And yes, this week has to deal with procrastination. Ironic, isn’t it?

“We see the shape of things to come, but that doesn’t mean they are there yet.” This is what my friend needed to explain to me. I know the story is finished; I know what changes need to be done, but I’m not in a place to actually do it.  But I must take some small steps or the ideas will remain jammed up and the creative pressure behind the jam will continue to escalate. There are always ideas. Good ideas. Workable ideas. The trick is to gently access them and allow them to flow.

Why am I not there yet? I have written down the ideas. I have even written a scene which I could type out and re-work. I also know I need to re-read my story from beginning to end to see where these new ideas can be inserted. Unfortunately health problems plague me and my eyes and mind and are just too tired to do the work. But that’s my excuse, not yours.

There was a lot of attention paid to “strobe-light clarity” in this chapter. This is where I became confused. I think it has to do with receiving flashing glimpses of ideas. Since these are not complete ideas the “I’m not there yet” is the result. An idea hits you like a flash and you think, “What was that?” or “Can I really do that?” The idea is to act on those flashes of ideas and not ignore them. Follow through. Keep the momentum going.

I do get flashes of ideas for other works but I just can’t bring myself to starting something new when I haven’t finished my other projects. That is really important – finishing what you started. This goes for all things in life. Cleaning that room can look pretty overwhelming and once we start we get on a roll. But, we either finish the job or we get distracted and go off in another direction and the job just doesn’t get done. I said in The Artist’s Way that I needed to de-clutter my work space. Have I done it yet? No. I’ve cleaned up some stuff but there is just so much stuff and I don’t know what to do with it. I’m not going to throw away perfectly good binders or the like.

Well, I am totally disappointing myself and all of you who are following this journey. I can’t even finish Walking in this World. Yes, I have read Week #8 and started an incredibly long Week #9. But I’ve stopped. My friend who was taking this journey with me, who I met on a weekly basis to talk about the chapters, had to take a full-time job. It is only supposed to be temporary but our weekly meets came to a halt. I don’t know whether I will be able to finish this journey. Fatigue with my eyes makes reading difficult at times.

I have read reviews from other readers who said they liked Walking in this World better than The Artist’s Way. I do not feel the same way. I got a lot out of The Artist’s Way, which you probably read about in my previous reports. I was also held more accountable by meeting with a group every week. Now, I have no one to push me and I don’t know whether I can continue on my own. I will try but I keep telling myself that getting back to my novel is more important to me, and it is. But I can’t seem to get to that either. By the time everything important is done I am too tired to read anything. Something’s got to change and when I figure that out I will do it.

1. Activate Your Radar
That does not mean having to buy radar and then put it on the head, but the question is sharpened instinct about things that are happening around us. These concerns about the environmental, social, economic, hottest news circulating about the development of the world or science and technology. The point is we should be concerned and keep up to date with the circumstances around us, because of this may be a reference material on a topic which we will write later.

2. Reading a Lot
We can read newspapers, magazines, books or a blog. Why should I read? By reading, of course, will add insight and our treasury on the subject to be written. In addition, we can find out by reading a person’s writing style. At least we can compare the author’s writing style A, B, etc. the author. Is conscious or not, it will influence the style of our writing, so it will bring to the writing style and of course our own Typically with a better quality writing style.

3. The Idea Is On The Air … and It’s Free
One of the most precious gift God gave to us is a brain. Denganya we can capture the ideas that were milling about over our heads like a radio wave signal. The good news, the idea that we can get it for free.The idea could appear anywhere, anytime and in any condition. Can appear in dreams or while sitting in the closet though. So seize the idea, keep well, but not for too long … because the idea would quickly become obsolete if not immediately translated.

4. Share Your Opinion
Get used to opine about various things, concerns the situation is going on or we are experiencing. It’s mean it often provide commentary or opinion about the news on tv, newspapers, on public discourse, or gossip though. Pour in the style of writing our own language, or if necessary, from time to time send our personal opinion to newspapers or other media.

5. Share Your Knowledge
Everyone must have knowledge of a field. It was born because of the talent which he elaborated that he became expert in the field, or it could be because of the knowledge he gained while in high education, either formal or non formal. Get used to always share their expertise and knowledge we have through writing. Believe me, the science would be more useful if we resume practicing. Is not there a verse that says “Convey though only one verse”.

