Writing at a Moving Target

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Life is a moving target.” If nothing else, it’s been made pretty famous by a store of a certain name. I wish, though, that it wasn’t moving so fast. I wish it would stop, especially when it comes to my writing.

For a brief time, I thought I had a handle on this whole writing lifestyle. Then my oldest daughter was born five years ago today and she threw my life on its head.

I eventually found a new, though slightly more difficult rhythm. (I’m not a morning person, so those 5 a.m. writing sessions were a real bear.) After a matter of a few months, a combination of morning sickness and other ill health again threw things off-kilter. I can’t say I’ll never recover, but I haven’t yet.

I also can’t say I haven’t written anything. As editor of a weekly paper, I routinely write interviews and other features. As a writer, though, my heart and soul have always belonged to fiction. I haven’t touched that since months before the birth of my 21-month-old son. That’s too long.

I wouldn’t trade my children for anything, not even Stephen King’s career. Now, as I write this post, though, I try to block out the movie my five-year-old is watching (The Sword in the Stone if anyone’s interested)…and my toddler’s insistent (try throwing an empty bowl at my head) request for a fifth Cutie…and my two-month-old’s increasingly strident cries. I try to focus and wonder when the target will quit moving. Then I have to face the fact that it never will.

The target will never stop moving. Life will never be perfect. The kids will grow up and something else will happen to take my attention. So, if I want to be a writer, I have to become a sharpshooter and try to hit that target no matter how fast it’s moving or how much it zigzags. I just have to figure out how.

How do you write when your life is a moving target?

Some of the things that keep my life a moving target.

Personal Inventory: Busyness

I’ll admit it. I’ve been terrible about posting to this blog lately.

I have the perennial excuse. I’ve been busy.

Of course, the word “busy” covers a wide gamut. It could mean everything from raising eight kids while running a business and writing a bestseller, to engaging in a year-long solitaire tournament with myself.

Since most of my efforts are of the long-term kind rather than the instant gratification sort, I do sometimes feel I’m spinning my wheels in an endurance marathon to nowhere.

Seriously, though, I’ve been busy. What have I been up to?

• I’m not raising eight kids, but I am raising one two-year-old…the always busy and sometimes whiny Baby M. Motherhood…check.
• I am a partner in a two-person gelato business. Dormant during the winter months, summer sees it swamp me under an obligation that sucks away at least 10 hours a week, often more. Running a business…check.
• I’ve spent the last year looking for an agent for a picture book manuscript. A couple of months ago, I finally received a helpful reply. Did you know that concepts as characters make crappy stories? I didn’t. That particular book is now on the back burner. No, that’s not a euphemism for the literary glue factory. It’s more like, “Great bone structure but needs a total makeover.” So, now I’m researching kids lit markets and working on a new picture book, in rhyming pentameter, no less. (No, not iambic pentameter; I’m not Shakespeare, after all.)
• I’m working on a novel. Since that mostly happens between the hours of 5 and 7 AM, though, that doesn’t really contribute to my busyness during the day. It does have a great deal to do with my constant state of exhaustion. That makes everything else take longer so, hey, maybe it does contribute. Writing a bestseller? Ah, what the heck…check.
• I’m not playing any kind of tournament with myself, though I will admit to a time-sucking fondness for The West. (Please don’t take it away; I finally have the complete Indian outfit on World 1!)

Other than that:

• I recently conducted a profile interview and now have the article written and the query with a regional publication. I also have a couple other articles, some tips and fillers, and several short stories out and about.
• My freelance editing and copywriting continues. Right now that means a steady gig that requires two 500-word articles and two press releases every week.
• I have this blog, a biweekly devotional blog, and two family blogs.
• I have meals to make, laundry to do, bills to pay, a house to help clean and a garden to tend.
• I decided to make Christmas gifts this year. Why did I do that to myself? Oh, that’s right; I’m a masochist.

Wow. Looking at it on my computer screen, I realize I actually am busy. Sometimes it seems like an excuse. On days when I feel I’ve gotten nowhere, it feels quite futile. And, looking at that list, I still wonder, where has all this gotten me?

• It’s gotten me two rejections, one of which I mentioned in my last post. The other waited in my inbox this morning. That’s good news. I now know one more publication that wasn’t a fit for that story.
• It’s gotten me more familiarity with the kids lit world, which has stripped away some naiveté about what it takes to publish a picture book.
• It's gotten me a 2-year-old who thinks she's a children's book illustrator.
  
