“I learned that you sit down at the same time every day. I learned that you do it even if you’re in a bad mood or if you’re a little sick or you don’t know what you’re doing – especially of you don’t know what you are doing. I learned that you don’t wait for inspiration. That that’s just a crock. That’s just an excuse to not have to take yourslef seriously as an artist.”

~ Anne Lamott (from an interview in Writer’s Digest “The Writer’s Guide to Creativity” in answer to the question “What did you learn from your Dad?”

I didn’t even finish the article before I decided that I needed to let go of all my excuses about writing and just sit down and write every day. 1000 words a day.

No excuses.

Then I said to myself, “Starting tomorrow.”

Uh-oh. Nope. Wrong thing to say. No excuses. Right? Right.

So I sat down at my laptop, created a new folder and named it 1000 Words a Day. My first saved document “1000 words a day starts today”…1016 words. Done. I did it.

Writers write.

I’m a writer.

No excuses.

Repeat every day.

Then sit down and write.

Related posts:

February 3, 2011: My Writing Story Continued

February 2, 2011: Calling and commitment

January 24, 2011: Embracing a Calling

June 4, 2009: The Five Phases of Being a Writer

April 7, 2009: Would I write if no one read what I wrote?

The first time I realized I wanted to be a writer was when I was seven-years-old and in the second grade.

A children’s’ author was a guest and we were escorted to the school library in the basement to meet her. We all sat on the cold, carpeted floor as she read to us from a stool in the front of the room. I don’t remember the book, or what she looked like, but I do remember the burning need I had to write and create my own book. And, I did just that. My first book was called, “Me and Mr. Monkey”. I thought I was going to be famous. I imagined myself traveling and writing and never having to go back to school.

I wrote the author and included a copy of my book. She wrote back with kind words of encouragement and I cherished that letter for a long time.

As I entered junior high school, writing saved me. In the seventh grade I couldn’t diagram a sentence to save my life and was on the verge of failing English. For extra credit we could write a short story, so that’s what I did. And, I wrote lots of stories for lots of extra credit. My teacher liked me, liked my writing and passed me.

In the tenth grade my English teacher gave us a writing assignment, an essay on the meaning of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Unbeknownst to us she submitted them to a Knights of Columbus essay contest.

A few weeks later I was sitting in algebra class when there was a knock on the door and was called out into the hallway. I thought I was in trouble. Instead my English teacher told me that my essay had taken first place in the contest. The exciting news and resulting rush of adrenaline made the top of my head feel like it had turned to ice while my heart was beating so hard I had a trouble breathing. I calmed down enough to return to my seat, but I was unable to stop from smiling. It was a moment I’ll never forget.

Life takes many turns and although writing, and especially journaling, have been my constant companions, after high school I never shared my writing with anyone again until a few years ago.

I was at a turning point in my life and I began to realize that a writer not only writes, but shares her writing with others. I hadn’t shared anything I had written with anyone for decades.

My first, small step was attending a “Storytelling in Marketing” workshop taught by Barbara Winter. Barbara had been someone I’d admired for a long time. Since one my dreams had always been to work for myself this workshop was the perfect first step to begin exploring both writing and self-employment while also getting to meet Barbara in person.

During the workshop I found writing my story was a lot easier than sharing it. In our writing circle the last day I couldn’t read my story without crying so Alice Barry read it to the group for me. It was a very moving experience, not only because I had shared something I had written for the first time in years, but because I also took a chance and shared a very personal story about my Dad and I that touched the other people in the group, too.

This experience gave me the courage to continue writing.

My next small step was to take an online personal essay writing workshop with Sheila Bender. She’s a wonderful teacher with a very positive critique style. There were five other women in the group and we all shared personal essays.

This experience, again, proved to me that I was on the right path and that writing and sharing my writing was something I wanted to do and felt called to do.

Over the next few months I continued to write and to share my writing. These experiences led to the birth of both the Dreaming Café newsletter and website/blog.

