How to Change: Love What You Hate

I’ve been reading this great book lately, Change Anything: the New Science of Personal Success, by Kerry Patterson & co. Thus far, I have to say I’m impressed—both because of the scientific research they reference (yeah, I’m a science geek) and because the tenets they propose feel true.

Love what you hate.

That’s one of the paths to change they describe. Sounds counterintuitive, right? Until I start thinking about my life and the places where I have successfully created a change. Never once did I succeed because I browbeat, shamed, badgered, or guilted myself into it.* Nope, change occurred when I started to focus on the positive.

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Tuesday Ten: Signs You’re Not Writing Enough

Since Friday’s post challenged you to take yourself seriously as a writer—by investing time, money, and energy on your career—this week’s list offers a list of signs that you aren’t spending enough time on your writing life.

And because I think quizzes are fun, I’ve included a the test-yourself component. Pick the answers that best it your situation—and feel free to use these oh-so-scientific results to support your Writing Diagnosis!

1. Daydreaming about plot problems is seriously impacting your ability to function in daily activities.

  A: Ouch, don’t let my significant other see this—totally me! 
  B: Occasionally, but I’ve got it under control.
  C: Daydreaming? What’s that?

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Community (from thewildwriters.com)

My friend and critique partner, Laura, wrote about community and how it helps as we wrestle with questions like Am I a real writer? Don’t “real” writers earn money? How can I justify spending the money to take another class/attend another conference/fill-in-the-blank when I haven’t actually published anything yet? I hope you find her answer as inspiring as I do:

Community

The long haul

For many writers, especially those who started seriously pursuing publication decades ago, the Holy Grail, the mark of being a “real” writer, is having a book published by one of the big New York publishing houses. Being a writer who’s been seriously pursuing this marker of success for twelve years, with a first attempt at it some twenty-five years ago, there have been many times along the way when I’ve felt like a failure. For the last four years people have been telling me I’m “so close.”

I doubt I would have stuck with it this long, no matter how strong the calling, if I hadn’t had critique groups along the way. I co-founded a group twenty years ago that offered primarily support and encouragement, as we were all beginning to learn our craft. Several years later, after finding the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI, I helped to start another group focused on children’s writing, which led me to the Wild Writers.

To read the rest of this post, please visit my critique group’s cooperative blog at www.thewildwriters.com.

Do You Take Yourself Seriously?

Earlier this week I wrote about the skills it takes to succeed as a writer—and the ability to take yourself seriously as a writer was #1 on the list. It’s the foundation on which everything else rests. If you don’t take your writing career seriously, it’s darned hard to justify spending the time and energy you’ll need to grow as a writer.

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Writers’ Burnout Quiz: Do You Need a Break?

When I last posted, I was deep in rewrite-mode, the write-until-your-eyes-blur-and-then-get-up-early-and-do-it-again sort of rewrite. I was trying to meet a deadline and, due to a family crisis or three (don't those always happen at the most inopportune moments?), operating on a limited time schedule.

I met my deadline (yay!).

And then left on vacation—in Cozumel (double yay!) where, unlike my lovely friend Charissa, I did not even attempt to blog.

 
In fact, I barely wrote at all. Not even on my shiny-new-can't-wait-to-work-on-it work-in-progress which, if you've followed me for long, you know is a little weird. I'm all about writing everywhere, practicing writing in all sorts of situations, finding inspiration in (and taking notes on) new settings, experiences, and people.*

And those things are important, but sometimes your muse doesn't need to work harder or try harder. Sometimes your muse needs time to refresh, recharge, and rejuvenate.

Try this handy-dandy quiz** to rate your need for a break vs a self-administered kick in the butt. 

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Extreme Writers!

I’ve noticed that I, and many other writers I know, develop the skill (because it is a skill) of writing anywhere and everywhere, while cooking dinner, walking the dogs, hiking, sailing, camping…you name it. In honor of the Versatile Writer, I wanted to start featuring all you Extreme Writers. 

You know who you are—you write rain or shine, during soccer practice and in line at the grocery store, and neither flood nor famine nor dark of night can stop you (because you have a handy-dandy electronic device to capture midnight ideas).

You are….SUPER WRITER!!

<<Ahem.>>

So. Send me your pics, of you writing in extreme conditions, whether that be on a bicycle or surrounded by young’uns or lounging on the beach with an umbrella drink where all but the hardiest would fail to write. I’ll post a winner every Friday. For this week’s prize, I offer one of my favorite inspirational writing books, Page After Page: Discover the confidence and passion you need to start writing & keep writing (no matter what!), by Heather Sellers.*

Send submissions to cheryl (at) cherylreifsnyder.com. I can’t wait to see where you all are writing this summer!

:) Cheryl

*If you already have/don’t need Page After Page, other giveaways include Donald Maas’s Writing the Breakout Novel and The Fire in Fiction; and Sol Stein’s On Writing.

