Method to madness - TIP: Stop talking about what you’re doing

Although the title of this post might lead you to think I’m recommending this to ensure your story is not stolen, that’s actually not the case. The most progress I made on Only Human was when I finally decided to stop talking about the book and just focused on writing and editing.

Although it may not be your case, for me, talking about the book actually slowed me down because the energy I could have dedicated to the book I spent talking about it. What seemed to happen is that when I sat down to continue writing, I wasn’t as gun-ho with the project as when I really kept myself from talking about it. This means that when I shut up, NO steam was lost, and hunger built up. Telling people I didn’t want to talk about it until I finished really spurred me on and the editing process flowed much better since I wasn’t going to say anything until I finished. Psychologically speaking, since I had a desire to talk about it, my focus increased to finish it and earn the right to talk about it.

I thought I was crazy at first until I commented this to two fellow people that completely agreed with me and a third who gave it a try and finally finished a screenplay he was working on. You often hear of people who are working on something, or have something brewing, “it’s in the works”… in some way, this is a way of stalling or offering an excuse as to why something’s not finished. When I finally shut up and forced myself into an embarrassing corner in a conversation saying I needed to finish it to talk about it, it spurred me on immensely.

Some people may call me crazy, and they may be right; the fact remains though, I finally published my first novel instead of talking about it. 

By all means, do the same. 

Method to madness: Finding time

Something I’ve actually heard a lot of times is that people who say they want to write, never have the time to write. They have responsibilities, jobs, kids, families and a bunch of things that get in the way of doing what they want to do. They have these great ideas they jotted down with some notes, but they always seem to end up on the question “who has the time?”

Well the reality is that you probably have the time; you just don’t see it. What most people don’t know about my first book is that I wrote most of Only Human during lunch hours. While some people have late nights, bourbon, wine and coffee shops to inspire them, I was fueled by sandwiches, tacos and soups. Two of my other favorite times to write are when I’m flying or during a doctor’s appointment. Some people HATE layovers while I smile at the opportunity to be forced to invest my time wisely.

The problem many people have is that they have issues prioritizing, they have too many distractions or their outlet of choice is not writing. For me, writing has been one of the things that has helped me keep me sane for most of my adult life and certainly all of my professional life. You see, when lunch hour comes I’m desperate to read and write things that don’t suck. I yearn to own a text that isn’t revised constantly to the point of pushing it back to a box so in a ways, my dayjob has served to inspire me to write.

Do you often sleep in, do you watch a lot of TV, do you curse the Candy Crush gods that don’t send you the right piece of candy to pass a level? Then guess what? There’s time to be had. You just have to be true to what you want to do. Although I still sometimes have lunch with coworkers and friends, I do tend to veer off the path and lunch alone. Not because I’m some recluse or a sociopath, but because I need to write and I will do whatever I need to do to get it done.

If you find yourself saying you don’t have time, jot down everything you do in a week and be blunt and thorough about it. Then look at the list and ask yourself when you could write. For me, I always keep some type of notes nearby to review and continue working and I have various capture tools. From scratch paper, to notebooks, notepads and my smart phone, I have notes everywhere and every day I insist on at least taking ONE step in my career.

You’re a parent? Talk to your spouse. You’re a single parent? Write with your kids and involve them in the process somehow. You find yourself without time? Then by all means, dare yourself to become a modern day alchemist and create time. After all, if it means that much to you, every second you invest will be worth it’s time in gold.

Peace, love and maki rolls

Follow me @JDestradawriter or drop an email at JDEstradawriter@gmail.com

Method to madness: Unblocking the writer in you

Writer’s block is one of the most frustrating things you can face in your life, whether it’s writing a short story, a novel, a thesis or a term paper. Sometimes we get blocked and it’s a very nerve-racking experience where everything is brought into question.

To be honest, I rarely have writer’s block (I’ve probably just jinxed myself and will get a block once I post this). Snide remarks in parentheses notwithstanding, there’s a couple of things I do to avoid a block. So first, let’s treat this as medicine, first offering some preventive tips and then some tips if you are in the block.

Preventing the block

Although there are hundreds of things I could recommend, I’ll offer 4 things you can do preventively to avoid the block.

Read any and everything. Something I do to keep the mind rolling constantly is looking up miscellaneous things on Wikipedia or using Stumbleupon to expose my brain to different things. A lot of people I know read only within their comfort zone and I think that in the end, that can eventually bite you in the rear end. If you only read one genre, you might be depriving yourself of a new angle you could find by just broadening your horizons. I’m sure there are dozens of people that say to gorge on your genre of choice and although I can see their reasoning, for me it doesn’t work and I constantly switch rhythm in what I’m reading to keep my brain on its toes. Case in point, for Only Human, I did research on History, Geography, religious figures, angels, botany and foreign folk tales in search of different twists I could give. For the Human trilogy, research is essential because although I know where the story wants to go, I often find little tidbits that open up whole new chapters just because of some line I read and my imagination ran with it.

