Tag Archive for 'inspiration'

23
Jul

project focus deficit disorder…do you suffer too?

By jess 1 Comment
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LightbulbsLately I’m suffering from PFDD–project focus deficit disorder.  Typically, I try to focus on one project at a time; one story, one blog, etc. and then move on to the next once the first is completed.  But lately, the ideas are flying at me full throttle and it’s hard for me to decide which one I want to start working on first.  The lightbulb isn’t just turning on over my head–I’ve got every lamp in the room on at the moment!

I know, I should have worse problems than having too many good (I hope!) ideas.  But having that creative bottleneck can be an artist’s biggest challenge–which painting to start, which book to write, which story to pitch, which song to finish the chords on.  I have been faithfully writing my ideas down and stowing them away to come back to later, but then my current project starts losing some of its sparkle when I think about the even BETTER story sitting in my queue.

I subscribe to the David Allen methods of Getting Things Done–I’m not great with GTD, but one of the tenets that has stuck with me is the one that says if you can complete a task in under 2 minutes, you should just do it NOW instead of putting it on a list to do later.  I don’t always get things done in 2 minutes, but I knock a lot of things out of my inbox with that general rule.  When it comes to writing, I force myself to work on my current projects with this in mind: if I’m working on a project that is 20% complete, it’s a lot closer to 100% than a project that is 0% complete.

To get myself jazzed about the project at hand, I try to mix it up a little.  If I’ve been slogging through a chapter, I skip around and start outlining another chapter, or even go through and read what I’ve already written–reading my finished chapters lets me reconnect with my characters and my story as a reader, not a writer, and allows me to get some valuable space from the work and some insight into what a reader might find interesting.  I do anything it takes to move the progress forward just one percentage point.  The more I write, the more I see the progress forging ahead, and that makes me want to write even more.  Pavlov would be proud.

Even though I try to stay focused on my current project, I still can’t deny the siren song of a new idea from time to time.  There is one that I’ve been thinking on for the past couple of days that I will probably spend an hour or so on, getting some plot points down in writing and crystallizing a few ideas.  I don’t want to lose valuable thoughts just because I’m doggedly focused on another project!  Then I can use my excitement about the new project to spur myself to finish the first one.

What do you do when you have too many ideas, and just not enough time to do them all at once?

Word Counts - Today: 0 | July: 616 | 2008: 5,089

28
May

managing inspiration

By jess 1 Comment
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LightbulbI always get ideas in the most inconvenient places. I know a lot of writers and other creative types suffer from the same problem–the ideas flow best when you’re not really trying, when you’re occupied with something else, and most likely when it is difficult to record your idea to remember for later.

The lightbulb always turns on for me when I’m driving, when I’m in the shower, or right before I’m about to fall asleep. All these situations make perfect sense, because those are probably the only time I’m actually letting my thought processes rest. But how am I possibly going to capture those ideas before they get away? I’ve lost too many great snippets of poetry or song lyrics, pieces of dialog, or plot ideas because I had no way to safely and quickly record them. So how can I manage inspiration when it hits out of the blue? Here are a few tools that I’ve found invaluable:

1. Evernote - I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again–Evernote is a killer writing tool. When I have an idea that hits right before I fall asleep, I’ll grab my Windows Mobile phone off the nightstand (I use it as an alarm clock, so it’s always handy), fire up Evernote, jot down the idea, and then sync the note to my Evernote account. It’s then accessible from the desktop version of Evernote (Mac or Windows), my mobile device, or the Evernote web interface. I can tag the note with a story name or other identifier so that it’s easy to call up later when I’m ready to use it. I honestly don’t know how I got by without Evernote on all my devices.

2. Jott - I have a long commute to work each day, and some of the best ideas hit me when I’m in the middle of the highway. I can’t exactly pull over and grab my notebook, and it’s not very safe to try and use Evernote while I drive. Jott to the rescue! Jott is a phone service that allows you to manage your life hands-free–you can take quick notes, add appointments and get schedule reminders, add to your to-do list, Twitter right from your phone, blog, and more! I added the secret Evernote email address (Tip: Check your Settings page to find your own Evernote address!) as one of my addresses in Jott. The Evernote email address allows you to email yourself notes that get automatically added to your Evernote account. Adding it to Jott means I can call up, Jott to myself, and the note will get transcribed into Evernote. Now I can take notes on the go without ever lifting my hands from the steering wheel.

