Here's to Feeling a Peak Experience in the Creative Process!

Today's blog title comes courtesy of the Toast of the Day from The Awe-Manac by Jill Badonsky.  And what fitting title it is.  I wished it was because I had reached a peak in my creative process and that A Place to Call Their Own was done.  That couldn't be farther from the truth.  Today I wanted to talk about writer's block and my experiences of it in my writing journey.
I've been blocked from progressing my novel for a few months.  I have slowly limped back into it last week, partly from just reading some helpful articles.  Most of the advice, is "just do it" and so I have been setting my timer, set down at the computer, and hammered away at the chapter I'm working on.
At first I thought my block was coming from exhaustion at work.  This was my first Holiday Season at my new job and it as quite exhausting.  Then the opportunity came to start a new project at work.  That meant changing to a third shift schedule and I jumped at the chance, hoping to fit more writing time in my day.
But then I realized that my block is coming from my story being so, so incredibly boring at this point.
 Yes, I need to spice things up a bit.  And that is still the question of the day that I'm working on.  But in the meantime, I wanted to share some links to some helpful articles that have helped me at come to this conclusion, and at the same time, keep steadfast in my writing (click to open in a new tab or window or the link will appear over the blog):

Here's an inspirational article that really speaks to me about the art of being a writer:

http://mfainabox.com/blog/the-wannabe-writer-12-27-10/

I applied this article to my business writing this last week.  My (male) boss recently told me I write well in emails, but way too much!

http://networkedblogs.com/fz0ny

And this is the article that helped realize what I was writing was boring right now:

http://writersdigest.com/article/3-secrets-to-great-storytelling

And here are links to The Awe-Manac on Amazon and Barnes and Noble:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Awe-manac-Daily-Dose-Wonder/dp/0762431253/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300719612&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble:  http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Awe-manac/Jill-Badonsky/e/9780762431250/?itm=1&USRI=jill+badonsky

And here's Jill's Website: http://themuseisin.com/

What most of these articles have done is helped me remember my vision and long term goal:  to be a novelist.  My specific goal for this week is to remember my vision and get the novel moving again.  Have a great day, everyone.

What I learned about Twitter (and myself) this week

Everything I read about the traditional publishing world says I need to create my own platform while I write my novel.  The top two tips out there are 1).  Blog every day and 2).  Get on Twitter.  The blogging every day I've started.  (Please ignore the fact that this is my first post in how many months?)  The Twitter account I didn't understand at all until this week.
The surprising thing about my resistance to Twitter is that normally I'm very open to change.  Especially at work, I've always been given very high marks for my willingness to be open to change and embrace change.  Now I know my resistance to Twitter has been my misunderstanding of it. 
I recognized immediately the impact that Facebook has on an aspiring writer's platform.  That's very similar to how I started in Tupperware.  You have a party with your friends who have your first parties and you get your party chains started from there.  I figured I'd start promoting my writing and my novel through family and friends on Facebook and they would help me.  (And I know they are keeping up because I have cousins who are passing along that I am writing a novel.)  That concept I understand very well.
I have even seen posts from Facebook listing the "best tweets for writers."  What I didn't understand, was how in the world was I to learn about my craft from short messages of two hundred forty characters or less?  I also didn't understand the impact of followers on my Twitter account.
 So after reading last week, once again, that I needed to be on Twitter, I created my account last Tuesday, and what a week it has been.  Here are my top revelations about Twitter this week.
My first revelation is that I actually like it a bit better than Facebook.  I see it as a business tool rather than social networking.  I love the fact that I can get just the information I want through the shorter tweets rather than sorting through the posts thrown up on Facebook.  It's also a bit easier for me to arrange my lists and get through the people I am following easier than it seemed to be on Facebook.  If am truly focused on finding tips for my writing or seeing what my writing friends are up to, I just pull up that list.  If I am relaxing or just wasting time, I pull up my Pop Culture list to see what the celebrities and TV shows are twittering about.  I also love how I can skim the news and follow links when I have the time or interest to look further.
My second revelation is the all the useful information for aspiring writers like myself out there.  And, by the way, I have figured out that one finds the information they might be looking for in all the links that are posted.  These links have been very interesting this week.  Now I can't wait for the "top tweets for writers" articles to be posted so I can go find those tweets if I haven't already read them.  It's also refreshing to know if I see @mentions posted or new tweets, they'll be more relevant than rushing to see a Facebook notification only to be let down that is yet another "gift" from a friend.
My third revelation is the power and excitement of followers!  My first tweets were Tuesday night during the GLEE episode.  I am totally addicted to GLEE and love to comment on Facebook about it.  It was even more fun to talk about it on Twitter and one of my first followers came from my GLEE tweets.  Since then, most of my followers are fellow writers.  It was fun on Follow Friday to find more writers to follow and learn from.  And I think Saturday is for  Shoutouts?  I haven't confirmed that yet, but I got two shout outs today and five additional followers! 
And finally, I think some of the celebrities are a bit more active on Twitter than they are on Facebook.  I do have to admit that social networking and social media has made me somewhat of a stalker.  I love to hear what's going on in their lives and have fun with them on Facebook.  But how else, except through tweeting, could I have told @BetteMidler she looked fabulous on the @todayshow on Friday?  And how else would I have let the @beekman1802boys know I missed them in Kansas City last week?
So I am on Twitter and loving every minute of it.  I'm on there more than Facebook now.  I finally listened to my fellow writers who have been telling me for about a year to get on Twitter and start reading and tweeting.  Alas, change is good and I am actively, tweeting and writing on.

