How to manage the creative process when writing a book

Met up with a client yesterday to check on her progress with writing a book. 

She brought up a couple of issues one of which was time management; she's a busy mum, running her own business, house etc etc.

But the biggest issue she had was about the creative process.  As a perfectionist, and we all are to some degree in that we want to get it right, she was worried about sabotaging the creative process.

I can understand her concern because many would be writers I meet do just that thing.

Stop themselves writing.

Often before they start because they're scared to start...

but more often when they start because they can't help meddling with what they've written.

Bad move.  Very bad move.  Why?

Because you need two completely different mindsets for writing, that is the actual getting down of the words on the page, and editing.

The problem is that many people try to combine the two.  They read back what they've just written and think I can improve that.

Well probably they can and probably they should.  But not at the creative stage. 

It's almost like shifting down a gear when you're on a straight fast motorway.  Like trying to turn right where there isn't a right turn.  So you bang into a crash barrier. 

And that's your creative urge squashed for that session.

It's very difficult to pick up speed again.  Can be done but it takes more guile and experience than most beginner writers have.

What you should do therefore is keep going.  Put your foot down, in writing terms and power on. 

Forget about grammar.  Forget about spelling.  Forget about factual accuracy.

All those things can be fixed.  At a later stage and in a different mindset.

When you write;  WRITE

Writing;the planning stage

What’s the next thing you’re planning to write?

This question came from my niece who is not a writer by profession but writes articles and plays in whatever minutes she can squeeze out of her life as working mum.

Have you ever felt that tug in your gut when someone asked you the question?

Ridiculous but I didn’t want to tell her so compromised with, ‘It’s only in the planning stage, not the writing stage at the moment’.

Which is true but an incomplete answer.

I referred in a previous blog to Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things and I think it’s such a good phrase to apply to our writing when we’re uncertain about it.

I’ve written in the past about finding support for your state of being a writer, and I’m sure I’ll return to it again because it’s such an important topic but from what I’ve read it’s something that strikes at the root of all writers’ confidence.

It doesn’t matter if it’s fiction or factual material; there is still this sharp intake of breath that we feel. This instinct of ‘what if I tell someone what I’m doing, they’ll think it’s boring, useless, unpublishable (insert your own favourite put down here).

That’s why I think the planning stage is vital and it underpins everything I try to pass on to you for your writing career. Whatever else you do don’t just launch into writing a book. Yes the onrush of creativity is wonderful and you need that to get started. But what you don’t want is a very quick follow up of an equivalent downer because you suddenly don’t know what to do next.

So what am I planning for 2010? Ah that would be telling because I have a couple of grand designs in the pipeline. But I’ll let you into a small secret. There will be a new ‘How to plan your writing’ guide for the spring to add to the growing stable I have.

Check out what’s currently available here www.writerslittlebook.co.uk/newbooks.html

All my books are realistic because that’s what I am, easy to digest because we’re all busy people and practical because you need things you can apply with ease to your own writing.

If you’re currently looking to write, are not sure where to begin then email me at Eileen@writerslittlebook.co.uk with your top 3 questions. You have the chance to have your question answered in depth in the book.

Writing goals

Back blogging after a few days rest. Reflection comes naturally at the end of a year but as a summer baby I hate setting goals when it's dark and cold.

I prefer to set mine in the summer when my energy is at its highest. And there's less chance of me backsliding.

This year's goals are progressive too. I read somewhere (Ken McCarthy the internet marketer I think), that the road is always under construction and I agree. The goal in itself is fine, but the question then is, what next.

My biggest goal for the year, in all areas not only writing, is to be myself. Certainly in writing, if you try to be someone else then it doesn't work. We all have to find our voice. That internal something that makes us unique.

What could we be if we didn't have to worry about what our families or friends thought. If we didn't need the money. If we didn't fear loss.

What can you be if all things are equal? You can just think about it and do nothing, you can write it to me at eileen@writerslittlebook.co.uk or you can write it on a piece of paper and carry it around to encourage yourself this year.

Whatever you do I encourage you to be honest with yourself, because only then can your writing be honest for others.

Your New Year's writing resolutions

Why wait until tomorrow - create your 2010 writing resolutions today.

Make SMART writing resolutions; Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely.

Specific

Not someday I'll write a book but - I'll write 2 chapters of my how to book on...(whatever is your topic).

Measureable

Not I'll write 2 chapters but - I'll write 2 chapters of 2,000 words each.

Achievable

Not I'll write 2,000 words by 2pm this afternoon but - I'll write 500 words each day for the next 8 days.

Realistic

Not I'll write a world beating novel but - I'll write 2 chapters about something I really understand and can pass on.

Timely

Not someday I'll write a book but - in 10 days I will write 2 chapters.

So instead of some unconsidered dream of writing a book someday you'll have

By the end of January 2010 I will have written 2 chapters of 2,000 words each on how to create a stuffed toy.

Or whatever is your skill or subject.

