The Benefits of Journaling

photo credit: Dalboz17

Practice makes perfect, right?

That’s exactly why journaling is essential for writers. Do all writers keep journals? Of course not. But most of us have kept journals at some point and for many writers, journaling has been instrumental in generating ideas, developing a strong voice, and learning how to flesh thoughts out onto the page.

Morning Pages

Probably the most famous application of journaling comes from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. In it, she encourages people who are trying to connect with creativity to write every single morning. “Three pages of whatever comes to your mind — that’s all there is to it.”

Writing morning pages is like boot camp for your muse. By writing every day at the same time, you train her to show up when you say it’s time to work. Cameron’s methodology also involves turning off the inner censor, that little voice that berates every sentence.

The key is to simply let the words flow.

Think about this — if you write three pages a day, then in seven days, you’ll have twenty-one pages. In a month, you’ll have about ninety pages and in one year, you’ll have well over a thousand pages. That’s a lot of creative material to pull ideas from.

Get on the Writer’s Express

If you’re new to writing or want to explore writing as a career or hobby, then journaling is your ticket onto the expressway to becoming a writer. You can use your journal to draft stories, sketch characters, jot down poems, or just record the events of your daily life. Maybe after one year and over a thousand pages, you’ll be able to do some editing and publish your memoirs.

Journaling is also great for us freelance writers, who spend all day crafting and editing copy for clients. This type of writing is a lot different than writing stories or poems, so journaling can help to get your head out of business and into more creative pursuits. I find blogging is good for that too.

Then again, for many of us, our blog is much like a journal.

Sticking to a Schedule

Even if you don’t stick to a rigorous schedule, it’s important to journal somewhat regularly. This helps keep ideas and language flowing and helps you to build the journaling habit. You may only be able to journal on weekends, or certain days of the week. While I do think sticking to a schedule (preferably daily) is the best way, it’s not always realistic.

The most important thing is that you commit to journaling and then proceed to keep your journal with you or nearby at all times. You can also carry smaller notebooks or scraps of paper and either glue or tape them into your journal later.

The Journals I Love

A couple of months ago, I wrote a post on my other blog about my favorite journals. Technically, the Watson-Guptill Sketchbook is just that, a sketchbook. The pages are blank instead of lined, so you can doodle and write sideways. Some writers can journal using anything — composition books, legal pads, napkins. I can do that too, but I don’t feel the connection to it as when I have my own sacred space especially for journaling.

When I journal, I usually do freewrites or describe the goings-on in my life. Sometimes I write about my goals or beliefs. Other times, I draw, and I usually do that with Crayola Markers of all things!

Recently, I’ve got it into my head that I’ll start journaling on the computer, now that I’ve got a shiny new Mac. But it’s just not the same as having that book and pen in my hand. It’s almost like I’m closer to my creativity or my subconscious when I’m using a pen. I’m not sure if that’s true or even possible, but it sure feels that way.

Do You Journal?

Have you ever kept a journal? Do you keep one now? Let’s talk about how journaling has impacted our writing or even our lives. And don’t forget to mention what type of book or paper you prefer to use for journaling — or do you do it on the computer? Online? Is your blog your journal?

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When it All Comes Crashing Down

photo credit: Matt Rife

You know what sucks? When you wake up in a glittering mood and after enjoying a cup of rich, aromatic coffee, you turn on your computer to find that the hard drive has been conspiring with your muse. And now they are both on vacation.

That’s exactly what happened to me Thursday morning. Curse the muse and her little hard drive too!

And while the muse will surely return (hopefully with all my files braided in her hair), I have a feeling the hard drive’s vacation is going to be a permanent one.

If you think that sucks the big one, keep reading, because there’s even more suckiness to this story.

Years ago I started developing smart computer user habits. I save documents every five minutes while I’m working on them. I use virus protection software and I’m rigorous about renewing it on time. I even backup all my files. Annually.

Oops.

You see this happened to me before. It was the hard drive crash of ‘98. Since then, I’ve backed up everything about once a year.

But that was when I had a normal job and didn’t spend all day every day creating hoards of files on my personal computer. If I lost a year’s worth of stuff, it was not the end of the world because back then, it took me a year to generate the amount of files I generate now in oh, about a WEEK.

About a month ago it suddenly dawned on me that now I’m a freelance writer and with all the files I’m generating, I really should backup monthly. You know, just in case. I wasn’t too worried about it because I do know (from experience) that they can usually retrieve files from a cracked out hard drive, but still, that can be pretty expensive.

So, being the smart chick that I am, I splurged for an external hard drive, which cost $100 (not too bad) and proceeded with the gargantuan task of organizing all my files. All sixty plus gigabytes of files — because I’m just anal like that. I figured that I’d peck away at it for a couple of weeks and then plug in the shiny new (and awfully pretty kiwi-colored) hard drive and load that baby up.

Obviously, I did not get organized in time.

Unlucky me.

But let’s look on the bright side:

• I have an old laptop that I can use for the time being.
• I have a LOT of stuff online and in emails that I can retrieve.
• There is that backup from last year — wouldn’t want to lose thousands of dollars of music and all my photos.
• My writing folder is on a four gigabyte thumb drive (my creative writing, NOT my client writing).
• If my hard drive is dust, I might be forced to buy a Mac. If that’s not silver lining, I don’t know what is.

