Sitting in front of you is a large block of clay. You’re taking a sculpting course at a local studio. You’ve already learned the basics. You have the skills you need to create something all your own. And that’s what your instructor wants you to do. What do you do? Do you wait for someone to tell you what to create? No. Do you look … read more
Can you believe we’re already in the second quarter of the year? A colleague mentioned it yesterday, and I hadn’t realized how much time had gotten away from me. What that means is it’s time for a check-in on writing and business goals for the year. See what’s working. Figure out what’s not. And see where tweaking your original plans might help you get ahead. … read more
This will be a long one, and we’re going to get personal today. Consider yourself warned. Recently, fellow writer Sudesna Ghosh shared an article on Twitter. That article centered around body shaming of young women, a pet topic of hers and something she’s written extensively about. I could relate to the story Sue shared. And knowing how important this topic has been to both of our … read more
Creative work is unlike any other job you could take on. When you create, you leave a piece of yourself behind for the world to see. There’s a certain amount of vulnerability involved. That vulnerability can make it difficult to separate you, the artist, from your art. And that can lead to paralyzing fear of sharing your work. If you’ve ever dreaded sharing a creative project for … read more
If you set yearly writing goals or new year’s resolutions last month, how’s that working out for you? Whether you’ve made a lot of progress or you’ve already forgotten about them, now is a great time to give your plans a second look. So go dig up your list. I’ll wait… Got it? Good. Why Evaluate Writing Goals in February? Normally I’d tell you to focus … read more
Goals. Resolutions. Planning. Organization. To-do lists. Every time a new year rolls in, the focus is on change — often drastic. And these are some of the tools we use in seeking that change. Some (like me) love that. It can be fun. It can be exciting. We thrive on the challenge. But for other writers, New Year’s resolutions do little more than add stress and … read more
In our last Monday Motivation post I wrote about self-motivation and what a struggle it can sometimes be. In that post, I also mentioned we’d be talking more about gamification in the future as a way to keep yourself motivated to write. Today we’re going to start by looking at one example of gamification for writers: setting writing challenges for yourself. I don’t know about … read more
Not even a month in, and I find myself wondering why I chose to start a motivational series of blog posts on Mondays. Perhaps I just liked the alliteration of a “Monday Motivation” series (probably). Today I find myself struggling to find the motivation to write, or do much of anything other than curl up with a good book. If the series’ posts came later … read more
I’m just going to come right out and say it: 2016 sucked. Yes. Past tense. I refuse to let it take, destroy, or corrupt anything else I hold dear. I declare 2016 officially over. I’ve decided to spend the next several weeks living in some limbo-like state free from the confines of time and space. You are welcome to join me. Because I’ve decided to leave … read more
This post is the first in a new “Monday Motivation” series designed to encourage you to take risks with your writing and keep pushing forward despite the fear, doubts, and confidence issues that often creep into a writer’s mind. You’ll find a mix of personal stories, tips, exercises, reality checks, and motivational quotes and resources every Monday moving forward. Fear. Doubt. A lack of confidence … read more