I have a book in mind to start writing. For three years now. I read advice that tells me “just start writing.” And still I don’t start. Because this advice isn’t working for me, I’ve had to come up with some other techniques to power through my paralysis. See if one of these might help you get started on a new work.
How many times have you wanted to write, but just couldn’t get anything out? How many times have you procrastinated, coming up with some seemingly valid excuse to avoid writing?
We’ve all been there. The challenge is getting out of our funk. The solution is simple: action. The book that taught me how to take action as a writer was “The War of Art.” Let’s skim over a handful of my favorite quotes from Steven Pressfield’s epic kick-in-the-arse.
I love writing. Isn’t it obvious? I mean, I spend my days and nights clacking away, ignoring the world, crafting my latest tome. And yet, every once in a while, the doubt creeps in like a slithering python, ready to chomp down on my creativity.
Why is that? Why can writing be so durned frustrating?
As human beings, we have a deep desire to be accepted. We do things to appease others, to make ourselves look better, to not look stupid.
What happens when we take that attitude into our writing? What happens when we deny our inner muse in order to make others happy? In my experience…bad things happen.
What Is a Logline? Defined simply, the logline is a single sentence (sometimes two) that answers the basic question “what is your story about?” In everyday life, you might encounter a logline most frequently in a TV guide or on your DVR. It seems simple, but the art of writing a compelling logline can elude even the most established writer.
A month ago, we took an hour and wrote about pain as a literary theme. Today’s theme is CONTROL. At times painful, at times rewarding, control is one of those elusive, dynamic, yet ever-present forces in human life. It shifts colors the way chameleons walk across the street. It mesmerizes deeper, faster, scarier than you can bungee jump. It prickles the skin and it haunts the psyche.
But control also gives you unimaginable freedom and possibility. Will you embrace it?
