative Resolutions.

What a great post - hit all of my goal-setting issues right on the proverbial head. I highly recommend you read her post before finalizing your own goals for the year. My favorite part was the idea of a writing manifesto. Sounds so grand to say, "My Writing Manifesto." She has great links to creative manifestos to inspire you, too.

So, without further ado, here is my 2013 Writing Manifesto:

I believe that writing is one of the highest callings, and that we, as writers, have the power to help people to laugh, cry, think, or escape. We can make our readers feel empathy, anger, love, hate, wonder and joy. In short, we can shape reality with our words.

In 2013, I will embrace my writing with joy and a sense of responsibility, both to myself and to others. I will respect my projects and finish the stories I begin, then send them promptly out into the world. I will honor my writing time and space by setting and meeting challenging, yet realistic goals, and I will take steps every day to meet those goals. I will take pride in my work, approach it as a professional and share it with others.

Now, keeping in mind my manifesto and all the helpful advice I've received from my fellow writers on the web, I give you my 2013 Writing Goals:

Writing:

• I will write what I enjoy and send it out into the world, either by submitting to contests or publications or posting on my blog.
• Write1/Submit1 - Write two short stories per month and submit to contests and publications. 24 short stories submitted by end of year.
• Critique Group - find a critique group to join by the end of March.
• WiP1(First Novel) - I will rewrite my first novel (WIP1) by June 1. Then I will send it to beta readers. By the end of 2013, it will be ready to query or self-publish (or both).
• Skills development:
• Free-write, every work day.
• Read at least two books on writing. 
• Take a writing class (signed up for one class) or attend a workshop.
• Read a book or attend a workshop on editing/proofreading.
• Read blogs and books on self-publishing.

General:

• I will write a minimum of 100,000 words in 2012. 
• I will attend at least one writer's conference. (Possibly WFC in Oct.)
• I will read 52 books. 
• I will follow Kristine Kathryn Rusch's "Freelancer's Survival Guide" and develop my professional writing career (it is not a hobby).
• I will review these goals at least once per month and re-evaluate and revise as necessary.

  There it is - my high level plan-of-attack for 2013. Anyone else have their goals written down? Anyone looking to finish, self-publish or submit a novel in 2013?

The Beast...Now Just a Large Cat

"The Beast" is beginning to look less formidable. I managed to jump right into September's AW Water Cooler Flash Fiction Fortnight challenge and have managed to complete two stories, thus far. The stories were, perhaps, not my best nor most inspired writing, but at least I am writing again.

This weekend forced another break in my writing routine as I decided to suck it up and journey to Newcastle to watch the Great North Run - AKA, my-triumphant-return-to-running-that-wasn't. It turned out to be a good decision, watching the race. Newcastle is a fun and picturesque city, the run was inspirational, and I had two days of Chinatown's cuisine. Plus, I simply need to get out more. Winter's dark is around the corner, waiting with its friend cabin-fever. Good to get out and about and all that.

Today, I returned home and to my writing schedule. I'm still not quite one-hundred percent on that front, but today's plan is to complete one more flash fiction for the challenge, and at long last, to dive back into the first revision of my novel. My thought process is: get back to BIC every day this week, then look at revising my written, weekly plan and implementing it for October.

I'm "off" now, to get some writing done. Today's prompt is "sabotage in a darts tournament." That's going to take some thought.

Posted by Jennifer Baylor at The Writing Cocoon.  
Filed under "The Writer's Desk"

The Writer's Desk: Making Plans, Changing Plans

Yesterday I went on an odyssey to create a writing schedule. Oh, I’d written a couple of schedules over the last ten months or so, but after grinding out the nicely formatted Word or Excel document and saving it to my writing folder, they've languished, never to be referred to again.

However, after spending a great deal of time wasting time this weekend, it occurred to me that, while my compass may be set, the navigation is still a bit rough. I’m not sure exactly how I’m going to get there - “there” being a published story of some sort. Thinking on this, I began to feel this tightness in my solar plexus and tingling in my legs. Maybe I was having some sort of fit, but it felt an awful lot like I needed to take action.

