JunoWriMo Anyone?

My friend, Laura at Stranger Than Writing  posted a blog about the upcoming JunoWriMo. For those who are familiar with NanoWriMo it is pretty much the same concept, write a book in a month. But it's a little different.

Rule#1 Write 50,000 words in 30 days, that's an average of 1667 words a day.

Rule#2 It has to be your original work.

You don’t have to write a new novel, it can be a work in progress. What a great way to finish that story you started! Also, you don't have to write fiction, for those who want to work on a memoir etc.

Even though I am currently in the middle of editing, I am thinking of going for it. I am really excited about writing a book in a month and I'm itching to do this. So the plan is to edit as much as I can this month, JunoWriMo next month, die, be miraculously resurrected and then finish my editing.  What do you think? Would you consider doing JunoWriMo?

 For more info on JunoWriMo or to sign up, click here. 

Also, If you are interested in something like this check out Book in a Month by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. It provides a structured plan for writing your book within a month, and includes as useful tips and advice for beating writing blocks.

Determination, Discipline, Dedication

At age 74, Ernestine Shepherd is the oldest female bodybuilder in the Guinness Book of World Records. When she started working out at age of 56, she had never exercised before. Now she runs 80 miles a week, and bench presses 150 pounds.

Every day Ernestine wakes up at 3 a.m. to meditate, run, lifts weights, and teach fitness classes to other senior citizens. She is a great inspiration to many, setting the example that if you want something bad enough you can overcome the obstacles to achieve it.

How does she do it? Her motto is, “determination, discipline, dedication.” Three ugly words, right? But I have been thinking about Ernestine lately, and wondering what it would be like if I followed her motto. What do those words mean to me? Here is what I've come up with.

Determination
No matter what, keep moving forward
Have the attitude to succeed
Stay resolved to finish your goals

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination."
-Tommy Lasorda

Dreams of Becoming a Full Time Writer

I dream about becoming a full-time writer. I would write, write, write and work a part-time job for income. I want to publish, I want to make writing my life's work. I would love to teach writing workshops.

If someone wants to go into computer science, or become a doctor we don’t question if they are going to make it in their field. We question the people that go into the arts. The ones that want to be a painter, a dancer, a writer. We ask them, what are the odds you are going to make it? How are you going to make any money?

I’ve been reading this wonderful book called, The Right to Write by Julia Cameron. She believes that if you really want something and you are willing to do the work then the odds are in your favor, not against you. If you write often, and continue to hone your craft, then you will get published. For that matter, why not self-publish? Julia self-published The Artists Way and that made it big.

She suggested writing two letters. One letter is from your inner writer to your practical self, the other letter is from your practical self to your inner writer. I highly recommend this exercise if you are like me, struggling with the desire to become a full-time writer.  This could be great to do anytime you are struggling between different options in your life. You will be surprised what comes out of you, and the clarity you can find if you just write it out.

Writing is a Joy

As a  teenager I started writing in diaries. While life spun around me like a whirlwind, writing was my calm center. I also wrote poems to express my feelings. It was fun to discover words that described my heart, and shape them on the page.

Writing, in and of itself was a joy.

So… when did it become such an agony?

For me, it was in my late twenties when I decided to write novels. When I wanted to become published. Still do!

The self-critic got to me. I became discouraged by my sloppy amateurish work. I would write a rough draft and determine it wasn’t good enough for any eyes to look upon, lest they go blind. I still enjoyed writing, creating my own dream-worlds, but editing scared me to death. The fear of failure overwhelmed me. So, I would just write another story – hoping my rough drafts would magically become better.

Steel Grey Days

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPny4frBuVM

It is a steel-grey morning, the kind that reminds me of the music of Songs: Ohia, slow, aching, raw. I’m tired today, and cranky, and damn it, I don’t feel like writing one single word on one single page!

But I am.

“I have forced myself to begin writing when I’ve been utterly exhausted, when I’ve felt my soul as thin as a playing card, when nothing has seemed worth enduring for another five minutes…and somehow the activity of writing changes everything. Or appears to do so.” - Joyce Carol Oates

Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. I heard of trick you can play on your mind, you tell yourself that you are only going to write for 5 minutes, "Just 5 minutes, and then you can do whatever you want." The trick is to just get you started, and then you look up 40 minutes later to see you have been writing the whole time.

On Sunday I was doing the most torturous, grueling activity in the world: editing. I sat down and looked at my manuscript which I was sure was utter trash. I edited a line, maybe two, then I had to get up and get away from it. I forced myself back in the chair and edited a little more, then got up again. I did this for a couple of hours. I told myself, "just a little more, just get through this paragraph, look, you are almost to the end of the chapter, finish that and you can be done for the day." And I did. It wasn’t a group of gleaming, perfectly written paragraphs afterwards, but they were better. Progress, not perfection, right? The moral of the story is: taking things chunk by chunk works.

My Life Purpose-ular Cellular Phone

Yesterday you heard the phone ring, and it was your passion calling. You may not want to answer it but let me tell ya, they are the worst telemarketers I know. If you ignore them, they just keep calling back. So let’s answer it!

Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring.. Purpose Phone

Ping Pong Ping Pong Ping.. Purpose Phone

It’s no bologna, it ain’t a phony, it’s My Life Purpose-ular Cellular Phone...

Ok, now we're pumped!! Are you ready? The big question of the day is... What is my life's purpose? 

I have been having trouble lately trying to figure this one out myself. What to do with my life, what career should I take, what am I really here for? I think a lot of people struggle with this at some point in their lives. And this guide can help you find the answers. So, grab your papers and your pencils and let’s give it a try.

Ring Ring, Your Passion is Calling

Do you have a calling in your heart – to write, to draw, to make music, to anything?

Its time to discover what you are passionate about that gives you happy joy-joy feelings.

Make a “Things I love to do list.”

Write I love______ and write what you love in the blank. Do this again on the next line and the next, until nothing else comes to mind. There is no right or wrong, just write :) And if you want to, feel free to share.