Good news: Signs of spring are showing up almost everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere right now. Spring is a time of renewal and growth. It’s the perfect time to clean up, declutter, and refresh what’s gone stale sitting in a drawer or cupboard.

If you’re serious about your writing (and I know you are!), here are 5 things you can do during the next 5 days to re-jumpstart your writing:

1. Collect all your writings in one place. That might be in one file drawer, in a 3-ring binder, or in one folder on your computer titled “My Creative Writing.” It’s important to know what you have so you know where to begin.

2. Open up 3 of those half-started or almost complete documents and read them again.

3. What does the article, story, chapter, ebook or blog post need? Ask it what it needs. Listen. Then write down on a 3 x 5 card the next 3 steps you’ll take to work on 1 particular article, story, chapter, ebook or blog post. The act of writing down your next steps jumpstarts the process of continuing. When we KNOW what’s next, we attract exactly what we need through synchronicities.

4. Set aside 30 minutes on your calendar for the next 5 days. This is a time you’ll devote to writing. Don’t freak out! You don’t have to actually “write” during this 30 minute window. Depending on what you identified in #3 above, you may use this time for research, reflection, or reading. What matters is that you’re giving attention to your writing again.

5. Notice what you enjoyed about the process of 1-4 above. What was fun? What was difficult? What do you need to add or take away? Make a list. Journal about it.

And let me know what your results are.

Spring forward!!

I’ll be looking for your byline on an article somewhere soon.

Do you doodle?

Are you a simpleton? A fool? Perhaps you swindle or ridicule? Or maybe you’re a corrupt politician?

Creative genius and visual entrepreneur Sunni Brown shares what it means to doodle in this 6 minute video. What does doodling have to do with writing?

Watch the video, then continue reading below.

What does doodling have to do with writing? As creative artists, writers need to practice “thinking” via various modalities. If a picture is worth 1000 words, then perhaps it’s a visual representation that’s the gateway to the words.

Some ways doodling may lead to heightened creativity:

• Map out characters in a setting as a way to develop a scene. That will lead you to choreographing character movements as well as setting details.
• Use doodles to get inside your protagonist’s head; what would he/she draw? and why? That will lead you to their motivations
• Create a set of doodle icons as you edit your work; for instance, a swirly “G” might mean “check grammar.” A stick man “I” might mean indent or insert more content.
• Choose doodling over dawdling. When you’re stuck for what’s next, just doodle. As Brown points out, making spontaneous marks helps us think. Doodling could be the answer to what’s right around the corner for your next sentence, paragraph or scene.

For more information on creative doodling, check out Sunni Brown’s book, Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. And watch for the upcoming release of The Doodle Revolution in 2012.

Writers and bloggers, if you’re not reading your works aloud before publishing or posting them, you’ll never be a great writer.

Your writer eyes are blind to seeing the flaws in whatever you write until you take it away from the computer and read it aloud.

To edit your own work, do this:

1. Always print your works-in-process often. Author Anne Lamott says, “Don’t be afraid to kill a few trees. Just recycle.” (I turn the pages over and put them back through the printer so both sides are used.)

2. Read your writing with fresh eyes. Take it away from the computer. Change seats, go outside in the sun or to the living room couch. Just get away from the desk in order to re-see what you have written with fresh eyes.

3. Grab a highlighter before you go. Why? See #5.

4. Read your writing aloud. Stand up. Face a window or sliding glass door. Imagine the entire world is your audience, out beyond the glass. Read in your big oratory voice as though you’re at the front of a huge audience.

5. Whenever you stumble, tick the words or line with a highlighter. Rework those passages when you return to your writing desk.

6. Allow your writing to grow cold. Leave it alone. Don’t read it for at least a week, longer if possible. Return to it with fresh eyes. Read aloud again, and listen for what needs changed.

