Do You Want to Write? Then Lie (to Yourself) Written by Heather Spiva ~
Does that sound a bit extreme? Maybe even immoral? Well, it isn’t if you’re the one who wants to write and get published.
To be a writer, it boils down to a very simple action: writing. You have to actually sit down, grab a pen, or put your fingers to the keyboard, and begin. I know, harsh right?
Dreaming about being a published author has its place. If you didn’t dream, how would you know what you wanted? But fleshing the dream — making it a reality–requires discipline. A heck of a lot of discipline. And it requires the willingness to stick with your craft when the rejection letters fill your inbox more than your friends’ chit-chat.
So how do you keep with this discipline? It’s really quite simple: You lie. Here’s a very possible tête-à-tête between your will to succeed (published author: PA) and your will to dream (unpublished author: UA).
PA: “Okay, sit down. It’s time to write.”
UA: “But, I only have an hour or two at best (big sigh). Why now?”
PA: “Because you have to start somewhere! We have two whole hours. This is perfect.”
UA: (bigger sigh) “But now?”
PA: “You already asked that. Listen (smiling to self) let’s just sit down for 15 minutes and write what we can. That’s not too bad, is it? And after that, if we’re done, we’re done.
UA: “15 minutes? That’s it?” Looks at you like you’re nuts. “You sure?”
PA: “That’s it. That way we both get what we want.”
UA: “Okay (nodding in agreement and scratching chin), sounds alright. We can do that.”
Do you know what just happened?
You tricked yourself into writing for fifteen minutes. If you’re fully invested and dedicated to writing for fifteen minutes– but have a two-hour window– then the odds are good your muse will find you. And instead of giving up after a quarter of an hour, you’ll keep writing for longer.
Better yet, you’ll write for the full two hours!
You‘ve got to take what you can and work with it. And if you only write for those fifteen minutes and you’re ready to stop when your time is up, so what?
That’s 50, 100 or 500 words you didn’t have fifteen minutes ago. That’s truly remarkable.
Lie to yourself. Tell yourself you’ll only write for fifteen and see what happens. It’s plenty of time to accomplish a lot (write a part of an article or story, a chapter to a book) or nothing at all (watch TV, eat some grapes, wiggle your toes) only hoping you’ll find the gumption to write later.
By lying to yourself — or tricking your psyche– you pass the biggest hurdle of all: starting the darn thing. Without the effort, there is no book, or article or poem or story. And without that, there is no point in dreaming.
Encourage yourself. Be a dreamer, but be a doer. And most importantly, when it comes to psyching yourself out, be a liar.
Disclaimer: Not recommended for most areas of life, especially for worthwhile relationships with people. However, this philosophy is recommended for those who procrastinate their gym time. Apply, execute and repeat.
~ Thanks Heather ~
Heather Spiva is a freelance writer, from Sacramento, Ca. When she’s not writing, she’s reading. And when she’s not reading, she’s taking care of her two adorable — but rambunctious– boys.
You can find Heather at her blog A Work in Progress. Follow her on Twitter @HeatherSpiva and Facebook.
What about you?
Do you fool or trick yourself into writing?
How?
Leave a comment. It’s good to know.
[lie pic taken from CartoonStock.com]
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Therapy for Writers in 140 Characters or Less
“The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.”
Ben Stein – Attorney, Author, Actor and Commentator
CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)
What l have learnt:
- So timely. I need to get out of my own way to write again (via Murderati blog).
- Lighting the Night so Your Readers Can See (via Michael Larsen’s blog). Sometimes I forget to be gentle with myself. You too. Be gentle with yourself.
- Tighten Up (via Chris Brogan’s blog). Good advice. Once you’re on top of your game. And even when you’re not. Like me. He writes about presenting. I say it works with everything else too. Yes, yes, tighten up.
- Why You Fail at Writing (via Scott Berkun’s blog). We fail because we fail at reading. Thinking well means writing well. What about thinking too much? No, that’s not the same is it? It reminds me to read more. To read more means less writing time. What I need to be skilled at is juggling. I want to be a super juggler.
What I have done:
- Reading ‘Glasgow Kiss’ by Alex Gray.
- Added Word of the Day to the blog. It will teach me too as I’m sure I’m the only one who looks at my blog pages the most. It bothers me that everyone expects me to know more words than the average person. Why? I’m not a walking dictionary. I wish I was a walking dictionary. A super dictionary juggler.