As has been said many times a goal is a dream with a time frame attached.

If you want to write then stop making excuses, not to me, not to your family or friends but to yourself. That's the only person you're cheating on.

Until you begin, you have no idea where your writing road will lead you. Take your first step now and you'll go into the New Year of 2010 already primed and in gear.

Good luck and may the writing angels be with you.

How to write

"Writing is like any other learned process. You need to develop and strengthen your writing muscles by writing every day." Eileen Parr

Does reading make you a better writer

Somebody said to me recently that I have a big appetite and I quipped "That's why I eat so much chocolate then."

Chocolate aside, and I should never put chocolate aside (by the way there's some very tempting chocolate in the Delilah shop in Nottingham at the moment in exotic designed tins) having a big appetite is certainly true of my reading.

Sometimes I've hoovered books up at a rate that I couldn't tell you what I've read. However, as a writer do I read in a different way?

The great John Carlton always says that if you like something in a book, you should go back and work out why it appealed to you.

Why did it grab you, rock your world or bring you to tears?

Does that spoil your reading enjoyment? Well I tend to read the book through, then go back and check it out.

Does it mean that you'll end up writing like that person? Most of us are derivative as beginning writers. What's important is that we work through that stage to find our voice. That essential 'us-ness'. How long that take us depends on what we're trying to write and how passionate we are about reaching that individual voice.

I'll never write like someone who comes from a different culture, race or background. I admire those who can do that. Elizabeth George pulls it off in 'What came before'.

All I can aim for is to write from the honest core of me. Reading other people doesn't obstruct that. It makes it easier because the books I connect with all have that honesty.

Read on. Read wide. Read with passion.

Then spin off into space to turbo charge your writing.

How to become a writer if you hate to write

How do you learn about anything? We all have our own methods don't we and I was talking to my friend and web strategist Kirsty Farrelly last week about it.

She needs to hone in on a source of information right from the beginning and only when she has the nuts and bolts of a subject in her mind does she move out and read more widely. My method is completely the reverse of that - I start widely then hone in.

What I like about my method is that gives me a range of ideas, thoughts and inspirations that I can use for my work or as in this case pass on to you.

Yesterday I was listening to a speaker named Jean Houston. No I'd never heard of her before but she has been influential in the personal development movement for the past 40 years. Her greatest mentor was Margaret Mead the anthropologist; as a young child she met Eleanor Roosevelt and Helen Keller.

More to the point for us though she's written 26 books. When asked how she did it, her answer was "I hate to write".

Now I'm really interested. Because if you like writing, you will write regardless of any other challenges in your life. But finding ways to help people who don't enjoy writing, is one of my passions.

So I'm all ears. And her method is quite simple and I guess if you've done any NLP or visualisation probably obvious.

Jean Houston loves to cook and is very good at it. Starting as a child in self defence so that she could eat properly, she taught herself to cook, became an expert and it's one of the joys of her life.

When she approaches writing a book, she therefore approaches it as a cook. In her mind she's creating a recipe with ingredients to produce a balanced result.

She includes good solid foundations, a mix to appeal to different parts of the reader's tastebuds and that essential extra of love that all good cooks mix in because onsciously it's what they're passionate about - feeding people and giving them a great experience.

Now the cooking analogy might not work for you. But you're great at something. Might be organising your family, might be painting or being a great friend.

Whatever it is try taking that expertise and passion into your writing and see what difference it makes.

What's my passion? Helping people to make the most of their talents. Love it and whatever I've done in my life I've always thought -"If only one person moves on because of what I've said, written or done I'm satisfied."

This week I'll be finding more out about Jean Houston. She sounds a formidable and unstoppable lady.

How to become the next J K Rowling

Today I received and email from a business colleague about a friend of his who is writing the next 'J K' success. He wanted to know what to do next.

My first thought was 'Oh no'. How do I inject some basic commonsense into this. I'm the first to encourage anyone to have a go at writing but I know from my own efforts that the first few pieces are often derivative.

It's a natural stage to go through and none the worse for that but we do need to go on from writing like someone else to writing like ourselves. In the long term that's what will work for us and what will give us the most satisfaction. I know that if I were trying to write like somebody else, I'd never know if it my own writing that was successful, or the writer I was copying.

My advice to anyone is the same regardless of what they are writing. Look at the market and understand it to see where or how you can fit in. Unfortunately, that's how most of us will be viewed by agents and publishers.

The true original will always rise to the surface because of the power of their writing. But we need to understand the reasons for rejection and deal with them. Sometimes they are nothing to do with our competence as writers, but more with the needs of publishers.

Here are two websites that are excellent sources of information for writers.

www.davidandcharles.co.uk
www.writersandartists.co.uk

If you have the urge to write, then giving up shouldn't be an option. But I believe in giving yourself the best chance possible so arming yourself with skill and information is always a good thing.