During a recent #litchat on Twitter, author Maggie Dana, said it best:

Reading one’s own stuff aloud can really highlight mistakes, not just typos but pace, rhythm, and flow.

Do you read your work aloud?

Please comment at the bottom of the blog post here:

http://www.yourwritelife.com/writing/writingtips/great-writers-read-aloud

When I was growing up as a small tot, a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Hunt’s always meant read-aloud time. The first thing I did after taking off my coat, hat and mittens was run for the book basket, grab a favorite, then settle into the nest of Grandma’s lap. I never tired of the once upon a time stories. I may have selected Runaway Kitty, Tom and Jerry, Peter Pan or Heidi from the selection of children’s story books, GoldenBooks, cloth books, and board books.

I wasn’t the only one who loved the books at Grandma and Grandpa’s. My cousins each had their favorites as did my siblings too. When Grandma read to us, she added sweet commentary, asked us questions, and pointed to the illustrations to be sure we saw the minutest details. Sometimes those details foreshadowed something good (or bad) was coming on the next page.

Grandpa, on the other hand, was a straight-forward, no-nonsense reader who read every word with a soft gentleman’s voice. A lasting impression all cousins share is how he licked his index finger prior to turning each page, something that probably was more habit than absolutely necessary.

I realize now how much I took this act of reading aloud for granted. For me, reading at Grandma and Grandpa’s was something we always did, a way to stem the long hours of waiting in Grandma’s post-Victorian home to be picked up by Mom or Dad, who’d had grownup business to attend to.

Later, as I learned to read, Grandma and Grandpa encouraged me to bring out my reading books so I could read aloud to them. Even though I was shy about it, I felt safe tucked beside Grandma on her velveteen couch, or perched on the arm of Grandpa’s wing back chair.

I can’t imagine my life without words – a life without knowing how to read and write. Where, when and how we’re born into the world, and to whom, is such a crapshoot. It’s unimaginable – unforgivable, even – that children are born every day who don’t have access to books like I did.

Today, 3/7/2012, is World Read Aloud Day.

To honor this day, and give tribute to the many authors who gift us with their books to read aloud, I join founder and executive director, LitWorld & LitLife; author; literacy and education expert and advocate, Pam Allyn who wrote:

 “On this day, on World Read Aloud Day, I honor the many authors who write for children, for their tender care of the precious lives and understandings of children. Of their fears, hopes and dreams. Of using language to say, beloved child, you are never alone.”

World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology. (source: http://litworld.org/worldreadaloudday)

I encourage you to visit LitWorld and make a donation.
http://litworld.org/worldreadaloudday

Why not celebrate and honor reading aloud all year long? Author Larry Ferlazzo offers The Best Resources For World Read Aloud Day here.

When you write, do you think about how your works will sound when read aloud?

Please leave a comment on my blog at:
http://www.yourwritelife.com/books/world-read-aloud-day-a-lesson-for-writers

Today’s article comes to us from guest author Vicky White of Life Design Strategies.

Is it time to step more fully into your power?

Two of your divine feminine gifts will help you do just that. Here they are and you’ll find a powerful mindset shift to make for each.

First: Owning your own authority. Instead of trusting ourselves, we’ve been conditioned to question our own judgment. This is a huge energy drain. When you trust yourself you don’t need to look outside of yourself for validation.

When you do not trust yourself you start to question everything you do. You make yourself vulnerable. You cannot move forward without friction.

As humans we are wired to look outside ourselves and base our behavior on what others are doing. To trust yourself you are going against societal conditioning, and you are going against your own wiring. But it’s so worth it!

When you trust your own authority, when you trust yourself, you know you can make the best decisions for YOU. This is a gift you give yourself.

Here is a belief you can embrace that will support you: There is no such thing as a mistake. And there is nothing you can do that you can’t find the gift in and turn into the positive.

So, if you knew you couldn’t make a mistake what would that allow you to do?

Trusting your own authority puts you in a place of power. You can take risks. You get to say “yes” to yourself.