- Read all of Query Shark‘s queries in one sitting. My eyes bled after. And I’m still not sure how to write a good query. Oh, but I know not what to do when it comes to structure. Just not the words to use. I did send myself a long email of reminders. It’s marinating.
WORD COUNT: Night Walker 147,000 words in total. I have not written since Thursday 12 August. It’s been 3 writing days excluding the weekend. Yes, I feel bad even without all the analyzing. *skulks away* *skulks back* I still have today to do something about it. Today isn’t over yet. *strides away* I need to get out of my own way and yet be gentle with myself. *stops* What? *thinks*
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Love this!
It reminds me of the great Patrick Alan’s #1k1hr twitter tag http://patrick-alan.com/?page_id=1182. If you haven’t yet heard about this, Patrick came up with a sort of competition. There are no prizes other than the satisfaction of knowing you wrote a thousand words in an hour.
Author Sean Ferrell once told me that all books get written the same way: one word at a time. (Or something like that.) Better to get the words down until the story is done than wait for inspiration to strike, for days to magically expand to greater than 24 hours, for the kids to grow up, for your life to settle down.
Make the time. There are many days I manage no more than a paragraph of new words.
Great post!
Patty, thanks for the link to Patrick Alan’s site. I read the page and believe it or not, I do that already. Now I have a hashtag to use. It’s great to know that there is a group of writers out there doing this already.
You’re right, if I wait for inspiration, it will never come. So I just write.
Thanks for popping by my blog.
Hi. Just came across your blog through FB (through Alisa Wagner). Glad to find you! This is a great post. Thanks for the tip. Look forward to reading more
Kim
Jessie, many thanks for this post….I believe it is a simple trick of discipline or in the words of Joseph Campbell “Writers block results from too much head. Cut off your head (mind). You have to be reckless when writing. Be as crazy as your conscience allows.” He also said: “When writing don’t criticize the words coming out. Just let them come. Let go of the critical factor.” I think that is the problem, we are too critical when we write…so let go and let it flow. As you say “So I just write.” Great post and reminder. James
Got your tweet – thanks for popping by. I like the quote from Joseph Campbell. The first sentence sounds a bit rude without the rest but my mind is in a strange place – alcohol related.
You’re right, if you criticize, nothing gets written. Criticize when editing. But by that time, you’re all done and it needs paring down and changing.
Good to see you Kim. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Ha – well alcohol related is a ‘tool’ that has helped many writers….I agree when I first read the Campbell quote I shivered but when I saw the deeper meaning I got his point…although I still shivered when I typed it in your comment though! He also said use writing time as letters of love…picture someone you love as if they are sitting across from you and “It is a great facilitator to have a specific person in mind.” I do this with my writing and it has never failed me. I picture the person I have in mind reading the sentence and know it will resonate with them.
Happy to be connected, James
Alcohol as ‘tool’ – I think in moderation it helps, sometimes. Everything in moderation.
I think it’s great that you find inspiration in writing as if they were love letters. Glad to connect. I checked out your blog and thanks for the link.
Again, thanks for commenting.
Heather, thanks for the good tips. When I’ve been distracted for a period of time, I actually break the 15 minute principle down to 5 minutes. I have to write several articles a week, and sometimes 5 minutes can start a pretty good base. And, I very often rush right past the 5 min and spend 30 minutes or an hour. Good post, thanks for writing. And Jessie, thanks for running this guest post. wb
Warren, 5 mins is a good idea because it sounds like nothing. I do this sort of mind trick with myself for writing and for exercise – jogging – telling myself that it’s only 20 mins. And you’re right, once you’re at it, you tend to go on more than what you intend to.
I think it feels good because you’ve set a goal that is ultimately achievable. And you end up doing something that seems so hard before you start.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Heather hits the nail on the head with this one. Whether it be writing, music,or painting, discipline is key in taking your art. The great artists are able to create when there is no feeling. They’re able to push through the long hours “in the middle”, where exhaustion exceeds inspiration. In the end, it’s these people who gets to celebrate a piece of work that is actually seen by others and valued.
Hi Alex – sorry for getting back to you so late – I’ve been away on a reading retreat. Everything you said is so true. Discipline does not come naturally to me and sometimes I push but if pushing doesn’t work, I forgive myself and do something else and try again another day.
Alex, yes! Exactly. When we do what we need to do and write those words, we will eventually reap from our sowing … even if it takes a while. Thank you for your compliments and comments.