• It’s gotten me a short story acceptance, which came in the mail yesterday and which I’m going to have framed. Yes, look for my name in print come fall.
• It’s gotten me a great conversation with a fabulous musician.
• It’s gotten me the knowledge that I’m not Superwoman, nor do I have to be.
• It’s gotten me absolutely no immunity to the effect of seeing a SASE in my mailbox.
• It’s gotten me the assurance that I have something to offer the world, that I actually do know how to stick with this, that I can keep hammering at the door until it opens, that I can be a contender.

And that means it’s given me quite a lot.

What has your busyness given you?

Time Changes...Nuthin'

“They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” ~ Andy Warhol

That’s the quote I have at the top of my time management matrix. I’m not a big fan of Andy Warhol in general, but those words are truer than I’d like to admit. I spent years thinking I would write when my proverbial and ethereal ship came in. I would write when I was able to stay at home with the kids, when I had my own writing space so I could concentrate, when I wasn’t exhausted from putting in my eight-to-five (see my post on perfectionism and procrastination!). Most of all, I would write when I had time.

Maybe you’re like that. If so, I have tough news for both of us. We’ll only have time when we find time.

Notice that I don’t say “make” time. We each start out with the same golden 24 hours in our day. Some of us have the balance reduced right from the opening flag by work, school, kids, parents and other unmoving commitments. That doesn’t mean it’s time to put it off and wait until we have More Time. That’s a death knell for a writing career. We will always have commitments pulling at us like a creative rip current, tugging us into the depths of “someday.” And as the Steve Miller Band said, “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’ into the future…” (Thanks to Lobug for reminding me of that song!)

I was vaguely aware of this concept at the beginning of the year, when I promised myself, “No excuses.” It really hit me in the gut when I heard Jane Kirkpatrick speak at the beginning of April. Jane began her first novel when she was still working full-time with a significant commute and a working ranch on the side. She wanted to write the book, but when did she have time? She ended up asking herself, “What am I doing between four and seven [A.M.]? Nothing.” So, Jane began setting her alarm and getting to her computer by five each morning.

I couldn’t possibly, I thought.

A couple of weeks and a little more desperation later, I heard my own alarm go off at 5:30. (No, I haven't quite found Jane's commitment level yet.) I told myself I was crazy, but I got up and rattled off a couple of pages in longhand. A month and a half later, I’ve written several thousand words in that same tired longhand. I haven’t written as much as I would have liked. I certainly haven’t finished the book. I have, though, written several thousand words more than I would have if I hadn’t jumped in with both feet kicking and arms flailing.

“They say that time changes things…” Time changes nuthin'. The only thing that changes with the mere passage of time—time without any activity or effort—is that you have a lower total of time left on your lifetime balance sheet.

“…but you really have to change them yourself.” If you want to see progress over time, you need to take that balance of time and wring every available moment from it. Maybe you already get up so early that an earlier alarm is impractical, but where else can you wring silver minutes from your day? During lunch? Kids’ nap times? Right after dinner? Right before lights-out? If you look hard enough, there will most likely be some window of opportunity where writing can really happen. It may not be my hour-and-a-half; it may be a half an hour or fifteen minutes, but it exists. Grab it today and GO!
...

Flexibility

I apologize for the gap between posts. Our household had a cluster of misfortune recently, including not just a funeral, but a lack of Internet connection, a sick cat and a sick me. That, though, leads to the topic of this post.

Flexibility.

It’s a small word, but a difficult feat…and it means so much to both your personal and writing lives (if you manage to separate the two!).

One of my clients recently emailed me and asked about copywriting versus editing, and if I’d be willing to look at a half-and-half kind of job. “Just wanted to know specifically what you do and do not do,” she finished.

Did I tell my client to go jump in the lake unless she could clearly define the perameters of her current project? Of course not. So, what did I tell my client?

“I’m flexible!”

I don’t talk much on this blog about the editing and writer-for-hire sides of my career. Hey, they help pay the bills, but they’re not glamorous. At times, the work is deadly dull. Working with clients, though, has helped hone the same professionalism I need when dealing with, say, editors. Flexibility is one of the traits that comes in handy. When a client, or an editor, comes to me and says, “This piece is okay, but it’s not what I’m looking for,” do I stand my ground and insist that my way is best?

Only if I want to end my career as a bitter writer grandma whose blog is her only writing gig.