Power Question: As a woman (or powerful creative) who owns her own authority and trusts herself, what do I know to be true?

Second: Embracing your creativity. No matter what business you are in, creativity is your business. ALL of your income comes from your creativity. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, this is true. Money is another form of creative energy.

How would your business shift if you valued your creativity? Really valued it?

What would you do more of, what would you do less of? Who would you BE?

There is a big difference between creativity and VALUING your creativity. How do you create an environment that supports your creativity? How do YOU create the container that makes space for your creative process? Where does inspiration pop for you?

Here are some ways you might do it, or do it more often!

Being in nature, taking a nap, going on retreat, doing nothing, books, connecting with others, dancing, exercising, walking, meditating, journaling, travel, playing with animals, self-care, soulcollage®, clearing your clutter! It’s all about creating space for inspiration and creativity, and usually this does not from being busy, busy, busy!

If you are in business you might have heard it recommended to focus on the income producing activities first.

What if you did the creative activities first? They are income producing activities – they are one and the same. When you shift your focus in this way it makes all the other activities easier. When you look at list building, marketing, putting a program together, or any of the activities in YOUR business as creative activities, you see them differently. So you come to them with a different energy – which brings different results.

Your divine feminine mindset shift: Creativity is a money making activity.

I invite you to be curious. Take these beliefs on and play with them. See what happens next!
I’d love to hear your thoughts – Please come share it on my blog.

NOTE FROM DEBRA:  I’ll be covering additional life changing mindset strategies specifically for writers during Session 2 of our 2012 L.E.A.P. Day Writing Workshop/Retreat. Get the complete schedule here: http://www.writersquickstart.com

©2012 Vicky White, Inner Feng Shui Coach. Get Vicky White’s FREE ecourse “5 Juicy Secrets to Answering the Call of your Wise Woman” and her FREE articles to boost your passion, purpose and creativity at: : www.LifeDesignStrategies.com

It’s Leap Year! And that means you’ve been given the opportunity of an extra day to do something extra special for yourself and your writing.

Four years ago, on Leap Day 2008, I hosted an all-day writing workshop/retreat. We used the acronym L.E.A.P. to leap (L.earn, E.xplore, A.ctivate, P.lan) our writing forward with a series of experiential exercises and activities. I called upon writers to follow my step-by-step process for mapping out their writing goals for the year.

That one extra day in 2008 gave the writers who attended a mega-boost of inspiration and productivity. Not only did we make time for reflection, writers took action on their project plans – those plans we’d mapped out together during the day. The results were impressive:

• a young adult novel written, polished, and completed
• 3 short stories generated and published
• chapters for a memoir outlined and started
• a ghost writing contract signed

For Leap Day 2012, I’ve put together a series of 3 workshops that will L.E.A.P. your writing ahead too.

During Session 1, writers will map out a specific plan of action for 2013. I’ll share exactly what I do to achieve so much – writing, teaching, coaching, and running a business – year after year.

During Session 2, writers will learn about the writer’s mindset. I’ll share lots of ideas and resources available to support you.

During Session 3, I’ll share insider secrets on getting published. As an editorial board member of many publications, I want you to have the inside scoop too. I know exactly what goes on behind the scenes for choosing a winning entry – to writing contests, literary journals, mainstream magazines, agents, and more. It shouldn’t be a secret, so I’m pulling back the curtain and revealing exactly what it takes to get to YES.

What will you do to boost your writing in 2012? I hope you’ll take advantage of this extra day and join the 2012 Leap Day Virtual Writing Workshop/Retreat. Get the details here.

“Bylines is for, by, and about writers,” reads the opening call for submissions for the 2013 edition of Bylines Writer’s Desk Calendar.