Learning to write if you hate words

I watched a fascinating programme on Saturday evening. Paul Morley a music critic decided he wanted to learn to compose. The fundamental challenge he had was in not reading music.

Crotchets, quavers and semi-breves and the like were foreign to him and scary. He went through a year at the Royal Academy to come out with his own composition.

I've only watched the first part yet so don't know what he ended up with. But what fascinated me as a writer and teacher was the way they were teaching him to read music and understand the building blocks of what he had to use.

They turned what was a one dimensional scary concept into a three dimensional concrete process that had resulted by the end of the first programme in a very sketchy recreation of his ideas and thoughts and his music.

It sparked off ideas for me because often I talk to people who though they love the idea of writing a book, have a positive aversion to words which are the building blocks.

What's stopping you writing the book you want to write?

How many times have you done what you thought you should rather than what you really wanted?

I can certainly put up my hand to that one. And it hits us as writers too.

Some of my clients want me to write a website for them that they think will impress other people. And more and more I ask them the question:

But is it you?

And when they've thought about it and we've worked on it, we come up often with something completely different from what they first thought of.

It's no different with books. You can't write a successful book, and here I'm not talking only about financially successful books, but ones that connect with people.

In fact you can't write a book at all until you've cleared out of the way what's stopping you writing the book that's in your heart. It might be criticism from others, criticism from yourself or just fear of what will happen if you try it.

Well I don't know what might happen but I do know that trying to write anything other than what's honest and true doesn't work. You won't be happy with the end result and it won't have the effect you want.

At the moment a fellow writer is struggling with this. And the longer he struggles the worse he feels. Only he can do anything about it and it's the same for you.

Stepping off a cliff never appeals. But remember Indiana Jones and your stepping stones will appear for you.

Writers' working methods

I'm always fascinated by the way other writers work and organise themselves. It gives me inspiration and also comfort when I find out famous authors have struggled like me.

Two snippets from Writer's Almanac which I keep on plugging as it's full of interesting facts and nuggets.

Hunter S Thompson typed out the whole of The Great Gatsby to learn about writing style.
Dan Brown used a dictaphone while he was out jogging to get to grips with the plot of The Da Vinci Code.

Ken Follett writing routine

In an interview Follett said that he writes at home from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., five days a week, six if he gets 'excited.' He aims for writing 3,000 'publishable' words a day, and he doesn't rewrite more than once.

Writing for your business

Writing For Your Business; what stops you?

At the course on motivation I attended last week, the one thing every one was moaning about was being overwhelmed by all the 'stuff' they had to do.

I can understand because in my rollercoaster few years as a writer my workload has fluctuated and I've never been less than busy. So while of course I've speeded up as I've gained experience it still means that the more organised I've been the better.

And I have a habit of attending courses on the Internet which feeds in 'more stuff to do.'

In my own defence I've had to develope some systems to stop me hating what I do. Which sounds odd because I love writing. But when everything is to deadlines and client's brief then sometimes it takes away the actual pleasure of the writing.

One of the mantras I give people especially when they're developing as writers and don't have much confidence is write for at least 15 minutes a day. And I try honestly to extend that method to what I have to do with all the new web technology and social media etc etc.

I have to admit though that allocating 15 minutes a day to blogging doesn't seem to work for me, though I am trying it again for Tweeting.

What does work well for me though is collecting topics, subjects, queries that people have raised about writing and then allowing an hour to write several blogs about those. I get in the flow and they run well. Then I can schedule them for later in time.

You may like to try it if you think it will help you.

Just to remind you- there are more tips and strategies on the website and of course you can buy my first book from there - Writer's Little Book... with Big Ideas.

How to be a writer

Another blog from my colleague Babu Basu

Writer in thought, writer indeed.


What do you think you need to become a writer?
a) A love of words
b) An ability to express your self
c) A life devoted to nothing but writing

It might surprise you to learn that option c) is not necessary, and, for many of us, it’s just not possible. Like other people, writers need money to survive. If you’re having to supplement your income by doing none writing jobs, fear not.


How you think of yourself is key. You can be a writer who is currently temping, or you can be an office temp who occasionally writes.
You decide.

Even if you are only able devote 15 minutes a day to writing, then for those 15 minutes, YOU ARE A WRITER.

Working another job does not make you any less of a writer, just a more determined one. Not convinced? Here’s a few examples for you to consider:
Stephen King, the legendary writer of horror was a high-school history teacher. In order to get himself into a dark frame of mind, he would write in his trailer’s built-in wardrobe.
Michael Burke, author of “Dances with Wolves” was making ends meet working as a dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant. Blake had just been fired when Kevin Costner rang, asking him to write a screen play for the book.
And whilst writing award winning songs, Madonna made money working at Dunkin’ Donuts and as a nude still-life model.


So, if you want to be a writer, be a writer in your head as well as on the page.

Wisdom by Babu Basu-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Babu BasuThe right business writer for youw. http://www.babubasu.co.uk/. writing@babubasu.com / babuhot@aol.com