Today I feel blessed to be able to write and to share my writing.

I hope that by sharing my story others will see themselves in it and by inspired to take their own small steps toward doing something they love and to living a life they love.

I’ve been journaling for over thirty years. Journaling has been my constant companion through all of life’s ups and downs (and everything in between).

During this time I’ve discovered that journaling can serve many purposes. Today I’d like to share with you a few of the ways that journaling has served me and can serve you, too.

1. Emotional dump – writing about how you feel, even the physical sensations you are experiencing during an emotional crisis can help ease the pain and anxiety and any other feelings you may be having.
2. Gateway to the past – writing about the past can be both a process of discovery and remembering, as well as, a way to heal.
3. Routine – journaling every day is one way to ease into establish a routine of putting yourself first and taking care of yourself.
4. Imagining – asking questions and journaling the answers can help you think about and imagine a wide variety of possibilities and solutions.
5. Self-Discovery – journaling about the past, the present, the future or some imagined time period, can help you discovery who you are and what is important to you.
6. Decision making – journaling about how you feel about a decision you have to make, weighing the pros and cons, imaging the different ‘what-ifs’ and trying to get a sense of what you are feeling and why, can help you make better decisions; decisions that support who you are today, as well as, who you want to become.
7. Play dress up – when you journal you can be anyone you want. You can try on different personas and see how they feel. You can experiment and play with concepts and ideas about who you are and who you want to be.
8. Meditation – taking 20-30 minutes a day for you to quietly journal and free write about whatever comes up can be a very calming and meditative process.
9. Love and acceptance – journaling is a way to get to know yourself and to learn to love and accept yourself, in this moment. You can write yourself letters even have a conversation with yourself.
10. Forgiveness – journaling can be a way to process past events in your life and move closer to forgiveness. You can practice forgiving yourself and others in your journal and write about how it feels. You can do this over and over again until you begin to heal.

Journaling is a very personal process and serves as many purposes as there are people who journal.

The key is to make it personal, to take ownership of the process.

Pick a journal or notebook that makes you feel good and makes you want to write. Write on your computer if that feels better. Establish a regular practice. Take the time for yourself and consider it sacred time. Move into the process and move into yourself. There is no right way or wrong way to journal. The only thing is to put the words, the thoughts, the feelings, the ideas floating around in your head and your heart onto the paper.

One more thing, your journal writing is yours and yours alone unless you decide to share it with another.

Two articles over the last two days came to my attention and got me to thinking.

The first was the National Novel Writing Month where you are challenged to write 50,000 words and a new work of fiction between November 1, 2010 and November 30, 2010.

This intrigued me, but didn’t grab me. I love to write, but really don’t feel the call to write fiction. But, the whole idea of committing to producing a completed manuscript did get me to pondering what I could write in 30-days.

Then this evening I was reading Jonathan Field’s blog and his newest blog post made me sit up and take notice. It’s called The Bucket List Lie and challenges that most peoples lists are merely “works of fiction, written but never manifested”.

I have such a list, although I call it my 100+ Life List. Same thing, different name. I’ve crossed off several items over the last few years, but some of the items on my list feel more like unattainable dreams.

I hate to admit that Jonathan is right.

So, that got me to thinking about his challenge…

Make a List Of One.

A single, meaningful action you’re going to take before the end of the day to move you one step closer to a single, deeply meaningful quest.

Don’t go to bed tonight until you’ve completed your List Of One. And done one other thing, made your List Of One for tomorrow.

Do this every day for a month, long enough to begin to inculcate the habit.

So, I’m thinking about a 30-day challenge to and for myself, a deep commitment to my dream of being a writer.

Writers write.

It’s as simple as that.

But, there are many days that go by that I find lots of excuses not to write.

Even as I write this I feel the butterflies of anxiety and doubt begin to fly around in my belly.

Can I really do it? Can I commit to writing every day and actually produce something? Am I really a writer?

