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The Best Way to Find Success Is To Stop Looking For It

2010-07-06T07:14:19Z

If you’re like most writers, then you’re probably busy studying your craft, thinking up new ideas, planning old ideas, and reading a ton of material (including this) about how to find success as a writer. And like most writers, you’re probably overlooking one very simple necessity — writing.

The best way to find success is to actually write.

Like love, success if notorious for its elusive nature … the only way to find it is to stop looking for it. For creative people, letting go of success might be difficult, but it’s the best way to free yourself from your worries of becoming successful. Once you let go of your worries to succeed, impress, and satisfy your audience, you’ll be able to reach new creative heights and learn more about yourself as an artist.

This isn’t to say you should forget about the reader of your work and do what ever the hell you want, but it is to say you should give yourself permission to forget about what works, what doesn’t, what readers probably want, and whether or not they’ll like you or not.

Stop looking for success, and you’ll enable yourself to grow as a writer and stumble upon success later when you’re ready — when you’re talent demands it from people.

On a bit of a side note, what do you consider success as a writer — getting an agent, getting published, becoming a New York Times bestseller?

Sell Your Novel at the iBookstore

2010-06-02T18:34:35Z

In case you haven’t noticed, Apple has released yet another revolutionary device called the iPad — and of it’s many uses, it’s primarily a device for consuming content.

You might think, “what’s so revolutionary about that?”

Not only does it go beyond what the Amazon provided with ebooks, it enables people to consume web content, listen to music, and access the apps. For writers, perhaps the most exciting news is the iBookstore — and the ability to stock the shelves with your book.

Forget self-publishing; that’s old news.

A while back I wrote about Writing Your Book on the iPad, but today I’d like to explore a more likely use for the iPad.

Sell Your Novel at the iBookstore

With the help of Apple’s iTunes Connect program, writers can now publish their work, thereby making it available for sale to the public on one of the largest, most popular platforms available.

Also, as MacLife first reported, “In addition to these requirements you will need to have a US Tax ID, a valid iTunes Store account with a credit card on file, and an Intel-based Mac running OS X 10.5 or later.”

Get started here.

Where Do You Stand on Self-publishing at the iBookstore?

Self-publishing has always been a bit of a controversial subject — it simply doesn’t require any sort of approval, as does the work published with the major houses, so many feel (similar to blogging) the quality isn’t as up to par with the quality from major publishers.

That said, Apple just invited every writer to bypass the never-ending rejection letters, constant hunt for an agent, and other supplemental involved with writing. Wouldn’t it be something to be able to focus on writing instead of marketing yourself?

Personally, I feel there’s room for both — work published by Random House and work published by Aunt Lisa. And while some might think this deludes the accomplishment of “getting published,” there’s still a difference between having a book published and set on the shelf of Barnes and Noble and having a book published and placed on the digital shelf at the iBookstore.

With so many major publishers on board with the iBookstore, who knows, maybe publishers will look to offer successful authors at the iBookstore print deals.

So, how do you feel about this?

Explore Other Forms of Expression to Overcome Writer’s Block

2010-05-27T05:01:03Z

One problem I had before I started painting was that I was trying to force my emotion into my work, instead of letting my work form into an outlet for the emotion I was feeling.

When it comes to writing, I find that the storytelling medium — whether short or long form — is better suited to exploring larger themes and ideas as opposed exploring the actual emotions experienced at that moment. I’m not sure, but perhaps its because I feel writing requires more articulation than painting.

Whereas on the other hand, when it comes to painting, I find it more natural to express the emotions I’m feeling at that very moment.

The idea here is that you might find it more beneficial to explore another medium in which you can express your immediate emotions instead of trying to force them into your story. After all, a story often takes weeks, months, and even years to complete depending on its length and complexity and usually includes dynamic emotions.

5 Ways to Write Through Writer’s Block

2010-05-04T22:24:11Z

No matter how bad your case of writer’s block may be, it’s crucial to resist thetemptation to excuse yourself from writing because of it.