Or, do I say, “What changes do you want? I can have them to you by Friday!”

Heck, yeah, that’s the way to do it!

If you’re a member of a family—especially if you’re the mother of that family—you’re probably already good at flexibility. Certainly, Baby M has taught me loads about flexibility. Life also has a way of throwing fast pitches at you to see if you can either catch them or be flexible enough to dodge. Here are some personal examples from my past week:

• You've maxed out your bandwidth allotment by spending too much time blogging, so the Internet at your house is down indefinitely. Is it:
  
  “Bummer! Guess I’m off to the library!” or
  
  “Darn, a whole week lost!”
  

• You get a severe stomach something in the middle of an already-hectic week. When you recover, you’re weak as water. Is it:
  
  A day snapping at your family because you’re angry at how weak and unproductive you are, or
  
  “Now I have an excuse to sit and cuddle my daughter!”

There’s a place for rigidity…in your morals, in the values you hold dear, in supporting and defending your loved ones. The trick is to separate those moments that call for the strength of the oak from the much more common moments that require the elasticity of a reed. Try to stand firm at the wrong moments, and you may find yourself snapping instead. Try it in your career, and you’ll be snapping without a paycheck!

Are You Limiting Your Writing Creativity?

Creative Writing Secrets - 7 Ways You Limit Your Creative Writing Potential Without Even Knowing It
By Dan Goodwin

All of us have an ocean of creative writing potential waiting to be discovered. But having the potential to do something, and actually DOING it, are a world apart.

There are many reasons why we don't write as deeply, as freely and as consistently as we're capable of. So here are 7 of the most common ways you may be limiting YOUR creative writing potential without even knowing it, and what you can do to turn them around:

1. You don't capture your new ideas. A major complaint of creative writers is they don't have enough good ideas. Having the ideas though is not the issue. How many times have you had a great idea appear in your head at the most unlikely moment and thought: "wow, what an interesting idea, I could really develop this into something..." and then forgotten it as quickly as it appeared?

Capture your ideas as soon as they come to you, using a small notebook. Carry it with you wherever you go, and you'll soon realise not only how many ideas you've been having and just not noting them down, but you'll also see that the more ideas you do capture, the more ideas appear to fill their place.

2. You don't write everyday. Creating each and everyday is one of the fundamental building blocks of a consistent creative life. When you say you'll create "when you have time", guess what happens? Yep, you never seem to have time, and so you never write much.

Sit down and write for a minimum of 15 minutes each and every day at the same time each day. The power of this habit has so many benefits, not least of which that you give your creative mind a regular space and a place to, well, create!

3. You don't seek out inspiration. If your daily routine involves seeing exactly the same surroundings and few places, and you never go anywhere different or try any new experiences, you're writing will be similarly monotone and limited.

Keep your inspiration topped up by regularly making time for yourself to visit new places, see things you've always wanted to see, and absorb a little more culture and nature. The change in surroundings will stimulate your senses, which in turn feeds your creative mind with new ideas and inspiration.

4. You don't believe you're creative. Although on the surface you might think you have strong beliefs in your creative ability, often just below the surface a whole gaggle of limiting beliefs are conspiring to hold you back without you realising.

Honestly question what you REALLY believe about your creativity. Write out a few positive statements like "I believe I am a creative writer" and "I have an unlimited potential for new ideas" and notice your instinctive reaction to these statements. If they feel uncomfortable or untrue, it's time to work on making your underlying beliefs more positive.

5. You don't have a place to create. We all need somewhere to create, a place where we feel comfortable and can get into our writing without major distraction. Without this kind of space, we'll never get into any kind of flow with our writing.

Make a space that's just yours for writing. It might be a whole room, it might simply be a cosy chair in the corner of a room. But make it special to you, personalise it, do all you can to give yourself the best chance of writing as freely as possible when you come here to write.

6. You don't set any creative goals. Before your run away screaming at the word "goals", claiming an artist can't possibly be tied down with such limiting concepts, think about this: A goal doesn't need to be complex, rigid and suffocating. A goal is just something you'd like to do, with a date when you like to do it.

By setting goals as clear and simple as: "This Sunday, beginning at 10am I'm going to spend at least 2 hours on writing my new short story" you'll get SO MUCH MORE done than if you just say "I might try to fit in a bit of work on my short story sometime this weekend"... Try setting a few goals - it works!