More than a weekly calendar, this annual journal is full of inspiration, humor, and passion. There’s space for setting your writing goals and tracking them. The calendar includes logs, lists, and writer resources that help you record your writing milestones.  Associated with all 52 weeks of the year, writers share their joys, their aggravations, their fears and moments of triumph in succinct personal stories about the writing life. Every time I read a writer’s personal entry, I  hear the voice of a kindred writing spirit.

In 2010 I submitted a winning entry and so did several of my students. We had fun writing and comparing our stories, and let’s admit it: who doesn’t like seeing their byline in a published journal?

So now it’s your turn. A winning entry might be an oh-wow success tale or a brief essay that reveals the naked truth about what motivates you. Humor, passion, joy, heartache, tough lessons… there’s room for all levels of emotionally charged inspiration in Bylines.

No doubt you have your own personal stories about what keeps you writing. Or it might be a snippet of personal wisdom about the writing life.

There’s still time to get your entry in to Bylines Writer’s Desk Calendar 2013. The deadline is March 1, 2012. Get the specific details (and read ALL the requirements carefully)  here.

I’ll be submitting my entry for the 2013 Bylines Writer’s Desk Calendar. Will you?

 Bylines Writer’s Guidelines

We welcome Guest Blogger Heather Bestel to Your Write Life. Heather shares her personal approach to stress free writing. Learn how to make your ideas come more easily and watch your creativity flow.

From one writer to another, I’d like to offer you tools that have helped me be more creative and productive.  They are very simple techniques that you can use every day.  It’s something that I’ve been doing over the past twenty years and it has served me well.

Step One ~ Every day I take just ten minutes at the beginning of the day to meditate. This involves me sitting quietly and focusing on my gentle breathing for the first couple of minutes. I then start to clear my mind; I let thoughts float in and then float out again. 

If there are any thoughts that just won’t go I acknowledge them and make a mental note that they need to be dealt with later and then I let them go.  This simple process sets me up for the day ahead and helps keep my focus sharp.

Step Two ~ I take another ten minutes during the day to allow myself another moment of relaxation especially if I’m having challenging creative issues.  It’s a time for me to settle my mind and let the creativity flow. This time, instead of clearing my mind, I allow myself to daydream.

Whenever I’ve interviewed other writers, daydreaming is something they all agree with.  Even though it is discouraged throughout our schooling, it is one of the most powerful creative tools we have.

When I was writing Magical Meditations 4 Kids, I took this time every day to daydream and it made such a difference to my work.  Waiting for the writing muse to hit is often very frustrating.  Putting ourselves into a creative state is much more powerful.

Step Three ~ Whenever I feel overwhelmed, tired or stressed by sitting with my writing too long, I take a break.  In this break time, I get away from my writing totally. I may go into the garden and just sit in the sunshine for ten minutes or I may take a shower (a lot of my creative ideas happen there).

You will be interested to know that this isn’t a new idea. Here’s a wonderful quote from a great creative who lived over 500 years ago.

Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer; since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment …. Go some distance away because the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and a lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen.

Leonardo Da Vinci

So, before sitting down to write today (and every day), I encourage you to stop and take a moment to really clear your mind; let it wander to a place of pure tranquility and calm.  And then let your creative ideas start to form and take shape.  Allow yourself this time of relaxation and reflection and notice how differently you feel and how easily your ideas flow.

During your writing today, if at any time you feel stressed or tired, take a moment away from your work.  Go and do something totally different so that you feel refreshed when you return.  Taking time out helps our concentration and focus and means we work better, our ideas come easily and our creativity flows. 

Happy Writing!

Heather Bestel is a therapist, writer, lecturer and award winning business coach.  She is the published author of Magical Meditations 4 kids and the founder of: HeatherBestel.com MagicalMediations4Kids.com ALittleBitofMeTime.com and MumsGotABusiness.com

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 makes a great holiday gift for friends and family and is a book they can enjoy every day of the year. The 365 day layout is a perfect way to remember to count our blessings every day.

