Charlotte Rains Dixon

Making the Magic Happen: Committing to a Writing Schedule

Writing is magic.

We think up an idea, and put it on the page.  Whole worlds spring to life beneath our fingers.  And all we need to do this, at base, is a pen and paper.  Oh, sure, a typewriter or computer helps, but if worse came to worse you could do without one and still write.

What you do have to come up with is time to make the magic happen.  You have to sit at your desk, or your arm chair, or in the coffee shop, and put words on the page.  And that takes time.

And that is where many of us falter.  Me, too.  I struggle with finding time just like everyone else.  But lately I've realized that all my important non-writing activities stretch to fill the time I allot them.  So, if I give myself all day to read three manuscripts, that's how long it will probably take me.  And if I give myself all day to read said manuscripts, I won't get any writing done.

And therein lies the problem.

With the necessity of doing marketing around my book release, many days this winter I became a writer who didn't write.  Well, there were blog posts.  And there were guest posts and interviews and ariticles, all of which I love.

But in my heart of hearts, its not the same as working on fiction.  And if a fiction writer is how I identify myself, if that is what I truly want to be, then I need to find time to work on it consistently.

I used to get up and work on it first thing in the morning.  But that schedule no longer works for me--I simply have too many emails and other internet chores pulling on me to allow me to focus.  I'd sort of pretend I was writing and actually get about 20 minutes in.  Not conducive to making progress on a WIP.  I was working on it, but in fits and starts--a stolen moment here, a bit of time there.

Last week, in my travels around the web, I read an interview with an author said that she wrote every morning from 9 to noon.  (I wish I knew who this was or where I read it, but I can't remember.)  This struck me like a thunderbolt.  Bad cliche, sorry, but it did.  I realized that if I put myself on a schedule like that, I'd actually get my writing done. 

And so I did.  I'm now writing from 9 to noon every day.  I'm showered and at my desk by 9 AM.  No more stretching internet time until 8 AM, then working on the crossword puzzle for awhile and getting in the shower when I felt like it.  (Hey, its the benefit of working at home.)  Nope, I'm ready to write at 9 AM sharp.  And I'm getting a ton done.

What I wasn't so sure about was getting everything else done, but so far that hasn't been a problem at all.  I've always harped on said that when you make your passion your priority, everything else magically falls into place.  And it is true.  I'm simply much more focused.  Plus, the high that comes from fiction writing follows me all day, allowing me to power through dumb chores and errands with joy. 

I really can't describe how profound this change feels. 

I've got an exciting new ghostwriting job coming up, and a couple other things in the works, so we'll see how I stick to the schedule when those come in.  But in the meantime, don't call me in the morning, because I'll be writing.

Do you schedule writing time?  Are you able to stick to it?  What works for you?

Clarity for Writers

So, there's clarity for writers, and clarity about writing.

In a post about writing clarity, I'm being clear as mud.

So let me explain.

A few days ago, I was sitting in the backyard of a friend.  Gorgeous summer night, and the surroundings were gorgeous, too: neatly mowed lawn and perfectly weeded and edged garden beds.

I thought to my own backyard, which is full of flowers, but in a wild, uncontrolled way.  My husband's currently working on a garden path when he has time and let's just say you might see a weed or two back there.

The comparison of my friend's perfect back yard with my own wild one made me feel bad for a bit.

But then I remembered something: earlier this year, after a valiant but losing battle with weeds in the front garden beds, I got very clear about something.  And that something was that I didn't want to spend a lot of time gardening.  This year I hate gardening.  (I reserve the right to love it again in the future, as I have in the past.)  This year I want to focus on writing my novel and working on my business.

Clarity for this writer.

Which makes my life so much easier.  Because I know that I have goals other than a perfect garden in mind, I don't have to waste time making myself feel bad about it.  And this goes for other things, too.

Which is where the clarity about writing comes in.

I know exactly what I want to work on in the next few months: my next novel, my writing retreats, my novel-writing class, and my coaching.   You may also know exactly what you want to write, and I hope you do, because this, too, makes life easier.  There's no fussing about with deciding what to do, you just do it.  (If you don't know what to write, may I suggest checking out my Punch for Prompt page? Choose a prompt and write to it for 20 minutes.)

Clarity is essential for writers and writing, and if you don't have it, I suggest you work on getting it.  You'll get a lot more writing done.  And you can quit making yourself feel bad about the weeds.

Do you have clarity about your writing?  If you reach a murky point, how do you get clear again?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

**Need clarity about your novel?  My new Get Your Novel Written Now class starts August 14th, and I'd love to have you join in.  You can read more about it here.

Photo by unit25.

Balance vs. Excellence

A Post Wherein I Explore Two Approachs to Writing and Confess I Don't Know Which is Best.

Let's begin with balance.  It has been a bit of a massive buzz word the past few years, with experts telling us we need it in our lives and offering advice on how to achieve it.  Seems it's what we're all looking for, that elusive balance between working hard and taking time off to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

What does balance look like?  For me, its something like this:

--I rise early after sleeping well.

--I head to the computer, ignore my email inboxes, and work on my novel.

--After a rousing writing session, I eat breakfast and shower.

--The rest of the day is spent working on assignments or coaching.

--After dinner I take a walk and am able to relax and watch trash TV or read.

Plenty of time to work, plenty of time to relax.  Balance.

But lately, I've read some things dissing balance, saying it really isn't all that it's cracked up to be.  That balance equates mediocrity and who wants to be mediocre?  Chris Guillebeau, whose writing I admire, wrote about it a few weeks ago (and of course, now I can't find the exact link.  But go check out his site anyway.  After you're done here, of course.