New Year's Revolutions

When you were kid, did you ever hear a word and think it meant something else?  There were two that stick out in my mind.  The first was a prayer we used to say at dinner time where we said, "Let us thank Him for our food."  I always wondered why we thanked God for the salad (even though we didn't always have salad) but not the rest of the meal?   The other word I mixed up as a kid was New Year's Resolution.  The first year I remember hearing about them, I thought they were New Years Revolutions.

When you think about it, New Year's Resolutions can be "revolutions."  I quit smoking in 1997 after making a New Year's Resolution that year.  That lifestyle change was pretty revolutionary to me at the time.  I didn't start that project until April of that year.  In 1998, I made a resolution to return to school to finish my bachelor's degree.  I accomplished that in May of that year.  Both years, I knew in January what I wanted to accomplish and I knew that January wouldn't be a good time to start working towards those goals.

Working towards goals and projects don't always have to start at the New Year to be successful.  Even if you do create New Year's Resolutions and resolve to start working on them right away, don't get discouraged when things don't work out the way you want, you have the whole year to accomplish most goals.

If you have made a resolution to get your novel done this year, remember you have the whole year to do it in.  Don't  get discouraged if work is busy right now or other personal projects are getting in the way of your writing (refer to one of my posts about routines to help with this, maybe?).  I made resolution last year to finish A Place to Call Their Own.  I haven't come anywhere near finishing it, but had I not made a resolution last year, I don't know if I would have eight chapters written right now.

If nothing else, this New Year has helped me re-examine my routines and goals and make sure that they are workable within my current schedule.  Remember, set goals and routines, but constantly revise them to make sure they are workable for you.

What about you, what New Year's "Revolutions" are you working on?

Why I Do What I Do...

I am not a political anything.  I rarely follow politics except during presidential campaign years and even then my self-education can be spotty at best.  But I do consider myself a writer and Monday was National Coming out Day (NCOD).  For anyone unfamiliar, NCOD was began in 1988 as a day to celebrate and embrace LGBT families living open, "out" lifestyles.

I came out myself in 1990 and have lived openly ever since.  I remember reading about being out in the early 1990s.  A magazine article I read or book I read at the time (my memory escapes me for the credit) stated that being out was a political statement.  That statement gave me great pride to know that I was possibly living in a time of social upheaval and enlightenment.

From my perspective, the LGBT plight seemed to make great strides during the 1990s.  Although Don't Ask Don't Tell seemed to be a set back and disappointment, it seemed to relax the witch hunting that was so prevalent in the military during the late 1980s and early 1990s. 

The 1990s were full of movies that brought our lives and experiences to the nations forethought.  Philadelphia illustrated very serious concerns for the community.  Tom Hanks' acceptance speech for Best Actor then inspired the very comical In & Out. Then came "Will & Grace" that carried us through eight years of the lives two gay men and the people in their lives.

All seemed to be well with the world.  Most of the press about LGBT issues was positive and moving in the right direction.  Marriage seemed to be our biggest hurdle.  Gradually, municipalities were recognizing domestic partnerships.  Many large companies started offering same-sex partner benefits.  Slowly, voters are passing measures that allow same-sex marriages within their states. 

And now we've come full circle.  Just last week, three young people committed suicide amid stories of bullying and abuse.  Nine  individuals have been arrested in a gang beating.  A gubernatorial candidate public states that homosexuality is not an option.  In my world, I really did believe that we were past all of this.  I (thankfully) have never been a victim to an anti-gay hate crime.

So here it is again, it seems, that it's a political statement to live an out and open life.  And that's why I'm a writer.  My purpose has been further revealed to me this week.  If nothing else, I am writer to share my LGBT experience through the stories I have to tell.  This new found purpose has breathed new life into my writing. 

My challenge for you this week is to revisit your purpose and the reasons that you write (or do whatever you do).  What is ultimately at stake if you ever decide to give it up?

The Importance of Routine...