6. Wherever and Whenever Menulislah
Get used to write anywhere and anytime. Is not already discussed above that the idea could appear suddenly. Therefore get yourself to take a small notebook to record important things if the idea had suddenly appeared. If the condition is not possible, write down any important points, so if there is free time we can directly mengembangkanya.

7. It’s All About The Habit
Make writing a custom and habit. It can be tough, but you can start gradually with mengagendakanya. For example, I have a friend who was the habit to write something before he slept. He writes about the events experienced by the day or on a topic he is liked.

8. Aim To Always Write
Try to make the target in writing, do it gradually. For example, the target for writing an article a week. If it was used, increase to two articles a week … until one day at least one article.

9. Event follow Writing Competition
Try to follow the event or competition to write, whether it be articles, short stories or whatever. We can easily mendapatkanya on the internet, newspaper, or a race that was held at the school or college campuses. By entering the competition, we will be encouraged to present the paper quality and weight. If we get lucky and be a winner, in addition to the reward, it will add a sense of pe de and spur us to continue to be consistent in writing.

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                      www.awrinkleintime.net

Author :          Madeleine L’Engle

Publisher:        Square Fish

                      A Division of MacMillan Books

                      www.squarefishbooks.com

ISBN:              978-0-312-36754-1

My very first science fiction story was introduced to me by my elementary school teacher who read us “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle. A “Wrinkle in Time” is the winner of the 1963 Newberry Medal and offered young readers a trip into space, which compared to small mysteries and animal stories and fantasies was quite fun. I remember listening avidly in a silent room except for the teacher’s voice.

 I recently read the story again, wanting to know what made it special. The first thing I noticed was how Meg Murry was quite a sympathetic character. Most children can identify with someone who is suffering from worry about her missing father during a scary storm and then having a brighter than average brother offer comfort because he can at least offer some alternative to the worry. And to find that they both are children of very bright parents and thought sub-normal is really an awful thing to hear. Who wants to be less bright than their parents? Or of other children.

One of the ways that stories are powerful for the young is by offering a way for them to step into someone else’s shoes that are quite different from their own experience or the same experience and have the wisdom of the character offer a way of dealing with the problem that they might not learn on their own.

What made this story especially attractive for me was the three inviting characters who offered up a trip to the children to help recover their father. Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsis, and Mrs. Which are found in an eerie old house populated by older women who know too much and have odd behavior. They offer up the explanation about how you can travel through time faster if you skip the in between distances by going from point A to point B by wrinkling space.

The dialogue is easy to read, as are the descriptions. “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle helps young readers imagine worlds different than our own. And it was my first introduction of elderly characters working with youngsters and aiding them, but not making the decisions. Instead Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsis and Mrs. Which allow the youngsters to take on their own tasks and either win or lose.

Food, glorious food. Food bloggers wanted for a NYC based food writers blog. There is an opportunity to ghostwrite too.

Know anything about firearms? This employer is seeking someone to write articles related to firearms.

This employer is seeking someone with a knowledge of ancient Egypt or Greece, to assist with polishing up her book. Book Editor Required.

Spanish editors required. Sports, dating, celebrity gossip, if you enjoy it, we want you on our team.

Enjoy the funny side of life? Write Jokes? This company is seeking a joke writer for a comedy show.

Translators wanted:

• Chinese
•  Korean
• Russian
• Spanish

Fashion Writers wanted.

Freelance MEDICAL WRITER wanted.

Something that may not have been thought of as a hit, a zombie tale, could become a hot in itself. The idea has to sustain itself. Characters have to have substance, as story has to be well paced and the reader must not think that he is bothered by too much detail or that the plot is underdeveloped. You cannot blow over the character of the book if your idea has been borrowed from a classic as in the case of adapting zombies to the classic Pride and Prejudice. A society can be further skewered by distinguishing the aristocratic elite from the poor more than Jane Austin did.

 The absurd of a tale can be overdone too. In the case of Lincoln who lived in the furthest of the frontier without formal education a writer can be compelled   to see him as a super hero fighting slavery in a bizarre way. One has to look deep in the culture of the day and try to see the zombie or vampire in that. Taking books that have already been written or using a well-known historical figure like Lincoln or a Jane Austin tale, and adapting them to a new genre you have to put your ego aside and see that you are contributing to an existing tale that takes on a new twist.

