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It’s True: I’m A Co-Author, The Gratitude Book Project: Celebrating 365 Days of Gratitude

It’s here!  As a proud co-author of The Gratitude Book Project: Celebrating 365 Days of Gratitude, I’m writing to share my appreciation and happiness for the opportunity to participate in The Gratitude Book Project® series. This book is full of inspirational stories and appreciation, not only for the things and people we sometimes take for granted, but for challenging circumstances and often less than desirable events. I have two entries in the book, and hope you enjoy them: - WHY THE SKY DESERVES OUR GRATITUDE - THE TYPING TEST  The Gratitude Book Project: Celebrating 365 Days of Gratitude... [Read the rest of this article]

FREE TELESEMINAR – LEARN HOW TO WRITE YOUR PERSONAL HOLIDAY STORIES – FAST!

 The end of year holidays are fast approaching, and there’s a good chance you’ll soon be gathered with friends and family, sharing memories. Someone will say, “Remember when…” And next thing you know, you’ll be laughing, perhaps crying, over memories of holiday or family fun. What if you had a way to capture those memories easily? What would it mean to you to be able to share some of your personal memories with those who weren’t there? How would it feel to collect your personal holiday stories to leave as your legacy? Join me, Debra Marrs, The Write Your Story Coach, for... [Read the rest of this article]

Working Table of Contents – A Way to Organize Your Writing

Create a working table of contents (WTOC) for all your writings.  Think of the WTOC as an idea list.  The working table of contents lists not only the vignettes or articles you’ve written, but also the vignettes or articles you plan to write.  Use actual or working titles for each vignette, chapter, blog post idea or article. #  HOT TIP – Create a Working Table of Contents document in a table in your word processing software or use spreadsheet software, such as Excel. In your WTOC, next to the titles you’ve written, record the current word count.  Also, create a column to notate... [Read the rest of this article]

Anne Lamott’s Perfect Writing Space

I recently wrote about creating a space for your writing,  And I saved the BEST for this article because these are my personal faves. My Favorite Creative Writing Space Even though the desk is small, the feature I like about this space is the colorful clothesline draped  above the desk. A dozen years ago when I attended a writing workshop with famed author Anne Lamott (known for her awesome book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life), she shared how a similar clothesline effect keeps her work-in-process organized. She suggests hanging chapters of your manuscript above your writing... [Read the rest of this article]

A Creative Space for Your Writing

When I’m not writing, teaching writing or editing other people’s writing, you’ll most likely find me watching HGTV (House and Garden TV). I’m really not much of a do-it-yourselfer around the house but I get really, really inspired by all the wonderful decorative organizing ideas I see in magazines, on TV shows, and via blogs. Creating a writing space is much like writing itself. Start with what you have. Expand what you have with what you know. Ask for help when you don’t know what to do next. Do a little here and a bit more there; small steps lead to great results. The... [Read the rest of this article]

National Get Organized Week – 1st Week in October

National Get Organized Week is celebrated each year during the first full week of October–or at least it used to be. Started by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) in 1992, Get Organized (GO) Week “was created to focus on the benefits of getting organized and the tools and techniques necessary to achieve that goal. This week is an opportunity to streamline your life, create more time, lower your stress and increase your profit. Simplify your situation and make it more manageable by taking advantage of this time to get organized.” Call me old school but I... [Read the rest of this article]

How Struggle Makes Your Writing Better

Whether you’re writing fiction or creative non-fiction (memoir or essays) your story will benefit from the use of struggle as part of the dramatic tension. There are three basic types of struggle: 1.  Man against self. 2.  Man against others. 3.  Man against nature. What creates tension is man’s struggle against any or all of these elements.  A writer uses some of all three, but maybe not all three at the same time, except toward the end when your protagonist (or narrator in memoir) has to fight against all the evils in order to win. The struggle in the early chapters ought to be more... [Read the rest of this article]

Writers: Reach Your Goals – Stop, Start, Keep Doing

Writers, are you aware of all the things that keep you from your goals? What will you stop doing, start doing, keep doing during the next 30 days? This is a question I ask my coaching clients at the end of every month. If you’re not taking time periodically to evaluate how you spend your time, then you’re probably stuck on autopilot, doing the same things you did last week, last month, or even last year without thinking about them. It’s not as simple as 1-2-3, what do you stop doing. I encourage you to go deeper than that and look at what you’re already doing really well.... [Read the rest of this article]

Before You Write, Declutter!

Have you ever noticed that clutter of any kind, whether physical, emotional, or mental, shouts out, “Hey, do me… don’t forget about… me… what about me?” Clutter is stuck energy.  Clear your clutter and you will remove stagnant energy, free up space, and open up the channels to your creativity. Clutter is defined as anything: unfinished unused unresolved tolerated disorganized When we begin a weekly decluttering regimen, we begin to clear out the old and make room for the new.  We cast off old projects, broken promises, and forgotten sidetracks.  We get rid of what we’ve been... [Read the rest of this article]

Writers: Declutter Here!

