I lost it one day. Just like that, gone. Like a person who misplaces their car keys, I lost my ability to write. The girl who could spend hours putting pen to paper, my ink suddenly ran dry. I could barely formulate a sentence, let alone structure a chapter. I lost it and with it, I lost me.

  I found it one day. Six years later, in the corner of my mind. I found my ability, crouched in the corner, lost and lonely, starving to be fed. I wrapped my heart around my ability and my dreams came to life once again. Aspiration turned to inspiration and again, I feel whole. I found it and with it, I found me.

♥ B.C.

This piece also appeared in my December newsletter, the Inspirer. To sign up please go to my website

The issues that bug writers, such as procrastination, writers’ block and lack of motivation prevent them from fulfilling their potential. There are many ways to beat these problems into submission, and in my workshop on the subject I list 40 ways to get back on track. I used to think that one of the best ways to beat the block was self-belief, confidence, an unswerving conviction that you were good enough and you could do it. Until this week that is. Now, thanks to my friend and narrative therapist, Gitta Lieberherr, I think I’ve changed my mind.
I believed in French Tarts, my first book, which was accepted by the first publisher approached. I believed in it despite the fact that I had never been published, was 24 and did not cook. When people asked me to what I attributed my success, honestly, deep down, I would answer ‘self-belief’ and they would nod knowingly. It made sense. When they went on to ask me how I came to have such self-belief I told them that it was a combination of naivety and the fact that my father was always telling me that I was incredible, talented, beautiful and clever. But now, thanks to Gitta, I think I need to revise my answer.
I expect you’ve seen the stuff in the press about the damage that can be done to our children when we praise them too much. Indeed, telling your kids they are mini Einsteins when all they have done is get to a higher level on their Nintendo DS, can burden them with false expectations. Telling someone they are the best thing since sliced bread, when in reality they achieved something fairly ordinary, can lower, rather than raise, self-esteem.
This week I had coffee and rather delicious chocolate tart with Gitta because I wanted to talk to her about blocks and how narrative therapy might help my clients. As I mopped up the crumbs on my plate I told her what I call ‘the French Tarts story’ because it seemed the right thing to do. I told her I attributed my success to self-belief.
‘So, why did you believe in yourself, Jo?’ Gitta asked.
‘Because of my father,’ I answered. ‘He was forever crowing about how wonderful and marvelous I was.’
‘But did you believe him?’
Her question stopped me in my tracks. I laid down my fork. ‘Not really, I suppose,’ I said. ‘I was actually pretty average when I was a child.’
‘Then, do you think it was yourself you believed in or your idea?’
I fell silent as I thought. I drained my coffee and set the cup back down in the saucer. ‘The idea, I suppose,’ I answered at last. ‘I really believed in my idea.’
Thanks to Gitta’s questioning, I had exposed one of my longheld truths as a myth. She had a point. I mean, what writer is not crippled with self-doubt and the imposter syndrome now and again? What writer can bear to read every piece he writes after it is published without cringing inwardly and wishing he had done it differently? I was impressed at the speed with which she had reached the nub of an issue.
‘How did you get me to say that?’ I asked. ‘Was that an example of narrative therapy?’
Gitta smiled and nodded. ‘Yes, it was, Jo. In narrative therapy we learn how to separate the problem from the person,’ she explained. ‘I externalized the issue, of self-belief, so it was not dependent on you. When you are no longer part of the issue it creates distance and opens up new ways of handling the problem. That’s all I did. It doesn’t usually only take one question to get to the bottom of something, though,’ she laughed.
I tell my students and mentees that one of the ways to acquire this elusive self-belief is to ask for feedback, act on it, and preserve all the best testimonials, looking at them often to remind themselves that yes, they can write and write well. This works to a point. I do it myself. But, for me, this praise, however high, lasts fleetingly. When it first arrives I am delighted, buoyed up by the kind words. I stick the card on the wall, print the email, grow another inch and feel validated. But this feeling only lasts until the next piece of writing.
Each month I write this newsletter. Each month I chew my metaphorical fist with trepidation as I press the send button. What if this month’s piece is rubbish? Minutes later I get my answer. Someone writes to thank me for striking a chord and I let myself breathe out.
Self-doubt is natural. It keeps me on my toes. It forces me to try my best every single day. It keeps me from complacency. But when I believe in an idea, just as I passionately believed that French Tarts was a good idea at the right time in the right place with the right focus and aimed for the right market, then that’s what matters. That’s what makes the difference.
It does not matter whether you truly, deep down, believe in yourself. It matters that you totally, fundamentally believe in your idea. Your conviction means that your project is in your head every moment of the day and night, that your actions reflect it – that you’re living it. This is what will make the difference, living your belief or to put it narratively, living from your preferred story. It means that your face lights up when you tell people about it and they can feel your excitement too.
So then, do you believe in your idea? I hope so. How I hope so.