3. Circa 3×5 PDA - This is my favorite analog writing tool for managing ideas. If I’m at home, or sitting at my desk at work, or anywhere that I can write things down the good ol’ fashioned way, I use notecards. They help me break my ideas down into plot points, character cards, important notes, etc. Then I punch the cards using my awesome Levenger Circa punch and file them on a set of rings set up to handle 3×5 cards.  I even made hard plastic covers for each end of the Circa PDA to protect my notes. I am experimenting with entering my notes into an interface like StorYbook or SuperNotecard to have a digital backup of all my analog inspirations.

How do you manage inspiration?

Word Counts - Today: 0 | May: 4,473 | 2008: 4,473

27
May

a room of one’s own

By jess 1 Comment
Tags: , , , , , .

Lady writing at a deskI have been incredibly lax in writing for a number of reasons over the past few weeks–work has gotten crazy busy on me, I’ve had some more important things to attend to in my personal life, and I’ve been trying to get our apartment organized. The first two have been real motivation killers, but the organization has been boosting my creativity like you wouldn’t believe. I can’t wait to get my office/craft room completely finished (I’m about 50-60% of the way there as of today) so that I can use it, because I’m chomping at the bit to get in there and CREATE.

I think that the environment you write in can be as important as what you’re writing about. It should be a place that you feel productive, creative, and happy. I have not been able to write or work very well in my home office in quite a while. The problem was twofold: the desk was too small to comfortably hold everything I needed it to (all-in-one printer, 19″ LCD monitor, external DVD drive, external hard drive, wireless keyboard and mouse), and we didn’t have any storage for anything. It’s difficult to put things away when all you have is a very, very overstuffed small bookcase.

Thankfully our trip to IKEA this weekend was fruitful and now I have a very large worktable, a set of drawers on casters that fits perfectly underneath it, and a tall, wide bookcase with plenty of room for books as well as baskets or boxes to store odds and ends. I have a new desk lamp that illuminates the room without it being too bright (I hate overhead lights) and room to spread out all my notes and ideas.

I have a table on the other side of the room for sewing, crafting, or whatever other crafty thing I am into at the moment, and having it all come together in an organized manner is spurring me on to use the space creatively.  I’m slowly adding personal touches that make the room feel more homey and comfortable.

What is your writing space like? Does it make you want to write, or does it drive you to the nearest coffee shop in hopes of getting something done?

Word Counts - Today: 0 | May: 4,473 | 2008: 4,473

23
May

Guest Post: I’ve Forgotten How To Write!

By markdavidson 6 Comments
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Today I’m doing something a little different–my very first guest post! My awesome, humble, genius friend Mark offered to write for me and I jumped at the chance. Check him out on his Twitter timeline or stop by his personal site, Twitter Stars.

With all the changes buzzing about in my life, I’ve stopped writing. I used to write for two hours every single day. I love writing. So, what have I been doing? Well, I’ve been blurbing on Twitter like a maniac. I’ve also been developing a new media company and a blog network. I haven’t even been in the frame of mind to write lately.

I asked @jfritsche if I could write a blog post for her. I don’t really have a point or a topic. I just wanted to write. Why? Because I enjoy writing! So, my topic is, I forgot how to write.

@jfritsche wanted me to write about my process of writing. Jokingly I had told her, “I like to write while not wearing pants.” This isn’t true. That’s my weird sense of humor at work. In reality, my process is simple; just start writing.

If I focused on the result instead of just working the task, I would not have started writing here and now. I think a big part of writer’s block is that we tend to fret about the outcome. Instead, I trusted that I could write and just started clacking away in this little WordPress box.

I am so used to writing in 140 character bursts now that making a short blog post could have seemed overwhelming. Instead I chose to write fearlessly. I just jumped right into it.

At this point, I’m at about 250 words or so. For most blog posts, this is a pretty good length. For me, I like to ramble, so I’m shooting for a full 500 words.

So, now that I’ve fired off my first 250 words and have pretty much covered my topic in its entirety, what do I write about? That’s another impediment to making blog posts, isn’t it? A good share of the time, we aren’t sure what to write about, right? That’s a tricky one. Your best bet is to not think about the results but once again, to just start writing.

jfritsche (12:46:42 AM): *wields red pen of editing doom*

When I haven’t written in a long time, as the case is now, I feel stiff. My written voice is labored and pedantic. I don’t feel free. I don’t feel creative. The only solution is to forget about the results and just focus on the now, taking it one word at a time. Not worrying about the outcome. Not focusing on the process. Not thinking about anything other than my next word.

So, I am writing here, without thought. Oh, no. This article is horrible isn’t it? So what! So what if this post is horrible! I can always go back and edit it later. The most important thing for me to do is to write.

