Give Yourself Some Direction

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” — Bill Copeland

When writers write a book, they have a goal for the characters in mind. Even if it’s not a concrete goal, even if it changes over time, they start with something. There was a time when I thought the goal would just come to me, but my teacher said, just make it up. And that stuck. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself. Anyways, I think this can be used in our real life. Don’t know exactly what goal to set? Make one up.

Your goals don’t have to be life changing goals when you just start out with goal setting. They can be anything from drinking the right amount of water everyday to going for a mile run every 3 days. Do anything that will propel you forward the way a writer would propel their character forward. The writer can’t wait for inspiration. They start propelling the character right away. So don’t wait around, propel yourself toward something.

By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands — your own.”— Mark Victor Hansen

Whatever goals you decide to work toward, write it down and look at it. Keep it fresh in your mind. Maybe even make a checklist.

Having something to work towards gives

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My Fears as a Writer

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I’m afraid of becoming an egotistical asshole if I sell too many books. Even though I very much want to sell my books. I also don’t want to feel like I have something to prove financially. I would be proud to be independent. To be a writer making enough to pay the bills. I just don’t want that to hinder my view of others. I don’t want to forget my struggle or my humanity. And lastly, I don’t want to lose appreciation for other writers. I want to be understanding and gentle and loving. I don’t want to snub someone because I’m a well paid writer and they aren’t.

There’s a thin line between discipline and chaos, between empathy and narcissism. The line is so thin in fact, that we can cross it without realizing it until we step away from a situation. Or until someone calls us out on our behavior. Yes, we all make mistakes. We all hurt the people we love most. And what’s important is to be accountable and honest when we mess up.

I don’t think this fear holds me back. And Freud would probably suggest the only thing holding me back is my childhood drowning. Either way, I’m getting closer and closer to selling my book and the shadow is growing. But I’m not going to let it stop me. I’m gong to sell my book whether I’m scared shitless or not.

What helps me when I afraid is to list the reasons why stepping through a particular fear is beneficial. So I thought I’d share some reasons why you should sell your book….

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Too Tired To Work Toward Your Dreams?

Too Tired To Work Toward Your Goals?

I feel you

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You have dreams and goals. You have them laid out and your to-do list is jam packed. When you wrote the list, you were eager and excited. And now the excitement is starting to dwindle. You’re run down. You’ve pushed yourself too far. Now you’re paying for it.

You are tired.

This is when the most important thing is to finish your rest, then keep going. One thing at a time. One step at a time. You can do it. There’s no question as to whether you’re capable. We both know you are a strong and capable human being. The question coming up now, is whether you want you. And the answer is you don’t, of course you don’t. But you will do it. You will do it because your dreams and goals are waiting for you. Just like they always say, they aren’t just going show up on your doorstep.

So let’s talk about it.

Right now, you don’t have the motivation, but that’s a good thing. You know why? Because this is where you get to work on your discipline. Don’t make it a fight. Don’t make it into a dramatic affair. Keep going because you need the practice. You need to build up the stamina to carve away daily at your craft. You have to build up the skin to keep going at all cost. Once you build the discipline, you have one less thing to worry about because the work will be done. And soon, there will be piles of it.

Success is a matter of understanding and religiously practicing specific simple habits that always lead to success. — Robjert J. Ringer

So, it’s ok that you … Read More On Medium

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Change Reveals You

Change Reveals You

Let It

You’ve heard it all before, change is good, change is inevitable. Yada yada yada. I’m not here to tell you anything new. I’m here to tell you that you’re going to make it through. Yea, change is constant, we know that, but we don’t always get the encouragement we need to allow ourselves to change. You are capable of positive change. You are capable of sitting still and letting it happen.

Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you.
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

It’s not going to be easy but the best things in life never are. So think about what you want to come from these changes. Think about where you want to go. Think about how you’re going to impact others with your change. When you look at change with these questions in mind, you allow change to slough away the parts that you no longer need

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Be Both Scared and Courageous

Because I believe you can.

I’m scared of a lot of things. I’m afraid of being wrong and bringing people down with me. I’m afraid of starting over, I’m afraid that making money off my writing is going to turn me into an egotistical asshole. I’m afraid I’m going to die too soon, but mostly and above all else, I’m afraid I’m failing my babies.

I used to allow these fears to dictate my daily behaviors. I created unhealthy rituals based on fear. They usually involved me not showing up so I didn’t have to worry about getting things wrong.

Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death.
— James F. Byrnes

But then I realized that death was a lot closer than I thought. I realized that I could wake up one day without having ever lived up to my dreams, …

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Write Anyway

There’s going to be days when writing is an inconvenience, write anyway. There’s a million reasons to take the night off. It may seem like just one night away from writing, but it’s not. Writing everyday is proof you’re here and awake and fighting for something.