Jo

Sleeping in is always a treat, today was no exception…A nice day in, not quite relaxing but rather organizing. A list of 9 objectives today including washing, cleaning and preparing. Instead of the gym a session at the basketball court was perfect and I knew it was going to be good, how can it not be when you’re versuing yourself (one of you has to win, hehehe.) There is certainly something different about shooting hoops in the Hollywood Hills as the sunsets over you.

On the way back from my victorious win I took a moment to take in my surroundings and quickly popped in to the convenience store and gave in to buying a serve of ” haigon daiz” Vanilla Ice – Cream which was quite fabulous indeed and hit the spot

The majority of my listed ‘things to do’ were completed though I spent a lot of the day on calls to and from Adelaide. Thank goodness for Skype, what a beautiful creation, it was lovely to see the faces and hear the voices of my good friends whom I am beginning to miss. My friend is urging me to try PINK LEMONADE and her love for it has me very intrigued, so this is a must by the end of the trip! Thanks for the tip Ro Ro

I suppose today was a bit quiet for the fact that tomorrow marks the beginning for why I am here, why I travelled across the world to study. I am an actor and I am here to learn and be surrounded by this very thing, there are certainly a few nerves but not for the reason you may think; it’s not because I am scared to meet new people or start studying again, but because this is something I have wanted to do since I can remember. I want to act because I want to tell stories and share them with people,  allow them to escape from the everyday even if just for the duration of a film and inspire them just as I have been to follow my dream and now as tomorrow approaches, the day where I begin to fine tune that dream and journey, nerves aren’t hight but still floating around. It is exciting, a tad daunting but mostly a thrill of not knowing what to expect.

Now that is all to be written for today but I looking forward sharing the tomorrow and all the days after with you;

Until then…

Miss D

I’ve never been the type of person who can easily communicate my feelings. Sure I can be frank and straight forward but expressing my real feelings is a lot different. It’s always a struggle to bare my feelings and put myself in a vulnerable situation. There was a time when I took refuge in writing. I believed that writing is the safest way to pour out everything that I’ve been keeping inside of me. But even my way of writing had been sort of criticized. This is why I lost my passion to write. I just end up staring in a blank page. Yes, I don’t have a flawless grammar and I may not be a master of words but I’d like to believe that there is “magic” when I produce something in my blog. Even a handful of my friends told me so. Even before I gained my “fans club” (lol), I knew what that “magic” is in the things that I write. That magic comes from my heart to a blank page. Everything I write is real. It’s not a piece of my mind but a piece of my heart. There were few blog entries that I am truly proud of. It’s not because of my style of writing but because I wrote it without pretensions and free of any inhibitions.

My good friend  Steph reminds me from time to time that I have to go on writing because I have a lot of things to say. I’ll never forget that she told me that it would be such a waste if I stop writing. With that in mind, she ignited my passion to write again. I have to be honest that it wasn’t enough to make me go back to writing, not that I want her to encourage me more. She’s not obliged to do that given that she’s a “fan” of my blog. HAHA. Aside from the passion that’s needed to be revived, I also need to gain my confidence back. I do experience Steph’s hesitation to write. I want to say something but just when I am about to, the blank page scares the shit out of me. So I do what cowards do, I let fear paralyze me.

So why did I started writing again? Because I have no one else to turn to other than a blank page. I don’t think anyone would understand what I’m going through. Not even a smoke or overflowing beer can comfort me (I’m saying this not in an emo way, ok?). I choose to open up and be vulnerable to a blank page. This blank page wouldn’t judge me or try to pretend to understand what I’m really feeling. The blank page will just listen and absorb everything while I let my thoughts and emotions bleed.

