Pay attention. I know, we hear that all the time, but if you want to make real changes in your life you must choose what to pay attention to. Our brains do not and will not change if we don’t pay attention to the things we want. You want to write on a regular basis? Then put more brain power into it. Pay attention to the process. Pay attention to the time and effort needed to get it done. To build a new habit you need repetitive actions. To gain those actions you must offer more attention to them. A great way to do that is…track it. Recording what you do during the three stages, Process, Self-care, and Product Time will help build the habits you wish to create.
As the Egyptian pharaohs used to say, “So let it be written, so let it be done.”
Good morning! Did you find a journal to jot your wisdom in like I suggested yesterday? Did if feel weird putting pen/pencil to the pages inside? I know! Freaky, right! It feels like we are doing something wrong in a wonderful way by defiling the pristine pages, but…do it anyway.
Alrighty then, today I am adding a photo taken by moi. You see, I received a message asking, “Do you really do the ‘cuppa and nibbles’ crap?” So, I am showing you what my cuppa and nibbles are this morning. Apples, peanut butter, and coffee! TaDa! I wouldn’t lie about something like food. I love food and a good cuppa. Now that that is settled let’s get to Around the Writer’s Block by Rosanne Bane and expand our brains. Grab your REAL cuppa and nibbles and join me on page 153. See you there.
Yesterday we talked about recording our efforts, so we are more aware, motivated, and more likely to repeat the desired behaviors we are trying to build. The example given in the book is dieters. Those who tracked their food intake are more likely to lose twice as much weight as those who did not keep a food diary. Keeping a log, for any goal, can help you maintain focus and give yourself full credit for all you have accomplished.
There are times when we struggle to see what we have and have not done. But if you are tracking your three stages, and all you have done in a journal, you see just how far you’ve come. I used to struggle with this. I would see a mountain of papers on my desk filled with research, ideas, and bits of storyline. But because I didn’t track it or put all the information in a ‘journal’ I would lose focus and give up on pursuing the story. I would get frustrated. Then, my amazing awesome-sauce daughter, Ladybug, made me a journal. No, really! She hand stitched a journal for me. It was beautiful, and amazing, and I did not want to put a single mark in it. Then she told me I could write, doodle, and scribble in it because she would refill it whenever I needed.
**Insert very loud SQUEEING and jumping up and down like a fool. **
I was then able to track my work. Keep all my research in one neat and tidy place and see my progress in my story. Since then, she has made me a new journal for each story I have written. I can go back and see everything I have done and pick up from where I left off at any time. I can see my start times and intended targets. I can see where storylines veered off in the wrong direction allowing me a chance to fix it or see where it goes.
If you read O-B*tch-uary or intend to- here’s a secret…The friendship between the main character, Olivia, and her friend, Alyssa, was not supposed to fracture. The storyline shifted on me and took their friendship in another direction completely. It worked so I let it be. By tracking the progression and how it would work in the plotline through my journal, I was able to figure out if it would work. It turned out to be a powerful part of the story and worth the extra time.
Write it down. Pay attention to what you are doing and what you want to do.
Remember, we find time for the things we want.
New Ink. Used Ideas. 