A Beautiful Mind Meets National Treasure by Reese Mobley

My office is usually a mess.  More specifically, the corner desk in my office is a mess.  It looks like a scene from the Russell Crowe movie, A Beautiful Mind—but to me, it feels like the Nicholas Cage flick, National Treasure. 

I’ve got notes taped over every surface surrounding my monitor.  Rows of Post-It’s parade across the edge of my desk’s hutch.  A stack of notes are anchored to the surface by my ancient land-line phone.  The further I travel into my current work-in-progress, the more paper treasures I write.

These treasures are the result of many light bulb moments.  Ideas for my manuscript that come at inopportune moments—you know, the times when you’re not frantically typing away.  For me, it’s usually right after I hit the sack, when my mind is casually filing the day’s events to make room for tomorrow’s.  Or just after I’ve put on my left sock in the morning or as soon as I lather up in the shower.  Random moments where the most wonderful, useful, creative ideas light us up like the Fourth of July. 

I get excited and rush, sleepy, sockless or soapy, to my office to jot them down.  I then rip the top page off and find yet another tiny unused space to stick it on my desk until I have the time to incorporate it into my manuscript.  I rub my hands together and congratulate myself on getting it on paper before it slides just out of my memory’s reach.

God Bless the Post-It’s because they are the bridge between what I write and what I want to add to enhance my manuscript before I send it off to the wonderful world of publishing. 

All you Post-It's fans raise your hands and pat yourself on the back--just be sure you don't have a sticky note on you when you're done.  Regular people won't understand.

Hugs,

Reese

Is Your Motivation to Write Lagging? (Penny Rader)

I've been having a bit of a motivation problem lately.  Being me, I set out to see what sorts of pearls of wisdom I could discover on the Internet.  Here a few snippets of what I found, along with a few quotes I hope you will find motivational:


“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”
 - William B. Sprague

5 Ways to Stay Motivated While Writing a Novel (Nathan Bransford)

• Cultivate Your Fear of Failure
• Set Deadlines with Teeth
• Daydream a Little
• Befriend Writers Who Have Finished a Novel
• Write Something You Love

“If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” – Toni Morrison

http://bit.ly/XHP6gk

7 Key Self-Motivation Strategies for Writers (Luc Reid)

• Pick Your Project Very Carefully
• Always Keep in Mind What Excites You
• If You Stop Feeling Motivated, Retrace Your Steps
• Use Support, Encouragement, and Deadlines
• Don’t Spend All Your Time Reworking
• Writer’s Block Is Just Fear of Writing Something That Isn’t Good Enough
• Don’t Get Too Attached

“Write what you know. Write what you want to know more about. Write what you’re afraid to write about.”  -  Cec Murphy

10 Tricks to Motivate Yourself to Write–Right NOW (Ollin Morales)

• Reward Yourself for Trying
• Don’t Place a Goal on When You’ll Receive Your Worth
• Be Flexible with Your Writing Schedule
• Don’t Self-Punish
• Don’t Overwork Yourself
• Follow the Inspiration
• Work through Emotions
• Avoid a “Me vs. the World” Strategy for Motivation 
• Instead Use a “Me Together With the World” Strategy for Motivation
• Write

"I asked Ring Lardner the other day how he writes his short stories, and he said he wrote a few widely separated words or phrases on a piece of paper and then went back and filled in the spaces."  - Harold Ross

http://bit.ly/WXQNXk

24 Ways to Enhance Your Creativity (Keli Gwyn)

• Take a break.
• Vary your location.
• Write longhand.
• Make use of creative moment.
• Get some exercise.
• Take a nap.
• Listen to music.
• Feed your creativity.
• Take a shower.
• Soak in a tub of hot, Calgon-scented water.
• Talk to another writer.
• Socialize.
• Reread your story.
• Work on another project.
• Change POVs.
• Daydream.
• Brainstorm.
• Gag your internal editor.
• Write fast.
• Browse in a bookstore.
• Seek solitude.
• Read.
• Watch a movie.
• Develop a conducive environment.