Oops I did it again! …

Yep, Changed the look of the blog again. It’s not much different than my old one, I just wanted something different to look at. Anyway I don’t wanna write too much because I feel as though that will make me not want to write at all. For instance on this paper I’m  getting ready to work on. That would be bad. Baaaaaad.

Hôm nay lại hỏng sạc laptop xịn. Lọ mọ kiếm được một cái sạc xịn khác với giá 300 nghìn. Hi vọng sẽ là cái sạc xịn cuối cùng cho cái laptop khốn nạn này.

Hôm nay công ty mất điện. Cả khu phố chạy máy nổ ầm ầm. Nhức hết cả đầu. Về nhà vẫn bị đống âm thanh ấy ám ảnh.

Hôm nay lại phải xuống làm việc với khách hàng. Thấy cái kiến thức học được ở môn CNPM cũng có ích ra trò, dù mình chẳng học được mấy tí. Cuối buổi có hững hờ buông vài lời cay đắng với thằng bé đi cùng. Chả biết nó có cay không. Cơ mà cay thì cũng kệ. Tớ là tớ chả cần.

Hôm trước thằng cu cuối cùng trong nhóm xin nghỉ. Mình làm trưởng nhóm giỏi, nên sau có mấy tháng, cả nhóm còn lại mỗi một mình.

Sáng nay ngồi con cà con kê với sếp. Nói chung chả có gì mới mẻ. Cách giải quyết của các sếp cũng vẫn giống hệt mấy chú áo vàng hàng ngày loay hoay giữa các ngã tư chật cứng người, ô tô, xe máy và các lời chửi bới.

Thế thôi, ngủ phát. Để xem ngày mai có những thứ gì.

Yes, it’s that time again..my mind is flooded with neverending thoughts, worries and fears. I feel all of this on the inside everyday but, unlike before, I continue to pull myself together and smile here and there.

I analyze my life and know that I have so much to be thankful for and I am! I have people who love and care about me, a very nice roof over my head and not one but two wonderful jobs. However, I continue to focus on all the “crap”…the details that hinder me.

I want so badly to succeed at my night job because I am a great people person and it all just flows naturally. Working in a bar/club is much different than being a customer though. I quickly found out that I have so much to learn. This doesn’t bother me. I want to learn and really give it my all. The problem is that I make a lot of mistakes and I obsess with this. It is very important that I prove not just to myself but to my boss & everyone else that I can give it my all no matter how many mistakes I make.

I have a plethora of other issues hanging over my head right now too but I continue to focus on my success with this one. I push all the negative aspects out of the way because I want this so much. I finally have a sincere goal! For now I will keep pushing myself. The rest is out of my control. I put it all in the hands of the gods.

This month, I have been doing NaNoWriMo. And finishing feels so damn great!

Wow, I can’t express how amazing it is to have written something like this. I’ve written 50,000 words in less than one month! With one whole day to spare. =]

That, my friends, is one of my greatest achievements. Writing from November 1 up to November 29 is so uber great. I will try the Createspace offer, because they will print out a proof copy of my book FREE! I will post pictures when it arrives. The offer will be available December 2, though. Ah, well.

Now I will reward you all with a snippet:

“Urgh, can’t you give a little warning next time?” I said, spitting out towel matter.

“But then it wouldn’t be fun anymore.”

“Fun? You think chucking a dirty old towel at me is fun?”

“That’s a new towel,” he said in an offended voice. “But I guess the upper-class can’t tell the difference since they’re used to silk ones.”

“Cotton ones,” I snapped.

“Even picky with the type of cloth…”

“I’m not picky,” I argued, “Who the hell uses silk towels anyway?”

To sum up my first month’s work on helium will be exciting because I will get to look through the first things I’ve written on helium.com and see my growth and progress through a critical lens and then share it with you!

Please enjoy!!

Always and forever

Based on three separate poems, I’ve created this poem which is basically what I consider to be an engagement, newlywed or recommitment poem about marriage, being together and loving each other always and forever and the prospects of this new way of life. Helium has rated it 2/37.

