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| AUTHOR/EDITOR SANDRA D. BRICKER |
This is true of writing a novel as well.
How
many New Year’s Eves have you resolved to get serious about writing in the new
year? Promised yourself 80k+ solid words of genius by next December’s end? How
many consecutive January 2nds have you greeted by plopping down in
front of your computer with all your good intentions to fuel you forward … only
to end up wasting several hours on Pinterest and Facebook?
Whether
you’re trying to write full-time or – like me when I started out – you’re
trying to balance some degree of creativity with a demanding day job, writing
time is a precious commodity, and using it well is imperative. Here’s what I (finally) learned after too many good-intentioned
New Year’s promises to myself: There’s only one hyper-focused resolution that
will truly make a dent in the desired Big Picture outcome.
I resolve to overcome the
blockages.
One
important fact to wrap your brain around – despite the fact that you might not
want to – is that writer’s block is often self-imposed.
I
know. We don’t want to admit this, but writers very often talk themselves into believing they simply can’t find The Zone. And
sharing this burden with others adds credence to the challenges of the creative
life. “Woe is me. No matter how hard I try, the words just won’t come!”
But
… Yes. THEY WILL.
If
you believe Scripture the way I do, there’s an important key in Proverbs
18:21: “Death and life are in the power
of the tongue.” So your first line of
defense is already within you. Stop
telling yourself (and others) that the words won’t come.
Speak
and think LIFE to your writing goals instead of death.
Need
more to get you started? Here’s a few additional tips. At first blush, you won’t
like them. But it’s a new year with a whole new start. How about giving them a
try, just for kicks?
Eliminate distractions. Don’t even open the
browser that bridges the gap between your writing space and the internet. Think
of yourself like an alcoholic avoiding the open door of the corner bar at all
costs. When you sit down to write, open a Word document. Period. Don’t even access the online Thesaurus … Google, for the
purposes of “research,” of course … Facebook, for a quick break from the very
hard task before you … Gmail to check and see if that elusive publisher has
finally come to their senses and offered a contract – on the book you haven’t
yet written. All of those things can be done later. After you’ve spent sixty (or ninety!) uninterrupted minutes putting
words on the page.
Edit later. Don’t worry about the perfection
of each word, the effective turn of phrase, the sheer beauty of the language
landscape you’re designing that will surely earn you accolades in the
publishing community. Come to terms, instead, with Hemingway’s realization that
“the first draft of anything is $#!+” and reminding yourself that no one ever
has to see your initial draft except
you. Just get the words on the page. In the same way an artist can’t rework a blank
canvas before him or a musician can’t perfect the melody of what she hasn’t
composed, we writers can’t raise the bar on what we haven’t actually written.
Choose your
distractions. Now
that you’ve sweated blood over that keyboard and completed a few pages or a
chapter, it’s only human to require a change of pace, right? A reward for all
the hard brainwork! Warning: Do NOT use that afterglow time to cruise the
internet; that’s what early mornings and late nights are for. Instead, go for a
walk; take a bath; listen to some favorite music; have lunch with a girlfriend.
Do something that whisks you safely away from the computer and social media because
– the secret they never tell you up front – that’s the sweet spot where your
creativity will truly recharge.
[Note: This is not the
time to retreat to your reading nook with something from your to-be-read pile.
The danger there is the temptation for comparison. Save your TBR pile for in-between
treats rewarding finished projects!]
So
there you have it. As you begin your bright, shiny new year, try not to bog
yourself down in pretty resolutions dressed in the bling of generalizations you
have no real chance at mastering. After all, I resolve to finish my novel this year gives you a Grand Canyon of
52 weeks in which to procrastinate, delay, and craft surprisingly realistic
excuses. However, I resolve to take daily
steps toward finishing my novel this year fences you into actually sitting
in the chair, firing up a Word document, and focusing on the actual telling of the
story you’re compelled to tell.
Good
luck! Here’s a sip of virtual champagne (non-alcoholic, of course) lifted high
in a toast to the baby steps and to each chapter you complete through the
tenacity and deliberate focus it takes to be called Writer.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
SANDRA D. BRICKER
was an entertainment publicist in Los Angeles for 15+ years where she attended
school to learn screenwriting and eventually taught the craft for several
semesters. When she put Hollywood in the rear view mirror and headed across the country
to take care of her mom until she passed away, she traded her scripts for
books, and a best-selling, award-winning author of Live-Out-Loud fiction for the inspirational market was born.
Sandie is best known for her Another Emma
Rae Creation and Jessie Stanton series
for Abingdon Press, and she was also recently named ACFW’s Editor of the Year
for her work as managing editor of Bling!, an edgy romance imprint for
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. As an ovarian cancer survivor, Sandie also gears time and effort
toward raising awareness and funds for research, diagnostics and a cure.
HOW TO CONNECT WITH SANDIE:
