creativity – Page 2 – Molly Ovenden Creativity

3 Gentle Habits for Reflection

Watch or Listen to “3 Gentle Habits of Reflection”

Hi there!

As we approach the year end, I want to share some gentle reflective habits to help you finish strong, confident, and just as you are now. You may find journaling works well for you, so feel free to take notes to reflect on or journal on more later as this season passes. 🙂

3 Gentle Habits of Reflection:

1. What are you proud of?

2. What surprised you?

3. What are you taking with you to the next season?

And…new things are coming to BECOME the Writer 2023!

So, watch this space, everyone!

For more information about my coaching and membership services, please visit: http://mollyovenden.com/coaching/

7 Benefits of Joining a Creative Writing Membership

Memberships have become more and more of a common model and part of everyday life for so many of us. Whether it’s video streaming services, gym memberships, monthly food or hygiene delivery, or activity boxes for kids, there are memberships for pretty much everything you can think of. Creative Writing learning is no exception. From finding community of likeminded creatives to expert support to specific journey steps to guide you along your individual path for growth, there are myriad benefits of membership for those wanting to develop their creative writing lives and author careers.

Here are 7 reasons for you to consider:

Friendship
Doing any activity with friends is more fun. Learning with friends creates a shared experience which deepens your relationship. Some of the greatest writers we hear of were part of a circle of equally prolific friends. Writing and learning from friends promotes healthy peer pressure and friendly competition to help each other mutually improve. It’s not just any kind of friendship, though — it’s genuine relationships with writers who get it.
Colleagues
Creative writing life and an author career can be a really lonely path. It’s an odd sense of autonomy and independence. In some cases there are extended times of isolation. The separation from likeminded others can be demoralizing because those with whom you share daily life may not understand. A writing membership allows the opportunity for a community of professionals who understand the highs and lows, the motivations and the pains of the writing life, so they don’t need you to explain: they already all understand.

Inspiration
Being in community with creative individuals will fuel your inspiration. When there is a collection of individuals meeting together, each creative perspective bounces off the other and compounds the creative joy. Staring out the window brings a certain amount of creativity, but being able to speak aloud your ideas in the presence of someone else who will ask you questions to provoke the further development of creativity can be super helpful, too.
Momentum
There is a certain motivation that comes from belonging to a community with a monthly calendar. With a range of curated content such as accountability check ins, expert panelists, live Q&A sessions, or hot seat coaching sessions there is a rhythm to it. The rhythm of content inspires and perpetuates momentum. Done well, the membership content will be curated in a helpful pattern so as to help members take one step after the other, thus creating momentum, by keeping the learning and implementation in motion.
Curation
The best memberships are created with a focused progression of activities, learning, and insights to help members move forward. Usually three to five stages allow members to self-identify where in the process they are and at which stage. This self-identification aspect is really helpful to reduce overwhelm. Often an argument against memberships in learning environments is that all of the information is out there on the internet for free, so why would we pay for it? It’s true: there is a lot of good information out there, but it can be really overwhelming and time-consuming to sift through it all. A membership’s materials are in order and the most important pieces are selected for members to focus on and curated in the best order possible, minimizing overwhelm.

Support
Panels of experts are a tool to support your journey. For creative writing this can be one of the most significant parts of the membership journey because of the laser focus available. Memberships are often run by experts, but they are usually only experts in one or two fields. This is where panel interviews come in. The best memberships will listen to its members and schedule experts to address some of the widespread questions that will have a positive impact on the majority of the group. Members may encounter expert interviews on topics from daily habits to plot development, selecting an agent to cover design.
Answers
When you are writing at a new level of growth with uncertainty at to what lies ahead, chances are you have a lot of questions. Many creative writing memberships have an opportunity to get answers to your questions. Some may have an easy to access search function to see if someone else had your same question and others may have a monthly live Q&A session. You may be given the opportunity to ask questions ahead of time to allow the panelists or membership organizers time to prepare or it could all happen live. But, most importantly is that memberships can provide answers that you need precisely when you need them, tailored to your current stage of the writing and authoring journey.

There you have it. Those were seven real benefits for you today of how you could really put a stake in the ground in your creative writing life and author career. There is no reason that you should ever feel alone. We are made for community and creativity, so a creative writing community is a no brainer. I have always loved the groups I’ve been part of as they’ve propelled me forward and my confidence grew. If you are serious about finishing your manuscript, finally getting your brilliant idea from brain to page, let’s get you the help you need.

Hey! I’m Molly Ovenden! Creative Writing Coach, Author, Visual Artist, at your service!

BECOME the Writer paid membership exists to create and nurture a creative writing community for those who want to move forward in their writing lives and author careers. Get started and sign up today: click here.

10 Questions to Ask so You Can Habitually Finish Your Book(s)!

10 Questions to Ask so You Can Habitually Finish Your Book–or Books!

Is this you?

So many people loved writing when they were in school, but once adulthood set in, they believed they only had time for serious endeavors which don’t include writing.

So many people believe they’ve got a book in them, but they feel scared or uncertain about starting, or just can’t seem to find the time.

So many people have started writing a book, but haven’t finished because they’ve burnt out with perfectionism, fizzled out with fear about what others might think of them, or they procrastinated and ran out of time and motivation.

You don’t have to be one of these people.

The fact that you’re here, taking in these words, shows me that YOU ARE A BRILLIANT WRITER! You’ve got a desire to learn, to get your words from brain to page, and to truly make an epic and life-changingly positive impact on the world.

You CAN do this. You CAN write this book. You CAN get your book published and into the hands of those readers who will devour your words.

When you find yourself struggling to show up for your daily writing or you’re at the edge of the finish line, but dragging your feet, here are 10 lovingly convicting questions to ask yourself (perhaps via reflective journal entry) to find the courage you need to follow through.

1. Who are you as a writer?

Identity is so important when we write. If you don’t know who you are, it will be really challenging to write authentically. Often writers resist becoming authors, resisting publication, resisting the accountability for finishing what you said was important.

If you don’t know who you are, then you don’t have a certainty about whom you’re making this writing promise to, to finish your book. When you know who you are as a writer and creative and who you want to be, you begin to stand on a firmer foundation. You begin to live with more focus. Each action you take can bring you into life living as that person, or becoming someone else completely different.

Try this: I want to be a writer who (fill in the blank).

2. How does what you are actually writing resonate with who you are?

You might find that a reason you are struggling to make time every day for your creative writing habits is because it just doesn’t feel like you’re the one to write it. Are you writing something in the way you think it “should be written” or are you writing in a way that feels authentic to you personally and in your own voice? Do you actually need to write this? Or, is this writing something someone else could do instead of you?

Try this: Read a selection of your book out loud. How well does it read aloud? Take notes and make adjustments accordingly in revision time.

3. Who is your reader?

Think of a single person you are telling your story to. In your imagination, bring them into your room. Perhaps, if your ideal reader is a couple different people, set out metaphorical chairs in your writing room for these few people and then write like you’re speaking or reading to just them.

You may argue your book is for more than these couple of folks, or even that it’s for everyone. That’s great! You’ve got massive vision. But, it’s important you speak directly to these individuals so your readers know the story is for them. If you speak to the crowd, it all tends to get muddy and harder for your readers to connect with you and the stories you’re trying to share.

Try this: Imagine your ideal reader sat in the chair across from you. Pay attention to what they are doing or saying and allow them to react and respond while you read and write.

4. How does what you are actually writing help your reader?

Think of your actual ideal reader. How is what you’re writing for them bringing inspiration or helping them learn or entertaining them? It can be tempting to write for the agent or publisher or your 2nd grade teacher who told you you’d never write anything good.

But unless they are a picture of your ideal reader, don’t bring them into your living room to tell them your story. Writing can be a fight to get the words out. When you consider who your words will actually help, this can bring clarity and the second wind of endurance you need to finish strong.

Try this: As you already have your ideal reader sat in the chair across from you, read your words out loud to them. Think critically whether what you’ve written resonates with them. You may want to imagine their facial expressions. Even better could be to get your literal ideal reader together with you and ask them for focused feedback.

5. Why are you writing this book?

If you’re like most creative people, you’ve probably got heaps of inspiration and ideas mulling around in that imagination of yours. Knowing why you’ve chosen to write this particular one can be a gift of clarity to help you finish it.

There was one point when it seemed like the best idea in the world to work on this book right now. Take a moment to remember why this is important to you.

Also, think about some of the other books you would like to write. They won’t get written if you don’t finish this one. Use the promise of the next book you want to write to propel you onward. Perhaps you have a series in mind or a collection – those books need each other.

Try this: Make a list of reasons why you chose to write this book. Put the list somewhere you can see it regularly. Read it out loud to yourself as often as it takes.

6. What are you most excited about for this book?

If you’ve been working on this book for a while, it might have lost its sparkle from conception. Maybe you’re in the messy middle and it feels very messy and all you can think of is how much it’s going to take to clean it all up and make sense of all the mind mud.

Maybe you’ve been saying things like this for months (to yourself and others), “I’m very nearly finished…I just have the last little details to polish…just one last bit to sort out…” This can be demoralizing and prolong the finishing.

Try this: Make a list of 3-5 aspects of your book that excite you. You may refer to some pieces on your previous list. And, you may use future books as an incentive to get excited enough to propel you to the finish. Put your list somewhere you can read it and remember as often as it takes.

7. What would happen to your readers if you never finished this book?

The reality is that perhaps nothing would happen if you never finished writing this book. But, consider your readers again. If you feel compelled to write something, to persevere through actually finishing a bunch of words in book form and getting it out into the world, then it’s likely worth finishing.

It’s worth finishing because of who the words are for. Your readers may continue feeling sad and not knowing how to escape and if they don’t read your novel, they won’t learn about the magical land of Smorithinya and its mystical beings, the Carinchimpfs who can only fly with their eyes closed. If you don’t finish your book, your readers will never experience the connection they would have when they read your memoir – their feelings of being outcast and uninspired will remain. They will still be stuck in their issues and unsure how to go forward – even though your book, were you to finish it, would provide some answers.

Try this: Imagine: What would happen to your readers if you never finished this book?

8. What will it feel like to see people devouring your book?

You’ll never know the feeling of how your words impact the world in a positive way if you don’t finish writing your book and putting it out into the world. But to imagine how big of a rippling and far reaching impact that it could make? All of the potential it could have? If only you finished getting your words on the page and submitted.

But, how cool to watch the delight in young readers’ eyes. How cool to witness the transformation in a person when you walk them through the step-by-step process of how you overcame obstacles. How amazing it will feel to hear about how much your book meant to your readers.

Try this: Imagine: What will it feel like to see people devouring your book?

9. When are you writing?

The human mind and emotions and body and soul are complicated. These all play a role in our stick-to-it-ness of finishing the book, but also toward how you feel during your writing times.

Even though last season worked really well to write in the early morning, now the sun rises earlier and you find it too distracting to watch the sunrise. Perhaps you’ve changed your diet or exercise routine and now you need to make sure you eat before you write instead of after like you did last year. There are so many factors which it might be helpful to consider.

Try this: Take an honest assessment of the time of day, the length of time, the frequency each week. Assess what you’re doing before and after your writing time, too. Determine whether this is the best time and schedule for you to continue using. Make a change, if necessary.

10. What needs to happen for you to keep the momentum?

Sometimes life gets in the way and we need to restructure life and our writing schedule for them to work and play well together. Sometimes saying “no” to late nights with friends or family extras needs to happen for a season. Sometimes riding the wave of inspiration needs to happen even though it’s late into the night.

What habits are preventing you from moving forward to cross the finish line? What habits would help to slingshot you across the finish? What is something awesome (or not-so-awesome) that has actually been keeping you from finishing? Even good things can hold us back.

Try this: Consider what you could pause for a season that could help you finish your book. Then, have the conversation to get extra help. Buy noise canceling headphones. Put your writing pants on – whatever it takes, and keep the momentum.

That’s it. Those are the questions to ask so you can habitually finish your book–or, books!

Consider each of these questions as much as you need to, but please, don’t use trying to find the best answers for each question as another thing to prevent you from finishing your book. There are so many reasons which could prevent us from finishing. From health issues, to busy seasons at work, to creative blockages from fear, imposter syndrome, perfectionism. Whatever your “thing” is that’s preventing you from finishing, get some help.

Do the inner work yourself to be able to address it with these questions and then you’ve got a starting point to get the help you need. Depending on the topic, you could be experiencing resistance due to the highly emotional content or you could be experiencing resistance if you feel like you’re not the most qualified person to talk about this issue or teach this subject.

Perhaps interviewing an expert for your topic’s research could help. Maybe a session with a counselor could help un-pick what’s holding you back. An accountability writing group who meet regularly could be just the ticket. Enrolling in writing classes and hiring a creative writing coach could be just what you need.

Do what it takes. Tell a friend. Ask for help. Remind yourself of the writer you are and who you want to be. Remind yourself of who will miss out if you don’t finish. Get your words out from your brain to the page and into the hands of readers who will devour your book! Put the stake in the ground and write. You can totally do this. I believe in you!

Happy writing!

Hey, I’m Molly Ovenden. Author, Creative Writing Coach, Visual Artist, Perseverance Expert. Let’s talk to see if working with a Creative Writing Coach is your next best step. Schedule your free call now.

5 Actions That Help My Body Write

Writing is a purely intellectual pursuit. I strongly disagree with this statement. Of course a lot of writing requires thought processes, but I’ve found that there are a lot of physical processes that for me to find success during writing sessions. Longevity of my author career is really important to me so that I can reinforce who I believe I am made to be: someone who creates for a living…primarily through words.

Because I’ve realized that I want to have a creative career, I need both my mental and my emotional health in tip top shape. When I don’t sleep well and rely on coffee to fuel me or when I don’t leave the house (where I work in my in-home studio and writing space), my mental and emotional health suffer. Being physically active is hugely beneficial to my own writing life.

As a result, I regularly do things that impact my body in a positive way so I can write and bring entertaining, joy and hope-filled, educational words to readers around the world.

Here are five physical activities I regularly take part in to help my body write:

1. Run
I am a marathon runner. I began my running life in elementary school against my will having to suffer the mile run in gym class on rainy days and do laps in the sweaty gymnasium. When I reached my mid-twenties I began running to travel more quickly (my feet were my transportation and I was bored of walking). After a short while, I actually fell in love with running (I also used to think people who “love running” were lying to me).

When I run, I restore the connection between my mind and body. When I write or sit at my computer all day and “forget” or otherwise neglect to run, my mind has a tendency to run on its own in an unhealthy way. Running bring head, heart, body all together. Running is also a social time for me when I see people in my running group. I also find my awareness to my five senses is heightened. More awareness of my senses makes for better writing.

Since I am a distance runner, I find that there are so many parallels between the perseverance to physically run my 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon race, and respective training and the writing life–especially the book writing, publishing, marketing aspects. It’s all a long-game view and running provides a lot of writing material.

2. Yoga
Similar to running, yoga brings a reconnection to my mind, body, heart. When I am in the writing space, I can be far away from wherever “here” is when I write. But yoga requires me to focus my mind on what my body is doing, so my mind does a helpful reset. For me, yoga is also like running in that they are both spiritual practices.

Faith is really important to me and when I spend time running, stretching after running, or strengthening my core with yoga, I’m also connecting to God. I’m inviting the Holy Spirit into my day and moments of practice in the quiet and I’m asking my friend Jesus to run with me or to help my mind be at peace.

While yoga is meditative and a tool to help me let go in prayer and give God any anxious thoughts in exchange for His peaceful thoughts, there is also a pure physical process to yoga that really helps my body to write, too. Yoga strengthens and grows lean muscles and my core, too which is important for running efficiently (which helps my writing life), but also to sit properly at my desk, to sleep well for my mind to be clear, and to make space for creative thoughts.

3. Physical therapy

Physical therapy is something I began out of necessity because I had some balance issues we thought were my equilibrium, but ended up being a strain on my neck and shoulders. Yes, yoga is a pure physical improvement to my body. Sitting at a computer or bending my head over to write in a notebook can bring physical strains.

However, there are some exercises I turn to in the realm of yoga or pilates that were given to me by my physical therapist, massage therapist, and chiropractor. When I take time to stretch my wrists and hands, my forearms are healthier. When I take time to stretch my hips, my lower back is looser. When I take time to stretch my chest and shoulders, my neck is less strained.

When I don’t take time to stretch or do my physical therapy exercises because I feel too busy, I actually slow myself down and prevent myself from making the progress in my writing life that I want to make because it can become too painful, and actually physically stuck that it’s difficult to write.

4. Breathing

There are many physical benefits of breathing. We know this because it’s an involuntary action for most: breathing literally keeps us alive. There are other benefits, too. Deep and slow breathing increases lung capacity for oxygen which means blood cells have more oxygen to function and this increases the strength of our immune system.

Not only the immune system is improved, but also our muscles can be more relaxed with deep breathing. Sleep improves with intentional breathing practices because the involuntary breathing becomes more efficient. I’ve found that taking rhythmically slow, deep breaths, when I breathe out slowly I can reduce stress.

Intentional breathing also helps me to focus. Being distracted when I write means less productivity and less articulated in my writing. Breath work allows me to focus on my breath and also helps me reinforce the habit of focusing on whatever task is on hand. The practice of focusing on the sound of my inhales and exhales and how each movement of breath impacts my body increases my awareness to details. Noticing details allows writing with specificity, which results in writing more authentically.

5. Drinking water

Our bodies are made up of water, so if we don’t replenish what we use, things get sluggish and sticky. I know when I don’t drink enough water I get distracted by dry and chapped lips and I can get stomach aches and head aches from not being hydrated. This distraction prevents efficient writing.

Because dehydration is known for causing dizziness, fatigue, and memory loss (among other things), being sufficiently hydrated means creativity will improve. I know first hand how trying to force myself to be creative and productive tends to backfire when I don’t give myself the fuel needed.

My brain feels like it’s trudging sluggishly and no sparkles of creativity come out. And I think the biggest one that I notice when I am drinking sufficient quantities of water is that my memory improves and I don’t waste time trying to force myself to remember what’s going on.

In conclusion…

There are so many routines we can put in plan to ensure creativity and writing are completed in the most delightfully efficient manner. For me running, yoga, physical therapy, breathing, and drinking water are necessary basic needs I miss when I don’t make them each a priority.

Another way I choose to support my creativity is by being part of communities of people who are working toward a similar goal and lifestyle as I am. It’s immensely helpful to have a common goal and common understanding. In large part this comes from the support from not only my writing groups, but also my coaches and mentors.

Everyone benefits from working with a coach. That’s why I have coaches in various areas of my life and that’s why I am a coach. If you would like more information about what it’s like to work with me as your creative writing coach, get started today with a strategy call.

You may find you’re ready to write in community and have support in a group setting with other writers like you wanting to make significant progress, join the BECOME the Writer paid membership is great fun.

Happy writing!

Closer, the book

Closer: Spiritual Reflections for Writers and Thinkers helps people of faith grow closer to God through the acts of writing and thinking, so that they can live full, authentic lives as the person who they are made to be.

Purchase your signed copy here.

The process all started more than ten years before the book was released into the wild.

Listen to pre-launch day reflections here.

I had graduated from college during a recession. I’d started my university education at a time when organizations simply wanted their employees to have a degree in something and I ended with a degree when organizations preferred their new employees to start with at least five years of professional, working experience in the field they were hiring.

So.

I sat at home in my pajamas applying for teaching jobs every day of the summer. I worked for a family member, too, so at least I had a summer income. While I worked I had a lot of time to think about fun things, like actually becoming the writer I dreamed of being. Like actually writing a book. Like continuing to write regularly as I’d been doing while I was a student.

(By the way…I also have signed copied of Closer: Companion Journal for Writers & Thinkers available to purchase here.)

My summer job with family was an assembly line and I was quicker than the machine (yay, me!) and this meant I could write my thoughts and book ideas in a notebook between assembly. Thankfully my boss was a supportive family member (because I got the work done efficiently and quickly — my writing along the way didn’t slow me down).

When 4:30pm hit, I’d clock out and hop into my car, clutching my notes from the day. I’d charge through the door of my mom’s house, still wearing my greasy clothes from the machine shop and I’d plop down at the dining room table with my notebook. I’d spend the next 30 to 60 minutes furiously scribbling all of the thoughts I’d had about the notes I’d jotted that day.

Grab your signed copy of Closer: Spiritual Reflections for Writers & Thinkers here.

. . . . . . .

By the way…I also have signed copied of Closer: Companion Journal for Writers & Thinkers available to purchase here.
Now you can get your words out from brain to page and into the hands of readers who will devour them, too.

I wanted everything that had been swirling around all day to get on the page. And, I was curious about what might come out.

I had a practice of capturing ideas all day in a scrap of notebook paper.

I had a practice of expanding the ideas every day when I got home from work.

I had a practice of showing up every day as the writer I wanted to be.

Listen to pre-launch day reflections here.

This practice meant that I was available daily for the muse to come and inspire me. In this book’s case, my muse was the Holy Spirit. And, I developed a practice of listening for the Holy Spirit, noticing where God is in my daily life, and looking for what I could learn from God to get closer to Him.

📚You can find a signed copy of my book Closer: Spiritual Reflections for Writers & Thinkers here.

(By the way…I also have signed copied of Closer: Companion Journal for Writers & Thinkers available to purchase here.)

📚You can find my book on pretty much wherever books are sold. If you enjoy reading my book, please leave an honest review on Amazon:

📚You can order the Kindle or print version on Amazon.
The print version is available at the following (& more!) locations, regionally:

🇺🇸US readers order print copies here.

🇦🇺Australian readers order print copies here.

🇬🇧UK readers order print copies here.

Closer is a collection of essays about every day events where I experienced the presence of God and learned to grow closer in my relationship with Him.

The format is simple:
a) Here’s my story.
b) Here’s how you and I, dear reader, are in it together.
c) Here are some questions to think about where you might notice God.
d) Here’s a prompt for you to write YOUR story.
e) Read. Write. Think. Repeat.

Intrigued? Sign up here to get all of the details about this book and how you can get your hands on it.

📚You can find my book on Amazon or wherever books are sold. If you enjoy reading my book, please leave an honest review on Amazon:

📚You can order the Kindle or print version on Amazon.
The print version is available at the following (& more!) locations, regionally:

🇺🇸US readers order print copies here.

🇦🇺Australian readers order print copies here.

🇬🇧UK readers order print copies here.

Listen to pre-launch day reflections here.

7 Ways Gratitude Helps Us to Focus

Gratitude keeps us grounded, focused on the present. Being content is being thankful for what we already have. Thanksgiving allows a time of reflection on what’s happened, where we’ve grown, what’s surprised us, we count our life blessings and then we can look ahead with a hopeful attitude.

I can lose perspective when I’m not present here and now. I’m either daydreaming or looking ahead only we leaves me feeling stuck today. Holding past, present, and future up to God means they can all work together and not exist in unhelpful isolation.

Living in the Past
We all can learn from Napoleon Dynamite’s Uncle Rico that living in the past isn’t the best way to live. Being in the past alone can leave us feeling regret and hopeless because of what we didn’t do or something we wish we hadn’t done. Looking back constantly can also be full of fear of what’s coming from our past to bite us or rear-end us like in a car crash.

Living in the Future
But, living in the future isn’t ideal either. When we only look ahead, we’re always not yet there. We haven’t achieved that goal yet. We haven’t become that writer yet. Our goal posts keep moving as we make progress. When we focus on the future, we only see that we’ve not reached the finish line yet.

Living in the Present
Gratitude offers a different perspective. Gratitude allows us to be here today while keeping the tension in check. We can be thankful while holding onto the known of the past and holding onto unknown of the future. Gratitude gives us the opportunity to be a supportive observer of progress and supported holder of hope.

There are undoubtedly countless ways to grow in gratitude. Here are several reflections which I’ve found helpful to I engage regularly to live with gratitude:

For the morning:
1. Today I am grateful for…
I look back at what’s happened recently and I take time to look around me. In the physical, I often notice the good about my home, my job, my family, my health and body. In the emotional, mental, and spiritual I often notice something that feels happy or something I’ve accomplished or how I’m experiencing my relationship with God.

I list 3-5 items or phrases that express what I’m thankful for in the morning.

2. What would make today great?
I consider what I hope to accomplish in the day and imagine what it’d be like if I could show up how I want to. Often my list of “great” comes what I want to accomplish and in some ways it can become a to do list. Other times it includes thoughts about being present or a mindset. We want every day to be great, right? So, I always intend to keep this reflection for items which I have control over.

I list 3-5 to do’s or to be’s in the morning as I look ahead to the day.

3. I’m thankful for these people:
I usually consider this in the morning and lift up 3-5 people that I feel particular gratitude for. Most days it’s my husband in one of the slots and usually it’s my coach, pastor, spiritual director, or friend who has helped me through something or stuck with me in something or for whom I simply feel full of love and gratitude.

Sometimes I spend a moment in the evening to thank God for the conversations that happened throughout the day with certain people. Whether morning or evening or throughout the day, noticing the people in my life in the here and now helps me. Acknowledging them points me toward progress made that they’ve helped me though and points me toward hopeful future with them in my community.

You might even consider writing one of these people a note or postcard to send in the mail. Or, perhaps a text or phone call would be better. Sometimes taking a moment to make a personal connection helps us experience more ingrained gratitude and passes on a feeling of thanksgiving to those whom we’re thankful for.

4. Awesome things that happened today…
Usually I’ll reflect on this in the evening, but sometimes I’ll start in the morning to reflect on the previous day. I list 3-5 things that happened in the day that were a surprise, a relief, a moment of joy, an accomplishment, a gift.

Sometimes it’s amazing or awesome or really cool because it was a hard thing I was trying to achieve (like drinking more water than coffee or having a hard conversation with someone that resulted in a better situation) and it’s sometime awesome because I got to be with a person or was surprised by noticing God in a situation even when I wasn’t intentionally reflecting, but being present in the here and now.

5. How could I have made today better?
I usually list 2 things each night that I could have done better. It’s amusing how over time I can see the consistent struggle to run more frequently, do more yoga, eat healthier, go to bed earlier.

Like #2 with what we can do to make today great, this one is also a focus on things that are within the realm of our control where we’d like to improve. Noticing the regularities allow us time

Photo by **Arina Krasnikova** from **Pexels**

6. What did I learn today?
Looking at what I’ve learned allows me to realize that yes, indeed, I have made progress. My own tendency is to look so far ahead in the dreamland of “Wouldn’t it be cool if?!” if I’m not taking intentional action and noticing what progress I make.

A head in the clouds in fun for a time, but it’s not a healthy place for me to live as it’s a seed for despair when I only consider the lack of what hasn’t happened yet, since I dream of that which isn’t reality.

As a lifelong learner, I also want lifelong learning for others, so at the end of the day, I hope you’ll reflect. Whether it is “I learned that something is wrong with the toilet” or “I learned that I need to learn x” or “I learned how to plot my novel” each of these measure progress and paint a picture of transformation.

7. Where have I experienced God today?
This allows me to pause and spend time breathing, praying, asking God to reveal Himself to me. Even if this is a mere moment, I think spending a moment is better than never. I do this throughout the day and have had seasons of setting an alarm or calendar notification every couple hours to help me re-focus.

Some people would describe this as a time of contemplative prayer or an examen to reflect on consolations (all of the good, life-giving, invigorating things) and desolations (all of the bad, life-draining, wearing-out things).

If faith is important to you, I’d encourage you to do this each evening before bed and ask God to show you where He was at work over the last 24 hours. Even if faith isn’t important to you, I’d encourage you to consider where you noticed anything spiritual happening. Who knows what may come to mind?

How would you feel if you decided that TODAY is the day to become the writer you’ve always dreamed of being? Grateful?

Book a call with me to see if 1-on-1 time with a creative writing coach is your next right step.

5 Benefits of Hiring a Creative Writing Coach

Why should I have a creative writing coach?

Everyone can benefit from working with a coach. There’s a saying, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Writing is a long and detailed process. You could do it alone. It is definitely possible. Or, you could do it together with a coach and you are more likely to be able to complete it and get your powerful words out there and still want to write more after you finish.

As a runner, I can attest to the benefits of running in the company of another who is more advanced than I am. I have grown as a runner in healthy confidence and endurance. Training for my second marathon, I worked with a coach and was in a running group. When I crossed the finish line, I had shaved a massive 45 minutes, 3 seconds off my first marathon’s time. I know that it was having the support and accountability and training available in the months leading up to race day that helped me the most to be prepared to go further and faster…helping me to achieve my marathon goals of finishing the race and not needing to go to the hospital. My running coach helped me do that.

Photo by **RUN 4 FFWPU** from **Pexels**

As a writer, I can attest to the benefits of writing with others more experienced than I am, too. Whenever I have been in a writing class, in a writing group or worked one-on-one with someone who knows writing, my own writing has improved.

Here are five ways a creative writing coach can help you on your writing journey:

Working with a coach can take away the pain of loneliness. Writing is an individual pursuit, often done in isolation with sound cancelling headphones at odd or unsociable hours of the day. Meeting with a creative writing means that you can come out of your writing cave every so often and talk with someone who gets it.
Working with a coach can provide motivation. Establishing daily creative writing habits can feel mundane, boring, draining, same-old-work-different-old-day kind of stuff. A coach can provide encouragement when you don’t want to write. A coach can remind you of why you are writing in the first place. A coach can celebrate your progress with you every seemingly miniscule step of the way.

You can TOTALLY become the writer you were made to be! Photo Credit: Photo by Prateek Katyal from Pexels

Working with a coach can help you overcome obstacles. Big projects take a lot of effort and you will get tired. When you get tired, or forget to eat, or get distracted by other important things, your coach can help you identify what is stopping you from making progress on your writing goals. They can listen to what you’re dealing with and provide resources to overcome what’s holding you back to help you get back on track.
Working with a coach can help you develop structure. Many writers would describe themselves as being really creative. Not as many writers would describe themselves as being really organized. A coach can help you identify your big writing goals and provide support and resources so you can develop useful habits and routines to reach your goals and become a prolific, fruitful, effective writer.
Working with a coach can help you access the expertise you need. Each coach has particular areas of expertise. Do your research when you look for a coach to make sure they can offer you the expertise you need. Most coaches will offer a free consultation or discovery call to assess whether they would be able to help you with your writing needs. Take advantage of this free call. It’s a dual-sided interview for the coach to see if they have the personality and expertise to help you achieve your goals, but it’s also for you to decide if you like the coach. This is usually going to be a long-term working relationship in which you’ll share a lot of your life and struggles as well as successes and celebrations. If you don’t feel like you can click with one coach, it’s commonly accepted that you reach out to a different one.

Whatever you choose to do in terms of hiring a writing coach, going the distance of a creative writing project is made easier when done in community. If going the distance with your words, hiring a coach could be your next right step.

If you would like to schedule a free, no-strings-attached Discovery Call with me, click this link to set up a time to meet.

Don’t Edit Before You Write: 7 Steps In Thoughtful Revision

You lean back, take a sip of your coffee and it’s cold because you’ve been writing for so long. You sip it anyway, a consolation prize to celebrate that you finished drafting your novel or your short story. Woo! You totally should celebrate. Many people get stuck in their first thoughts and this “stuckness” prevents them from ever actually having something to give to someone else to read.

Many writers ask the question about how to edit. I’ve asked it, too. It’s a great question to ask. An important question to ask. But what can be troubling is when writers ask the question about is when they are asking. Usually writers ask about editing too soon. Many times before they’ve even gotten their first draft words out.

Before anything else, get your first thoughts out.

While there is nothing wrong with asking the question, editing too soon can stunt the growth of the over piece of writing. From years of performance education or trying to please important adults in our lives, we want the first draft to be perfect before we’ve even written anything. This fear of getting imperfect words out stops us from writing.

Get your first thoughts out. (Your first thoughts, not your perfect thoughts.)
Allow yourself to express your ideas in a messy way. Through paint on the page and give yourself something to work with. Give yourself the freedom to think on the page. Meandering helps you to find the story you are telling.

Even if you’ve done significant planning and outlining in a pre-writing stage before you have done any free writing exercises, there is still some wandering thoughts that will spill onto the page before the crystal clear idea appears.

When we try to start writing with one editor on our shoulder and one art on our other shoulder, the artist is so scared of the editor that she will say the wrong thing and make the editor mad. This instigates feelings of paralysis.

So, before you undergo editing, allow yourself the gift of wearing one hat at a time. First, wear your creative writing hat. Once you’ve written your first thoughts and put what you think is the majority of your main idea out on the page to read, then put your editing hat on.
Read your whole piece over with a critical, but non-judgmental eye.
Ask yourself some questions once you have an overall idea of what you have to say:
a) What am I actually trying to say? What is the question I am trying to answer by writing this?

b) What is the main point of this story/narrative/essay/thesis?

c) Does what you’ve written add to that which you’ve determined is your main point? If yes, keep it. If not, get rid of it.

If it feels too frustrating or scary to actually press delete forever on something you’ve written, even a few words here and there, don’t worry. You have options. You can either save a new version of the draft, or you can copy and paste your little sweetie words that you get rid of into a separate, new document to save for later in a different piece.
Do a second read through with a closer, more critical eye.
If your previous reading was assessing the situation and raking through what you wrote, think of this reading as using a large bristled brush to go through it all a little more up close.

Ask yourself questions like:
a) Do I need these words? Or, do I just want them? Why am I attached to them? Why do I want to get rid of them? What do they contribute to the main point? Where might they add confusion if they are left in? Where might they bring clarity if taken out?

b) Do I love these words? Or, do I just like them? Why do you love or only like them? What could you write instead that you might love it? How can you sharpen what you’ve said by altering a single word or amending a phrase?
Determine what works and what needs improvement.
a) What aspects of this piece flow well and which have gaps that don’t make sense or need more explanation? Make notes of this to do additional free writing on the side to add to the large piece. Set aside time when you can put your creative hat back on, so that you don’t have to write with your editor paralyzing your creative process.

b) What would happen if I did (blank) instead of (blank)? Think about going to the eye doctor, “Better with 1 or 2? 1 or 2? Or the same?” Sometimes playing around with language is necessary to be able to hone in the exactness of language required to communicate how you want to.
Reassess whether you are saying what you want to say.
What if you simply read what you have and then opened up a fresh document and rewrote it from memory? Chances are if you have written it from memory, the main points and important parts are there. Try this. Read a scene or the full story down and distill it into a paraphrase. If you aren’t able to paraphrase, then there is still work to be done on clarifying your message. If you can paraphrase, then on your next read through you can have even more confidence in what needs to stay and what needs to adjust.
Think of your audience and use specific language to suit their needs.
You can always go back to add more vivid details and specific imagery or cut it out when it gets too fluffy.

Reading juvenile fiction is a great way to learn getting straight to the point with precise and direct description. Kids want to know what’s happening next and next and next–fewer, punchier, weightier words are more effective to get on with developing the story.

Reading romance novels can be a great teacher in writing generally fluffy, descriptive language. Typically women (not always, though) want to feel everything that is involved within a romantic story. The details are important. It’s an escapism tool. Romance writers want to provide a satisfying place to escape to, within their story. Scenes tend to use more words, drawn out descriptions, and adjectives with a multitude of words which allows the reader to stay in the moment for longer.

In this read through, determine who your audience is and whether the manner in which you’ve written suits them. Adjust your language accordingly.
Read it out loud.
Often our brain fills in the gaps and makes sense of nonsense for us when we are quiet, but when we read it aloud (as if) to someone (the audience we’ve determined in step #6), then we can hear what it actually sounds like. We can listen for how that reader would interpret what we are saying.

Writing for a reader is different than writing for ourselves. We know what we mean and we can leave it at that. But, does our reader know what we mean? Sometimes we have to adjust our language. Consider the different ways you’d explain something to a five-year-old or your 95-year-old granny.

While it is tempting to try to be efficient in the free writing process by not writing freely, I strongly urge you to resist that temptation. Don’t edit before you write. Maybe this technique of editing as you go has worked for you in the past, but I believe (from my own writing experience and from watching others use these strategies) that allowing yourself the freedom to get the words out provides better writing over all.

Yes, some of the words in the free writing process will be garbage and you may be tempted to tell yourself you’re such a rubbish writer, but don’t. Be kind to yourself. Take your editing hat off and firmly secure your artist hat and allow yourself to express. Yes, even in a work of non-fiction. Take the limits off of yourself and go through these steps.

When we allow the floodgates of creative writing to wash onto the page, yes there is a bunch of not-so-great writing, but it also allows that magical gold goodness to come out, too. When we sensor ourselves, we don’t get to distinguish between the garbage and the gold. We slow the flow on all of our words.

If you are in the middle of a writing project and you’re stuck in an editorial mindset that you think is hurting your creative flow, I’d love to talk with you. As a creative writing coach, I work with people who are determined to become the writer they’re made to be. It’s a privilege to get to come alongside writers, young and old, experience and inexperienced and help take them to the next steps of audacious, prolific, and resilient writing. If this sounds like you, let’s talk.

Book a Discovery Call with me today to see if working together with me as your coach is your best next step.

Happy writing!

How to Become an Audacious Writer

Audacious is a big word, one synonymous with outspoken, sometimes intimidating people. Yet, it’s also often synonymous with success, courage, seeing massive dreams come to fruition. Audacious, as defined by dictionary.com, means, “extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless: an audacious explorer.“

Those of us who’ve sat back and observed someone instead of taking action ourselves, we’ve have felt intimidated, offended, demoralized when watching someone with the audacity to succeed in doing the things we want to do (and usually not as well as we know we could do them). Yet, I didn’t take action. Other times, I’ve felt that I couldn’t measure up to achieve what I saw others doing.

When I finally resolved to take audacious action:
in spite of feeling afraid,
in spite of worrying about what people think of me,
in spite of knowing how to fully do what I want to be able to do,
I felt more like myself.

How do I become an audacious writer?
1. Write and share words even when I feel fear.
2. Write and let go of others’ thoughts about me.
3. Write and keep writing even when I don’t know how to finish or where I’m going.

Here are three lessons I’ve learned about how to become an audacious writer.

Lesson #1:
Fear Doesn’t Have Power to Hold Me Back, Unless I Give it Power.
Fear can be loud, dark, blaring, and in your face. It can chase you. It can whisper in your ear. Fear can be very persuasive.

But, fear has no power unless you give it over.

For me, fear has a very real spiritual aspect to it. Because I believe that Jesus is who He says He is in the Bible, giving into fear holds me back from receiving love, and I’m just not into that.

So, I know that I can take action in spite of the fear surrounding me because I know that I am loved. When I doubt that I am loved and accepted, cracks begin to form where fear can seep in and scare me off from completing my writing task. This gives fear permission to have power to push me down.