One has to accept the fact that you will go through many drafts to get the flow and content you want.

But before you answer those questions, there are a few things you might want to know.

1.) Act professional: If in doubt, keep professional. Nothing is worse than a writer who likes like an idiot because he or she is unprepared with answers, though doing an e-mail interview often helps with this. Still, if you are being interviewed live or on the spot, try to have some basic answers prepared beforehand. Also, don’t start using a bunch of curse words or going off on a rant about something you detest, at least not unless it’s that kind of blog or site you are interviewing with; yes, we all know about your rights to free speech and yes, you might want to stick it to “the man” or somebody, but an interview is generally not the place to do such because you will more than likely turn off potential readers.

2.) Know when it’s okay to not act professional: Yes, there will be times when you can act a little goofy. It all depends upon the interviewer and his or her expected audience. Some blogs are kind of crazy, some are not. Know which one you’re dealing with before answering interview questions. Pay attention to the type of questions you are being asked. Do some research before facing those questions. If you have a particular beef with a company or government agency or whatever, before you go off on a rant about that, make sure it is appropriate for the kind of site you are to appear on. Otherwise, yep, you’re likely to lose a chance at making a connection with readers.

3.) Give the interviewer something to work with: Don’t have a blog of your own? Is your author’s bio only ten words? Do you not have a Facebook or any other connections on the Web? Are you a complete recluse who never has contact with anyone? If so, then how do you expect an interviewer to ask you solid questions? The answer: They can’t. At best, they’ll give you a bunch of canned questions, the same old ones that get asked to every other writer or person they have to interview. You don’t want that. You want to stand out, to give potential readers something unique to like about you, something that will draw them to your writing. So, make sure your interviewer has something to work with, something that will allow them to make pointed questions that are more appropriate for you than any other writer.

4.) Don’t be overly long with your answers: When looking over an interview, readers don’t want to feel like they are slogging through War and Peace. Readers might not even realize it, but what they really want are relatively short, interesting, to-the-point answers that tantalize them. Readers really do want to know about interesting writers and interesting reader material. It’s your job as a writer to provide that for the readers, not the other way around.

5.) But one-word answers don’t work, either: Readers also won’t be interested in a writer who does not seem interested, let alone a writer who is not interesting. Your interviews don’t have to look as if they’re written by Shakespeare,  but one-word answers will appear to show a lack of concern and interest. Which can kill a potential reader’s interest.

6.) Don’t forget to promote the interview: The blogger or reporter or whomever has done their job in interviewing you, and more than likely they or their boss or some other underlings will do a bit of promotion to your interview. But guess what? The best person to promote your interview is you. Readers won’t come to you; you have to go find them and reel them in. At the very least you should place a few links to the interview on your blog, Facebook page, twitter, etc. If you don’t have any of those things, place some links on sites that build traffic, such as StumbleUpon and Digg and Reddit. Heck, word of mouth is better than nothing, so e-mail the link to your friends and family.

7.) Always give the benefit of the doubt: If an interviewer says or writes something you find offensive, always give them the benefit of the doubt. At least the first time they do so. If they continue to be an ass, all bets are off. But most times other people don’t mean to offend. They ask a question awkwardly or perhaps they are not familiar with a certain subject being sensitive to you. They are not out to harm you or your writing career, but are there to help you. Remember that.

8.) Don’t lie: Never, ever lie in an interview. You will be called on it. Maybe not by the interviewer. Maybe not today. But eventually by someone. And you’ll just look like an idiot and a fool.

9.) Remember you can always say “no”: If interviews aren’t your thing, don’t do them. Find other ways to promote yourself. Not everyone is comfortable being asked questions, especially when those questions are coming live on TV, radio or a podcast. That’s okay. Just avoid doing such interviews. No one is going to think any less of you for that. Don’t feel like you have to be pressure into an interview. Most interviewers aren’t going to bug you about this, but will politely ask once or twice if you would like to be interviewed. If not, it’s rarely a problem.

10.) And remember to have fun: Writing is not only a career, but it’s also supposed to be fun! That should include interviews. 