How motherhood changes a woman

A friend of mine laughed at the fact that when I started on helium, most of the articles I had written were in their Parenting & Pregnancy channel, even though I am not a mother. I just wrote to titles that stuck out to me when I joined helium and this was one of them. I found that this was a title that was part of a writing contest helium was writing and it placed me at #14 in the list of publishers who wrote for the selected titles of the contest in the topic of Parenting & Pregnancy. I don’t quite recall how I first even found the title but I want to say that through rating, I came across many titles that stuck out to me, which I then would look up in order to write for.

This article has been 1/51 but the ratings went down and I could not understand why but when I was honest with myself, I knew that the couple of typos I’d corrected weren’t the only thing wrong. I realized my article was missing key information when it comes to physical and when it comes to professional, occupational and career changes that motherhood has on a woman. So, I “leapfrogged” the article (revising, adding to and editing an article and submitting it to be rated by the helium community as compared to your original article for the approval to, ultimately, leap over and literally replace the former article), which actually resulted in it going from two pages in length to four but all I knew was that I was making sure I put what I needed to say there in order to reflect my real take on the title. Needless to say, it reclaimed its rightful place in rating!

Should teachers have a right to deny a students need to use the bathroom?

Now, I came across this title and saw that it was a debate title, meaning you can come on the page and vote yes or no and can write an article relaying your argument for your side and your stance. A writer who wrote for the “No” side had a post on her blog/helium zone with a link to vote to “protect” children in public schools. Even though I actually loved her article [even added her to my favorite helium writers list on my profile] as well as her heart, I wrote for the “Yes” side. After writing, I learned that the channel category was for Secondary Education so I leapfrogged this article as well in order to ensure it reflected high school students and high school life at a more in depth capacity than it had previously. The article is rated 1/2 for the No side. In case you’d like to know and would find it to be valuable information, there are currently 4 articles on the yes side as compared to the 2 on the no side.

The impact of father-mother relationship on children’s well-being

This is something I’ve felt extremely strongly about and am glad to have gotten off of my chest exactly what and how I feel about it. Now, others can see and learn from it and they obviously appreciate since it is rated 3/14.

Is there too much sex on television?

I definitely had no choice but to write to this title. Everyone who I know who has read the article I wrote has thoroughy enjoyed it and thought it to be accurate and insightful as well as humorous and very debate-worthy. It is fact-driven and shares personal accounts as well as it challenges and raises questions. Enough of that, though, because what I want to say to you is that it shouldn’t be a question and I think that whoever wrote for or even just believes in the No side should “go spank themselves,” as someone I know says from time to time. Needless to say, I wrote for the Yes side and all I can say now is to just, please, read it yourself. Formulate an opinion if you have not yet done so. Lastly, fight for what you believe in because change does start with one man…every one man makes things how they are and every individual man is needed for things to change, so why not just go ahead and start with you?!

This article was numer 1/54 and was leapfrogged after a while because new information arose. It still sits at the top!

So, there we have it — a poem, two debates and two parenting articles and that sums up the best of  eDITORcHRIS/Christina Bernice’s helium.com writings from October 2009.

You know i’ve been looking back on posts, and wondering why i don’t open up this as a blog, instead of keeping it closed down as a journal. The reasons certainly amount to the fact that as a journal i basically just ramble on and on about the things that i am disgusted over, or whining about … particularly seen through or with my friends. A problem occurs when i am too open with the journal, and it may hurt others feelings.

What i plan to do, is the artistic thing. I need to create an artistic space. Either through poetry, taking words and meanings and twisting them into metaphors and delicious language that the ear can take in and break down, leaving the culprit somewhere behind the scenes – or another place, via a novel or screenplay; where characters can interact and develop ways to conquer or be conquered by life struggles that me or the people i am in contact with deal with.

Now that i think about it = i should do both.

THAT’S RIGHT! PUT YOUR COMMENTS RIGHT HERE AND NOW! WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO DIFFERENTLY FOR THE NEW YEAR OF 2010!

I love paper.  I love notebooks.  Binders full of written words.  Books.  Books have life to me.  They are full of people’s ideas, creativity and passions.   Some passions I don’t quite understand.  And some ideas are way smarter than my ability to grasp.  But the written word, on paper, has always meant something to me.   I feel comfort holding a book in my hands.  I can take refuge in a book when I don’t want to deal with a moment today.  I can dive in to a book and come up breathing in some one else’s world, someone else’s imagination.  I can read about joy, or sorrow, or contemplations.  I am amazed at the thoughts that others have.