I even found myself doing a load of laundry in the midst of writing this post without even realizing what I was doing.

Resistance.

Distractions.

Fear.

They are not excuses.

I’m reminded of The War of Art (aff link) by Steven Pressfield and his discussion about professionals and amateurs.

The amateur plays for fun. The professional plays for keeps.

To the amateur, the game is his avocation. To the pro it’s his vocation.

The amateur plays part-time, the professional full-time.

The amateur is a weekend warrior. The professional is there seven days a week.

The professional loves it so much he dedicates his life to it. He commits full-time.

It’s time for me to commit full-time to the writing life. This means that regardless of how uncomfortable or inconvenient it may becomes, it’s time to go for it and stay the course.

I’m setting myself a two-fold 30-day challenge.

The first is to blog every day for the next 30-days and the second, is to write an additional 1000-1500 words a day and produce the first draft of my first book by November 30, 2010.

“So it is written, so shall it be.”

Update

Curious if I’m sticking to my challenge and want to know how many words I’m writing each day in regards to this project? Check out the tab 30-Day Challenge where I list my daily word count.

Some people have asked “How do I get started journaling?” Or, “what should I journal about?”

There are as many ways to journal as there are people and just as many things to write about.

I have been journaling in some form or another for as long as I can remember. I am also still learning news ways to express myself and seek answers through journaling.

Below are six journals you can keep or six journaling methods. Most of these journals can be combined. My own journals have taken many forms, sometimes using only one method, sometimes using several methods at once.

The journals I describe below fall into two broad categories: Remembering Journals and Self-Discovery Journals.

Remembering Journals:
• Success Journals– Start with recording every success you ever had, as far back as you can remember; then keep an ongoing record of your successes. A success could be anything you ever done that made your heart beat a little harder and sing a little louder. It could be something small like reading aloud for the first time in kindergarten, running your first mile ever, winning an essay contest, standing up for your beliefs, getting the promotion you worked hard for, or earning your first dollar as you own boss.
• Baby Steps Journals– Each night record each baby step you took that moved you closer to your goals and dreams. Maybe it was only to make a to-do list, or to check a book out of the library, or to volunteer to take on a special project. No baby step is too small (or too big) to record.
• Gratitude Journals – This is simply a daily listing of all the things you are grateful for in your life. It is a reminder of all the good that surrounds you. And, when you are having an especially difficult day, and can’t find anything to write about because you feel so bad, re-read your previous entry’s and record that you are grateful for your gratitude journal.
• Image Journals – A lot of people don’t like to write and feel overwhelmed by the thought of keeping a journal or diary. They are often more comfortable with images and pictures. In this daily journal you would use an image to record something that happened. It could be an image of an actual event or an image that reminds you of what you felt. You can draw/paint a picture, choose a picture from a magazine, copy a picture from a book, print something from the internet or take a photograph. You would then paste this image into your image journal with the date and write just one or two lines to remind yourself what happened, how you felt and what the image represented.

Self-Discovery Journals:

• Life Journals – In this journal you can explore all the questions of life, all the ups and downs, the pain and anguish, your hopes and dreams. It is an outlet, a way to release the built up energy that can weigh us down and keep us stuck in the muck. You may write in this journal for days, or weeks at a time and then put it away for awhile. It is the journal where you can explore your life and its’ deeper meaning. For some people this type of journal has been their constant companion throughout their lives. (like me)
• Art Journals – This type of journaling can be a combination of all the previously listed journals. It is a creative, image based journaling method that allows you to explore the past, present and future. It allows you to express yourself with words, images, colors and textures. It is one of the most creative ways to ask yourself questions, seek the answers and express yourself. It is also the newest form of journaling I have been experimenting with this past year.

I have kept all of these journals at one time or another. I started art journaling last year and was recently honored to be included in Dirty Footprints Studio’s 30 Journals in 30 Days profile project. Image journaling is something new I am trying and the concept was inspired by Jamie Ridler’s 365 Day Project.