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This does not mean a writer can’t find success with short stories, just that they are fighting an uphill battle. Many independent authors sell their digital novels for only a few dollars, or even less. And most sites that allow digital publishing will not allow an e-book to be sold for less than 99 cents, which means writers generally have to sell short stories for 99 cents or possibly give them away for free. And, since readers can already purchase novels for 99 cents or a matter of a few dollars, they are less likely to risk their money on individual short stories.

Now, before we go further, let me point out that I am speaking very generally about all of this. Different writers will experience different levels of success with different products and different prices. Also, the publishing world is in constant upheaval nowadays, so what is true tomorrow might not be true in a year or even a month or a week.

But, for the most part, short stories are a difficult sell to today’s readers.

For writers who enjoy penning a short tale from time to time, what can be done?

Several things.

First, if you are self publishing, go ahead and make available that short story you wrote. Why not? You can give it away for free as an enticement to readers. Or, even if you should put a price on it and even if the short story does not garner very many sales, consider it as part of your marketing plan; even if readers don’t buy your short story, at least there is the chance they will run across the story’s sales page (on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Smashwords or wherever) and that might be enough for the reader to take a look at your writing.

Second, why not go the more traditional route and try to get your short stories published by traditional print magazines or anthologies? Yes, it can take a while to hear back from editors and publishers, but if you are fortunate enough to place a story in a publication, think of the marketing potential that opens up for you, especially if it is a publication with a large following. And then there’s the fact you might make a little money. Better yet, the rights to the story will eventually come back to you (though probably not for a year or more from the date of publication) and then you can self publish the story if you are still so inclined.

Don’t think of short stories as a way to make money (though that’s not impossible), but as one more tool in your marketing campaign as a writer. You never know when a reader might be drawn to you because of a little tale they read in a magazine or online at an e-zine.

You could even consider starting a blog or joining a site where you can post your short stories, either for free or for a little money.

One of the best things to do with short stories is to submit them to anthologies, collections which include stories from a number of writers. This way, you are not alone in promoting your short story, but have a whole bunch of authors out there marketing a book in which your story appears.

It’s all about marketing and thinking ahead.

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Fear is a common concern for beginning writers, but it also hits old pros at times. We feel like our words are worthless. We feel like we can’t string sentences together that make sense. We outright fear that we suck.

Most times we don’t suck. Some writers are better than others, or more appealing to a larger audience, but experience can help a lot. And, of course, there are a few writers out there who are just genuinely awful, for a variety of reasons.

Writers put a lot of pressure on themselves, often too much pressure, and this can have a paralyzing effect for some. The dreaded “writer’s block” will appear, but that’s really just another word for fear. Most writers can eventually work past such fear, but some can’t and for others it might take years.

Still, with all this pressure, there are times when a writer needs to step back and not write. This might sound ludicrous to writers who work every day, who pen at least a thousand or more words a day on a book or articles or whatever is the project of the moment. We often keep telling ourselves we must write, and we feel guilty when we do not write, but there are times to step away from the keyboard.

The death of a loved one.

A divorce.

A serious illness.

A serious accident.

Possibly even an arrest.

Such events can be jarring, even life changing. Writers are people. We shouldn’t add onto the pressures of such events by telling ourselves we have to keep writing through them.

Some writers can work right through such events, mostly because the writing takes their mind off such serious matters. But many writers can’t work when truly awful things happen. They lock up. They feel tired, afraid, weak, tortured.

At such times, the writer needs to step back and give himself or herself breathing space, a little time. Perhaps only a few days, perhaps a week or a month or even a year. Traumatic events hit all of us at one time or another, and they hit all of us in different emotional ways, but we can make sure to not add to our troubles by putting pressure upon ourselves.

And lest we forget, there are positive life-changing events that also can bring our writing to a halt for a while.

Weddings.

Births.

Graduations.

New jobs.

When such events come along our path, we need to sit back and take a breather. The writing isn’t going anywhere. It will always be right there waiting for us.

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There’s nothing like sitting in front of the computer and having no idea what to write. A brick wall goes up and that’s all you see as you fight to find the words. As a writer there is nothing worse than writer’s block. Writer’s block causes great frustration, which of course, only makes it worse. It’s important to overcome writer’s block before it overcomes you.