I surround myself with books.  To me they hold and represent so much life, living.   I was talking to a friend once about home decor.  He had not seen my home.  He was telling me about his home, he asked me about mine.  And I said “books”.   They are every where.  Every room in my house that I have re-designed, have shelving for books, and I am out of space.  The only room not subjected to book shelving is the bathroom.  And the only reason for this is the steam build up would damage them.    You don’t need to contemplate me reading in the bathroom.  It does not happen.  So GET THAT IMAGE OUT OF YOUR HEAD.    :)  Now, you can’t help but imagine that because I just took you there with words.   Sorry about that.

I’m sure many people have had this realization before me, but it amazes me that paper has longer shelf life here on earth, than me.  You.  Any person.  There are books, manuscripts, written word on ceramic tiles, on walls of ancient worlds that have been here for thousands and thousands of years.  Me and you, not so long.   I know people ‘create’ for many reasons.  Some have a need to produce, to create, to express, to make their ever lasting mark.   A mark that out lasts them.  So that when they leave, there is something of them left here.   I’m sure I do the same thing.  But I also write to just share.  I love the being  of now .   I write now, and I feel good, now.  I can compare it to when I ride my bike.  I ride and I feel good.  Peddling my bike produces an energy that propels me to go forward, to feel the wind, the air, the sunshine, to see things, and be doing something.  The more I ride, the more I want to ride.  When I can not ride, it feels darker in my body.  Writing gives me the same feeling.  And the more I write, the more I want to write about.  Which makes me pay more attention, think outside of my own little boxy head.  The more I write the more I want to experience, so I can then write about it.  I love sharing a thought, a feeling, a funny.   And I am constantly amazed at not being able to find the magic combination of words to give someone else the same feeling I have experienced.  Which in turn, makes me want to write even more.  To try and capture it.

To put it on paper.  And yes, if anyone has any idea how I can print my blog, I would really appreciate it.  I would feel better if it was on paper.

This is the first draft of a song I wrote called “Work and Sweat.”  It is not mentioned in the lyrics, but it’s what I thought about after writing it.

“Work and Sweat”

(Verse 1)

Here I am where I started from

LIfe and Death

As the last stick hits the drum

when will we rest

I’ve tried my best

Is It time to break this cast

(Chorus 1)

All you’ve told me to do

right and wrong

yes and no

all that we’ve gone through

I’ve tried

Because families lied

(Verse 2)

Every spring I hop for the rain

But i’m greeted with pain every fall

you all try to stand tall

casting fake silhouettes

but we need to

rest and rake all the stakes

on this train

(Chorus 1)

(Verse 3)

I’ve been battered and beaten

torn and defeated

ripped of my right

to fight with all my might

with no end in sight

i’ll try to fly in the sky

to glorify every passerby

to try to satisfy the

need to succeed in the lead

(Chorus 2)

With every bead and good dead

i’ve done what’s right

won this fight

I know I’ve tried

because you lied

oh, you lied

the families lied

Writing is one of many ways to communicate with others. When you write, you want to send information to others, through written media. Certainly you want the others to understand the information well. If they can understand well, it is called that you can send the information effectively. You have an image in your mind to transfer. If the image is transferred as it is to the others, it means you can communicate with the others very effectively. On the other hand, if the image transferred to the others is somehow different – either a little or much – from the image in your mind, it means you communicate somehow ineffectively with the others. Certainly you want to communicate with the others effectively. You want them to understand you as well as possible.

Simple words vs advanced words

When you write, you have a style of yours. The style is the way you choose words to use as well as the way you arrange the words in sentences. Talking about words used to form sentences, you have at least two choices: using simpler words or more advanced ones. You can choose one of the two choices, or you also may use simpler words but combined with some (not many) advanced ones. It is a choice, so it totally depends on yourself.

But remember, each choice has its consequence. If you choose simple words, others may understand what you write very easily without thinking too hard. On the other hand, if you choose advanced words, others – especially non native beginners – probably have to think harder to understand what you write.

For sure, it is almost impossible to always use simple words. In some occasions, you need some advanced words to precisely represent the idea in your mind. In such condition, you may choose to use the advanced words. But I suggest that you always use simple words as much as possible. Only when you have no other choice, you can use advanced words.