I’m not entirely sure where this came from. Why now, and what would be different with this schedule scheme? Can’t say for sure, but I have a hunch. I’ve been swinging widely around this new writer identity (in case you haven’t read my first few posts), but the motion is slowing, the arc is shortening, and I’m feeling more focused every day. Maybe I just wasn’t ready before, or more likely, the small daily victories, the experiences of butte-in-chair (BIC) have allowed that tiny spark of a dream to crystallize into a conviction. Who knows? Probably I’m over-thinking the whole thing. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if you were to accuse me of such.

Meh, back to schedules.

I went through the wondrous Internet and found some links on creating a schedule, even links specific to a writer’s schedule. After gathering some tips, wrestling with Word tables, and a few cups of coffee, I emerged from my office with a new schedule. Three shiny, new schedules, actually. One, a weekly schedule, breaks down my day into one-hour blocks and allows me to pencil in everything. The second is a novel planner. I don’t know if anyone else does this, but I put the next eight-teen months as column headers and each row is a work-in-progress (WIP). I guess I wanted to see how I would work on a couple of novels at the same time and how long it would take to finish my projects. The third is a high-level look at all of my projects (short stories, flash fiction, blogging, contest writing, etc.), by month, for the rest of this year. What can I say? I am a Virgo, and I’m very good at it.

A few tips from the Internet and my own brain:

• Be realistic. Can you really write, edit, rewrite and submit an entire novel in a month? "Be realistic" is advice I’ve been given many times over, ignored at my own peril, and learned for myself-the hard way. I’m stubborn.

• Measurable goals. I think every link I visited gave this advice. Don’t have “I wanna be a writer” as your goal, but rather “I want to write a short story a week”, for example.

• Print your schedule and refer to it often. Mine is on my desk, right in front of my computer. Sometimes I can be taught.

• Be flexible. I’ve only written one novel to completion -and that is only a complete first draft- so, I have no idea how long it will take me to get a novel to submission. I’ve made some wild guesses, and I’ll adjust my plan as I learn more about my process and how long it takes. It’s an experiment as much as a plan.
• Schedule free time. It makes the schedule less daunting when there is a reassuring coffee/sanity break or two. Schedule early afternoons on Friday or a morning to sleep in. 

If nothing else, a clearly defined schedule or plan will bring you clarity. After scheduling out my three WIPs in my novel planner, I decided that I was out of my mind. I had this idea that I could write one novel to a certain stage (i.e., first draft, second draft, out-to-betas, etc.) and then start the next stage of the second. When I let it play out in a schedule, it was a complete nightmare. It would take forever to get any one novel to submission-to-market stage, and at one point, I had myself juggling three novels and was about to add a fourth.
 
Go ahead, laugh. I do get ahead of myself, then run off through the streets, madly screaming, “Look, I’m going to write four novels at once! I have a schedule.” Thankfully, I realized that my novel planner doc had become pure BS and thought better of it. I scrapped the whole damned thing. And I changed my plans.

About face! Good-bye sparkly, new novel project, I am no longer working on WIP2. Two-and-a-half weeks from today (which will be six weeks exactly since I finished writing it), I start the edit of my WIP1 first draft.

In case you suspect that you are yourself mad (or you find yourself wondering how time gets away from you and your writing) and want to make a plan, here are a few links I found useful:

• 7 Benefits of Keeping a Writing Schedule. Need more reasons to have a schedule? Here's a well-written post that will give them to you straight.

• How to Make a Writing Schedule and Stick to it. I really liked this article. A more in-depth discussion on making a schedule. The blog is older and not updated, but it has some interesting posts. 

•  5 Tips for Creating a Writing Schedule. Another blog that isn't frequently updated, but it has some nice posts on writing. This article is short and gives you succinct advice on creating a schedule. 

• Master Class: How to Schedule Your Writing Like a Professional Writer. This was written by a student, for students trying to build better study habits. The student found interviews from ten professional writers, extracted the bits where they talked about their writing habits, and did an analysis to glean a few tips. Unfortunately, the links to her charts (where she graphs their responses) are no longer valid, but it was a fun read and insightful. Guess it was my day to find links from 2008.

As for creating the plan itself, if you use Office, there are loads of useful, eye-catching templates on-line. I make my own, but you can save yourself some time and heartache using someone else’s pre-made design.

Posted by Jennifer B. at The Writing Cocoon.