Tame Your Inner Critic

I have signed up for some free lessons from Jurgen Wolff and todays (for me) was of particular value: Getting started on a new project often is the easy part, keeping up your commitment to working on it daily can be difficult. I've stolen an idea from dieters to help you keep up the momentum. One very powerful little tool that dieters use is to put a picture of their chubby selves on the refrigerator door to remind them of what they don't want. Others put a picture of an ideal body with their head stuck on it, to remind them of what they want to work toward.

Which is more powerful for you--the fear of what you don't want, or the pull of what you do want? Once you've decided, here's what you do:If the negative is more powerful for you, then create an image of what you'll feel like if you don't reach your goal. You can draw this image, or cut a picture from a magazine, or even just write a single word or phrase (like "wasted my life"). If you respond more to the positive, create an image, word, or phrase that encapsulates how you're going to feel when you do reach your writing goal. Put this where it will do the most to remind you of your commitment to your dream--maybe on a sticky note stuck to your computer, or on the TV, for instance. If you think that it would be too embarrassing to have it where others can see it, carry it around in your wallet or purse and get in the habit of looking at it first thing in the morning, when you break for lunch, just after dinner, and just before you go to bed.

"Tame Your Inner Critic" program for details at; http://www.tameyourinnercritic.com/

And the Winner Is.....

Not me......but then I never got around to entering the bloody competition anyway. I am talking about the winner of the Writers and Artists Yearbook Blog competition: James Whitworth's Novel Blog - one year...one novel...one blog... at http://jimmymacsnovelblog.blogspot.com/

I can only look / read his Blog in awe. He has finished his first draft (start date: 22nd September 2007). There are no speed cameras on the first draft highway!! he wrote (30/11/07)

He writes a chapter a week and gives his secrets as:
Determination, Habit and the use of Deadlines!!

I am just a little bit behind him......

The Jigsaw Man: Paul Britton

I met him once you know...Paul Britton....a long time ago. He visited Lincoln as part of his forensic work. He even mentions it in the book - not that he met me - Lincoln!!

Anyway, just finished The Jigsaw man which was very interesting and gave me a number of ideas for the novel. He touches on why the book is called The Jigsaw Man when he says; Take the 4 questions I ask myself at the start of every investigation - what happened, how did it happen, who is the victim and why did it happen? Only when I have these answers can I tackle the most important question - who was responsible? Its like working on several jigsaw puzzles at the same time. One puzzle will tell me what happened, another will reveal how it happened, a third will tell me about the victim and a fourth will show me the likely motivation of the offender. When completed, each of these puzzles then becomes a vital piece in a much larger jigsaw that will help me identify the psychological characteristics of the offender.

He also uses the analogy of a fishing net;
Imagine a fishing net formed by a matrix of hundreds of lines with thousands of nets connecting them. Any single knot may be interesting but when you try to pick it up, all the others come with it. They are all interconnected and you can’t truly understand any single knot unless you understand the principles of those around it. That’s what makes psychology so fascinating. It’s like having a three dimensional map that you journey upon and through.

Quote for Today...

Only those who dare to go too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
T. S. Elliott

From: www.susanjeffers.com/home/quotes.cfm

No More Procrastinating!!!

Just read The Procrastinators Guide to Success by Lynn Lively (McGraw-Hill (1999)). She emphasised the need to set goals - so you know where you are going......You need to set goals to:

• Provide focus and keep you on track.
• Establish your priorities so that you can say no to what is of lesser importance.
• Narrow your options and provide direction.
• Define what success will be for you.
• Reflect your values and force you to think about what is important.

You always have a choice, and that choice is to do something or do nothing.

Having a Break

Following my 6 months review and an operation I had a couple of weeks ago, I have decided to give myself a few weeks off stressing about the novel I have been trying to write for the last 6 months. Instead, I have been having a spring clean of sorts - both mentally and physically - in an attempt to re-tune myself to what is really important and where I want to be headed in the next 6 months.

Something I did over the weekend; while it was sunny and I was unable to do much more than lie on my back due to my scar, was to go through some old writing magazines from 2/3 years ago. I figured most of the information would be out of date by now so, after tearing out the more interesting and relevant pages, I put them where they belonged - in the re-cycle bin. What was left however, has been filed away or is waiting for me to decide what to do with the information. Some of it might even end up on the Blog.....