In addition, choosing simple words or advanced ones also depends on where you write. If you write on newspapers, popular magazines, or blogs, you’d better use simple words, because what you write will be read by people with different levels of language proficiency. You should not use advanced words – particularly technical words of a certain field of science – on those media. However, if you write on academic journal, you can use advanced words because what you write will be read by segmented, educated people. You can also use technical words if you are sure that the readers will understand them well.

Simple structure vs complex structure

The style in which you write also includes what kind of sentence structure you use. You have two choices: simple structure or complex structure. There may be the third choice: combining both of them.

In simple structure, you tend to make sentences as short as possible. The shorter the sentences are, the better it is. If you use short sentences in your essay, others will understand the essay very easily. They don’t need to think very hard. On the other hand, the others may have to think very hard if you use complex structure very much in your essay. I suggest you to use simple structure as much as possible in your essay. That way, others will enjoy what you write because they can understand it easily. Keep this in your mind.

Making an outline or not

There are mainly two steps to write. The first is creating ideas to write, and the second is writing process itself (transferring the ideas into written symbols). Some people prefer making an outline of their ideas before they write. They use the outline because the want the essay to be as systematic as possible. They want to arrange the ideas in a good logical order. Moreover, they use the outline in order not to miss any of the ideas in their mind when they are writing. In this latter case, the outline functions as an idea-reminder for the writer.

It may be easy for some experienced writers to write without any outline. However, for some beginners, it may be very difficult to write well without the outline. So, an outline is made to help a writer, either to arrange sentences as systematically as possible or to remind him what to write. Because it is only to help, you can choose to not use it if you are sure that you can write systematically and that you will not miss any of your ideas without any outline.

Re-writing

Re-writing means reading for the second time what you have written, and then correcting whatever you consider wrong or not suitable. Many experts suggest re-writing as the last step of good writing. However, there is a question. Is re-writing a must? The answer won’t be always yes. It can be no, that means you don’t have to re-write what you have written if you think what you have written is good enough.

Many experts suggest that you should write the first time without too much criticism – on grammar or other language aspects. You had better explore freely all ideas in your mind. Don’t pay attention too much to grammar or any language aspect. What you want to do is moving your pen – or typing the keypads – as quickly as possible just like water flow, following the ideas built in your mind. Don’t let the ideas stop developing due to your criticism.

They suggest you to criticize after you have finished writing all your ideas. They even strongly suggested that you criticize after some hours or on another day. They argue that some time interval will make you criticize much better.

However, some writers prefer criticizing while they are writing. They don’t wait for another time to criticize. They say that they prefer criticizing this way because it works well for them. I think how and when someone criticizes is his preference. Everyone can do whatever that works better for him.

—————————

The four things mentioned above – in my opinion – are some important keys to write successfully. Now I ask you: how do you write? Do you prefer simple words or advanced words? Do you prefer simple structure or advanced one? Do you prefer making an outline before writing or not? Do you prefer criticizing while you are writing or after you have finished writing all your ideas? All the things depend on yourself. You are yours.


I just crossed over the 50K mark and wanted to thank you all for the support you have given me throughout the month. This year I have met so many wonderful writers. I have also had the opportunity to strengthen bonds with writers from NaNos past. You have all provided me with encouraging words and inspiration. In particular I would like to thank:

My Co-ML Lamishia – Thank you for your help this year. It was worth the effort!

My teen writers from Samuels Public Library – You amaze me with you perseverance.

My POC Kate (arrows for pens) – You are such a beautiful and smart young lady and I am so proud to have you as a friend. (I hope we continue to chat on Twitter!)

My friend Emily – Even though we didn’t get to see each other much this season, I am so glad you are feeling better! Whenever I get in a pickle and can’t think of anything to write, I think of you and your amazing talent to come up with something from nothing. From fencers to spiders to pirates, you amaze me!

Deanna, Jacki, Josette and Meghan – Thanks for the support and good luck to you as you move forward on your novels. Can’t wait to see what you do next.