What does the other way look like? (Loosely, we'll call it the pursuit of excellence.)

--It looks the same throughout the day, with the exception that I probably rise earlier.

--After dinner, I'm not wasting my life watching stupid TV.  Nuh-uh.  I'll return to my office and work late into the night, only to get up early and do it all again the next day.

As I was writing this post, I got an email from somebody hyping a telecall discussing how important it is to achieve balance, because if you don't, you'll blow out your adrenals, with drastic consequences to your health.  Which is the antithesis of working all hours to finish a project.

So what's a writer to do?  Which way to seek?

My answer: I dunno.

What I do know is that my life bounces between the two extremes and I suppose that is its own kind of balance.  I love, love, love the days when I've had a satisfying and productive day and can knock off by 5:30 or so.  But I kind of like the weeks when I'm madly working to finish a million things, and return to my computer for at least an hour, if not longer, in the evening.

As a vote for the side of balance, I know that creativity begins in the darkness, in the quiet hours we sit in silence and if we're rushed and stressed new ideas are not going to arrive in our psyches.

As a vote for the side of excellence at all costs, I also know that I desire to create a life and body of work of high caliber and have no desire to be mediocre.  And if that requires staying up late a few nights, so be it.

How about you?  What works best for you?

Create a successful, inspired writing life: Experiment with scheduling your writing and other responsibilities and see what works best for you.

Check out my new coaching packages when you get a chance!

Photo by dancerinthedark.

The Delicate Tension of Being a Writer

 

When you're a writer, you are always pulled to write.

If you're like me, and I fancy that you are, because we writers share odd (yet wonderful) traits, you're constantly thinking, I should be writing.  Or, I wish I was writing.  Or, why aren't I writing?

The pull of the story is always with us.  And that creates a constant tension in our lives.

Do you remember what it is like to live without this tension?  I don't.

Because the desire to find time to write colors every day.

I think this same tension is present in the lives of other creatives--artists and musicians and dancers.  It is the urge to create, the pull to make something from nothing, the yearning to put something of ourselves into the world.

My favorite line from The Artist's Way is something to the effect that we are most in God's image when we are creating, seeing as how He created the world.

And so even though I live my days with a constant undercurrent of tension, and somedays I think that life would be easier without it, I welcome it, because that tension causes the compulsion to create.

And without it, my life would be pretty damn dull.

 

PS--Please note the snappy new tagline.  Cool, huh?  I feel it is more in line with what this blog actually covers.  Also please note below my new effort to help you take the ideas discussed here and pull them into your own life.  I'd love to hear what you think of all this.

*Create a successful, inspired writing life: Sit in silence for a few minutes.  (Doesn't even have to be that long, trust me.) What's the tension in your creative life?  What is it calling you to create?

**Comments are welcome: do you feel a creative tension in your life?  How does it compel you to create?  Or is it a hindrance in any way?

***Don't forget to sign up for my free newsletter and Ebook!  Just fill out the form to the right.

 

Photo by _gee_.

A Writer Gets Sick

January is slow to get going.  You've got the hoopla surrounding New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day, and then a bunch of football games, and then things kinda slow down and level off.  People trudge back to work and their normal, non-holiday lives, and finally the month gets itself in gear.

And once it does, I love January.

Yeah, I know, weird.

But I love the clarity of it.  Clear, cold days.  (Well, okay if you live in Oregon there's lots of rainy days, too.) No Christmas decorations or lights or bustle to clog things up.  Just winter.  Bare trees, grey days. Clarity. There's been ideas aplenty coming in the dark days of December and time to organize them and think about grand goals in the downtime after Christmas. You know where you're going and you're eager to get there.  Clarity.

So I always anticipate January getting its little head of steam up and settling in so I can enjoy it.

Too bad this year I started the year with a virulent stomach virus.

Shortly after the Ducks won the Rose Bowl, it hit me out of nowhere.  Literally.  I was fine one minute, vomiting the next.  (I'll spare you the rest of the gory details.  Trust me, they were gory.  And you are thanking me for sparing you them.)

But it's interesting when a writer gets sick and can do nothing but lie around. 

(Except when I could see straight I read: ripped through State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, which you should go arm wrestle for a copy right now and also a YA novel called Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve.)

Interesting because the writer then thinks.

About such things as the phrase "get sick."  One of the connotations of the word "get" is that it's a prize, or a bonus, or a gift.  As in, you "get" to do something.  So perhaps I should ponder the prize, bonus, or gift of being sick?

Well, the above-mentioned reading was one.  And the fact that I got to lie about and do nothing was another.  And then there was the free pass out of housework of any kind.  Hmm, I'm starting to see why people become hypochrondriacs.  Think there's any money in it?

But the best thing was that ideas for my writing came fast and furious. Even in my feverish state.  Probably because of my feverish state.  Take away the noise and the business, and images and plots come into focus.  And then, that made me miss, with a mad intensity, my writing.  And that made me forget hypochondria as my new careeer and vow to get well so I could get back to my writing.

And so here I am. 

Biggest take-away from a week of illness?  Writing is the best job in the world, not only because you get to be a writer, but because in being a writer you make sense of the world.

Even when you're sick.

Have you ever had an epiphany when you were sick?

**A reminder that there's still time to sign up for my Make Money Writing class, which begins on Tuesday.  Yay.  Its going to be fun, and informative.  I believe that there's a way to make money writing that you will love and adore and I want to help you find it.  So check out the class page.