While it may be debilitating at times, writer’s block is not an excuse to writing.

Writers that cut themselves slack and default to their favorite activity, whether it includes watching TV or movies, browsing the web for hours at a time, or playing video games, are the type of writers that commonly get thrown into the “lazy non-writer” pile by writers actually writing their way through their writer’s block — they’re the writers that usually don’t believe writer’s block exists … and it’s because they don’t just stop and give up for the day — they look for detours.

If you find yourself writing very little (if at all) and you’d like to be able to write your way through your block, consider the following ideas:

1. Switch Gears

The least productive way to write something is to think about it for hours at a time. While some works definitely require a lot of thought, I found that in my personal experience I was thinking way more than I was actually writing. It got to the point where I felt guilty about calling myself a writer when meeting new people.

Switch it up a bit by working on another story, project, or even in another medium. Just get moving.

2. Write Something You Think Will Be Easy

It might not sound exceptional to write a new take about how roses are red and violets are blue, but believe me, this exercise will surprise you if you suffer from perfectionism.

If you find yourself spending longer than expected on a simple piece that shouldn’t require much, ask yourself why. For me, this was perfectionism. It took me forever to write anything because I would stress over the detail until I thought it was perfect.

As many of you might know from your own experience, perfectionists are funny creatures — they work and work and work until their creation is perfect … yet chances are they will eventually come to hate it later on as they grow.

The lesson to perfectionists is this: there’s no such thing as perfect … it’s all just personal perception.

3. Print And Pile Your Work

If you really want to force yourself to write through the block, consider printing your work and starting a pile next to where you work so you can start seeing your progress.

I haven’t actually tried this one, but it always sparked my inspiration to look at the pile of screenplays and literary submissions I had at the foot of my desk. Stephen King once mentioned this in regard to submitting to publishers — it went something along the lines of “Don’t even think about submitting to magazines or publishers until you have a pile of work up to your knee.

4. Start A Blog

If you haven’t already, get on it — blogging can really help you discover what you’re most passionate about in life … and in writing.

If you find that you have 10 posts about poverty as a child, for example, then you probably have an idea of what you’d like to express in your work. On the other hand, blogging can also help you get going simply by stacking the word count or sparking the muse everyday.

5. Realize That You’re Free to Write About Anything!

One of the most common things I read from published writers — or those currently working on a project — includes the freedom they miss as a novice writer. Once you receive an advance to write your book, you’ve entered a process in which the publisher and editor is very involved. They have final say in a lot of cases.

As a novice, you have absolute freedom to write whatever you want, however you want. Run with it!

Remember, if you get an idea and it screams “This isn’t acceptable!” you should start writing it immediately.

24 Fun ‘What if’ Questions to Ask When Stuck With Writer’s Block

2010-04-07T19:38:43Z

There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to articulate your thoughts into words — scribes call it writer’sblock … and boy does it suck.

Instead of looking for the magic formula, try asking yourself a few of these questions — hopefully they’ll spark your imagination and inspire you to scribble out something … in fact, you can start scribbling your thoughts and reading those of others in below the post.

Remember, the first step to overcoming writer’s block is not to start thinking, but to start writing.

1. What if there was a way to travel time — when and where would you go?

2. What if you could be invisible for a day — what would you do?

3. What if you had 24 hours to live — how would you spend your time?

4.What if you could be an animal — which would you be?

