The Writing Nag

The Writing Habit

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 16:20:00 +0000

“We become what we repeatedly do.”

― Sean Covey

Time to Write

On Google, there are more than 64 million links on "the habit of writing."

Here's just one. 10 Steps to Create the Habit of Writing. In procrastinating my writing, I've probably read several hundred. Jeff Goins made it even simpler when he wrote, "pick a space, set a time, choose a goal."

I do know what it takes to create a successful habit. Since last summer, I've developed a new healthy one, which is walking my dog every day, 2-3 times a day, with the goal of hitting 10,000 steps every day. I accomplished this with tools. My Fitbit, MapMyWalk, great podcasts, my accountability group and my dog, Ellie. When you develop habits, the frequent repetition of the task, becomes involuntary. I mean it helps that Ellie, won't let me forget it but there is definitely a ritual I've developed with this healthy habit. And I did walk her before my goal but it was the addition of the hitting 10,000 steps a day that helped cement this task into a habit.

When I wrote the title to this blog, The Writing Habit, I thought of wrapping myself in a habit. As the other definition of habit, "a long, loose garment worn by a member of a religious order or congregation." That was comforting to me. Thinking about wrapping myself in writing, surrounding myself with synonyms, languishing in language. I started this blog, to do just that, but when my job, my business and life got in the way, my daily writing habit, fell apart. I no longer made writing a priority.

At Goddard, an advisor gave me some good advice when I was struggling with just getting started, find a song, or a place or just light a candle to signal the beginning of your practice. These rituals might not be necessary for you, maybe sitting down and just writing is easy for you. Rooze wrote me some great advice, check out the comment section, of Let Nothing Go Down the Drain.

Today, write about new positive habits you will start in the next year. If you already have a successful writing habit how can you deepen your writing in the next few weeks of 2015?

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Let Nothing Go Down the Drain

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 16:00:00 +0000

“Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it’s the answer to everything. … It’s the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to create, to be astonished at nothing, to cherish the oddities, to let nothing go down the drain, to make something, to make a great flower out of life, even if it’s a cactus.”
—Enid Bagnold

I'm reading yet another article this morning about time management for writers, something I can't seem to grasp, even though I've heard it and read it hundreds of times over the years. An hour a day, a paragraph a day, a sentence a day, three pages a day, morning pages, set a timer...every writer has their ritual or habit that has brought them success. I tend to wait for the muse, I know, not effective. I'm working on it.

What's your resistance? You're wasting your time, you are too busy, your favorite TV show is on, you've worked hard all day and you deserve the downtime? You should spend the time with your family. Or go to the gym. You should pay your bills, clean your office, your house, your car. You're not a real writer anyways. Writers can come up with so many creative excuses. If you don't already have one; how will you develop a writing habit in 2016? Do you know when your best time to write is?

Learning New Words inkpaste.com

Poetry Contest December 10, 2015 Deadline http://www.pw.org/writing_contests/poetry_award_3

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

She had wings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 20:15:00 +0000

Adult Coloring

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 00:11:00 +0000

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jopoe/

Although I haven't jumped in yet, I've been looking at the adult coloring books on Amazon ever since my friend recommended The Secret Garden, this coloring book is thought to be the one that started the "adult coloring craze" or trend. It has sold over 2,000,000 copies! I know how much paper and scissors and glue calm me when I'm working on collage and coloring was always a favorite childhood activity. Are you coloring away stress? If so, what's your favorite adult coloring book? There's a lot to choose from!

Already planning for 2016?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 15:27:00 +0000

Every man should be born again on the first of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle, if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but, on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take interest in the things that are and are to be, and not in the things that were and are past. ~Henry Ward Beecher, "A Completed Year," 1882 December 31st

I've always loved a new year, the possibilities, the challenges, the chance to better myself. While letting go of the past can be trying I've always loved the idea of moving forward and what better way to do that than with setting achievable goals. And for me there is no way to achieve goals unless I make them a habit. Maybe you have stopped making New Year's Resolutions, you know the ones you make on New Year's Day but then a few weeks later seem so challenging or not fun at all so you drop them?

The all or nothing approach has never worked for me but in 2015 I created several healthy habits that stuck and continuing them helped me reach my goals. In reflecting on the year, these are the seven ways I created healthy habits. I use the term healthy not only for body health but also for mind, soul and creative spirit. You can also create financial habits such as saving more money or paying off debt. Maybe your goal is to create a clutter-free house so tidying can become a healthy habit. Whatever your desire there are habits you can put in place to achieve your goals, wishes and dreams.

Habit: an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary:

the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street.

1. Have a support system. It's great to do it alone, if you have that mindset, but I need accountability so having a friend or family member to check in with on a regular basis was key for me last year.

2. Use technology. While there are many downsides to technology, I concentrated on technology that motivated, encouraged or reminded me to continue my exercise goals.