I will write and share words even when I feel fear.
Fear is part of reality. How I react to feeling fear determine whether I give it power over my life. The difference between feeling afraid and being afraid is massive.

When we feel afraid, it’s a condition outside of ourselves that we can choose how we respond in the midst of it.

When we are afraid, however, it’s a characteristic of our identity. While conditional, it is part of who I am. “I am afraid.” Being afraid means stopping in our tracks. Phrases like ‘paralyzed by fear’ cause us to take no action and live in a state of fear.

Simply feeling the fear is an awareness of the fear, but because it’s not part of our identity, we don’t have to respond to it. It has no power, because I’ve not attached it to my being.

As a result, I write words and I share them. Yep, there’s a ton of stuff that feels scary to me. That will likely always be the case that things feel scary, but it doesn’t always have to be the case that they really are scary.

So, while the unknowns, the doubts, the uncertainties can feel scary, I choose to write the words and get them out and not allow fear the delight of holding me back from becoming the audacious writer I’m made to be. I hope the same for you, too.

Lesson #2
Fear About What Others Think of Me is a Waste of Time.

It’s true that I actually spend more time worrying about myself and what I’m meant to do that I do thinking about other people. It’s selfish and normal and, dare I say (yes, I dare because I’m an audacious writer) freeing!

Most of us are stuck in our own minds. This is a topic for another post series, but the reality is that usually people simply aren’t as hyper focused on you and your choices as you are with your own.

When this comes to how to become the writer you’re made to be, allow yourself the ability to get words out. If people are concerned with or by your words, there’s an opportunity for a conversation where you can get to know each other more.

If you’re committed to being an afraid writer who doesn’t write, but simply thinks about writing, people will think of you the same amount that they will if you actually take that audacious step to get your words out, but they won’t have the opportunity to know you in the same way.

Sharing your words is an invitation.

I will write and let go of others’ thoughts about me.
When I write, I am being myself. I am a writer. I am a writer who writes thoughtfully. I am a writer who submits and publishes regularly. I am a writer who encourages and empowers others to become the writers they’re made to be.

The reality of publishing through contests, open calls for submissions to magazines or podcasts, traditional publishing methods means that there is a limited amount that can be published within each issue or episode or print catalog.

The reality of publishing means that sometimes your work doesn’t fit at this time for the publisher, purely from a logistics standpoint. Magazines, for instance, often have themes for each issue. If January’s theme is animal rescue stories and your overcoming cancer story gets rejected, it isn’t necessarily that the publishers think your story is garbage. It just doesn’t fit at this time.

Of course sometimes it can refer to the quality of my submitted work, but one way to ensure my work is of highest quality as possible is to…write! And, keep writing and let go of others’ thoughts about me.

I want to think this part goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway. When I say I’m letting go of what other people think about me, I don’t mean that I can write mean things about people or lack regard for upholding someone’s character or reputation or that are outright mean. What I mean is that I’d rather write my words than not write words in case maybe somebody might not like them (because not everybody will always love everything you or I write–we’re too different to all love the same things).

Lesson #3
Fear of Not Knowing How to Do What I Want to Do Doesn’t Have to Hold Me Back.
When I was a kid I developed this messed up belief that turned into a massive fear I lived many years with. If I can’t do something perfectly the first time something is wrong with me and I shouldn’t try to do it.

This just isn’t true. If I’ve never done something before, of course I don’t know how to do it and of course I won’t be able to do it perfectly. Also, only God is perfect, so me trying to do things perfectly isn’t helpful.

When I’ve allowed the fear of not yet knowing how to do something hold me back, I’ve let go of the power of learning and education. I believe that we all have the capacity to learn and we can observe this human quality as we watch babies learn to walk and listen to them learn to talk. They aren’t afraid of making mistakes or scared because they don’t know how to do something yet. They just do the thing.

I will write and keep writing even when I don’t know how to finish or where I’m going.
It’s a choice to keep putting one word in front of the other. When I plan my writing with exact precision, I can get stuck and prevent creativity from flowing if as I write my ideas morph or change all together.

At the time of writing this (November 2021), I’m in my first draft of a novel. I know vaguely how it will end, but I really have no idea how it’s going to get there. I don’t know–yet–how to weave my main characters’ stories together into a cohesive narrative. I don’t know how to work with a particular editor, yet. I don’t know yet what the best method of publication for this story is yet.

Instead of stopping in fear before I even start the story, I’m committed to writing and allowing myself to learn and discover along the way. This adds fun to the process of creating, but it also allows freedom for me to meander and glean everything I can along the way.

When we do this, I think it makes us better writers, too. We’re not locked into the way it’s always been done. We’re not paralyzed and prevented from any forward motion. We can move forward with imperfection and it’s the process that’s most valuable.

As a creative writing coach, I’m committed to helping people become the writers they are made to be and I do that through courses, community, and coaching. If you’d like to learn more about how to become an audacious writer, I’d love to speak with you. Book a Discovery Call today.

SciFi Daily Prompt 3

This month, I’m participating in Camp NaNoWriMo. My goal? I have never written science fiction, but would like to because anything can happen! I think it’s really fun and the type I will be writing is silly and non-sensical…likely with made up science and technology because I’ve never understood that stuff very well. I am aiming to write 500 first thought words each day in the morning to put my own writing projects first and get all the creative juices flowing. I’ll be using my Science Fiction Prompts resource I created for my clients and students.

I’ll practice free writing so I will not be editing afterward or during. The only things I might change are if there are obvious spelling errors as I’m going along. Otherwise, this is purely straight from my wild mind and onto the page…eek!

Feel free to join me or follow along.

Day 2 Prompt: This gave a whole new meaning to garbage disposal.