E is for Exempt From Perfection

Update on me: My heart is still in A Fib and the Dr. has told me that it is more likely to drop back into it's regular rhythm if I get a full nights rest. At home this would mean working until I'm done and then sleeping in, but everyone knows you can't sleep long in a hospital before someone needs to poke or prod you. I still have some time, but if it gets too late I may put it down and just post afar I have. You have been warned, TMI concluded.

E is also for experience! The only way you can get experience is to just do it. It's like a Nike commercial, but with less sweat and more chocolate or coffee or both. This is something I am really bad at. I seem to always have a billion things that distract me from actually sitting down and putting pen to paper or pixels to cloud. However it goes these days. Usually it is mundane life stuff, which I will never complain about again because the Fates keep showing me it could always be worse. For the record I believe them.

Another thing that seems to distract me is research. There is so much great stuff out there that you could probably spend a lifetime researching and never move to the next step of starting your story. So of course that leaves me here preaching about experience when I am far from this magical creature called the experienced author.

How am I going to get this much coveted experience? I have a few plans. First, challenges like A to Z help me immensely. I just like the feeling of moving toward a measurable goal with a bunch of other people. Being able to pick your brains has led to some ingenious solutions.

Second, dedicating a set time each day in your routine is reported to help you transition from mundane you to writer more quickly and easily. I have no experience easily becoming writer me, but I have seen the power of the routine in my children's lives. I will apply those principles to my writing and see how far I get. The only way it could get worse is if I don't try.

Another piece of advice I have used with success is setting a timer and just writing as much as you can in the allotted time. Write or Die offers a word processor equipped with a timer and warnings that tell you if you have stopped writing for too long. The settings are customizable, so the penalties range from an annoying reminder to deleting your work if your inactive for too long. It is available as a program you can purchase or a free web version with fewer features.

Lastly, I am going to be kinder to myself. We all try to be kind and supportive of our friends and writing groups. We go out of our way to make helpful comments and listen as others vent. We have proven we posses these skills so why do we not practice them when dealing with our selves. I am guilty of negative self talk and usually talk myself out of even trying because I'm convinced that what is in my head will never measure up. I can not allow this to go on. Doubt is trying to kill my dreams and I need to resuscitate them and then nurture them.

I showed you mine now you show me yours. What are your best tips for motivating yourself or others to just do this writing thing? Let me know where your visiting from so I can follow you back and see what your up to.

Photos by Pixabay.