Writing can become your best friend, if you let it. There’s an intimacy in writing everyday that you can’t get in most relationships. It becomes your secret place and a place you can go where you’re allowed to be authentic. Writing can’t love you back but it sure can feel like it. Stay committed and you’ll be rewarded in a million priceless ways.

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”

— Louis L’Amour

Writing everyday keeps you in the flow. I feel, when I miss days of writing, it takes more time to get back into the story or into a place where I’m willing to share. It’s like anything else, once you step away, it can turn into days before you’re back in the flow again.

The Whole Artist

Can’t be seen in one piece of art

When you look at an artist’s work, you can’t look at one piece and know the whole artist. One piece of work is just a bleep on the radar. Especially in today’s world. You can’t just look at one post, or one blog, or one short story, poem, whatever. You have to follow the artist. Follow them with the intent to understand where their work is coming from and for the most dedicated followers, where it is going. How is it evolving? How is the artist evolving?

We don’t know Leonardo da Vinci from just the Mona Lisa. We know him for his writing, his contraptions, his relationships with other artist and intellectuals of his time. We appreciate da Vinci for who he was entirely. Would he be so well admired if we didn’t know about him outside of his paintings?

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The point here is, show yourself. Show who your are outside of your art. You are not one painting, you’re an entire collection. You are more than one work of art. You’re a gallery. You are Picasso’s works before, during, and after his Blue period. That’s about……….

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How To Connect With Other Writers

It’s important to connect with people who enjoy similar hobbies as you. It helps to have writers around that know how to support you. There are many reasons why it’s beneficial for writers to connect with writers. However, with writing being a solitary and time-consuming thing, it can be hard to get out there and make strong connections with other writers. So, here’s some tips on how I connect with other writers.

Facebook Groups

I have found Facebook writing groups to be a great place to get support and give support to other writers. It can be overwhelming once you get in there but speak up. Talk about your work, ask questions, and give your opinion. This is the best way for your people to find you and you to find them. Think of your comments as beacons sending light out to those you’ll have as friends for a lifetime or even a short time. Friends who understand the demands of writing are good to have with you on this wild ride.

Writing Workshops

I have made some great connections going to a writer’s workshop at my local library. We all are good friends and we get pretty connected to the stories that are shared in the group. It’s only once a month so I can plan it into my schedule. This helps to both improve your writing skills and slowly connect with other writers in person. Some people like to make friends they can meet in person rather than online. Writing workshops help to meet that need.

Hash Tags

Hash tags help to narrow down your posts to a specific community. If you want your posts to be geared towards writers, #writers is the way to go. You can also google the best hashtags for writers on specific social media websites. I have made friends who I adore, and we feed off each other for encouragement and growth. I think this one has worked best for me so far.

Blogs

Blogging about your interests helps to find other writers who may not be blogging about the same interest but who are still interested in what you have to say. This is a great way to get your work out there, keep my brain fresh, and to connect with other writers. I think blogging or even

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How to Perceive the Muse

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“Inspiration is the windfall from hard work and focus. Muses are too unreliable to keep on the payroll.”
― Helen Hanson

Ideas are such an interesting thing. They can hit us like a load of bricks. They can grow on us. They can evolve into something completely different. Where do they come from? How do we lose them so easily. How do some stick around more than others?

These are all interesting questions. Over time we’ve attributed our gift of ideas to the muse, but I don’t think that’s right. I think we use our own minds from our own experiences to inspire ourselves. A muse which could be anything, a gust of wind, a spark, a man with few words, is the result of being conscious. So when we give the muse all the credit, it takes away from our own ability to be aware.

Ideas come from within ourselves. We think, and turnover, and observe minute details within our daily lives. We question our characters and when we can’t find the answer we make it up. We recall places and fill in the blanks with our own creativity, intentional or not. As humans….

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Here’s Your Freedom

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“The man who has no imagination has no wings.” ―Muhammad Ali

Freedom is can be a complex topic. I mean, does absolute freedom really exist? If it did, it could only be freedom for one person because it’s impossible for a man to be completely free without infringing upon another mans freedoms. Unless of course if we each had our own islands, but that’s not the case.

Thankfully, we’ve been given an imagination where there is no limit to what we can do. We can fly, walk around candy gardens where little men sing scary songs to a catchy beat, have super powers, there really is no limit.

Why don’t we take advantage of this more? Are we too tired? Overworked? Not bored enough? Probably a combination of all of these things. We spend too much time trying to keep busy and not enough time letting our minds imagine the things that make our spirits soar.

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire…

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