Archive for January, 2009

Jan 26

good writer practices: 4 things you need to do

The List

What magic do good writers possess?

Do you ever wonder how the great ones do it? Even the not-so-great manage to get published. The magic is in the practices they implement. Successful writers have written about their habits, practices, and rituals that get them through the work of writing.

In my reading on the subject, these 4 practices come up again and again. From using them, I know that they work. And they’re transferable, so anyone can make use of them.

You don’t need to have had straight A’s in language, throughout your academic career. Neither is it necessary that you be a particularly gifted writer. It helps to know how to write, though. That’s important and interesting, too, because even gifted writers can fail when they don’t use these 4 practices.

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Jan 19

healthy habits: what is brain food?

I knew I was in trouble when I couldn’t focus on any thoughts. I seemed to be moving through a never-lifting fog. Only with the greatest effort was I able to hold on to thoughts long enough to complete them.

Once I learned I needed to take iron, and that was squared away, I decided to look for more information. I searched further to discover whether or not there was something I could do to improve my clarity and ability to focus. I learned some really interesting things about feeding my brain.
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Jan 17

balance: have your cake and eat it too

cake

When you have the opportunity to work and play, in the same life is tantamount to having your cake and eating it too. And guess what? You need to do that.

When you sit before your computer day in and day out, and the work is flowing, it’s sometimes quite easy to forget the importance of fitting in other activities. One really important activity is relaxing. The conscious choice to dismiss obligations for a time is exhilarating. Then when you actually spend the allotted time relaxing, you give your mind, spirit and body time to be restored.

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Jan 08

healthy habits: mind, spirit and body

A few months ago, I started my healthy habits postings and then I got sidetracked BIG TIME. This is the second entry of the 9 posts originally planned for the healthy habits series.

If I told you that you need to be in good condition to run a marathon, or to begin a diet, or to prepare for surgery, you would probably agree with me. However, you may not readily see the urgency when I talk about the need for optimal health to be a writer. But it’s true.

Three major areas work together for better and for worse, and they are mind, spirit and body. Achieving balance in each of these areas will enhance your writing life. Here are some of the insights I’ve gained over the years.

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Jan 03

creativity tapped out? i think not

creativity1

Tell me if this is familiar to you. Sometimes I can’t hear what I want to write. I have a story or poem that’s blocked and I have trouble reaching through to pull it out.

In these times you may hear no ideas, feel like you have no creativity, but look a little closer. The problem may be that you’re stuck in a different gear.

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Jan 02

wing it, plot it, or plan it

2009 Sugar Bowl Celebrants-New Orleans, LA

Utah and Alabama Fans on Canal Street, 1.2.2009

This is really a busy week in New Orleans. What with the New Year celebration and the Sugar Bowl tonight, revelers are out and about in great numbers! Canal Street is busy like I haven’t seen in a good while. It took me fifteen minutes to get on the elevator (new technology, not so successful with large numbers). The wait gave me time to look around at all the people, all the red, as Alabama and Utah fans milled about and enjoyed the pre-game festivities.

While most people plan trips like this, there are those who just take the trip. One young man was marveling at his own ingenuity, as he described to a friend how he slept outside on a bench last night. If he didn’t have a hotel room at all, he seemed largely unperturbed by the fact as he continued to enjoy himself.

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