My Comrade Stacey – I don’t even know what to say! Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. I think our online chatting word counts this month exceeded our novel word counts! I have new direction and clear goals as a writer and for that I owe a great deal to you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You inspire me and I love that I can say “I knew you when…”

My husband – I’m back! Thanks for understanding and I hope you got used to it because year four has been an amazing transformation for me. There is more to come!

My beautiful daughter Savannah – I am so happy to have had the chance to write with you this year! You are so talented and I have no doubt that soon we will all be seeing your works sitting on the shelves at Barnes and Noble. I could not be more proud! You move me baby!

Finally, to all of you who have shared this experience with me this month, I thank you! It has been a wonderful ride and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish as writers in the new year!

Cheers!

Susan

One of the biggest myths about writers is that they are recluses, who sit behind a computer, never letting the problems of the world enter their private space.  The reality is that writers are out in the world with everyone else, and all the problems that come with it.

The Movie “The Princess Bride” has a line in it that I always thought was true to a point.  “Life is pain, highness.  Anyone who says different is trying to sell you something.”  I did mention that it was to a point.  How we handle the situation will determine whether it will end good or bad.

I know, while we are going through the painful times in our lives, it’s very hard to imagine anything but more pain coming of it, but there is always an end to it.  The best thing to keep in mind, it’s through the most painful times in our lives that we find ourselves becoming stronger.

There are two things that help me through the hardest times; the friends that I have, and the ideas I get for writing.  This is where writers are different.  Yes, we feel pain, sadness, anger, and sorrow, but we can turn it around by writing about our feelings, and the stories that have come out of it.  In a way, we can vent our frustration, without taking it out on someone else, causing them pain.

I know I already mentioned Nora Ephron’s saying, “Everything is copy.”  This is one of those times it bears repeating.  Time may heal all wounds, but it still leaves scars, and the best way of reducing those scars is to write about it.  There is no such thing as an “off limit” subject, and if you are worried about offending a friend, or relative, don’t.  Just change the names.  The purpose is to write through your problems, and air out your feelings so you can move forward in the healing process.

The best part of writing it down, and working through your pain, is that you can share it with someone else who may be going through the same thing.   Of course, while you are writing through your pain, don’t forget that you have friends who are always there to help you, and are just a phone call, or e-mail away.  It’s good to write about the troubled times of your life, but it’s a bad idea to shut yourself away from them; you can find comfort in your friends, and stories in your writing.  Use them both to help you heal.

Enjoy,

Allen

When your outline is complete and you are ready to write your first draft, many writers make a common mistake at this point. They try to “get it right” the first time. They may work on a paragraph for hours, fine-tuning the words until they are perfect. Writers thus shut off their creativity by insisting on profession.

Remember, the first draft is a working draft. It should be written quickly without too much thought to elegant expressions or final order and paragraphing. Your object is to get the material on paper to flash out the structure of your outline. Let the words flow. Start wherever you can—in the middle, even near the end. The opening or introduction can be completed later. Any weaknesses in logic or gaps in information, any points that are out of place can be corrected in the final version.

As you write the first draft, keep your audience in mind. Doing so will help you stay focused on the purpose of your work. Keep writing until you have completed the first draft.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, and my Lectures.

I just finished an excellent book called, “No Plot, No Problem!” by Chris Baty. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I am well past the rough-draft stage of my novel, it was wildly entertaining and quite funny. I definitely picked up some techniques for the next go around. I highly recommend this quick read to anyone who ever thought about writing a novel. Just write! And take this book along your journey as a how-to manual. And if you’re feelig especially daring, participate in NaNoWriMo! Which is short for national novel writing month. It’s a crazy “write a book in a month” contest where winners have 50,000 words to show for their efforts at the end of the month. Baty started NaNoWriMo ten years ago and it’s still going strong! (google nanowrimo – he’s got a web site and all!) I definitely know it’s possible to write a rough draft of a novel in one month. I did, even before I knew nanowrimo existed. It’s the revision that takes the longest.

I encourage you to reach for your writing dreams, and while you’re at it, read this book!

I saw a wild cat
She stepped from under a cluster of trees
And padded along the wire fence line
Definitely watching me
Then, she sensed I was watching her, too
Her Eyes flared, face widened and
Her black lips curled as
her puffed tail swiped impressively at the ground
Annoyed, she slowed and turned
back into the shadow of trees.
Leaving me wondering,
Did I really see her?