Being an Artist is Scary

I'm starting a new book. See the picture? Yeah, that's a blank plot board. You would think by book number thirteen it would get a little easier, right? Hah! Wrong. It's not. In fact sitting down to write another manuscript after a dozen is just as scary as writing the first.

Newsflash: It doesn't get easier. Ever. Why? Because being an artist is always going to be scary. I don't have any scientific evidence to back that statement up, but I do have a few thoughts as to why that is . . .

Art is subjective. 
Not everyone is going to get your art. You can know that and even believe it, but when a critic comes along and barfs nasty-venom juice all over your work, it still stings. That's a frightening risk you take every time you go public with something you create.

Not all art is equal.
Your new piece of work might be suckier than previous creations. You're afraid people won't like this project as much as ones you did before. But here's the deal . . . odds are what you create won't be 100% awesome all of the time. You can always hope to do better, but the niggling fear that this time whatever you made might be a flop is always in the back of your mind.

The magnitude of the project is terrifying.
Writing a book is a HUGE undertaking. So is painting a picture, designing an ad promo, photographing a wedding . . . whatever art it is that you're attempting to do is always going scare the bejeebers out of you if you care about your work.

Anytime you set out on an artistic endeavor, you're going to be afraid. It's the nature of the beast. The question is will you let that fear paralyze you or empower you to beat it back with a stick?

Perseverance is Key

"The last click someone clicks before they buy something isn't the moment they made up their mind.
. . . We lay clues. That's what it takes to change the culture and to cause action. The thing we make matters (a lot). But the breadcrumbs leading up to that thing, the conversations we hear, the experiences that are shared, the shadow we cast--we start doing that days, months and years before."

~ Seth Godin

Do you ever wonder why? Do doubts ever creep in that what you're doing really isn't doing anything? What good is a blog post? A Facebook update? Or a tweet, a gram or sending out a newsletter? Sometimes it feels like you're just spinning your wheels getting nowhere.

I'm here to tell you that you're not.

Every little thing you do matters in the grand scheme of things. Sure, one little tweet might not sell any books (or whatever it is you're trying to get the word out about). But it's not about that one little tweet. It's a collective. It's keeping your product, your name, your persona out there. Over time -- sometimes lots and LOTS of it -- those things start to build up. You never know who you're influencing, and in fact may never know, but that doesn't mean you're not being an influence.

So hang in there. Keep doing what you do. Eventually it will pay off. When? I don't know, but I do know this . . . if you quit then you'll never succeed.

Yeah . . . What He said

Some days you just need to lean on the wisdom of others like a crutch to keep yourself upright. Today is one of those days here at Writer Off the Leash. Lean into some of these sage words.

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” 

~ Les Brown

“The writer’s job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are there, throw rocks at them.” 

~ Vladimir Nabokov

“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.”

~ William Faulkner

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
~ by Stephen King

"We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master."

~ Ernest Hemingway

“Creativity takes courage.”
~  Henri Matisse

“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
~ G.K. Chesterton

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.”
~ Jack London

“Don’t be a writer; be writing.”
~ William Faulkner

Intellectual Discomfort

Has this ever happened to you . . . you've got a big task you want to accomplish, you're actually excited to accomplish it, yet the task is so monumental that you stall out. You might end up delegating it to someone else you think is more qualified. Or worse -- you just don't do it at all because it's too overwhelming. Even thinking about it gives you hives.

So you start to feel like a loser. No, more than that. You feel like you're the mayor of Loserville. The king. The mother of all losers ever born.

If you've experienced this, you're not alone. In fact there's actually a term for this situation: intellectual discomfort.

Throwing in the towel is a viable solution, but it's not the best solution. The next time you're faced with a project that's enormous (like writing a novel), here are some ways to move beyond the discomfort and toward the completion of that project.

1. Break it into bite-sized chunks.
Rome wasn't built in a day, neither does your task need to be completed in 24 hours. Work on it for a half-hour, then take a break. Do another thirty minutes and take a break. Repeat. Often this process will give you the momentum to begin working longer periods than half-hour increments.

2. Push it.
When you feel like you're ready to quit for the day, force yourself to do just one more thing, be it one more sentence in a paragraph, one more load of junk out of the attic, one more whatever.

