I was just watching a Joyce Meyer TV podcast (does that sound like an oxymoron to anyone else?). For those of you who don't know, Joyce Meyer is an American Christian speaker, whom I love for her down to earth attitude. She reminds me very much of my mother. She's not worried with the big theologies, but that you gossiped behind someone's back. While the big theologies do need to be thought out and fought for, I think we will find that God in the end cares more about the little stuff we've done (yes, I studied theology at Oxford, which is why I think I can say this).
Anyway, back to my point. She was talking about faith. In my theology blog, Buffy and God - The Blog, I did an early post on What Is Faith? So sometimes I feel that if I've written on it, I don't need to think about it anymore. However, it was good to be reminded, especially now because I think it applies very strongly to my writing as well.
Joyce was saying that faith isn't something that we feel but the way that we act, where we put our trust, and that this once acted upon can bring the feeling. Does anyone else find their writing like this? I know I love writing, but there are a lot of times I don't feel like writing, which at times makes me question whether I really should be doing it. However, whenever I step out in faith and force myself to sit down, the good feelings towards writing (usually) come flooding back.
Same with this blog. I struggle to even write on it, though once I get going I realise I have so much I want to say. Though, at the moment I'm a little drained of writing advice. I'm working on the second Five Day Writer's book: The Five Day Writer's Bootcamp. I'm just over a 1/4 of the way through, and ideally would like the first done by the end of the week, but realistically think it will be next week. Pouring out that much writing related advice does leave me a bit dry for writing on the blog. All the good things I have to say are going in there, so just read the book when it comes out. (And not to toot my own horn, but some of the ideas that are coming out are surprisingly good, even to me! Now I just need to put them into practice :D).
So the point of today's little ramble is to have faith: act as if you are a writer, and don't fear because you don't feel like you are one.
ROW 80 Check-In:
I finally finished the first draft of A Nice Guy's Guide To Online Dating Profiles. It took longer than I wanted, but I was good and after the two weeks were up, I started on my next project and worked on this only in the evenings as overtime. It took me another week, but it is now all there in rough form. Now I just need to edit it, get one of my great fellow editors to go over it, and then it will be available to the world. If you know any guys that could do with a few handy and friendly hints, this is the book for them. It's clear, practical, and not designed to make them feel like crap about themselves (so many things out there were really negative! Don't they realise that most unsuccessful guys just need to be given a few more tips, not made to feel even worse?)
As mentioned above, just over 1/4 through Bootcamp. Am getting back into my routine of waking up at 7am and writing for at least 2 hours before doing anything else. Up until recently I haven't been as faithful with my writing, so have lost a lot of my speed which is sad. Slowly working my way back up, but at the moment am averaging around 1,000 words an hour, compared to my previous 2,000-2,5000. Should probably follow more of my own writing advice! Does it make me a fraud if I can give other people really good writing advice but don't always do it myself? Anyone else do this? (okay, admittedly I can also give other people really good dieting advice, but watch out if you leave me alone with a block of choc.)
Lots of editing for other people to be done, which is great, but struggling to do more than an hour or two a day at the moment. However, I think the stress of trying to move might be affecting my working ability. My apartment is in a shambles as I've tried to start sorting things, which involves pulling everything out of the drawers, then not knowing where to put them, so covering all the surfaces in different piles, deciding that before I sort this pile I really need to sort that pile, and eventually curling up on the couch fearful that the towering piles are going to crash down on me and I'll only be found when the Alsatians come to eat my body. Since the removalists are coming two weeks today, I probably shouldn't have started so early, and just done a made rush at the end. Oh well.
Other writing news, am going to start looking again at After The Winter, my 1920's romance tonight. I really love the characters in this, and want to write them through to their happy ending, but just feel the beginning is not so good, so every time I start looking at it I get discouraged. But this time I'm going to see it through. Lucinda, I will get you with Lord George if it's the last thing I do!
There, now I have to do it, or my characters will come and murder me in my sleep.
Nothing else to report, so I hope that you are all going well with your various projects. And sorry to the northern hemisphere, but I'm SOOOOOO glad that spring has finally arrived! Instant mood boost.
Just to make you all jealous, this was my walk to the Melbourne Writer's Festival on Friday.
"...act as if you are a writer, and don't fear because you don't feel like you are one."
ReplyDeleteSo true. You'll never BE an author unless you take action as if you ARE one. Behavior is the surest indicator of what you truly believe.
It's hard to plan a move and to write at the same time. Breathe! I hope the rest of your week is productive.
This is a lovely post. I love when other writers share their approaches. We all seem to do things in our own particular way...
ReplyDeleteI don't force myself to write, and I don't act like a writer.
Instead, I write when I want to, and I know that I am a writer.
Writing when I want to sounds capricious...yet I write far more, and far better, since I made that shift. Truth is, I want to write most of the time - certainly more than physical and time realities allow for.
It's the control that gets in my way. I don't do well with being forced, even by myself. For me, passion is the moving force.
When I don't force myself, I tap into that passion, and the words flow...until they ebb. Then, instead of trying to make things happen when my word well is running dry, I add input, experiences, and processing time. I play lots of games, go places, do things, and play with the types of projects that require more structure and less creativity.
I've had that week, this week. We took a family day trip, I worked out on an unusual day, my husband had additional days off, we had Jeremiah's birthday, I did extra blogging, we dove into rearranging and reorganizing our living room. - and I finished preliminary editing notes for one of my WIPs.
Eventually, I will fill up, and the words will flow again. Just this morning, as I woke up, I half-dreamed a scene in what I believe will be my November NaNoWriMo novel, and a bit of backstory, too. A little while ago, a title popped into my head. I don't know if it belongs to anything yet, but I will, in time.
For me the not-writing time is deep and fertile. I have slow times, fast times, and a whole lot of in-between times. I've come to see that, for me, one isn't any better than another, just different. Trusting that I am doing what I need and want to be doing makes it possible to see, and sometimes to predict, the pattern.
I very often revisit the same topics. As I learn and grow, I see them differently, and like to explore further.
I love your spring picture, and, at the same time, I am loving my late summer/early fall here. It's a time of great energy and transition for me, as we shift toward our slower, more insular winter season.
Enjoy the warmth, and the words! =)