“Being in the mood to write, like being in the mood to make love, is a luxury that isn't necessary in a long-term relationship. Just as the first caress can lead to a change of heart, the first sentence, however tentative and awkward, can lead to a desire to go just a little further.” -  Julia Cameron, The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life

Creative Goal Setting for Writers (Kathy Steffen)

• Mean It.
• Make it Possible.
• Let Go.
• Make it Real.
• Empower Yourself.
• Be Specific.
• Prioritize and Focus
• Move It or Lose It.
• To Tell or Not To Tell
• Be Honest with Yourself
• Change Your Approach
• Celebrate Evolution
• Don’t Give Up
• Reward Yourself

"When asked, 'How do you write?'I invariably answer, 'one word at a time.'” - Stephen King

http://bit.ly/UphFjy

Emergency Writing Motivation Techniques (Luc Reid)

• Get a little exercise.
• If something’s bothering you, fix your thoughts.
• Visualize a result you like.
• Just start typing.
• Meditate.
• Why did you decide to write this piece?
• If you feel overwhelmed, focus on one thing.
• Write it out.
• Talk with someone who supports your writing.
• Find inspiration.
• Skip ahead.
• Come up with something new.
• Take a short time to organize.
• Warm up.
• Work on a different project if necessary.
• Use external motivation.
• If all else fails, do writing support work.

“I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.” – Pearl S. Buck

Motivation and Inspiration for Struggling Writers

• Keep a journal of all the triumphs and pitfalls you've experienced. 
• Pretend your story is a movie. Who would star in it?
• Edit what you've already written. 
• Visit the setting of the novel or a place that reminds you of it. 
• Make deadlines (and actually stick to them).
• Reward yourself.
• Work out of order.
• Make a dust jacket.
• Do something for your novel besides writing.
• Talk to people.

“The worst thing you write is better than the best thing you didn’t write.” Unknown

Motivation to Write – How Writers Get and Stay Motivated (Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen)

• See beyond the rejection slips.
• Get your “bum glue” out.
• Find motivation to write in your procrastination.
• Don’t be a wannabe.
• Write what you got.
• Accept that good writing is hard work – it doesn't come easy for any writer.