How have you journaled in the past? Are these methods familiar to you? Which is your favorite?

In the movie ”The Women”, Mary, played by Meg Ryan, discovers her husband is having an affair. Her world begins to fall apart. She then goes through a very interesting process to answer the question – “What do I want?”

I love the way she processes this question. It reminds me of a vision board or art journaling exercise.

She uses words, pictures, bits of cloth, sketches she’s made, letters written to herself, and anything that calls to her. She pins everything up on a board where she can see it every day. She begins to awaken to, and remember the things that used to bring her joy and delight. She begins to rediscover who she is.

I like that she took her time and didn’t try and do it all in one afternoon. I like that she didn’t begin with any preset ideas. She took her time and just began gathering images that appealed to her. She began to gather the images by doing things that appealed to her. She dug out her camera and started taking pictures. She began to sketch again. She wrote letters to herself. She touched things and felt them. She explored, not with just her mind, but with all of her senses.

I have answered the question “What do I want?” in various ways in written journal exercises, and one time I did do a an affirmation journal with pictures, but, I’ve never answered this question in such a visual, tactile way.

I want to try this.

What do you think? Would you like to join me? Do you want to go exploring with me?

How to play:

All you need to start is some glue or tape, a piece of poster paper (any color you want) and a place to hang it where you can see it everyday. Or, can you can use a large bulletin board and push pins.

Each day you will take time to reflect on the question “What do I want?”

Then begin to gather images, words and anything else that appeals to you. Then slowly just start adding them to your art journal/dream board. There is no rush. I expect this project to last several weeks as we explore and have fun.

I’ll post a picture of my art journal/dream board once a week, every Wednesday.

If you decide to join me you can participate on your own or share your images with me and I’ll post them here along with my own. You can also share what the process is showing you and what you are learning.

So, “What do you want?”

Do you want to join me? Leave a reply and let’s go exploring.

I’ll post the first picture of my art journal/vision board on Wednesday.

I almost gave up writing this week.

Why?

Because, after attending the NWB Writers’ Conference I realized I couldn’t hide anymore. I couldn’t just write, close my eyes and pretend the monsters, the Grammar Gods and Punctuation Pharaohs, didn’t exist. I was once again reminded of my lack of understanding of proper punctuation and grammar. I was reminded that being a writer meant facing my fears.

I can’t hide anymore. My eyes have been opened. I am questioning everything I write. Should there be a comma here, there? Did I put that apostrophe in the right place? Who or whom? Which or that?

And, sadly, sometimes, I cannot answer.

I am supposed to be a writer and I am failing at the most basic of tasks.

Thursday night I emailed several of the speakers from the NWB Writers’ Conference to tell them how much I enjoyed their talks. Looking in my ‘sent’ folder, I realized that in over half of the emails I sent I wrote writer’s instead of writers’.

Talk about mortification!! I just wanted a computer vortex to open and suck me inside, never to be seen again.

Granted, this was a typo, but if I knew the rules better and had more confidence I wouldn’t have made this mistake.

I have always feared grammar and punctuation. I was never good at it and I never understood it.

My teachers always let me slide because of the quality of the content of my papers. In the eighth grade I should have failed English because I couldn’t grasp the elusive knack of diagramming sentences. But, I passed, (with an A), by writing an extra credit short story every week.

At the time this made me very happy, but it eroded my confidence in my writing ability to the point that, although I never stopped writing, I stopped sharing my writing. I always felt like a fraud.

It took over twenty years for me to have the courage and the confidence to share my writing again.

Then I attended the NWB Writers’ Conference.

Once again I felt the angry, hot breath of the Grammar Gods and Punctuation Pharaohs whispering in my ear, “Who do you think you are? You know nothing! You are just embarrassing yourself. Quit now!”

I almost did. Especially when I saw the writer’s – writers’ mistake I made.

