GENREALITY

One thing I hear a lot of aspiring authors say is that they got ‘sucked into’ doing something that kept them from writing. This is a common complaint. “I wanted to get 10 pages done last week, but I just never got the time.” Well, it’s time to acknowledge that there is never time to write – unless you make it.

It’s all about desire, drive, and choices.

If you want to write, then you find the time. It sounds simple and easy, and it is simple, but no, it’s not easy. Even for those of use who consider writing our full time job. None of us really have time to write, we have to make the time. Family and friends will always be there, and they will always want your time. A day job (or in my case, a night job) will also be there for a long time, unless your pretty lucky. Never mind all the business end of things that come along with the writing gig. There’s promotions, websites, blogs, contract negotiations, research, planning and submitting new projects. There’s always plenty to distract you from actually writing.

Don’t forget that once you sell, you’ll more than likely also be editing one book and promoting another, all while trying to write a new one. Well, if you want to keep a steady stream of releases happening, you will. And you are the only one who can do these things. This is your job, your career … your dream.

If you want to live the dream, you have to do the work.

Writing is something you will always have to sacrifice something else to do. You might sacrifice sleep, or you might sacrifice a shift at work, which means sacrificing movies or dinners out. Or you might have to sacrifice time spent with family and friends.

It’s not an easy choice by any means, but if you want to be an author, you have to write.

Some people think that all writers are just naturally creative, but I disagree. In fact, I’m the least creative person in my family. [My brother and my Dad are fantastic artists (as a hobby) and my Mom is a glass artisan, often creating her own patterns and projects from scratch.]

What I often am is determined…and a little fearless.

A lot of authors will tell you that you have to love writing to make it in this business. Many authors say that they will always write, even if they weren’t getting published, because it’s a part of them. They can’t not write.

Well, I could easily not write. In fact, until two weeks ago, I hadn’t written a thing for the last 6 months except the occasional blog post. (That’s another story though) This is not to say that I don’t love being an author. I do.

I love holding a book in my hands and knowing that the story came from somewhere inside me. I love being able to work from home. I love being my own boss and working when I want to work – (I’m a night hawk, so I tend to get most of my work done in the wee hours of the morning) I love promoting, I love talking about writing, I love going to conferences and networking, I love being an author.

I do not love the actual physical act of writing.

Blasphemy, you say?

Reality, I say.

Writing is hard work! I mean, sitting a computer all day is hard no matter what you’re doing. But when you’re alone, isolated but for your own mind, and maybe a cat that wants to chase your fingers as you type, it becomes even more difficult.

Some writers say they hear voices in their heads. Characters that talk to them and nag at them until they sit down and write the story that voice is telling them to write. Some write because they’ve got something to say, and they want the whole world to hear it. Others write because they have the desire to see their name on the cover of book.

Me? I started writing because I was at the age where I was starting to think about the future, and I realized that if I didn’t do something, I was going to be a bartender, dependent on tips, for the rest of my life. I’d enjoyed writing when I was in high school and as an avid reader, had the thought that someday I would write a book. If I’d known then just how hard a task it was, I might have decided on another career.

6 years later I know how hard it is, and I still do it. I have no doubt that if I wanted to, I could walk away from it, yet I stick with it. Not so much because writing is something I have to do, but because it’s something I want to do. For some of the reasons I listed above, I enjoy being an author, and I want to continue being one.

Whatever your reason for writing is, you need to figure it out for yourself

Why? Because if you write for the pure enjoyment of putting words on paper, of telling stories, you need to know that even if you’re eyes are the only ones to read those words, that that’s enough for you. It’ll help you stay grounded when others are striving for publication and you feel the need to join in the race, just to be part of the pack. And if you want others to see your words, to buy them in bookstores or off the Internet, then you need to acknowledge that, and study the business aspect of publishing. Because like all other businesses in this world, it can suck you in, chew you up, and spit you back out if you aren’t strong enough to withstand the trials, confident enough to stand up for yourself and what you believe in, and determined enough to focus, and keep moving forward.