One article that struck a cord; which was written in May 2005 - was called Healthy mind, healthy body by Brendan Nolan in Writing Magazine. You can guess what it is about without really reading it, and following my operation it emphasized the need for me to become more healthy in my lifestyle for both my body and my minds sake!! His top tips were:

• Quit Lazing around, drinking coffee, and get dressed.
• Exercise mind and body to stay sane, healthy and profitable.
• Remove isolation and try to connect with other human beings.
• Create continuing relationships with writing peers.
• Don't set goals that are unattainable.
• To prevent burnout, suspend work and schedule some down-time.

Six Month Review....

It is now just over 6 months since I started this blog so I feel it is time for a review. In November, I kick-started my writing by taking part in the Write a Novel in a Month Challenge (NaNoWriMo). The idea is to write 50,000 words of your novel - from scratch - during the month. The challenge started well. I simply began to write. Ideas came to me as I typed and I just went with them. However, I went and burnt myself out!! My final word count was 18,377 words. But I started a novel and proved to myself that sitting down and just writing can be done. And then Christmas arrived and I can’t believe the amount of excuses and time wasters that appeared! My brother getting married was certainly a good excuse for not writing, but then - on January 12th 2008 - my photograph stared out at people from the Lincolnshire Echo. ‘Is 2008 your year to write a novel?’ Suddenly, this writing lark became serious!!

In 2007 the closing date for the Debut Dagger was the end of April, so I had anticipated finishing the novel first. However, this year the date was February, so after Christmas all my efforts went on writing a synopsis and polishing the first 3000 words. I never realised how hard writing a synopsis is, but I do feel that this helped me to really tighten up the plot. After sending off the entry to the CWA I promised myself I would complete the novel in the first half of 2008. This has not happened. Reading The NLP Coach by McDermott and Jago recently made me realise that I have begun to avoid writing because I am avoiding my own feelings. A lot of my novel is based on my own experiences and avoiding the writing could be avoidance of contact with my emotions. What this blog hasn’t mentioned until now is that in September 2007 I suffered a miscarriage and then a cyst was discovered (last measured at 6cm) in one of my ovaries. This means that while trying to write a novel I have had to endure numerous Doctor and Hospital visits, therapy sessions, not to mention acupuncture, chiropractor, and dentist appointments. At one stage it was suggested I might be 'suffering' from Depression. Overcoming Depression by Paul Gilbert, helped me to understand how I was feeling at the time, but also my writing progress with regards to Shoulds, musts and oughts. We feel very disappointed when things don’t turn out as the ‘should’ says. Depression is commonly associated with blocks to major life goals. But, are your ideals realistic? Are you disappointed because you feel ashamed at not making your ideals? I am certainly guilty of this.

However, looking on the bright side, in the last 6 months I have attended and be involved in many writing related activities and must have read around a hundred (fiction and non-fiction) books; as well as my monthly subscription to Writing Magazine and Writers News. I have also started two blogs and kept them (relatively) up to date and as well as the Debut Dagger, I did enter a mini-crime story for the February edition of Writing Magazine. I also started a Teaching Assistant course and have begun working in a school one morning a week.

God knows I have wasted too much time on FaceBook, Emails, Junk emails / mail, Newspapers and definitely daytime TV!!

However, Personal Trainer Matt Roberts in The Times Body&Soul 3rd May 2008 gave a little pep talk to those flagging in their dieting and gym goals. I thought that some of what he said could be applied to writing:
Think like a beginner again. Remember how you felt when you started and you set your inspiring goals. Put what you have achieved so far out of your mind for a moment and reset the way you approach your goals. This is a fresh routine and a new set of goals. Focus on putting struggles behind you. Focus on today and your plans to improve from now on.
Reassess goals and expectations. Look at what you have achieved and gauge how fast you may be able to change realistically.
Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up. If the results are a little slower to show than you had hoped, focus on how much you have completed and how you have changed. Success can be a stop-start process, so give yourself a pat on the back for having worked so hard so far.

What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do!!