Heeding The Desire to Create

June 26, 2025 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Editor’s note: I am taking next week off to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. I’ll be back the following week with a new post about the writing life. Until then, be safe and keep writing.

Yes, Virginia, the desire to create is real.

Many years ago, I watched the movie “Enchanted April,” a story about four women at various stages of their lives who spend the month of April at a secluded castle in Italy. Set at a time and place where there were no cell phones or computers and no access to a radio or TV, these women were forced to entertain themselves in other ways, whether it was taking long walks, having conversations with each other, or preparing meals together.

After a week or so, one of the women, an older widowed aristocrat, (played by the legendary British actress Joan Plowright) felt restless and felt the urge to do something constructive. What did she do? She began drawing. The simple act of drawing helped calm her and center her, and to no viewer’s surprise, made her less cranky to be around.

Mind you, she was not an artist to begin with. She was an aristocrat, used to hosting parties and entertaining guests. She wasn’t used to spending a lot of alone time with her thoughts and imaginings. But being out in nature with few people around, she gravitated toward this unfamiliar yearning. A yearning to create.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a German aviator, airline executive and religious leader once said, “The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.”

It’s my belief that we are all born with an innate desire to create, and to create beauty that will be appreciated by others. It’s as real and natural to us as breathing and walking.

Except not all of us recognize this desire or believe we have creative talents. But this isn’t about natural ability or talent. It’s not about excellence and achievement. It’s about desire. It’s about the need to produce something of beauty that will leave a lasting legacy.

As the movie example above showed, the creative need can show up in your life at the most unexpected time, usually when you’ve spent a lot of time alone and immersed in nature. But that’s not the only way. This creative need can manifest in your life in different ways.

You might be moved by witnessing something beautiful, like a song, nature or artwork.
Events in your life might inspire you to start a journal so you can write down all your thoughts and musings.
You might have seen an exhibit at an art show or museum that prompts you to experiment with drawing, sketching or painting.
You might have heard a piece of music that moved you or made you want to learn to play an instrument or pick it up again.
A friend may have encouraged you to join them in a new crafting hobby, like knitting or weaving.

When you see how others have brought their creative vision into reality, it makes you want to do the same. But how do you access this creative self-expression yourself? What can you do to satisfy this desire to create, especially if you believe you have no creative abilities?

Spend time alone without distractions. This will be hard to do, considering all the devices at our disposal these days. Imagine spending time in a private villa with no access to computers, TV or radio. With only your thoughts for company, and perhaps a friend or two for occasional conversation, you may feel the need to do something with yourself, just like our aristocrat from the movie. Listen for inspiration. You don’t have to go to a private castle to do that. Find any place that offers a peaceful respite from your busy life.
Spend time in nature. Going for long walks, whether in the local forest preserve, in the mountains or on the beach, immerses you in nature. Being around nature or any green things can be calming to the frazzled mind. It can also inspire you to create (or re-create) the beauty you see around you.
Experiment with different tools and techniques. Thai is especially important if you believe you were born without creative abilities. What are you most drawn to? Drawing? Writing poetry? Journaling? Taking photos? Cooking? (Yes, cooking is a form of creation too). I once tried a sketching class. Because I’m used to writing as a form of creation, drawing objects was a new challenge for me that forced me to use a different part of my brain. I enjoyed the class. I occasionally take out my sketchbook to take a break from writing.
Listen to beautiful music, ideally instrumental. What images come to mind when you hear the music? How does the music make you feel? Does the music inspire you to do something creative, such as writing poetry or drawing or wreath-making?
Practice meditation and/or yoga. Both activities will calm your mind. And a calm mind is a creative one. Many writers I know use meditation and yoga when they’re stuck in a work-in-progress as a way to get unstuck. By taking time to check in with yourself, your inner guide will help you find the creative solutions you’re seeking for any problems you’re grappling with.
Visit an art museum. Note the different methods that the artists used to create their pieces. Is there a particular artist whose works resonate with you. Or inspire you to try your hand at painting or drawing?

As humans, we have an abundance of needs–physiological, emotional, connection and relationships, esteem and self-actualization to quote from Maslow. Somewhere in that hierarchy is the need to create.