Nobody ever said writing was easy. But if you know why you’re doing it, the chances that you’ll be successful are much greater.

So, why do you write?

I Feng Shui’d my home office yesterday – again. By again, I mean I did it less than a year ago too.

Why did I do this? Because I’m trying to find ways to streamline my focus and increase my creativity, and I believe in the energy we draw from the things, and people, around us.

Streamlining my focus is important because it’s all too easy to get distracted when I should be writing. And finding ways around these distractions is part of working from home, and being your own taskmaster. Increasing my creativity is important because, well…because I don’t think of myself as a particularly creative person. That’s another story though…today, I want to share some things I learned about creating my space.

When I first set up my second bedroom as an office, I had my desk so I could look out the window. This worked for me, and for my cat, who was distracted enough by what was outside the window to not chase my typing fingers all the time.

I wasn’t distracted by what was outside because I was super focussed and determined…something that I’ve learned can change over time – but again, that’s a different story.

Two years later I quit my job to write full-time. It was a drastic change, that at first, was great. I was super productive for a while…then slowly other things started to creep in. After a while I was distracted by emails, instant messages, the doorbell, dirty dishes. I’ve always been a believer in the energy that we draw from each other, as well as the things that surround us, so when a friend suggested Feng Shui, I tried it.

I cheated though, I looked it up on the internet, and followed some tip sheets without really reading them. Sort of like This One , or This One.

By not really reading it, I just followed the outlined parts. I positioned my desk so I was facing the door, I put a Red Candle on the corner of my desk that would encourage money to come to me, I put a plant on another area, …and on and on. And it felt good for a while.

Until my cat killed the plant by chewing on the leaves and I worried her tail would catch fire if I lit the candle.

Even though, that set up still worked pretty good for almost a year. However, I felt the need for a change yesterday -and no, it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that I wasn’t ready to start my new story – so I googled ‘Home Office Feng Shui’ again, and got to work. And this time I actually read everything, not just the highlighted tips. *blush*

The key thing I missed before. You’re creative space has to work for YOU. My desk no longer faces the door, but my back isn’t to the door either. Instead, my desk is up against a wall. A wall that is a light grey (little did I know when I painted it in the summer that the color encouraged clarity and preciseness). Being against the wall works good for me, because then the only thing in front of me is my computer..this helps ME stay focussed.

Just out of my eye line are a couple of pieces of art, one of them a very brightly colored painting I brought home form Nepal a long time ago. I put my bulletin board on a smaller wall, with posters and promo items from my books on it, to create not only color and energy, but to remind me of my successes. And behind me, against the other wall, is a small bookshelf with a little rock garden and some candles on top of it. Pens, notebooks and other things that help me work are on the shelves, in brightly colored containers form the dollar store. Easy, cheap, bright, and yet, not distracting.

The room feels good, and even though that took me the better part of the day, I still managed to get a lot of actual work done. So I’m feeling the energy flow. *grin*

Now, after all that, if you don’t have an office, or a dedicated working space, don’t sweat it. When push comes to shove, and a deadline is looming, I usually just grab my Neo and sit where ever I can. You don’t have to have an office to be a professional writer. I went back to work several months ago because I was going a bit stir crazy turning into the crazy writer hermit, and I think that , more than anything, has added juice to my creativity. I work as a bartender/waitress, and a lot of my notes and best lines are written on napkins and shoved in my pocket in the middle of my shift.

The point is, you have to do what works for you. If you don’t believe in energy you can’t see, then Feng Shui won’t help you. If you can’t stand staring at a blank wall, then a desk against a wall won’t help you. One of the most important things a writer needs to learn in order to become a professional, is what works for them…for me, the blank wall works…as does serving food and drinks to people a couple of nights a week.

Being a professional is more about doing what you need to to get the job -no matter what the job is- done, than where you do it. For me, it means changing my office around fairly often, trying new things, and keeping an outside job to stay sane and focussed when I do sit down to write. What helps you stay focussed when you have a particular task to approach?