Avoid crutches. Some people need to drink (wine, tea, soda, water) to get their mojo going. The reality is that if you continually use a method to attain certain results, you will freak if and probably when you get a block. Plus, if you depend on any substance, it’s like any meds, eventually you will need to up the dosage until it no longer works.

Keep a pen and paper nearby (or OK use your phone). Lighting strikes when you least expect it. Be ready for it because the link to complete your story is within you and will only peek out once in a while. No matter how foolish an idea seems, jot it down. More often than not, you will either make it work or you will see the answer clearer thanks to that little note you scribbled on a napkin. Your brain can sometimes be a tease and you need to be ready to go when it wants to go.

Try different foods, drinks and experiences. Experience is the seed of inspiration and the more you live and the more you experience, the richer the well to gather inspiration from will be. Remember a good conversation can lead to brilliant writing because it’s based on something real.

Ok, so those are 4 tips to keep things fresh and your inspiration going strong… yet you still landed in a writer’s block. That’s fine too, it happens and you can deal with it.

Breaking the block

Step 1: Calm down

The most natural thing that happens when you think you’re getting a block is to lose your cool. The most important thing to remember is that there is no reason to not be calm. You are in control and your brain is endlessly more gifted and powerful than you give it credit for. First step is to stop writing and breathe. It could be a deadline that has you stressed. Think back to college or high school and think of all those times you aced a project you wrote the night before even when you had two months when you could have done it. You’re still capable of that with or without the stress. If you want to see how much you can get done in ten minutes, free write about any mundane thing. Just make sure to write straight for ten minutes about anything, even if it’s about your block. Just write. Once you see what you did in ten minutes about something trivial, you’ll feel a lot more confident about what you want or need to write about.

Step 2: Write something else or vary your method

Something that has been endlessly fundamental in my writing is to write more than one thing at a time or taking time to just jot down ideas of other things. If I’m writing a short story and I’m stuck, I jot down ideas for a novel, draft a story arc, write a song or a poem. So it's not to say I don't get blocks, I just don't dwell on them. By switching gears, it often helps me get the ball rolling and although I often finish what got me going, sometimes I don’t even finish that other thing and focus on the project I was blocked on. Another thing I do is that I vary my approach with each project. Like I said for Only Human, sometimes I do insane amounts of research, other times I just jot down things and draft a story arc from scratch. Rarely do I repeat the method when writing. Case in point, the first draft for Only Human was handwritten and it took four months to transcribe. For some upcoming projects, I’m writing some by hand and others directly on the computer. It helps me tap into different styles and rhythms and your brain operates different when you use any writing utensil than when you type. So if you’re using one method, go the other direction and see if that gives you the break you need. 

Step 3: Talk to your characters or to the speaker

Carl Jung is quoted as saying he had in-depth conversations with people whom he had never met and that these conversations led to some of the most intense revelations in his psychiatric career. Taking the time to know your characters, what they feel, how they react, how they think and what drives them will be essential in your writing, ESPECIALLY if you’re in a block. If you’re working on a term paper or thesis, ask the speaker a few questions, interview her or him and try to see what makes them tick. If might seem silly at first, until you have a deep conversation and see the path as clear as you’ve ever seen it. Besides, if you do that you’ll tap into something genuine that only you and the speaker or character know.

Step 4: Face your fear

Blocks can happen for a thousand reasons and something that truly strengthens a block is fear. Fear can happen because of the lack of time to write or because you’re afraid something will not be as good as it should. It could even be because you’re afraid of writing something. A topic might seem as if it’ll be controversial or a character you actually enjoy is going to die… both of these things are inevitable and if you truly believe you have to write both things to do your writing justice, do it. Allow yourself the freedom to be yourself and to break down barriers. Let pain enter what you write and live it and suffer it because if you do, chances are someone else will too… and they will thank you for it.

I hope these tips help you and by all means, if you have any questions feel free to write me @ jdestradawriter@gmail.com or follow me through twitter @jdestradawriter.

Peace, love and maki rolls.

JDE

Method to madness: an Introduction

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I’ve actually had a few people ask me how I wrote a book. I think a better question would be how I wrote a certain book because although some people stick religiously to a certain method for everything they do, I vary with each project. Thinking on some of the things I’ve been asked recently, if sharing some of what I do can help someone bring their dream to life, then I’m thrilled to share any of what I do in the hopes of making a difference.

So this is the first of a couple of posts I will write about creativity, writing, tips and techniques I use to get my dreams down on paper. Hope it helps and if you think it can help someone, by all means, pass it along.

Cheers,

JDE