But, as I wrote a few days ago about being a professional writer, “…it’s hard work, focus, continuous learning and honing of your craft.” (Even here, going back to this post, to get this quotation (quotation, not quote…and that is a whole other story), I found a grammatical error. I had written its, instead if it’s.) Again, a typo, but how utterly embarrassing!

I keep repeating to myself: “I love to write. I am a writer. I am a professional writer. I am a published writer.”

As a professional writer I will not quit. The Grammar Gods and Punctuation Pharaohs will not frighten. I will not hide my eyes and cower in a corner.

I have a plan of attack. I am ready to face my fears. The Grammar Gods and Punctuation Pharaohs don’t stand a chance.

Step 1: Study. Spend at least one hour every week studying grammar and punctuation.
Starting with:

• Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
• Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
• The Elements of Style Illustrated

Step 2: Research the possibility of hiring an English tutor/coach to work with me a few hours per week.

Maybe in the end my readers may not know if something is wrong, but I will know if it’s right.

My recent attendance at the incredibly amazing and inspiring North Wildwood Beach Writers Conference and re-reading Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battlesinspired this post.

Phase I
I love to write.

Phase II
I am a writer.

Phase III
I am a professional writer.

Phase IV
I am a published writer.

Phase V
I am a financially successful writer.

Phase I is the phase most people will recognize. They know they love to write (or draw, or dance, etc.) and write just for pure pleasure. A lot of people remain in Phase I for a long time, and in some cases their whole lives.

Phase II is often a difficult phase for people. They first have to acknowledge to themselves that they are indeed a writer, then tell the rest of the world. There is a certain degree of personal awe when we take this step and acknowledge our innermost self.

Phase III is when you commit to your craft, and you become a professional. Becoming a professional has nothing to do with getting paid. It is mindset, an attitude, that takes you beyond the amateur, the dabbler level and is grounded in self-discipline, dedication and commitment. In Phase III you’ve moved way past the gifted and talented stages. Now it’s hard work, focus, continuous learning and honing of your craft.

Steven Pressfield beautifully explains this process in detail in his book The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles.

Phase IV is when you finally show your work to the world and become a published writer. Being a published writer can take many forms and can include a traditionally published or self published book, a newspaper column, articles for your local community or church newsletter, magazine or trade journal articles, or a blog.

The Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines “publish” as:

“To make generally known; to make public announcement of; to disseminate to the public; to produce or release for distribution, specifically-print; to issue the work of (an author); to put out an edition; to have one’s work accepted for publication”

Phase V is when you you desire, and expect, to be paid for your work. 95% of all people stop just short of Phase V and remain in Phase IV. Every individual writer should have their own definition of ‘financially successful’. Having this defined lets you know when you’ve arrived.

What phase are you in? Where do you want to be?

Would I still write if no one read what I wrote?

I ponder the question and need to ask myself first, why do I write?

I write because I am called to write.

It is who I am.

It’s how I communicate best.

It’s how I think and process thoughts.

It’s how I figure things out and find my way.

I write because I am called to write.

My grammar may not be perfect.

And spelling can be a struggle at times.

But, I don’t let either stop me.

I share the words that come from my heart.

I want my words to inspire and offer hope; to encourage and support.

I see so many sad people and it breaks my heart.

In some small way I want to help.

The way I know best is through the written word.

Poetry or prose.

One thousand words or a single word.

An unknown author or a close friend.

A short note or a long letter.

It matters not the form.

It’s the words themselves and the meaning and hope they hold.

The written word has saved me throughout my life.

It’s a gift I want to share and give back.

So that’s why I write.

But, would I write if no one read what I wrote?

I would have to say, yes, because it is who I am.

It’s how I communicate best.

It’s how I think and process thoughts.

It’s how I figure things out and find my way.

There is always one person who will read what I write and that person’s me.

But, I hope, that others do, too.

And, I hope they like what they read.

I hope in some small way that my words can help others, just as others have helped me.