You’ve decided to declutter so where to begin? DECLUTTERING TARGETS FOR WRITERS start here: Practice clearing your clutter for just 20 minutes a day 3 times a week, and you will experience big shifts in your energy. Begin here: old stuff – from previous projects and careers, any unfinished plans you no longer feel passionate about your computer files, clogged with old writings – clear them or use them files and notebooks of old writings a fat folder of stuff – old receipts you need to shred, for instance your desk or writing space clutter is also backlog or pending to do’s –... [Read the rest of this article]

It’s Okay To Take A Break

Sometimes taking a break can make you more productive than ever.  Sometimes you don’t even recognize that you need a break but then you get these little life nudges that say, “Hey, stop! You’re pushing too fast!” Do you ever get the feeling that “pushing” causes more resistance than if you were to gently pull your ideas forward? Before I was a writing instructor and coach, early in my career days, I worked in an engineering environment where new ideas floated around all day long. Of course, just as in writing or any creative endeavor, ideas are easy; it’s... [Read the rest of this article]

STOP Procrastinating Tip #2 – Eat A Frog Every Morning!

. . . STOP Procrastinating Tip #2: Eat A Frog Every Morning! Also known as The Worst First Technique, this tip works best to get the things you dread out of the way first thing in the morning.  I used to use this technique when I cold called prospects in my former business as a time management and organization consultant.  Here’s how it works: . Before you go to bed, write down the most dreaded task you face. Tomorrow, right away, as soon as possible, do that dreaded task.  Go ahead!  Get it over with.  Just do it! Application for Writers:  What are you putting off?  What’s... [Read the rest of this article]

STOP Procrastinating Tip #1 – The Salami And Nibble Technique

. . . STOP Procrastinating Tip #1: The Salami and Nibble Theory Have you ever had a project that you kept putting off because it just seemed overwhelming?  Were you put off because you didn’t know where to begin?  Did you start with one thing, but that lead to something else?  If so, you’re not alone. Sometimes when you procrastinate, it’s because the project is just like a salami: huge, and long, and slimy. You know how it is when you buy a whole salami, how it has that white chalky stuff all over it?  Who would want to eat THAT!?!? Of course, no one would when it looks... [Read the rest of this article]

Why Do Writers Procrastinate?

. Why Do Writer’s Procrastinate? Or why does ANYONE  procrastinate, for that matter? During the 1990′s I taught time management and organization workshops to overstressed, uber-hurried professionals in the Silicon Valley.  No matter what role they played in the corporate life, every one of them admitted to multiple things they put off and didn’t do.  They procrastinated everything from following up with clients, filing reports, sending emails, cleaning off their desks, even asking the boss for a raise. Writers are no different.  We procrastinate for a number of reasons: Fear... [Read the rest of this article]

What Is A Short Story? ~ guest post by Geoff Hoff

What is a Short Story? Short stories are a glorious art form. Now that I have that out of the way, let’s start talking about them behind their back.  I’ve been asked on occasion what defines a short story, and what do all short stories have in common.  The answer to that second question may seem flippant, but it is heartfelt.  The only thing they all have in common is a beginning, middle and end. To enhance that answer, short stories are so varied, you can approach them from so many angles, that is, quite literally, the only thing they have in common.  To go even more deeply, even... [Read the rest of this article]

An Essential Book for Writers – How Stories Work

No doubt, every writing instructor has their favorite books to recommend. My own bookshelf of writing related books sags from the weight of books I love. Every one of them holds a significant message for the writer and her craft, but few capture a set of basics as well as Margaret Lucke’s basic how-to for creating compelling stories. Whether you’re new to writing, or a seasoned pro, whether you write novels, short stories, flash fiction or memoir, this one book packs the best of the basics in a slim volume of 160 pages. HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL LEARN 1.  Writing A Short Story–Getting... [Read the rest of this article]

The Secrets of Publishing Success – Jane Friedman’s 2009 Tough Love Guide

I believe I’ve mentioned Writer’s Digest/F + W Media Publisher & Editorial Director Jane Friedman’s blog to readers before.  Jane eats, breathes, and focuses almost all her waking hours on the publishing industry.  She attends conferences, talks to agents, meets with authors, teaches classes, reads prolifically.  She’s sitting in a place of “knowing” since she leads a team of acquisitions editors.  She and I have become friends, and I respect what she says so much. Recently, she compiled all her posts relating to publishing in one place. She calls it The Secrets to Publishing... [Read the rest of this article]

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