7. You don't acknowledge your progress. Because you live with yourself day in, day out, it's very difficult to objectively view how much you're developing as a writer. Which means most of the time it feels like you're writing exactly the same stuff you were writing 5 years ago or that you hardly write very much at all.

By taking the time to review how you're evolving - every 3 or 6 months is a good period of time - you can gain huge confidence from realising not only that your writing style has developed, but that actually you've also written far more than you thought you had.

These are 7 of the most common reasons why you're not writing to your creative potential. Which do you most relate to?

Which one area can you choose to work on from today, to start unleashing more of that creative writing talent within you that's bursting to get out?

And you can get your creative writing kick started again right away with the FREE 5 part creative writing ecourse at http://www.YouAreACreativeWriter.Com

From Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin

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Procrastination vs. the Creative Writer: Dealing with Distractions

The Writing Life: Tips for Dealing with Procrastination
By JJ Murphy

I know something's up when I'd rather do laundry than write.

Another more subtle sign of procrastination is when I conduct endless research, but never write a rough draft. I'm in trouble when I'm hunting in the refrigerator after every sentence.

But what can I do about it? Here are a few ideas that have helped me negotiate this rough terrain in my writing life:

1. Define your most productive times. I write best first thing in the morning. Nothing has happened to distract me from my thoughts. This is the best time for me to free write, review materials I wrote several days ago, or proofread. Another good time for me is when I'm hiking or when I take a break after a 45 minute hike to a pleasant sit spot.

2. Assess your writing environment. I write best when there is natural light. At night I need correctly placed light. Shadows or glare are distracting obstacles that contribute to procrastination.

3. Remove distractions. I have a place where I can sit and write regardless of the weather. I like being outside better, but when I need research and support materials, my library and the Internet are important. If music is playing, it has to be something that is not intrusive. TV or videos are deadly. Turn off the TV - even the Weather Channel. The difference is amazing. If you do not have a room, office or a space all your own, dedicate a corner of a room or a quiet place in the library where you do nothing but write.

4. Write everything down. Freewriting, brainstorming, lists, outlines, organic notes (those diagrams with spokes) - whatever floats into your head - write it down. Worry about organizing later. The idea is to fill up the page with words. If you have to start with "I hate this, it's dumb, I can't think of where to begin..." - do that. The more words that turn up on the page, the greater the chance that some of them get to the heart of what you want to say. If your hand cramps, talk into your voicemail or consider purchasing voice recognition software.

5. Take baby steps. I recently set a goal to publish a writing-related article once a week. That would be scary, but I have broken the task down into baby steps. I established a list of topics that I can add to whenever I think of something. If an idea grabs me, then I'll write down what I'm feeling, thinking, learning or any other comment. I may have written about this topic before. Eventually I will have enough notes to begin a freewrite, which often turns into a rough draft. That is often enough to keep my momentum going through the rest of the writing process.

6. Write the easiest parts first. If I am stuck for a beginning, I write a middle. If I have a conclusion or strong opinion, I write that first. Sometimes a little push is enough to set the process back in motion.

7. Reward your small victories. If I have been writing for 15 minutes to an hour, I take a well-deserved break. It soothes my eyes to shift from staring at a screen or notebook to looking out at the horizon. I may just stretch or get a cup of tea or I may use that time to break for a hike or some other treat. Taking breaks helps avoid burn-out, which kills productivity.

8. Be prepared for setbacks. Even with the support provided by these guidelines, setbacks happen. If I focus on being stuck, I stay stuck. Instead I look for ways to move on. I might write about the topic from an opposing point of view, I might write a dialogue between me and the procrastination monster, or I might switch from writing nonfiction to fiction. The important thing is not to substitute washing the kitchen floor for writing.

9. Have a plan. When caught in the grip of procrastination, recognize the symptoms and make a commitment to change the pattern. For me, procrastination typically sets in when my hiking is curtailed by a stretch of bad weather. Walking or any kind of rhythmic movement is part of what I need to do to write. In my part of the world bad weather is a fact of life. I will get stuck indoors. At that point, I have my tips list, an idea file, magnetic poetry and a whole range of ways to get words on a page. I don't need a final product. I just need to get my hands or my voice moving.

10. Accountability. Whether you write or not is entirely in your power. I cannot blame the weather, a sprained finger or anything else for my decision to write or not to write. If I want to provide my clients with work on or before a deadline, I have to write. If I want meaningful content for my readers, I have to write. I enjoy writing, but if it ever becomes a chore or a daily burden, I'll look for something else to do.

