Lower your expectations. Write on the fly. Go for quantity, not quality. Write no matter what. Content matters, words matter (especially keywords!), get it onto the screen now. Edit later.
Just a few writing tips from published authors who know what they're talking about. Some of these tips I'm sharing with you today I heard over and over again at the Writer's Spa in Taos last week. Jen Louden is a treasure house of writing wisdom.
Research has shown that setting high standards for yourself actually can lead to depression. Yet we all claim proudly to have high standards…Yet, think about it: are they holding you back?
As the wise Havi Brooks shares with us, "Lower your wishes, raise your possibilities." Brilliant, thanks for this, Havi!
I'm asking you,
- How do you write everyday?
- Are your standards so high you start and stop, with the words "not good enough" chattering in your monkey mind?
One of the precious tips Jen Louden shares is setting Conditions of Satisfaction. What do you need to write in order for you to be satisfied today? What is do-able? For me it's:
- Write a blog post every other day (minimum) or if possible every day
- Write 500 words on novel, or if possible 1000 words or more
- Read 1/2 hour daily of a business book relevant to coaches and executives, if possible 1 hour
- Read and research on the Web daily
To trigger writing, Jen challenges writers to ask these questions:
- What do I want? (That is, beyond current mood, what is outcome that's desired?)
- What wants to be written today?
- What do I want to write today?
You can't get to Carnegie Hall without practice, practice, practice. Same with your writing. If you've read Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, you know the research conclusively points to 10,000 hours of practice, which is over ten years if you put in practice every day.
As someone who is "up there" in years, take it from me. Ten years goes by quickly. So get started and don't stop. You'll "be there" in no time!
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