5. What if you could have any super-power you wanted — what would it be?

6. What if you were 10 years older — what would you want to have achieved?

7. What if you could see the future — how would you use your power?

8. What if you could see the past — what would you want to see?

9. What if you had a trillion dollars — how would you spend your first 100,000

10. What if you could teleport – would you bother driving anymore?

11. What if had to give up one of your senses — which would it be?

12. What if you could work with any company you wanted — what company would it be?

13. What if you could talk with one of your idols — who would it be?

14. What if you could retire right now – would you it?

15. What if our planet had 1 year before impact with another — what would you do?

16. What if you could go back 10 years and do it differently — would you?

17. What if you didn’t have to worry about money — what would you do?

18. What if you had the chance to explore space — would you launch?

19. What if you could know when you were going to die — would you want to know?

20. What if you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life — what would you eat?

21. What if you could have a conversation with the deceased — who would you choose?

22. What if you had the choice to live forever — would you want to?

23. What if you could be one age from this point forward — what age would you be?

24. What if you had to come up with a ‘what if’ question — what would it be?

Have an idea for more ‘what if’ questions? Share them in the comments below.

Stop Telling Me There’s No Such Thing as Writer’s Block!

2010-04-06T19:06:48Z

To announce to the world that writer’s block isn’t a real problem, and that it’s all just in your head, is like announcing general anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder aren’t real problems.

These all share a common bond …

They all come about due to extreme mental conditions thrown about one way or another — in other words, they really do exist, even though it’s all in our head.

Why is writer’s block any different?

Writer’s Block is Real!

Look, chances are you’ve read a few articles and posts claiming “Writers Block is a Myth!” or “Writer’s Block Doesn’t Exist,” but how do you feel personally?

Consider the following when reading a post about the fallacy of writer’s block.

Evidence of Writer’s Block at the Bookstore

Check out your local book shop for a plethora of books on how to overcome or avoid writer’s block. Aside from getting published or sustaining as a professional writer one day, writer’s block is probably the one concern on ever writer’s brain.

(Quick tip: If you’ve read the entire reference section at Barnes and Noble, it’s safe to say you’re reading too much and not writing enough. Funnel that passion for the craft into your own work.)

Evidence of Writer’s Block in Fiction

You’ll also find writer’s block making an appearance throughout the pages of fiction. A couple examples include George Orwell’s Keep the Aspidistra Flying, in which Gordon Comstock struggles to complete a poem, and Stephen King’s novella, Secret Window, Secret Garden.

Social Proof of Writer’s Block

The web has become a great place in the last few years — it’s become the community voice in a way, so it’s a good place to look if you’re having your doubts. Search the term “writer’s block” in Twitter and you’ll see that thousands of writers struggle with it every day.

Look to your friends and family — how often are they frustrated with writer’s block?

“I Have Writer’s Block”

While I think the web is a fantastic place for information and help, it’s crucial that you still form your own opinion. So while you might read how writer’s block doesn’t exist or that it’s all just a way for writer’s to slack off, look to yourself and your own experience before agreeing with them.

I was at a Q&A with Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, the screenwriters of “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” on opening night when someone in the crowd asked, “How do you deal with writer’s block?” I thought, great, I’m about to discover how a couple of the real pros in the industry avoid writer’s block. One of the writers answered, “Writer’s block is for amateurs.”

I was a bit disappointed — I couldn’t tell if it was because of the answer or because of my own case of the old block. It wasn’t long though before I realized there was a big difference in writing on speculation of sale or publication and writing on assignment (writing something you’ve been contracted to write). The writers were right — writer’s block is for amateurs, because it’s often the amateur that writes on spec.

If anything, I’d say enjoy writer’s block — as a novel writer, it’s the only time it won’t lead to detrimental consequences … such as being fired.

Embrace your own experience and form your point of view based on what you know.

The Seriousness of Writer’s Block

Just as with any case of severe mental conditions, whether it’s a phobia or even depression, writer’s block can affect a lot more than merely the writer’s work — or lack thereof. Writer’s block can evolve into depression, frustration, even force the writer to move on from the craft all together.

To dismiss writer’s block as an excuse to be lazy simply isn’t fair — each writer works differently, therefore every case must be different.

Sure, some writers might be quick to jump on the writer’s block train, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

What Do You Think About Writer’s Block?

Again, it’s important that you form your own opinion, so despite what you read — even here — you need to know whether or not you think writer’s block exists.

How do you feel about all the content out there claiming writer’s block doesn’t exist?