You can buy the book here: http://amzn.to/365dlm

We’re having a “Big Splash Day” on Amazon today, Wednesday, December 14.  All net proceeds from retail sales are proudly donated to:

• Feeding America
• Women for Women International
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (A.S.P.C.A.)

Working together, we can generate much needed funds for these worthwhile charities. I would be delighted to have your support on today and for you to share this opportunity with your friends and family.  To help out, all you have to do is simply buy one or two copies of the book for yourself or others from Amazon.com today, Dec. 14.

To make it easy, here is a direct link to the book’s page on Amazon:

http://amzn.to/365dlm

Additionally, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you for being who you are, for being a part of my life, and for supporting me in my quest to keep gratitude in motion for us all throughout the year.

For more information about The Gratitude Book Project^®, visit the website at http://www.TheGratitudeBookProject.com.

Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season!

 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 this free training call.  Learn:

• How to access your extra special memories
• 10 fast formats for getting those memories on the page
• 8 suggestions for packaging your holiday stories for delivery
• 5 elements of successful personal stories

 Register here
NO previous writing experience required.  Just come to the teleseminar and learn what’s possible for you.
This free teleseminar includes

• Bonus handout
• Training call replay (download and listen at your convenience, on your computer or iPod, etc.)

You must register for the call here:
http://www.writeyourholidaystories

I look forward to “seeing” you on the call.

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 the phase the writing is in (i.e.  prewritten, 1st draft, middle drafts, close to final, needs proofing, ready to publish, etc.).

Keep ALL your writing in one place on your computer.  Start with a folder titled “MY WRITINGS” or “MY BLOG POSTS” (or title of your collection), for instance.  Within that folder, create a new folder for each vignette OR working title.  Within each folder, save your drafts and revisions along with other supporting documentation, and research for that vignette, chapter, blog post idea or article.

Keep ALL your copies and edits of your writing together too.  Mirror your computer folders by creating manila folders for each of your articles, vignettes, or chapters.  Print the latest drafts and revisions and place them in their respective folders.  Also, collect supporting documents in the folder to create a compost of ideas and springboard material.  For instance, photos, articles about your topic, research notes, letters, interviews with characters who appear in the story, etc.

Store all your writings in one place.  If you have a filing cabinet or drawer where they can all reside together, great!  If not, consider purchasing a portable file tub with a lid.  These are especially handy when you go on vacation and want to take your writing with you.  For those who live in hurricane or flood evacuation zones, the tote tub filing system makes it easy to grab and go, never leaving behind your precious works.

Feed your creativity.  Visit museums, antique stores, and places that carry the associations of your stories.  Make dates with yourself to feed the muse.  Go for walks in the park.  Write in a journal.  Listen to music.  Fill your well with fresh ideas and new musings.  The more you feed the muse, the more often she’ll meet you on the page.

Download a free .pdf of the Working Table of Contents here.

Please leave a comment below this blog post to let  me know what you think.

Let’s get organized!

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 desk, each one clipped separately by a clothespin or binder clip. Then as new ideas crop up, or you’re ready for revisions, the manuscript pages are right there, organized and easily plucked from the line. I’ve envisioned such a line above my desk ever since. Seeing this colorful example refreshes the idea.

My Second Most Favorite Creative Writing Space

I generally go for warm tones and a homey vibe. But the visuals in this inspired home office space are making me rethink that decor for my office. What if I had a clean spare space that didn’t distract me? What if everything was put away and I truly worked from a blank slate every day? There’s a certain calmness created by the tip-top organization, don’t you think?

What if… just sayin’…  for the sake of my inner creativity… what might I produce in a room like this?

Your Turn

1.  Are you an organized writer? What tools do you use? Will you consider the clothesline now?

2. Is your writing space clutter-free? Do you prefer to write in a clean spare space or in a messier environment?

I’d love to hear from you! Please post your thoughts in the comments box.

(photo credit: Thomas J. Story)