And the guy at the computer repair shop was confident that he’d be able to restore my files, which is why he’s now in possession of my lovely new and unused external hard drive.

I admit, I’m horribly ashamed about what’s happened. I am so embarrassed that you could say I’m mortified and that would be an understatement. But I will put myself on the chopping block of backup gurus everywhere so that for this week’s writing exercise, I can offer you this:

Back. Up. All. Your. Files. Now.

Mac, hard drive, file retrieval, computer crashes, and backup stories and tips are welcome in the comments section.

Have a fabulous weekend!

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How to Face the Blank Page When Your Muse is on Vacation

photo credit: Ponto e virgula

Have you ever sat down to start a new writing project and then realized an hour later you were still sitting there, staring idly at the blank page?

In a writer’s ideal world, the blank page is something we always look forward to, a fresh canvas that we can color with ideas and texture with language. When our muse is dancing around, we feel motivated and inspired, so that blank page feels like the start of an exciting adventure. But if our mind isn’t in the right place, if our muse is on vacation, that same page is nothing but a source of frustration.

When I became a freelance writer, I had to learn how to write whether the muse was present or not. You know how muses are, fleeting little hooligans. I couldn’t rely on mine all the time. So I learned how to get along without her.

Outsmart the Missing Muse

Yes, you can get along without your muse. I won’t lie to you and tell you that writing without your muse is the same. It’s less pleasant, more time consuming, and makes you feel like a struggling hack rather than the brilliant writer that you are. Still, life (and work, and writing) goes on whether the muse is at your beck and call or not.

First, you have to figure out why your muse failed to show up. Here are some reasons mine runs off and hides:

• I’m just not that into this particular project and neither is she.
• The muse’s secret entrance is blocked by my mental stress or physical exhaustion.
• She put her time in for the day and has clocked out (the well’s run dry).

Once I recognize the problem, it’s a little easier to cope with the muse’s absence. I still miss her, but now that I know why she’s a no-show, I’m ready to forge ahead without her.

Forget the Muse, Discover Willpower

You see, the secret to facing the blank page without the muse is sheer determination. You achieve this by getting into the right frame of mind and using clever tricks to convince your brain that it can, in fact, function without the muse. I do this by telling myself any or all of the following:

• Once I get the first sentence out, the piece will start to flow.
• I don’t have to get it right (this is a rough draft, after all). I just have to get it written.
• If I hurry up and get this done, I can do something else.

Sometimes these simple reminders are all it takes to get your word machine in good working order. By forcing yourself to push ahead or promising yourself a fine reward, you can actually convince your brain to become productive without its mischievous little friend. That would be your muse, for anyone who hasn’t been paying attention.

Try a New Approach

What? You say your brain is smarter than you are and these tricks don’t work for you? Don’t worry, I have more tricks up my sleeve. After all, I’ve been outsmarting the muse for over two decades.

• Take a break and work on a different project.
• Take a break and do something fun.
• Take a break and get your blood pumping.

Now, you have to be careful when it comes to taking breaks. You don’t want to stare at that blank page for five minutes, take a twenty minute break and then just repeat that cycle all the livelong day. That won’t do you any good and your muse will have won.

There’s a good chance your brain just needs to do a little stretching. Ever wake up in the morning and your muscles are all stiff? You yawn and stretch (and try to come alive). Sometimes your brain needs to do that too.

When you switch gears and get your wheels turning on a different project, you can build momentum for when you return to the one that’s giving you a hard time. Or, you could just be overworked and need to pamper yourself by having some fun. Play with the dog or the kids, watch some hilarous YouTube videos, or turn up the music and dance around in your underwear.

Uh oh. I said underwear. Here we go again.

That brings us to getting the old blood pumping. I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV, so I can’t give you the biological physiological diatribe about how blood flow and oxygen getting to your brain can make you more alert and get those creative juices flowing. But take my word for it. A little workout can do wonders to encourage the word current. (Yes, dancing around in your underwear to really loud obnoxious music counts as a workout. Plus it’s fun so you get two for the price of one.)

You Say None of These Solutions Work for You?

If all else fails, pretend that muses are make believe and declare that you’ve come down with a case of severe writer’s block. Take two aspirin and go lie down in a cool, dark room with a warm washcloth on your head, pillows under your feet, and play some music for meditation.

You can go back to work and start all over tomorrow.

Yes, I’m still not a doctor. No, I’m not lying. This is an ancient home remedy that’s been used by non-writers for centuries, if not millennia. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of it.

When the Muse Returns

When your muse gets back and discovers all the work you’ve done without her, you might want to gloat. This could discourage her from taking any sabbaticals in the future. Or, maybe you don’t want to hurt her feelings. If she’s sensitive, then gloating might only encourage her to take off more frequently. All muses are different and I can only suggest you learn how to deal with yours through trial and error. But be sure to feed her plenty of cream puffs and chocolate éclairs.

You know what’s coming next, don’t you? Of course, because I’m so predictable. I want you to tell us all about your muse. How often does she take a vacation? How do you cope with her absence? Have you found ways to write without your muse or are you fully codependent on her? Is your muse a male?

Leave a comment but don’t tell the muses we’re talking about them. We wouldn’t want it to go to their heads.

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