Give yourself a kick up the a**
Dear Fellow Writer,
Watched Scream 4 the other day.
I love the Scream movies for that deliberate self consciousness of the genre they use as part of the plot. It's a clever device - a kind of nudge nudge, wink wink at the audience. Instead of: "this is not a movie, it's real life" - Scream goes beyond to: "this really is a movie, about movie cliche, and we both know - and love - it!"
Anyway, in between Ghost-face's customary chasing and slashing, the movie explores the role of the Net in our daily lives, pointing out that, in a sense, our generation lives in public.
Social networking sites allow us to document the things we do - or want to be seen to be doing, anyway. Reality shows give us the impression everything we do is somehow interesting and noteworthy.
But as the killer points out in the final scenes, when everybody is famous, what have you got to do to stand out? And what price do you pay for trying?
Notoriety tends to trivialize issues and people. An earth shattering private idea quickly becomes diluted, seemingly crass and often largely ineffective when made public - have you noticed that?
I guess it's really about motivation. What sparks the need for 'fame' - or for some kind of an audience? Is it just human nature to want to be watched - and adored?
When the killer gives the obligatory, explanatory speech at the end of the movie, Ghost-face says, "But you don't understand. I don't need friends, I want fans!"
Says it all.
Keep Writing!Rob@easywaytowrite.com
THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE:
Motivation and Writing
Rob Parnell
My first attempt at writing a non fiction book is still, to this day unfinished. It's ironic because it was a book about motivation - and how to overcome obstacles to the creative process.
Of course many of the ideas the book was going to explore I have used in the 30 or so books I've written since - but I find it odd that my first book was basically on a back-burner for about a decade while I struggled to find time to write it.
I read the other day that procrastination is not really based on a fear of accomplishment, but on a fear of beginning. And not just beginning in the sense of starting out, making notes and thinking - but really starting, as in being involved in creating.
That resonated with me because I realized that's why I never got around to writing that first book. All the time I wasn't starting and being involved in the book, I had no reason to pursue its completion.
Of course, for years I believed the book should be written. I even conned myself into believing I was, in some sense, writing it because it occupied my mind so often. But clearly the more I thought about the book, the less I wrote.
As I've said often - since - thinking is not writing. Especially thinking about writing is definitely not writing! But thinking about writing is a trap that many would-be writers fall into - a pit of self doubt and delusion that requires endless self debate with no real constructive purpose.
After all, when you're in a pit, you need to construct a ladder, not just think about methods of freeing yourself!
I guess that's one of the reasons why I developed the Easy Way to Write philosophy. That is, when you write, don't think. Don't analyze what you're doing because it doesn't achieve anything useful. It just slows you down.
Each moment you stop to stare into space or formulate a new thought is time away from the task. And as comforting or inspiring as those thinking moments might be, they're largely self indulgent and irrelevant to the task at hand.
Because no amount of thinking and planning helps to get the job done - unless you're actively involved in the doing.
Yes - if you get stuck, take time out to break down your project into chunks - minutely if necessary. Tiny pieces, if that's what you need to do - and in writing. But then get back to tackling those pieces - quickly and with purpose. Don't stop to think for too long.
Serial procrastination is also a product of perfectionism - the inability to create unless everything goes smoothly and is notably brilliant from start to finish.
But any artist will tell you that the illusion of perfection is just that - an illusion, created by years of trial and error and constant activity.
Leonardo kept the canvas of the Mona Lisa with him all his life. To him, it was never finished. He added to it, changed it over and over, forever infusing it with the perfection it's now famous for.
But with his other works, he was on the clock. He finished them because there was an end date - a time beyond which he wasn't going to get paid. The deadline necessitated the work's completion.
And so it is with you, my friend. You must work on a project to its completion but have the courage to say it's done now. It may not be perfect but it's time to move on. This is a skill in itself that can take years to learn - but one that all artists must contend with and accept.
The fact is the more importance you attach to a project, the harder it will be to begin it. And this is something you don't want to feed or escalate. Because the greater the challenge in your mind, the more excuses you can find not to start.
You'll never really be ready...
... and that's the best place to begin. You learn by doing, not by preparing but by being involved.
Nowadays, when I finish projects, I often look back and can't really fathom where all that effort and inspiration came from. It's like the finished product was created by someone else - someone with a skill base and motivational standpoint separate from my own.
To me, I'm still the guy who couldn't get his first book written!
I think this is the way it works.
You don't really go from a wannabe to a success, as if they're two different entities. You're still both. It's just that one - the doer - fills more of your time than previously.
All you have to know is that harnessing success is about doing, being active, taking steps - no matter how small - on a consistent basis.
Don't beat yourself up about your faults.
Be aware of your faults, see them as positives. Use your issues as motivation. Embrace your foibles. Accept your limitations. Gather strength from your insecurities - everyone has them, even the great and good.
But most of all, take action.
Write. Be involved in your writing.
We all make mistakes. It's part of the creative process.
As someone famous once said, it's why there's an eraser on the end of a pencil - and a backspace/delete on a keyboard for that matter.
Don't be afraid to begin. You can always delete what you've done and start again. I do that all the time these days - it's part of the process.
See the ability to edit, clean up, delete and polish as your best friend. The part of your nature that helps you the most. But remember that without activity, there's nothing to perfect.
Things don't create themselves. We do.
Intention is only useful when there's matter to rearrange. And no amount of thought changes anything until activity kicks in.
As Nike says, just do it!
And as Rob says:
Keep Writing.
rob@easywaytowrite.com
Your Success is My Concern
Rob Parnell's Easy Way to Write
THIS WEEK'S WRITER'S QUOTE:
"If there is a secret to writing, I haven't found it yet. All I know is sit down, clear your mind, and hang in there." Mary McGrory |
Previous Newsletter includes:
Article: "Secret Grammar Rules"
Writer's Quote by Florynce Kennedy
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