The best way to do this is to start writing about anything. Write about how frustrated you are because you have writer’s block. It doesn’t matter what you write as long as you keep writing for fifteen minutes or so. This is a great way of warming up the mind and relieving the writer’s block. Still seeing that brick wall? Check out Creative Writing Prompts and get some helpful ideas.

I’ve compiled a list of writing resources on my site at Writing Portfolio 134 so check it out. These sites have helped me out many times and I thought I would share with everyone. Keep writing everyone…don’t let writer’s block get you down!

Saying yes to our creative selves may involve saying no to our significant others. This week focuses on boundaries.

Identifying current relationships and their role in our lives was part of this week’s exercise. I, however, could not identify who my “fuse lighter” is, or the “wet blanket”, who leaves me feeling neutered, etc. simply because I don’t have many friends. I definitely do not have friends who I am in touch with daily outside of my own family. As much as I may use my family as an excuse for not doing the writing/editing, it is my own lack of discipline and drive that is really preventing me.

Julia Cameron tells of a time when she was a young single mother and felt she had to put her dreams on the back burner. “I tried putting my dreams on the back burner where they proceeded to boil – and so did my temper… Take care of your artist. That will make you a much better mother.”

If you are not doing what you love you become unhappy, resentful and even angry. Teaching those around us what our priorities are – and remembering them ourselves – makes for harmonious relationships.

“Our artist wants also what it wants and if we don’t give it to our artist, our very core gets angry.”

In the task entitled “Be Nice to Yourself” we were to identify things we would love to do if there were no excuses like money, fear, responsibility, etc. Under the category “If it weren’t so selfish” I said I would sleep all day. I know I use my illness as an excuse for not doing a lot of things but it is a reality of my life. I am tired all the time. I don’t sleep well. I am in pain. In fact, the last couple of weeks had me wondering what I really am supposed to be doing and how. With my trip to Hawaii moving ever closer, I worry that I will not be able to enjoy myself.

Which brings us to the next section of the chapter – Energy Debts. Are we doing too much for other people? Do we have difficulty saying no? Are there people in my life who are sapping my energy? “A creative person is intended to be fed and supported by both divine and human sources, but none of those nutrients can reach us if we have turned ourselves into a food source for others, allowing them to dine freely on our time, our talents and our reserves.”

We must think of our energy like a cheque book. We need to put money (energy) into our account. If we don’t, we have nothing to spend, nothing to give, and we become drained.

“We cannot take on ‘difficult’ people and situations to prove our heroism and realistically expect to be either heroic or triumphant in the long run. Saving the day too often means that at the end of the day we have nothing left for ourselves, our own lives, loves, passions… We do tire, and we tire most easily from tiresome people.”

We must invest in ourselves. This doesn’t just refer to creativity. We, as people, need to take time for ourselves, to nurture ourselves, to re-generate. Sometimes we can spend too much energy on our passions, our creativity. We all need time to nurture ourselves even if it’s just soaking in a hot tub for a half an hour.

I don’t doubt that one of the reasons I am ill is because I put up with certain people draining the life out of me. My ex-husband is a prime example. He caused so much stress in our relationship that a week after he moved out I found myself feeling much more relaxed; my skin was clearer. But de-stressing is not the only thing we need to do. Too much de-stressing can lead you to nowhere. Make some goals, some dreams, discover your passions, and act on them. Remember, if you don’t act on your dreams then you are only dreaming. That is my new motto.

See also:

http://writinghood.com/writing/walking-in-this-world-week-4/

http://writinghood.com/writing/walking-in-this-world/

http://writinghood.com/writing/the-artists-way-workshop/

http://writinghood.com/writing/the-artists-way-week-1/

http://socyberty.com/psychology/the-artists-way-week-2/

http://gameolosophy.com/games/the-artists-way-week-3/

http://writinghood.com/writing/the-artists-way-week-4/

http://writinghood.com/writing/the-artists-way-week-5/

http://socyberty.com/holidays/the-artists-way-week-6/

http://writinghood.com/writing/the-artists-way-week-7/

http://writinghood.com/writing/the-artists-way-week-8/

http://writinghood.com/writing/the-artists-way-week-9/

http://socyberty.com/sexuality/the-artists-way-week-10/

http://writinghood.com/writing/the-artists-way-week-11/

http://writinghood.com/writing/the-artists-way-week-12/