3. Don't let a slip-up end your streak. This one is always challenging. It feels good when you start a healthy habit but when you miss a day or more than one day it's easy to go back to your old behavior. Instead of concentrating on the misses concentrate on the hits and start over. While New Year's Day is a good day to start a healthy habit so is every other day of the year.

4. Regularly check in with yourself to keep you on track. For some people that means a workbook or calendar system. One I can't recommend highly enough is Leonie Dawson's 2016 Create Your Shining Year. I used her workbook in 2014 and 2015 and it was a valuable and helpful tool to identify/define and achieve my goals.

Order your workbook for A Shining Year in 2016!

Free Goodies from Leonie Dawson

5. Attack resistance. Many of us face resistance from others and from ourselves when we move towards a better self. For resistance in the creative arts my favorite book is the War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It is a small but powerful and inspirational book.

6. Anything worth doing is worth doing imperfectly. Some of us perfectionists get sidelined because things aren't going the way we think they should. Having realistic expectations might mean creating habits/goals that are smaller but achievable. For me last year that meant my daily habit of walking three miles a day had to change while I nursed my sprained ankle back to health.

7. Have fun! Things won't always go as planned and roadblocks will be thrown your way. Don't get so bogged down by the details of your goal that you can't have fun when challenges inevitably crop up. Use a little bit of creative thinking and keep moving forward.

Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

10 Gifts for a Poet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 20:01:00 +0000

Vintage Christmas Cat postcard

I reworked this content article on 10 Gifts for a Poet for the holiday season. Although I would never turn down a gift card thank you Starbucks!; it seems like this has become the go to gift for the writer. If you have some other suggestions please comment on this post and I'll add or expand my gift list. What is the best writing related gift you have ever received? Was it as simple as a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop or the gift of time to write? For many writers and poets it's simply the acknowledgment that their friend or family member is a serious writer or poet and is committed to the craft.

November Night discovering Cinquain

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Nov 2015 20:41:00 +0000

Yesterday when I walked in the park, it felt like a true autumn day. It was chilly but the sun was warm and the colors of the leaves were still golden bright against a clear blue sky. This morning's walk looked and felt different. After an evening frost, the colors were muted, the trees have lost many leaves.

The following poems are in the public domain. I love it, it has the feel of an Asian short form poem and the choice of words frost-crisp'd sounds like leaves breaking from the trees. I don't know anything about the poet Adelaide Crapsey but this piece makes me want to explore her other poems. I did read on Poets.org that she invented this form, "The cinquain: a twenty-two-syllable, five-line poem."
And not surprisingly she took her inspiration from the Asian short form poems of haiku and tanka.

Adelaide Crapsey, 1878 - 1915

Listen. . .
With faint dry sound,
Like steps of passing ghosts,
The leaves, frost-crisp’d, break from the trees
And fall.

Autumn is so fleeting in Colorado while summer seems to last forever. While we didn't get any snow on Halloween this year, which seems to be the norm, I expect it sooner than later.

Snow

Look up…
From bleakening hills
Blows down the light, first breath
Of wintry wind…look up, and scent
The snow!

Eckhart Tolle

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 18:03:00 +0000

How to Win Poetry Contests

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 14:23:00 +0000

http://thewritingnag.hubpages.com/hub/how-to-win-poetry-contests

Fourth of July Greetings!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 20:16:00 +0000

Little Red Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 30 May 2015 15:39:00 +0000

Many of us grew up with the familiar fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the cast of characters: Grandma, The Woodsman and the Big Bad Wolf. This story has been told and retold in many differing versions since before the 17th century. But what if Red Riding Hood was a pencil named Little Red who attends Pencilvania School and the new cast of characters are Principal Granny, Mr. Woodcutter, the janitor and the Wolf 3000 (a ferocious electric pencil sharpener)!
This is the premise behind the charming and beautifully illustrated children's picture book Little Red Writing, authored by Joan Holub and illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

The story starts out with Ms. 2, the teacher, giving all of the different pencils an assignment. They will all write a story. And what happens next is a lovely way to teach children what a story is and how a story develops as Little Red takes her 15 red words in her basket and begins her journey.
Along the way Little Red learns all about what makes a story. She is introduced to action, adjectives, editing, sticking to the story, adverbs, conjunctions, run on sentences, punctuation, sentence structure and being brave when writing.

If you're a fan of anthropomorphic characters you'll find not only pencils but glue, staplers, tape, pencil sharpeners and more ! I loved the colorful and collage inspired illustrations and the abundance of puns. Just one example, one pencil is driving the adverb truck filled with adverbs of course, on the side of the truck, Adverbs "We Deliver Speedily."

I think this is a book that will grow with your young child. They will surely love the fairy tale told with a modern twist and as they get older there are a lot of writing concepts and vocabulary words to learn and explore. This could just be the inspiration your child needs to get excited about writing and telling a story.

