Tag: writing discipline

 You know the problem with writers? We think too damn much.

We over-analyze and worry about character arcs and rising and falling plot action and what is hot in the market today and will my dog still love me if I don’t get an agent and on… and on… and on…

Most of that worry is an avoidance technique. Writing is scary and we’re never sure if we’re doing it right and it is much easier to fret than to write.

Listen: DON’T THINK. JUST WRITE.

The voices will speak to you if you quiet your mind enough to hear them.

 

Today’s Quote

“Writing begins with getting words down on screen or paper. See movie in your head-scene or memory. Type up details like court reporter.”

Anne LaMott

 

Today’s Prompt: Go to the Washington Post or the newspaper of your choice and choose a story from the front page that, for whatever reason, really strikes a chord in your heart. Read the story through twice, then put it away. Don’t look at it again.

Write a scene connected to that article. Put your character in the middle of the action. The character can be someone who was actually mentioned in the article, or – more interesting! – make the character someone who has a strong emotional connection to the people in the article. Or insert yourself into the middle of the action and write a scene.

 

  Scribble… scribble… scribble…

 

 

It’s Saturday, the day when the best of intentions disintegrate under a heap of weekend plans. Stop right now and figure when you will write today and tomorrow. Set an alarm on your phone, or tell a friend who will annoy you ceaselessly until you fulfill this promise to yourself.

(If your best intentions to write every day this month went up in flames earlier in the week, fear not. Write TODAY. And then tack a few days on at the end of August to make up for what you missed. One year I think we still had people writing on August 46th.)

One of the reasons we let the “real world” interfere with the plans for our writing or art is that we have disconnected from the part of us that remembers what it was like to be a child. I’ve found that by staying in touch with my kid-self makes it easier to make time for writing.

Today’s Quote

“If you want to find a magical situation, magical things, you have to go deep inside yourself. So that is what I do. People say it’s magic realism — but in the depths of my soul, it’s just realism. Not magical. While I’m writing, it’s very natural, very logical, very realistic and reasonable.”

Haruki Murakami

Today’s Prompt: Quickly write a paragraph about what your days were like in second grade (around age 7).  Then choose a fairy tale from this list. Pull one of the elements from the fairy tale and write about who you would have reacted if it showed up in your life when you were in second grade. For example, what if your new babysitter had been Cinderella? Or the giant from Jack in the Beanstalk?

NOTE: You can only use the minutes you are actually writing towards your goal of fifteen minutes. Time spent reading or thinking doesn’t count.

ANOTHER NOTE: Loosen up! Have fun!

 YET ANOTHER NOTE: I’m taking a road trip to Montreal this weekend. I’ve already written and scheduled Sunday’s blog post. If it doesn’t post automatically during the morning, I should be home in the early evening (East Coast time) and will post it then.

 

 Scribble… scribble… scribble…

 

 

Fiction writing is eight-tenths magic. The craft skills that we use when revising account for another tenth. The last tenth is comprised of equal parts serendipity, caffeinated beverages, and staying away from the Internet whilst creating.

What do I mean by magic? It’s when you sit down to write, sometimes with a plan, sometimes not, and all of a sudden the words explode out of your fingertips. You don’t know where they are coming from. You don’t want to think about any of this too much because the magic has a lot in common with ghosts. Never look at a ghost directly. Always keep your eyes averted.

Just keep typing.

It can be very hard to get into the zone where the words flow like that. Making sure that you write every day helps. So does understanding that emotions are an underpinning to all human behavior and activity.

Yesterday’s prompt sparked a lot of emotional reactions from many of you. Awesome. Strong emotions kindle magic easily. If you use today’s prompt, you are going to build on that magic.

Today’s quote

“Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.”

Gustave Flaubert

 

Today’s Prompt: Yesterday you let rip with strong emotions as you fantasized and wrote about what you would love to say to the toxic person in your life. Today you are going to build on that dialog.

Craft a scene based on what you wrote yesterday. Fill in the setting and the narrative action. Remember to put in sounds and smells. What else – other people? Interruptions? If the scene feels dull, add a twist. Make yourself or the toxic person do something completely unexpected half-way through the scene.

 

 Scribble… scribble… scribble…

 

Wow! This is, by far, the biggest response ever to the WFMAD Challenge! Thank you everyone who wrote, posted, tweeted, facebooked, and otherwise shared the news and spread the excitement.

Most importantly… ::stands up and applauds:: Congratulations to everyone who wrote for fifteen minutes yesterday!

Wait.

You didn’t write for fifteen minutes yesterday? Life got in the way, right? Let me guess. Kids? Work? Vacation? Parents? School? Olympics? Twitter? Kardashians?