JJ Murphy is a freelance writer who helps a variety of companies, small businesses and individuals to express their awareness and dedication to developing sustainable technology and to preserve our natural resources. She provides articles for natural magazines, hiking publications, simple living publications in print and online. She also writes curricula to help public schools home schooling groups, private schools, wilderness camps, adult learning groups, continuing education programs and others stretch and expand their students’ knowledge.

She holds a Master of Arts degree from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas and a B.A. degree in English and Anthropology from the University of Connecticut. Her client list includes writers, business consultants, motivational speakers, psychologists, financial planners, educators, and politicians.

Visit her website http://www.WriterByNature.com

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Creative Writing: Finding Creative Ways to Manage Those Writing Deadlines

Last time I posted Scott Lindsay’s article on meeting deadlines, in which he specifically addressed over-commitment. However, what if you don’t over-commit but still have trouble managing your deadlines. Or, worse yet, what if you never learned to manage deadline to ensure you never over-commit? With that in mind, here are a few ways to keep yourself aware of your deadlines:

A checklist. One of the simplest methods is keeping a to-do list, usually in outline form, with tasks arranged by deadline. For example:



One of the advantages to a checklist is that you can break larger assignments into smaller chunks and assign each small section its own due date, helping you stay on top of large assignments.

A timeline. More visual writers may prefer a timeline. A timeline give you a linear view of time and allows you to see overlaps in your schedule, helping you avoid deadline bottlenecks.



A calendar. A calendar, my preferred method, is another way for visually-oriented people to keep track of deadlines. You can use a day planner, a standard wall calendar, a dry erase calendar—whatever you like, as long as it’s a calendar at which you look often. (If you never look at it, what’s the point?)



For me, a calendar is a visual representation of days, and I find it keeps me on track much better if I see those days filled with deadlines. It reminds me there’s no room for anything else in my schedule! You don’t have to keep separate calendars for work and personal life, either. In fact, I find it works better if I don’t. If I know I have a deadline and an important birthday party on the same day, I’ll plan in advance so I can manage both.

The fact is, none of these methods are exclusive. During exceptionally busy times, I sometimes find myself using all three—or more—simply to make sure I don’t let an important assignment slip through the cracks. You may find that none of these quite works for you. That’s all right too. The important part is that you do find something that works, and stick with it.

Creative Writing: Meeting those Deadlines

Are deadlines your nemesis?

Meeting the Deadline
By Scott Lindsay

A nemesis to all writers is an imposed deadline. Whether that deadline is from a publisher or as part of a writing contest or challenge the deadline screams at us to hurry up while our muse is certain the story just isn’t quite right yet.

As you develop your writing career or writing business you will likely find deadlines come more often and from a variety of sources.

Let me paint a scenario…

A client has requested 10 content articles for their website and you have agreed to provide that material to them on a certain date. You have moved through research and have compiled five of the articles and you have two days to complete the remaining articles.

As you check your emails you hear back from a magazine publisher that has decided, at the very last moment, to use an article you sent weeks ago. They need you to provide a rewrite of the article focusing on a more narrowly defined idea – and they need it tomorrow.

Do you ask for an extension on the content articles? Do you decline the rewrite because of your content deadline? Do you stay up all night to get it done? How exactly do you respond?

You could ask for an extension of the deadline on the content writing and it might be granted. You could decline the rewrite because you want to assure your content client you can deliver on time. You could stay up all night and try to get the re-write done and hope you can function the next day to manage the content writing.

The biggest lesson in this is to work hard at reducing over commitment. Each piece of writing you send to an editor needs to contain the same attention to detail as any other piece of writing. You should honestly assess how much work you can comfortably do in a given period of time. Then, you should only accept work that fits in a framework that allows you to maintain the highest level of Integrity.

Do not fall prey to the impulse to simply throw something together at the last minute in order to meet a deadline. This reflects poorly on your work ethic and may cause a client to reconsider who they use for future work.

Know your limits and be willing to say ‘NO’ to work that may conflict with your ability to complete work on time. It may mean passing up something you’d rather be doing, but by explaining your situation you may be surprised by an editor willing to work with you despite a deadline.

Remember, as a writer of faith we work for the Lord, not for men. Make sure Jesus can be pleased with your efforts.

