I was recently asked to answer some questions about my writing process.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Two things may seem unique about my work: my lack of certainty and my lack of a single focus. In stating these as "lacks" I admit that some may indeed consider them to be negatives - and they may well be. But I am pretty sure they can also be positive things - and I hope that they are. I used to have a great need to know the answers, and only recently I am learning to be okay with a measure of uncertainty - which then gives me the courage to ask questions without being nervous about where they might lead.
Try as I might to narrow down my writing to one single focus, I just can't seem to figure out what in the world that would be. So I continue to wonder about things - all kinds of things - and I continue to wander from one topic to another.
Why do I write what I do?
I hope to encourage the practice of asking questions. I wish to provide a safe atmosphere for discussion even in the absence of total agreement. I long for a world where there can be civil discussion rather than polarization even though I know how uncomfortable and difficult that can be. I wish to be a person with a tender heart and a tough skin; sometimes the internet can provide a good place to practice both.
How does my writing process work?
I write in the mornings or it doesn't happen. Well, it might happen, but I can't count on it. I write better before the day's distractions begin and before I connect to the internet. Writing early in the day is a way that I value my writing - by making it a priority. Two things have greatly helped me to build my morning writing habit.
Two of the most valuable practices to me are...
Morning pages
I have settled into the practice of morning pages as recommended by Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way. I go there as soon as I wake up - to write whatever I think, whatever I feel. It is often a hodgepodge of topics and things that I might want to write more about or things that I need to work through.
NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month also deserves huge credit as a habit-builder. I have participated in NaNoWriMo four years now - and yes, all four times I have completed the 50,000 word goal. I have learned that I work best when I am keeping just a little ahead of pace. If I fall behind, I do not do well. I get all discouraged and defeated and I struggle to find the energy to keep going. Meeting the NaNo Challenge has done wonders for my confidence level and has taught me much about my own writing practices.
One more thing, a big thing
I've learned that my mind-set is nearly as important as my schedule. For years I struggled to think of my writing as important work, but am slowly learning to think of myself as a writer, to call myself a writer, to own it, to value it. If I have something to say and I am doing the work of expressing it and getting it out there... if I am writing, I am a writer. Accepting this gives me greater confidence that affects both the quantity and quality of my work.
Read the full article here.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Two things may seem unique about my work: my lack of certainty and my lack of a single focus. In stating these as "lacks" I admit that some may indeed consider them to be negatives - and they may well be. But I am pretty sure they can also be positive things - and I hope that they are. I used to have a great need to know the answers, and only recently I am learning to be okay with a measure of uncertainty - which then gives me the courage to ask questions without being nervous about where they might lead.
Try as I might to narrow down my writing to one single focus, I just can't seem to figure out what in the world that would be. So I continue to wonder about things - all kinds of things - and I continue to wander from one topic to another.
Why do I write what I do?
I hope to encourage the practice of asking questions. I wish to provide a safe atmosphere for discussion even in the absence of total agreement. I long for a world where there can be civil discussion rather than polarization even though I know how uncomfortable and difficult that can be. I wish to be a person with a tender heart and a tough skin; sometimes the internet can provide a good place to practice both.
How does my writing process work?
I write in the mornings or it doesn't happen. Well, it might happen, but I can't count on it. I write better before the day's distractions begin and before I connect to the internet. Writing early in the day is a way that I value my writing - by making it a priority. Two things have greatly helped me to build my morning writing habit.
Two of the most valuable practices to me are...
Morning pages
I have settled into the practice of morning pages as recommended by Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way. I go there as soon as I wake up - to write whatever I think, whatever I feel. It is often a hodgepodge of topics and things that I might want to write more about or things that I need to work through.
NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month also deserves huge credit as a habit-builder. I have participated in NaNoWriMo four years now - and yes, all four times I have completed the 50,000 word goal. I have learned that I work best when I am keeping just a little ahead of pace. If I fall behind, I do not do well. I get all discouraged and defeated and I struggle to find the energy to keep going. Meeting the NaNo Challenge has done wonders for my confidence level and has taught me much about my own writing practices.
One more thing, a big thing
I've learned that my mind-set is nearly as important as my schedule. For years I struggled to think of my writing as important work, but am slowly learning to think of myself as a writer, to call myself a writer, to own it, to value it. If I have something to say and I am doing the work of expressing it and getting it out there... if I am writing, I am a writer. Accepting this gives me greater confidence that affects both the quantity and quality of my work.
Read the full article here.
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