Teaching Story to Children

I fell in love with books early on and I was writing stories as soon as I learned how to write. If your children are just starting to learn how to put together a story there are several children's books that will help them understand beginning creative writing concepts and story elements like characters, setting and plot and what makes a story as well as parts of speech. The Plot Chickens illustrates simplistically the process of writing a book, submitting it to publishers and for this chicken rejection. It would be a great starting off place to introduce children to the concept of publishing and what makes a good story.

View from last summer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 22:58:00 +0000

With snow on the ground reminders of last summer's garden.

February Sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 15:47:00 +0000

The February sunshine steeps your boughs And tints the buds and swells the leaves within.
William Cullen Bryant

I turn my calendar from January's snowmen to February flowers.

February is Groundhog Day, Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, Valentine's Day, Presidents Day, George Washington's Birthday, Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday. It's also when my seed catalogs start piling up.They start late December, in the middle of snowmen and candy canes I tuck them away. They offer discounts if I order before the end of January but with snow outside and the current economy I push them aside. Until February...after 9 years of gardening I am hooked. The brightly colored slicks tout "flowers of the year," "new and world exclusive" and "favorite of all growers." I have learned not to order seeds until I've planned out my garden on paper but with such descriptive language like this "these gorgeous fully double blooms glisten as they sit above the compact feathery foliage in a bright mix of oranges, pinks and apple blossom shades" how can I resist? This year I made artist trading cards (ATC's) from some of my catalogs, great way to upcycle them.

Last year, I pulled some words and phrases from a seed catalog for a poetry prompt. So I thought I'd do that again.

attractive
splashes
comes into its own
rewarding
with just one
plump
barrel-shaped
falling in love
treasure
lush
just enough
blushes
spicy
possessing a more
coral-salmon

Today, using these words write a poem incorporating as many of the words as you can. If you're comfortable with sharing post your poem in the comment section. I would love to read it!
Or take one of your seed catalogs and put together a found poem. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Roasted Red Pepper & Cauliflower Soup with Goat Cheese - They Draw & Cook

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 18:28:00 +0000

Roasted Red Pepper & Cauliflower Soup with Goat Cheese - They Draw & Cook

Eating Poetry by Mark Strand : The Poetry Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Nov 2014 19:18:00 +0000

Eating Poetry by Mark Strand : The Poetry Foundation

Thanksgiving Infographic

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 16:42:00 +0000

Source: Viewpoints.com

November for Beginners by Rita Dove : Poetry Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 16:39:00 +0000

November for Beginners by Rita Dove : Poetry Magazine

Back to Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 16:19:00 +0000

After a long hiatus I've decided to start blogging again.

Maybe at first only once a week. I don't have a schedule in mind but blogging was always an integral part of my writing practice.

I've missed it. I've missed the regular readers. Missed the comments that weren't spam. Missed the reading and commenting on some of my favorite blogs. The idea that something I shared could be helpful to a fellow creative soul.

For awhile I concentrated on content writing and paid blogging assignments came my way. The money was good but I lost my voice, when you're writing for someone else's blog/website there are of course do's and don'ts and lots of SEO talk and views and Google updates...in the past couple of years I've lost my daily writing practice and blogging is where I started. A warm up of sorts, morning pages not Julia Cameron style ( three pages, longhand, stream of consciousness writing) but a checking in and hitting the keys practice, a journal that is meant to be shared.

What keeps you writing? Is blogging part of your creative writing practice? Do you write morning pages?

Words You Should Replace in Your Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 19:30:00 +0000

http://justenglish.me/2014/11/06/18-common-words-that-you-should-replace-in-your-writing/

August Morning by Albert Garcia : The Poetry Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 18:02:00 +0000

August Morning by Albert Garcia : The Poetry Foundation

WOMEN RULE WRITER: FIRST PROOFS GIDDINESS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 19:25:00 +0000

WOMEN RULE WRITER: FIRST PROOFS GIDDINESS: Emily portrait at Rao's Coffee in Amherst I have received first pass pages of Miss Emily - basically the first set of proofs. Oh my...

Haunted Colorado Springs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 17:45:00 +0000

Made the switch from Squidoo to Hubpages, although this needs much more content before I'm happy with it this is my first hub. Haunted Colorado Springs.

I was generally happy with Squidoo as a content writing platform so I'm (as many Squidoo writers are) apprehensive about the next step. Especially for my well paying content.

Seven Blogs for Emerging Authors

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 14:24:00 +0000

http://writerswin.com/seven-blogs-emerging-author/

Fun Graphic Novel Release Date July 1, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 13:17:00 +0000

Barbarian Lord

Summer Reads

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 18:22:00 +0000

This is the last book I read and reviewed. What are you reading this summer? Do you read different genres in the summer?