The Writing Life: Using the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

If you’ve stopped by my blog lately, you’ve probably noticed that things have been a bit quiet. Between a sick kiddo and an exceptionally large amount of freelance work, my blogging time has been sadly limited.

I’ve also had little time to write—but I’ve been so busy "living life” that without realizing it, I’ve filled up with ideas and inspiration that are now itching to emerge on the page. I’ve been collecting bits and pieces over the past weeks: characters, settings, conversations, emotions and how I experienced them physically. I feel like my creative pond has been restocked, even though I wouldn’t have expected a time of stress and busy-ness to recharge or refresh my muse.

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Thirty Thursday: 30 Signs You're a (Children’s) Writer-Parent

I’ve had so much fun writing—and had such a great response to—the my recent list posts , I’m considering whether to make them a regular blog feature. I kinda like the sound of “Fifty Friday”…but I’m not sure I can come up with 50 useful tips or ideas on a variety of topics. “Thirty Thursday”, maybe? We’ll see…

Meanwhile, have fun with today’s list. I hope it makes you laugh as much as I did!

30 Signs You’re a (Children’s) Writer Parent

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Thursday’s Thing to Love about Being a Writer…

…Traveling amazing places! Learning new stuff! Interviewing cool people!

Early early early tomorrow morning, I leave for Texas to spend a long weekend with a writer friend, exploring the Columbia Bottomlands, meeting with some wildlife biologists, sea kayaking, bird watching…

I wish I could say I was cool enough to have set all this up, but I’m just riding along on her coat tails as she collects material for a freelance writing assignment. But don’t worry, I will be collecting material right alongside her.

Yeah. I love being a writer. Happy writing today!

:-) Cheryl

What do you love about your writing life this week?

Thursday’s Thing to Love About Being a Writer

Writers can work inside. In front of the fire. When the temp OUTSIDE drops to a ridiculous –13 degrees Fahrenheit. Just sayin’.

That is all.

:-) Cheryl

*Photo courtesy of knottyboy at Flickr Creative Commons

When the Book Is Finished…Tips for Surviving the Post-Novel Mourning Period

After months of living, breathing, and dreaming about my YA paranormal, VOICE, I'm finally finished with the rewrite. I’m sending  it off to my agent, and if he doesn't have any suggestions, it will soon be on its way to editors again. I feel...odd. At loose ends.

I think I go into a period of mourning after completion of a novel. It's strange, because I'm happy—ecstatic—to be finished; but after spending so much time with a book, it can be difficult to move on. Anyone else experience this? It reminds me of how I felt as an actor, the day after a play closed. I was apt to wander back to the theater, expecting another hectic afternoon and evening of rehearsal, only to discover an empty stage where there used to be sets, costumes, and a frenzy of activity.

Luckily, I’ve been through this a few times. I know it’s normal to feel a little down; I know it will pass. Meanwhile, here are some strategies that help:

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More gifts you can write

This is a continuation of Monday’s post on gifts writers can create. Lest you think huge projects are the only possibilities, here are some less time-consuming endeavors to round out your gift-giving plans.

• Coupon book: Yep, you’ve probably heard this idea before, but oldies can still be goodies…and who better to come up with a collection of interesting coupons than a creative writer? Print or handwrite coupons for hugs, brownies, moonlit meanders, proofreading services, dog sitting, kisses—you’re limited only by your imagination!

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Gifts you can write: picture books

Last week I wrote about giving the gift of words this Christmas—especially to those hard-to-buy-for people in your life. And now, dear readers, it seems you want some specifics. Interested in creating a gift of words for someone special this year? Read on for picture book ideas…other sorts of writing-related gifts later this week.

Picture Books

WAIT! Don’t skip this section! Sure, writing and illustrating a picture book in time for Christmas sounds like a colossal task, but it doesn’t have to be.

Any number of traditional picture book types can be personalized for your particular young reader.

• ABC books
• “About Me” and “About My Family” stories
• Going to bed books
• “I love you more than…” books

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Thursday’s thing to love about being a writer

Have you noticed that as people get older, it becomes more difficult to buy  presents for them? Maybe it’s because, as grown-ups, we have more freedom to go out and obtain the things we really want; or maybe it’s because, as we get older, the things we want become more expensive. Whatever the reason, I find that it’s much more difficult to find the perfect gift for my parents, sister, brother, in-laws, and spouse than it is to find gifts for their kids.

What’s this have to do with being a writer? It’s this: as writers, we have the ability to craft gifts of words, gifts that no one can buy for themselves.

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Editing, editing, editing!

Is it a sign of too much rewriting and editing when you start to look at the whole world that way? Take the hat pictured to the left: normally, I would consider this a fine hat. Beautiful yarn, soft texture, bright colors…. but after weeks of nonstop thinking about character, voice, writing style, and audience, I found myself viewing this finished project with editing-type questions. Does this pattern display the yarn’s colorway to its best effect? Have I created the best texture for the piece? Will the audience love this hat, or would a different color emphasis be better?