As a writer, I am constantly reading fiction to help me with my writing; I also read a lot of non-fiction.  Sometimes I choose non-fiction books to help me with a particular subject I'm researching.  I've been reading some great books about the craft of writing that are already helping me in my quest to become a better writer.  One of the most simple, and profound, lessons I've learned about plot and action is that plot and action are derived from an interruption in the character's routines.  Most character action is then centered around restoring that routine in their lives.

I just finished reading Rainwater by Sandra Brown  How timely it was for me to discover how the main character's life in a small, Depression-era town is disrupted by the arrival of Mr. Rainwater.  And yes, true to my writing lessons, the entire novel is dedicated to the restoration of order in Ella's life.

My personal life routines have been interrupted the last ten days as well.  Transition from one job to another left me without Internet access at home for about ten days.  Now that it's restored, it feels so much easier to complete writing tasks such as working on A Place to Call Their Own and this blog.  I even asked my partner if some of his lupus discomfort lately may have been exacerbated by the interruption in our lives.

So my lesson for you this week, no matter what quest you're currently pursuing, is to make sure that you are following the routines you've set out for yourself.  I know that for ten days, my routines were disrupted after working very hard to establish some aggressive writing routines to achieve some aggressive writing goals.  Another other lesson I learned recently is to have a back up plan ready to go when my routine is disrupted.

I also got the second part of A Place to Call Their Own posted on iWriteIt.com.  Here's a link, happy reading:

http://www.iwriteit.com/author_page.php?a=L.+Dean+Pace-Frech&u=1070

Have a great week!

Don't Give Up...

I'm starting this blog entry with a poem shared by my Tupperware Distributor a long time ago when I sold Tupperware:

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but DON’T YOU QUIT!
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When you might have won had you stuck it out.
DON’T GIVE UP, thought the pace seems slow ~
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is Failure turned inside out ~
The silver tine of the clouds of doubt,
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the flight when you’re hardest hit ~
It’s when things seem worst that you
MUST NOT QUIT! - Author Unknown

It's been a busy week, again, and not for my writing.  The novel doesn't seem to be moving forward and this is the first blog post in nineteen days.  So what am I doing about it?

I am revising my writing plan and getting back to it.  Thankfully I have my routine in place to refer to in times like this.  I am rearranging it to start my Writing Week on Saturday which works best for me.  I also started some new routines this weekend around exercising in the morning, which should help with daily routines during the week.

Don't be afraid to write down your routines and goals.  When you get off track, like I have been, you can refer to those best laid plans when you are ready and get right back to it.

I've included a picture of our walking path in Bentonville, AR as reminder of the writing journey on which I travel.

Be a Writing Buddy to Find Writing Buddies

When I worked in sales, this principle was, “Help a Friend or Buddy.”  What this meant was always take a recruit with me to meetings, other recruit interviews, my sales parties, and out prospecting for more new customers.  In the more traditional business world, this meant always be developing other leaders.  As a writer this means lending a helping hand to fellow writers however I can.

Why?

Why do I think this is so important?  One of the main reasons is my enjoyment of learning, and in turn, teaching others.  This entire blog is dedicated to walking aspiring writers like myself walk through the trials and tribulations of writing a novel and getting it published.  This love of helping others is deep rooted in my being:  my father was a teacher (and still is) and I was corporate trainer for five years.  I'm still committed to training and developing others in my corporate job as a manager.  There's also an ancient lesson that says when you share talents with the world, your riches come back one hundredfold.

I have always thought that the direct sales industry has done a better job of giving incentives to who develop other leaders than the corporate world.  In the corporate world, we sometimes only see the downside of what happens when team members are promoted out.  As a writer, some of the benefits for helping others isn't as clear cut as receiving bonuses of any sort.

Benefits

For me, one of the benefits of helping other writers, is making sure I follow my own advice.  Before I gently remind fellow writing buddies if they are writing at least fifteen minutes a day, I pause and do a reality check on my own writing habits.  (See my other posts on developing routines, I've been doing much better lately, and more to come on that subject later this week.)

Another benefit is a network of support.  I am slowly creating a group of individuals whom I can count on for honest feedback on my writing.  I am in the midst of writing my first novel and haven't made it available online until I have had at least one writing buddy review the piece before I post it.  Up until this post, most of my blog posts have been reviewed before I made a public announcement that I had made an update to my blog.

A final benefit to helping others is respect and support of the writing community.  In an effort to improve my writing and model my career after other successful writers, I make it habit to review the web sites and blogs of other fiction writers.  Whenever I read anything by a writer I've not read before, I take a few minutes to review their web sites.  I am particularly attracted to writers who have a section on their web sites that include resources and advice for writers.  Marie Bostwick's site is one such site that review often.  You can visit her at http://mariebostwick.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1  (don't forget to right click and open in new tab or window or your will navigate way from the rest of the blog post.)  My previous post about finding a buddy focused on what you could gain from a writing friend.  Be sure that you are a writing friend in turn and provide the support that you seek.