3. Raise the bar.
Goals are good. Set a goal. But don't stagnate in that goal. Weight lifters increase the weights regularly because otherwise their muscles won't grow. Same thing for your project. Start out with a goal but then up it to something bigger and better. The trick here is not to aim too high so that you fail, but just enough so that you continually stretch yourself.

Life isn't all about comfort, princess, and if you give these 3 ideas a try on your next big project, you might discover that discomfort can be manageable.

But here's something that's absolutely painless . . . a chance to win a signed copy of THE COURAGEOUS BRIDE COLLECTION. If you didn't sign up yesterday, here's another chance.


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Hosting a Perfect Writing Day

Chawna Shroeder, Brenda Anderson, John Otte, Sharon Hinck

Love to write or to encourage other writers? Have I got an idea for you!

Once a month I run away to author Sharon Hinck's house. She invites a few other writerly types as well. In advance, she sends out an email list to those she knows are able to attend, and each person sends out a sample of their writing to be critiqued. It can be anything from a chapter in a WIP to a synopsis or proposal. Before the day arrives, everyone prints out and critiques/edits each others' work.

Here is a sample Writing Day schedule...

9:00 Arrival & Chit-chat

9:30 Prayer
Honestly, if God doesn't show up, what's the point?

10:00 Writing
Everyone spreads out to their own little corner and writes, writes, writes. No internet connections or cell phones allowed.

12:00 Lunch
Each person brings a bag lunch and we eat together, discussing what we've written or sharing what's going on in our writerly lives.

12:45 Game
Ever played Liebrary? What a fun game! The premise of a book is read and each person then writes down what they think the first line should be. The reader writes down the real line from the book. Then the reader reads all the entries and you vote on what line you think is the real deal. Super fun and sometimes wacky.

1:00 Critique Time
Go around the room and give feedback on the pieces that were emailed out.

2:00 Writing
Two more hours of blessed, uninterrupted writing time.

4:00 End

Doesn't that sound like a great day? It sure is. I go once a month. If you know some writers in your area, give it a whirl. You won't be sorry!

Dream On

“To write is to think. Good writing is good thinking."

~ David McCullough

I'm never quite sure how to answer when I'm asked how long it's taken me to write a book. Does that mean the actual sitting down, up-close-and-personal time with my keyboard? Because here's a newsflash for you... stories start way before that.

I'm "starting" a new book, as in preparing to write the very first sentence some time this week. But I've been thinking about it off and on for about 3 years now. Had I written it back when the idea began, the story wouldn't have as many layers or just the right characters. And that's not just rhetoric.

'Thinking' time is writing time. Months, even years (as in my case) are not wasted just because you haven't put a word down on blank paper. Great stories begin in the mind and heart of a writer, not by the act of typing out chapter one.

So if you're a dreamer, a ruminator, a dilly-dally wonder-if sort of person, here's a high-five for you. 

Last Minute Jitters

With only 15,000 words left to write on my current WIP, I understand the last minute jitters that lots of writers experience when finishing a manuscript. I'm tempted to simply work on editing what I've already written or come up with a completely different ending than the one I planned. Why?

Because I'm scared.

Yep. Knee-knocking, cold-sweat-on-my-palms kind of scared. And I bet I'm not the only one. Do you ever wonder:

- What if my climax is really as exciting as a cold piece of toast?
- Have my main characters developed a sufficient amount?
- Did I present enough Biblical truth without whapping people upside the head with scripture?
- Is my ending too soon? Too late?
- Was the drama believable or just plain over the top?

And those are just a few. It's enough to make you skip over to Pinterest and waste away the day. But that's what slackers do. Newsflash: Writers write.

So the trick is to not let these little terrorizers paralyze you to the point of not finishing your manuscript. Pressing on in spite of your doubts is hard.

But who said writing is easy?

Feeling Like A Loser

The Christy nominees are out. The Genesis nominees are published. The 2011 INSPY Award winners have been made public. Is your name on any of these lists?

Or are you curled into the fetal position weeping like a baby?

Part of the writing game is losing or, at least, feeling like a loser. There are contests you don't win. Agents you don't attract. Contracts that pass you by. And all that after you've poured your heart and soul into a story that bares part of who you are.