If you find your flow and get into your groove; keep writing! Knock out a couple of blog posts, so you have content in reserve for those times when you don’t have the time to sit down and write.

Be consistent! Make a new blog post everyday!

To re-cap:

  • Just start writing
  • Focus on the task, not on the results
  • Don’t worry about what you are going write or even your topic
  • Trust that once you start, you’ll find your words
  • 250 words is a good size for a blog post; keep your post to 500 words max
  • Once you start writing and find your groove, knock out a couple of posts
  • Blog consistently, make a post every day
jfritsche (12:48:57 AM): good job writer, you get a cookie!!

Word Counts - Today: 0 | May: 4,473 | 2008: 4,473

07
May

write what comes naturally

By jess 0 Comments
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Las Vegas PD adJust a few posts ago, I talked about how daunting it is to admit that I’m writing my first novel.  Apparently, admitting it is the hardest part, because not only am I writing my first novel, I’m also writing my second.

I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month a few times, but I’ve never made it all the way to 50K words at the end of November.  However, I have had some ideas that I’ve really enjoyed working with, and I keep all my drafts just in case I get around to finishing them someday.

My 2007 effort was a fun murder mystery centered around a plucky female detective with the Las Vegas PD and her partner.  Yeah, I know–those kind of books are a dime a dozen these days.  I let my internal editor get the best of me, telling myself it was cheesy, stupid, and cliché.  This week I was going through my Google Docs and I pulled up the 4800 word draft that I churned out before giving up.  I read it, and lo and behold I LIKED it.  I love my heroine.  I remembered how fun it was to research and write, and how the characters just created themselves as I wrote.  I couldn’t help myself–I told the inner editor to get lost, and I picked it right back up and started churning out more of the plot.  Now I have over 1600 more words and I can’t wait to get home and work on it some more.  I’ve even thought of the plot for a SEQUEL already!

My other novel is much more serious.  It has elements of the fantastic to it, but it’s also very focused on people’s relationships and how their actions affect those relationships.  I love the story I have created in my head, and I want to get it all out on paper so I can share it with others.  But it’s HARD.  For some reason, I’ve written in circles on it.  I finally got to a point about a month ago where I felt like I’d solved the problem with my story and could move forward–and I still feel that way.  It’s just not coming as easily to me right now as the possibly stupid, cheesy, cliché mystery novel.

You always hear the advice that you should write what you know.  I think that’s true–especially in blogging.  But if I’ve learned one thing this week, it’s that you should write what comes most naturally to you.  I will fight through and finish my first novel; I know it hasn’t always been so difficult to write, and that the mystery novel will probably have me tearing my hair out before it gets completed.  But I’m not going to force the issue with the first story when the second is coming so easily out of my head.

Have you ever been derailed in the middle of one project because another project comes along that just feels right?  Share your stories in the comments.

Word Counts - Today: 2,026 | May: 3,631 | 2008: 3,631

05
May

On being prolific

By jess 2 Comments
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Stack of books In my brief interview on The Neal Show, Neal and I were talking about writers’ processes and when one should edit their own work. As I have mentioned in countless posts about my writing, it can be really difficult for me to turn that internal editor off and just let myself write freely. Often times, when I go back and re-read a passage, or if I’m typing in something I’ve written longhand, I will make small edits on the fly. Otherwise I try really hard not allow myself to touch something until it’s complete, because if I don’t I will never get it done, and I will never move on to anything else. Because of that, I have countless drafts that have never been finished.

I think that being prolific is important for any writer. You never know what kind of gem will pop out of a daily writing exercise or some notes that you make on a story idea that came to you in the shower. I used to be very disciplined in doing some kind of writing every day–either on a project, an assignment (when I was doing lots of freelance work), or just a writing prompt or timed writing exercise. I filled notebooks constantly and felt like I was on top of my creative game. It was the same way when I was involved with an online writing community; I churned out poems in mass quantities and felt like I was experiencing a lot of growth in my writing style. I’ve been pushing myself lately to get back to that level of prolific accomplishment, and slowly but surely, I think I’m heading in that direction. I’m consciously blogging more, and that is pushing me to write more, too. Blogging is great exercise for my writing muscles!

I also have a confession to make. Saturday was the first time I’ve ever admitted out loud (not in a blog) to anyone other than my closest friends and my husband that I’m writing a novel. I felt kind of weird saying it, like I was being pretentious or like I was an impostor. But now that the truth is out, I can’t take it back. Neal has it recorded. I told people at CAPE who asked what kind of an artist I am. I’m writing my first novel. Just saying it out loud was exhilarating. It may suck, it may never get published, and people may hate it…but I’m doing it.

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