How Do You Overcome Writer’s Block?

We need to address it together if we want to overcome it — as a community. One way to start doing that is to share how you overcome writer’s block.

Post your own advice for other writers looking for answers or help below.

Plotting vs. Freewriting [POLL]

2010-05-25T22:40:44Z

Part of the reason why I started this site was because I found that most of my writer’s block experiences were rooted from plotting and analyzing what I wanted to write, so I’m wondering how many out there are actually practicing the latter — freewriting.

Freewriting — or scribbling — is the method of writing what ever comes to your mind, without the restrictions of your inner editor balking.

How many writers out there are plotting and how many are freewriting?

Discover Your Personal Magic Hour For Writing

2010-03-25T08:15:57Z

As you may know, magic hour is considered that time of day when the sun has dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky stained with vibrant colors.

For writers, magic hour is that time when you’re struck with inspiration and you find the flow of your writing. It might be at dawn, noon, or if you’re like me, 3 in the morning. Regardless the time, it can be an invaluable time if faced with writer’s block.

I experienced this last night … only it was about 3 in the morning — I guess that’s when the creative juices start flowing.

Discover Your Magic Hour

To find your own magic hour, you’ll need to experiment with your time.Try waking up early if you’re a morning person; staying up longer at night if you’re a night owl.

When do you find that you’re most productive?

How the Writer’s 5 Senses Can Inspire Creativity

2010-03-24T22:13:54Z

I’ve been reading a lot about how writers can find their muse and strike that perfect alignment with their creativity — it’s got me thinking …

What if it’s not all that complicated?

I wanted to take a detour around the confusing charts and breakdowns and approach the matter as a person with five basic things in common with you — because I think these five things might be they keys a lot of writers will find useful.

These, of course, are the five basic senses — and just as they will help store and recall memory, they can also be used to inspire your own creativity.

So, the question stands — how can a writer’s senses inspire creativity?

Sight

As one of the primary and most powerful forms of observation, sight is the most common sense utilized by writers around the world.

Though some writers are talented beyond the rest and actually write without the use of sight, the majority of us will depend on it to inform us of the world in which live, the people we meet, and often trigger the feelings we feel.

One exercise I think a lot of writers, including myself, will benefit from is approaching sight from the position of someone who writes without it — in other words, try not to take it for granted. Look around your world, watch people, and soak up the visual of life — what do they tell you?

Try looking at old photographs of people — it’s strange how much they look exactly like the people we know today … only dressed in funky clothing.

Watch a film. Study a painting. Look up … what do you see?

It’s important to keep your eyes open as you live — you’ll see things most people in the world don’t know exist, regardless if you’re in a huge city or rural hamlet. Write it down to study later.

The trick here is to think about everything you see.

Sound

Again, hearing the world certainly isn’t essential to a writer, but it’s another powerful sense to have at your disposal — so much in fact, it often becomes the primary sense for the blind.

Most of us will often find inspiration by listening to music of some genre or another — it could be a cinematic score, something from a nostalgic era, or a personal favorite. Music affects artists because musicians pour their own inspiration and creativity into their work and strive to share a feeling with the listener — if they’ve done a good job, the listener will feel something emotional.

And while most writers will utilize music for inspiration, it’s definitely not the only source of inspiration.

Hearing another language can also inspire a writer tremendously. The sounds of a city or a village will spark the creativity for some. Certain sounds might spark something as well, such as a gunshot, an animals cry, or a spaceship.

Just as you keep your eyes open, it’s important to keep your ears open. Think about what you’re hearing and wonder what the source of the sound wanted you to feel when they made it.

Taste

For me personally, I find food from other cultures extremely inspirational. Food will often reveal a lot about the culture, the restaurant, or the person cooking it.

I recently traveled to Mexico for the weekend and experienced authentic Mexican food for the first time — it was amazing! Adding spices instead of salt, enjoying real sugar cane instead of fructose corn syrup, and using fresh ingredients … it was just a taste of what the culture preferred, which to me revealed a priority for fresh foods.