http://bit.ly/ScNSbg

“You can sit there, tense and worried, freezing the creative energies, or you can start writing something. It doesn't matter what. In five or ten minutes, the imagination will heat, the tightness will fade, and a certain spirit and rhythm will take over.” – Leonard Bernstein 

~~~

What works for you when you're having a bit of trouble in the motivation department?

Motivation Madness

Congratulations to WARA member Fran Fowlkes for placing 2nd in GRW's Maggie Award!


One of the hardest things in life to learn is that sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do or just don't feel like doing.  I learned, my kids learned, and my grandkids are now learning that, to paraphrase the Rolling Stones, you don't always get to do what you want.

Procrastination lives and thrives on the absence of motivation.  In fact, the two are pretty much polar opposites.  I don't remember a time when I've been motivated to procrastinate.  So how do you  motivate yourself when you're stuck in procrastination mode?

SET GOALS
Yes, this is a hard one.  Most of us tend to overdo and set goals that are too difficult, and then we give up before we make much progress.  When setting goals, make sure your goal is reachable.  There are a few things to keep in mind that will keep you from giving up before you barely get started.

• If you work a full time job, you don't have hours and hours to devote to your goal.  Add a family to care for, and the time gets smaller and smaller.  But you don't need a big block of time.  Lunch time can often net you a small block.  Driving to and from work is a good time to do some brainstorming or listening to motivational tapes/CDs.  Can you give up one television show a week?  What about computer games?  I'll admit that Spider Solitaire is one of my big downfalls.
• Discover if you're an OWL or a LARK (a night owl or an early bird).  Once you learn which one you are, you'll be able to pinpoint your peak times and can put them to good use.  Larks can get up earlier in the morning when the house is quite, while owls can set aside time at night, often when everyone else has gone to sleep.
• Make a pact with a friend to work on changing your routine to allow for more time for your goals.  Or maybe work out a schedule with a friend where you'll watch her kids, giving you some extra time, and then you do the same for her.
• Use goal-setting tools such as NaNoWriMo (next month!) or WARA's BIAW.
• Break a large goal into smaller ones.  Do you have a goal for the year?  Break it down into months, then weeks, then what you need to do daily to reach that big goal later.

REWARD YOURSELF
One big reward is always nice when you've reached that major goal, but what about the getting there?  Have you been working hard and reached one of your smaller goals on the way to the bigger one?  Or maybe you've finished that big goal and need to celebrate.  Incentives and rewards can help keep you on track.  Here are a few suggestions to get you started, but be sure to add your own!

Small, inexpensive, and even free for the small goals:

•  An ice cream treat.
• A trinket from the dollar store.
• An extra hour of television
• Window shopping
• A long nap
• A trip to a park

For those big goals when they've been met:

• A movie with friends
• A new hairdo
• A spa day
• A manicure
• A new book (and the time to read it!)
• A weekend away

WRAP-UP

Once you've set your goals and are ready to begin, ask yourself these questions:

1. Have you set goals for the week, whether writing or life?
2. Are these goals part of a long term goal you're working toward?  Or simply a stand-alone goal for something special?  (Don't worry, it doesn't matter.  It only needs to be specified in your mind.)
3. Have you chosen a reward for reaching a goal, whether a mini-goal that's part of a bigger one, or a single one?
4. If this is a must-reach goal, have you alerted friends and family that you will be unreachable during specified times?
5. Are you prepared to force yourself to work toward your goal, when every fiber of your being cries out, "I just want to have fun!"?  (Yes, this is here because of personal experience...every day.)

If you still not sure or if you need a little push to keep you going, try MOTIVATION MONDAYS at my blog Diary of a Mad Romance Writer.  Together we'll set goals, keep the motivation going when times get rough, and celebrate the journey.

Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines. ~ Brian Tracy 

Nose Art: Research or a Distraction? (Melissa Robbins)

This is a timely post to say the least. All four of my kids (8,6,4,2) are home from school for Spring Break and as I write this on Thursday, I haven’t seen the sunshine since Sunday. That’s four days of straight rain, people. This ain’t Seattle. Rain and four kids stuck inside equals a BAD spring break. Anyway, knowing all four would be under foot, I’ve made a point get up at my usual 5 am writing time and really focus on writing, not email or Facebook. It worked. I managed to meet and surpass my writing goals without taking time away from my children.

Those same four crazy kids certainly help my imagination. My eldest struggles with reading and writing so we have focused on that this week. Emma has such a vivid imagination and we worked on characters, a setting, and a plot for her story about a pink otter, a mermaid, and a princess who floats on a large leaf boat, traveling the high seas. Although, I discovered she would rather be a director and act and leave the script writing to the professionals.