It's hard not to take it personally. Nah, make that impossible. What to do?

You can try putting on your big girl and/or boy pants and sucking it up. You can stick your nose in the air and pretend it really doesn't matter. You can take your writing ball and go home by quitting writing altogether.

But none of those choices will heal your heart. You'll still be an angry, walking, purple bruise. So allow me to introduce you to the only 1 sure way to keep from falling apart when you take a direct hit...

Hang out in God's word. The Bible. It's the best way I know of to directly hear God's voice and His opinion of me, which is the only opinion that ultimately counts. Here are a few of my favorite verses when I visit the land of I'm-such-a-loser-ville.

"I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:9,10

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17

"You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you." Song of Solomon 4:7

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Philippians 4:8

The bottom line is this:

If your name is on God's list, you've won the biggest prize of all.

45k Wingding

Woo-hooo! It's half-way party time! I hit 45,264 words on my WIP. A round of Starbucks and chocolate cake for everyone...on the house!

Caveat: you'll have to toodle over to my house to claim said java and treat.

Nevertheless, hitting mid-point on a manuscript is a big deal for any writer. Why?

CONFIDENCE

The task ahead doesn't seem quite as daunting now that half the story has been captured on paper. If you were able to make it this far, for sure you'll be able to finish. The pressure of wondering if-I-can suddenly morphs into I-can-do-this. It's all downhill from here.

FAMILIARITY

Knowledge is power, and by now you really know your characters. They've become your friends, which makes it easier to predict how they'll react to any given situation. Most of the personality decisions have already been made so there's less brain power involved in fleshing out your protag and antag.

EXHILARATION

You're closer to the climax, which is the most fun to write. All the writerly juggling balls are up in the air...it's pretty, it's intense, and it's fun to watch. It's time to throw your literary hands in the air and howl on the ride down.

While these 3 points are true, I'm not saying the rest is entirely a piece of cake (yes, I'm still thinking of cake). There will still be days when you get stumped over a plot point or a character who acts...well...out of character. But the end is in sight, which makes the next 45k (or whatever your projected halfway mark is) a lower hurdle to jump.

Writing is hard work.

Take every opportunity you can to celebrate small victories.

And let me know when you hit your halfway mark...I'll be sure to eat some chocolate in your honor.

WIP STATS ~ DAY 68

Word Count: 45,264

Sentence of the Day: Whispers rustled in the corners of the room, like dead leaves skittering across cobbles.

Misery Loves Company

Contrary to the title, no, I'm not currently miserable. Still, being that it's spring, I thought I'd shine a ray of hope to those who may be lamenting rejection after stinging rejection. Believe it or not, pain is a good sign. It means you're still kicking as a writer.

And you're not alone. Take a stroll down the hall of shame..

C.S. LEWIS received over 800 rejections before he sold his first piece of writing.

MADELINE L'ENGLE's A Wrinkle in Time was refused 26 times before she found a publisher who said yes.

STEPHEN KING's Carrie took 30 tries before someone picked it up.

J.K. ROWLING got Harry Potter turned down a dozen times before someone finally gave it a chance.

MEG CABOT had The Princess Diaries rejected by 17 publishers before one gave it a chance.

These authors aren't super sore about being rejected...but the publishers who rejected them sure are.

Bottom line: hang in there. Polish up that manuscript and send it out yet again. Then let me know when you sell it and I'll add you to the list.

WIP STATS ~ DAY 66

Word Count: 43,266

Sentence of the Day: Whoever wore that tiara would be the queen of the ball--and she'd long since felt she was royalty.

Resolution Revolution

Yeah, losing ten pounds would be nice. Revamping my budget would be a great idea as well, especially since my charge card is still smoking from Christmas. But seriously...we all know those things are going to happen anytime soon.

So what if this year my resolutions weren't about me? Hmm....

This year I resolve to target 1 writing-related person per month. No, not in a creepy stalker way. Instead, I'll hand-write an encouraging note and put that person on my prayer list. It could be anyone from a well-known multi-pubbed author, to an agent or editor, or might even be the kid down the block who likes to write silly stories.

Think outside the box this year and revolutionize your resolutions. If the Mayan calendar is correct and the world does end this coming December, why waste your time cutting calories?