Though I had acquired a pretty good feel for what Mexican food was all about here in Los Angeles, it was inspiring to be able to enjoy it while visiting its place of birth.

In essence, taste can spark your creativity like no other sense — it can spring you from culture to culture and even inspire a feeling … for example, when I go for sushi and miso, I’m often struck with inspiration due to the feeling of being in the world of Blade Runner — this might seem strange to you, but that’s because everyone has their own memories and feelings tied with certain tastes.

Touch

Whether you’re shaking someone’s hand or petting a tiger shark, touch can be an incredible source of inspiration.

A lot of people attribute this sense to the majority of their experiences in life, because for most, physical feeling sticks around longer. Swimming in the waves at the beach, dancing until you’re completely exhausted, or enjoying a massage are all examples of feelings through touch.

Feeling something you’ve never felt before might be a very inspiring moment in your life — for example, if you were to experience a powerful earthquake for the first time, chances are you’d come out of the experience with a little more respect for mother nature.

Try to experience life to the fullest — go skydiving, ride a roller coaster, fly somewhere, or try rock-climbing. Any and all physical experiences might spark that inspiration needed to get creative.

Think about how you feel when you’re experiencing it — what does it tell you about life?

Smell

Like taste, this sense isn’t really a primary source of observation, but can be utilized by writers to enhance an experience.

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve found that certain smells, such as pyrotechnics smoke and air conditioning in the theatre strike my creativity — probably because I associate it with plays I’ve experienced.

The key here is to keep an open mind toward your senses and think about what you’re smelling. Smelling the salt in the air at the beach might spark a world of story, you never know.

What Senses inspire your creativity most?

Just as there is a vast range of how to go about writing a story, there is an equally vast range of ways to yield your inspiration and turn it into creativity.

What sense do you find inspires your creativity most?

Writing your Book on the iPad

2010-04-07T21:01:39Z

With the introduction of Apple’s iPad last week, I can’t help but wonder how thewriting community will be affected — not so much in terms of whether or not writers will use the iPad to write their work (there’s no question there, considering we so openly use laptops), but rather in terms of a new store Apple has built for the iPad …

iBookstore

It reflects the look and feel of iTunes and the App Store and replicates their ease of use, which for readers, makes the iPad the best e-reader available. With the major publishers onboard with the iBookstore, readers will not only be able to purchase, download, and read their favorite titles in an instant, they’ll also be able to read titles made available by smaller publishers (much like the app developer community — sounds like a perfect opportunity to get involved with the digital platform for independent and self-publishing companies out there.

So with the iBookstore coming shortly,what is the iPad and how will writers be able to use it?

iPad

As a device that fills the gap between your computer and your smart phone, the iPad will act as your mobile computer — smaller than your laptop, yet more powerful than your smart phone. a Device that can float around the office or the house; some have even called it the first, true household computer. That said, I just saw a video of the iPad being installed to the dashboard of a vehicle, so it’s clear their are plenty of uses for the device.

Apple also introduced a suite of apps along with the device, called iWorks — including spreadsheets, keynote presentations, and what writers will find most useful, the word processing app called pages. In addition, with such apps as WordPress and other blogging focused platforms, writers will almost certainly find their iPad a convenient tool to write and publish their work on the fly.

Apps

The App Store currently features over 140,000 apps — both for sale and for free, from professionals and from amateurs … you’ll even find a few writing related apps available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

With the success of the app store and the innovation and creativity of the developers creating apps for the platform, there’s no doubt there will be writing related apps available for the larger platform, the iPad.

The question stands — what might those apps include?

I’d love to hear what you think about all this — the iPad, using the full size touch keyboard, adjusting to the platform, and writing while on the go.

Do you see yourself writing your book on the iPad? Publishing your work to the iBookstore through a self-publisher, or do you see yourself continuing to pursue traditional publishing?