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of FaithWriters (http://www.faithwriters.com) and many other web projects. FaithWriters has grown to become one of the largest online destinations for Christian writers. Members include writers from all around the world. Please visit the website at: http://www.faithwriters.com

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Creative Writing: Your Writing Schedule

As someone who recently started working from home, I've already discovered the distractions inherent in the home office environment. Although I'm working for an employer, not just for myself, I think many of Regina Paul's suggestions are helpful. Let me know what you think.

7 Steps to Creating a Working Writer’s Schedule that You Can Live With
By Regina Paul

Creating a working schedule when you’re a freelance writer can be a difficult task. When you work from home contrary to what many people think it is often not easier but more difficult as there are more distractions. For example, maybe you have children underfoot, or your house is dirty and the temptation to clean first and write later hits you, or friends and family are calling you because after all you can make your own schedule so why don’t you go out to lunch or shopping with them, you can write later, right? Unlike working a regular 9 to 5 job where you have a set schedule for what hours you are expected to be productive, when you work from home this is not the case, the only one you are responsible to is yourself.

So, how do you create a working writer’s schedule and stick to it? There are a number of tricks and tips you can use to help yourself in this respect. After all if you don’t write, you don’t get paid, and if you don’t get paid, neither do the bills.

1. Decide how many hours you want to work each day which will provide enough income to take care of your necessities and leave you with a little extra for fun. Then pick the hours during the day when you are going to write, and stick to that time period.

2. Turn off your phone! I can’t stress this enough, many a writer finds him/herself answering phone calls from relatives or friends who don’t take their career choice of writer seriously, and then find themselves on the phone listening to gossip, requests to go shopping, or the latest emotional crisis with the boyfriend. Avoid this all together by turning off your phone during working hours. Let the voicemail or answering machine take the calls, you can always check them later when you take a break.

3. What if you have kids at home? Well, that can be tricky because kids are important and they have a right to our undivided attention and love. What I usually suggest is having special toys or a TV with DVD/VCR for them to watch videos (have them be videos maybe they don’t get to watch normally so it’s different than other times) or play in your home office or very close by. Make it a special time where they get to do something they really like while you are writing, this helps them to feel included in what you are doing.

4. Tell your friends and relatives what your working schedule is and ask them not to call or come over during those hours unless it’s an emergency (make sure you clarify what an emergency is, otherwise the next emotional crisis with the boyfriend will be used as an excuse). After all it’s not like they would show up at your place of employment unexpectedly if you had a regular job.

5. Create your own contract. Add the hours you are going to work and any other stipulations such as how many pages or articles you are going to write per day for example. Make sure you have a place to sign your name and date it, then print it out and hang it somewhere in your office where you can easily see it. This is your contract with yourself since you are your own employer.

6. Commit to your schedule, this is very important. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by dusty shelves, books that need to be reorganized or dirty dishes. Your writing must come first with the exception of an emergency or your children needing you of course. There are some distractions that you cannot ignore, but as much as possible stick to your schedule.

7. Make a list of daily goals. I make my list the night before based on what I got done during the day. I use a student’s planner which has several lines for each day and a full monthly calendar as well. I write in my goals the day before and then cross them off as I finish them each day. If I don’t finish a goal I move it to the next day until it is completed. This also makes it easier for me to keep track of deadlines for previously contracted work.

All of these tips will help you to create a working writer’s schedule that you can live with. You will see your productivity go up, as well as, your income. It’s worthwhile to create a schedule you can live with because you are more likely to stick to it, than the usual hit or miss method which is what many of us use when we are starting out. The old excuses of “I’m just not inspired right now, so I’ll wait,” or “I have writer’s block, I can’t possibly stick to a schedule now, I’ll create one later” will hold no sway over you because just like in the real world when you have to produce, you will train your brain that you are on a regular schedule and must produce as well.

Regina Paul is a freelance writer, and the author of GETTING OUT ALIVE, a science fiction romance, as well as two novellas and numerous articles. She is currently at work on her next novel, and her first non-fiction book. For more information you can visit her website at http://www.reginapaul.com where you can sign up for her monthly newsletter Regina's Universe, participate in her latest contest, get free e-books, and find many other writer's freebies.

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Time Management

Most freelance writers have to find ways to overcme the problem of time management. I recently ran across this article on time management, and I thought it had some really good advice...wish I'd written it myself!

http://www.thesykesgrp.com/TSGBlog/archives/cat_timemanagement.html

Hope you find it as insightful as I did!