You know what? I don’t care. Sh*t happens. Please do not waste anymore time beating yourself up. It cuts into your fifteen minutes.

Permit me a basketball metaphor. In the average college game, both teams will score about 75 points. (I just made that statistic up, btw. Feel free to fact check me and post the real average.) The point is that in basketball (sport of the gods) you don’t have time to pout about the mistake you just made, because the other nine people on the court have already sprinted down for the next play.

Start anew today. Start anew every day. Where are you going to carve out today’s 15 minutes to write?

Sometimes it’s hard to dive into writing because our lives are sorta good. Or sorta boring. Now when someone makes us crazy, well then, by golly, it’s easy to write. In fact, it’s impossible to get the words down fast enough when the blood is boiling!

Let’s use that today.

Today’s Quote

“When I start writing, I rarely know what I’m writing about. Am I writing about all of those great abstract nouns that you’ve ever heard about — love, integrity, honor, compassion or whatever? The writer’s job is to take those great abstract nouns and turn them into flesh and blood and bones. Then they are real.”

Harry Crews

 

Today’s Prompt: You know that toxic relative or former friend who makes (or used to make) your life miserable? Write out dialog in which you finally tell that person what you think of her and why. Do not hold back. Do not edit yourself. Do not worry that anyone is ever going to see it. Just write!

 

Scribble… scribble… scribble…

 

 

Welcome to the Fifth Annual Write Fifteen Minutes A Day Challenge©!

 

The rules of the WFMAD Challenge are simple.

1. Commit to write for 15 minutes every single day this month.
2. Write, just like you promised yourself.
3. There is no Rule #3. Life is already too complicated. Two rules are easy to remember. The point is to get you to write, not bog you down with silly regulations.

 

How Does This WFMAD Thing Work?

Every day for the month of August, I’ll post a quote about writing or art, and a writing prompt. I’ll probably ramble a bit, too, though expect to see less of that this year than in years past. After the ups and downs of the last year, I’m finally back in the writing groove, and that’s where my focus needs to stay. (That, btw, is why I haven’t been blogging or hanging out much on social media sites recently.)

The prompts are written without assuming anything about your experience or abilities. I believe that pretty much anyone can write about pretty much anything if they give themselves permission to do it, and put in the requisite time and attention to craft.

Many of the prompts are written so that you can respond with your personal feelings, memories, or experience. Feel free to respond, instead, from the viewpoint of a fictional character. Use a character from your Work In Progress. Make up a new one every day, if you want.

 

Where Do I Sign Up?

No sign-ups, although in years past, writers have double-dog-dared their writer friends to join them in the Challenge. I suggest a high-stakes bet with your friend, if you choose to do that.

 

Do I Have To Respond To Your Prompts?

Goodness, no! Write what you want, write what the little voice in your head is whispering. But if you are stuck, try out the prompt.

 

How Can You Tell If I Am Doing It?

I can’t. It’s between you and your Muse, unless you tell your friends or leave a note in the Comments section of my blog. (I must admit, I like it when people do that.) Sometimes people post their day’s writing in the Comments section. (I like that, too.)

You are accountable only to yourself, ever, for the amount of time you choose to spend writing. Or if you blow it off. This is a good place to begin the daily discipline, and to get in the habit of that accountability. Here you are with friends who understand the struggle. Feel free to tell us all about your writing challenges, or ask me questions in the Comments section.

 

Is This Connected to NANOWRIMO?

Nope, but I am a big fan of that project and strongly encourage all of you to sign up for it this year.

 

Will You Read What I Wrote?

Thank you for asking, but I have to say no. There are not enough hours in the day for what I want to do right now. Sorry.

 

 Can I Use Your Prompts In My Class?

Yes! Please cite me properly, that’s all I ask. If you get a moment, I’d love to know what kind of feedback you receive from your students. (Permission is only given for classroom use. The prompts, like all of my blog writing, remain my property.)

 

Why Are You Doing This?

Because the arts flourish in community. When kindred spirits gather they raise each other up. The differences between someone who has been published and someone who hasn’t are not nearly as dramatic as you might think. I still struggle to make time everyday to write. I still choke at the thought of the blank page.  I never write as well or as thoughtfully, or as fast as I want to. But I love writing. I’d be scribbling stories if I had never been published. It is the writing – surrendering to the magic – that is the best part of my day. It balances me, and makes me feel alive. I want to share that with you.

 

Ready? Set your timers to 15 minutes and get going.

 

“If the angel deigns to come, it will be because you have convinced her, not by tears, but by your humble resolve to be always beginning; to be a beginner.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

 

Today’s Prompt:  What things do you allow to get in the way of your writing? Be specific, detailed, and brutally honest.

 

Scribble… scribble… scribble…