On Wednesday, my kids and I visited our Museum of World Treasures. Growing up in DC, I’m a wee bit spoiled on the whole museum thing, but my kids loved it and being that my story takes place during WW2, that section of the museum is my personal favorite. However, my American and English characters cringed when my four year old daughter informed me the German naval officer’s uniform was her favorite. A German? And a sailor at that. My RAF flyboy, Connor stomped off to pout. There is also a display of a dispersal hut with two airmen mannequins. One of them wears the Army Air Corps patch on his shoulder. My son has the same patch on his leather jacket, a gift from my father, who is as big of a WW2 nut as I am. Duncan must have forgotten or didn’t realize his patch used to belong to a pilot. His blue eyes lit up and I was like, ‘That’s it!’ That is the look I want to give to my flyboys in my story, because they love flying so much.

I have said it before on this blog that drawing affects my writing. My sketches inspire my creativity, but they can also be a distraction. When I should be writing or critiquing a fellow writer’s work, I’m sketching. My latest deviations have been nose art for my pilots. I got a new set of illustration markers and coloring with my kids makes for a great activity. Did I mention it has been raining all week?

Anyway, researching nose art has been uber fun. Those flyboys were so creative and naughty and the artists really were considered the most essential members of a squadron. Did you know that Walt Disney himself created the Flying Tigers emblem? The Royal Air Force didn't showcase nose art as much as the Yanks did, but as Connor would say, “If that ruddy Jerry can have Mickey Mouse on his plane, I can have a raven.” He is referring to Adolf Galland, one of Germany’s top aces. I’m sure the two have dogfighted on occasion.

Drawing the nose art has been a creative experience for me since it was considered an expression of the pilot’s personality. I tried to reflect the cartoonish style of the 40's. So here is my latest deviation from writing. I have several sketched out, but these are the ones colored.

“Bacon” – 1^st Lieutenant Jackson Spencer, P-40. Bacon is Jack’s beagle. It’s my favorite of the lot. Snoopy wearing his pilot helmet and goggles was a popular nose art figure, but I wanted to be original with Jack’s.

“Raven: Harbinger of Destruction” – Flight Lieutenant Connor Buchanan, Spitfire. A fellow writer friend came up with the raven for Connor since he hails from Maryland (half English), but also because of all the war mythology and the Tower of London attached to the raven. The ‘harbinger of destruction’ is funny to me because not only does Connor destroy German planes, but he’s very rough on his own.

“For King and Country”- Squadron Leader Basil Godfrey, Hurricane. I like this one on so many levels. Plus the Grim Reaper appears less creepy wearing a Union Jack cloak versus a black one.

“Spyder” – Pilot Officer Johann “Spyder” Snyder, Hurricane. There are conflicting reports as to how Spyder earned his nickname. Did his squadron leader not want to use Spyder’s German name or it is because Spyder is so handsy with the ladies, it’s like he has more than two hands???

“Rosie” – Flying Officer George Rosegate, Spitfire. The fox was Connor’s idea. George is too modest and shy to put a fox on his plane, but Connor knows how sly George is on the inside. The rose in the fox's mouth represents his hidden romantic side.

Writing Amid Chaos (Penny Rader)

This month we’ve been talking about what gets in the way of our writing. Fear? Check. Procrastination? Check. Time Management? Check. Distractions? Check. Myself? Ch—no one wrote that post, but I’m the one who gets in my own way.

In addition to the fear that the words just won’t come and frittering away my time by procrastinating and indulging myself in all sorts of distractions, my other obstacle is writing when all around me is chaos. Or rather, not writing.

There've been several health issues in my family this year. Nearly lost my mom in May. My dh has another surgery scheduled this week. A separate, highly emotional issue is also pulling us in all directions and might go on for another month, maybe indefinitely.

During times like these my brain freezes. I’ll jot down things the doctors, etc. say so I won’t forget…but creative writing? Doesn’t happen. My brain is just mush. I can read (to momentarily escape), but I’m unable to create, unable to lose myself within my own writing. I remember hearing a story as a kid about tigers chasing each other around a tree. Around and around they went. Faster and faster and faster until they turned into butter. That’s my brain. Butter. A messy blur.

I’ve read that many, if not most, writers write through emotional chaos. That writing helps them through trying times. Are you one of those people? How do you do it? Or are you like me and unable to write when your life is a stressful mess, especially emotional stress?

Time Management

I noticed when I visited the blog this evening that I had missed my post date. Hence, I realized another obstacle I face as a writer. My lack of time management skills.

I have enough hours in the day. I get 24, just like the rest of you, but there are days when I have to wonder what happened to the 18 or so hours that have passed since I woke up. What did I do all day? Why didn't any of those hours include writing?
Sure, I work 12 hrs shifts at the hospital and those night shifts play havoc with my engery level and productivity, but that's only two nights a week. Five days a week I should be writing at least 6 hrs a day. I'm not. I've tried making schedules, checking off boxes of most important to least important items that have to be done, but the morning passes and all I've accomplished is to sip two cups of coffee and watch the news. Talk about depressing.

So, I'm at my wits end. I really have no idea how to manage my time and my writing is suffering because of it. Any suggestions? Any sure fire helpful hints? If you can help, I'll name a character after you in my next book.