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A Writer’s Thanksgiving…

I used to write weekly posts on things I’m thankful for as a writer, and I think I need to get back into the habit. It was fun—and helped me keep perspective because even on weeks when the writing (ahem) sucked, I could always come up with things I love about being a writer.

So, being as it’s Thanksgiving and all, here are (a few of) my week’s things to love about being a writer:

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Writing Inspiration for Moms

What a great way to start the day! Hope you enjoy :).

Work Space and Productivity

As I continue to work my way (slowly) through Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way, I continue to experience moments of synchronicity in my life. Cameron’s definition of synchronicity is when you put a request out to the universe—for instance, your desire to take up acting—and the universe replies—for instance, you meet a woman who teaches a beginning acting class at a dinner party.

I think there’s another type of synchronicity: as I learn a lesson from one source, I’m likely to notice complementary lessons elsewhere. For instance, one of the exercises in this week’s chapter was to design a creative space for myself; the idea, although not explicitly stated, is that by surrounding oneself with things that are inspiring, comforting, and beautiful, you free your creative side to come out and play.

It turns out that Cameron’s wisdom, penned nearly 20 years ago, is now backed by scientific research. While a graduate student at University of Exeter in the UK, Dr. Craig Knight performed research on employees’ attitudes, work satisfaction, and productivity as they relate to employee control over workplace environment.

His work challenges the mentality of many corporations, where “managers often create a 'lean' working environment that reflects a standardized corporate identity.” In a study of over 2000 office workers, he consistently found that the more control people have over their work environment, the happier and more motivated they are. In two additional studies, researchers compared the productivity of workers in “lean” environments, “enriched” environments (decorated with plants and artwork), and “empowered” environments (employee-decorated spaces). They found that employees who designed their own work spaces were 32% more productive than those in lean environments without increases in errors.

The lesson for writers: where you work IS important. Giving yourself a place that nurtures your spirit will improve your creativity—and productivity. After all, it’s not just an artsy thing any more: science backs it up!

:) Cheryl 

How a Writer Goes Camping…

She stops at her local thrift store to pick up some inexpensive camping togs...



...then hits REI to stock up on her camping supplies...

...and finally visits Staples to purchase pens and notebooks. Because how can you camp without writing materials?


 
I'll be out of town for a few days to camp with my dad, who has been trying for years to get me to join him on his annual hunting trip in the Colorado mountains. He knows his daughter: it'll make a great story, Cheryl, says he. Blatant bribery.

But I guess it worked, because I'm going! :) It's good to have a dad.

:D Cheryl

Rocky Mountain Chapter SCBWI Fall Conference: Bruce Coville Wows and Inspires

I have a special place in my heart for Bruce Coville’s books. It’s not just that they’re lots of fun—which they are—or that they’re great examples of craft, plotting, and storytelling—which they are. His book Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher saved my life.

This happened a few years ago, when I made one of my overly optimistic cross-country drives from Colorado to Pennsylvania with two kids in tow. Just before Christmas. In horrendous weather.*

After three days of driving and too many hairy moments to recount, we made it to PA late at night, in the middle of a snow storm. We were supposed to spend the night at my sister’s house with her husband and kids because my parents were at the hospital, where my dad had just had surgery. I’ve been to my sister’s house. It’s a large white farmhouse with a red barn only just off the road and, theoretically, it’s not that hard to find. At least, it’s not that hard to find in the daylight. At night, in a snowstorm, in one of the darkest counties in PA, when one’s brain is theoretically addled from WAAAY too many hours on the road, it’s another story. I drove up and down that road without seeing it.

Meanwhile, the snow is getting heavier, my eyelids are dragging, and both kids are awake and pathetic in the back seat.

What does this have to do with Bruce Coville, you ask? Well, it was his story, performed by his audio book company Full Cast Audio, that kept me awake and kept the kids and I sane for much of the cross-country drive and for ALL of that stressful night. We listened to it as we searched for my sister’s house. We listened when I finally gave up and headed to my parent’s house, even though I knew it was empty. We listened to it as we slipped and slid our way down their very long, very snowy driveway and I left it on for the kids while I stomped through snow drifts trying to find an open door and, when there wasn’t one, breaking into the house. We listened to it over the next week every time we drove from one house to another, because this was rural PA, where the minimum driving time between any two locations is 25 minutes. We listened to it when the cousins joined us in the car and we needed entertainment (so that I didn’t go crazy in my stressed-out, overtired state.)

So: it was with great interest that I sat down Saturday morning for Coville’s Keynote address. I came to the conference seeking inspiration and encouragement—and he didn’t disappoint. But more on that in a few days…

:) Cheryl

*Yes, I know. The weather is BOUND to be horrendous somewhere along a cross-country drive at that time of year. See overly optimistic, above…