Experts at Creativelyllc.com offer these guiding questions to help you source out your desire to create.

1. Do you enjoy the experience of creating? If you enjoy something, you’ll be more likely to stick with it.

2. Don’t judge yourself too harshly when you create something that doesn’t live up to your vision. Set up a judgment-free creativity zone in your home where you can create anything just for the sake of creating.

3. Experiment with different outlets. Try music, acting, dancing, poetry, or crocheting. There’s bound to be one or two of them that resonate with you.

4. Does creating feel like work or play? If it feels like play, you’re on the right track. Creating is supposed to be fun.

5. What drives you to create? How does creation help you fulfill your purpose in life or showcase your individuality?

The next time you feel a yearning to create, don’t dismiss it. Give in to that desire and see where it takes you.

Seven Excuses Writers Make to Avoid Calling Themselves a Writer

June 18, 2025 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

When I first started writing fiction in earnest several years ago, I would call myself an “aspiring writer.” I still occasionally call myself an “aspiring novelist.” Only after hearing a published author suggest dropping the qualifier “aspiring” and simply say “I am a writer” did I feel brave enough to do that. When I did, something funny happened. I felt liberated and empowered, like I had grown wings and could fly whenever I wanted to.

Adding a qualifying term like “aspiring” to your writing title is like riding a bike with training wheels. Those wheels might help you learn to ride the bike, but at some point, you have to take them off and start pedaling.

“Adding ‘aspiring’ may feel small and inconsequential, but it’s not,” writes Lisa Fellinger, author of Write with Confidence: Shatter Self-Limiting Beliefs and Finish Your Book, at the Jane Friedman blog. “It reinforces the belief that you’re not quite there yet, that you haven’t earned the title. Every time you call yourself an aspiring writer, you’re feeding the imposter syndrome that keeps you stuck.”

It doesn’t matter how much experience you have with writing either. Published authors struggle with this as much as novice writers. For example, at the KillZoneBlog, thriller writer James Scott Bell admits that he struggled to call himself a writer even after he had several published books under his belt.

So why are so many writers reluctant to call themselves a writer? Fellinger hinted at one reason: imposter syndrome. But I can think of several other possible reasons for this avoidance tactic.

I haven’t published anything yet.”

Maybe your current project is a work-in-progress. Never mind that you’ve been working on it for the past five years or longer, and you have nothing published to show for your hard work. You believe that only published writers are worthy of the title. But the reality is as long as you show up and put in the effort, you’ve already earned the title of writer. So don’t shy away from it.
“I don’t get paid for my writing; it’s volunteer work.”

Many writers believe that they haven’t truly arrived as a writer until they’ve been paid for their work. Payment legitimizes their writing, and by extension, legitimizes the title of writer. Again, it’s about showing up and making the effort, not the final product or the reward. For many writers, writing is the reward.
“My writing is a hobby, nothing more.”

Maybe you already have a full-time job that pays the bills, such as accounting, teaching or fixing cars. That’s how you identify yourself. Writing may only be a hobby and you have no desire or expectation of publishing success. Perhaps you write for fun and relaxation. The belief is you can’t truly call yourself a writer if you’re only writing as a hobby. But in life, we wear many hats. Who’s to say that you can’t identify with several personas–a teacher, a mother and a writer? It’s okay to call yourself a writer, even if it is a hobby or side hustle. It’s the effort that matters.
“No one knows I’m writing. This is a secret passion and I haven’t told anyone.”

If no one knows that you’re writing, then you don’t have to explain yourself to anyone and you don’t have to openly call yourself a writer. Perhaps you believe no one will understand this strange compulsion to write. But the truth is that as long as you’re putting in the work–even in secret–you’re still a writer. What you’re lacking is confidence. If this sounds like you, try this experiment. Stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself, “I am a writer.” Keep saying it until you feel comfortable. Then reach out to your closest friend or family member, someone you know and trust, and speak those words to them too. With repetition and practice, you may eventually believe you are a writer.
“I’m not a very good writer.”

An inability to call yourself a writer may stem from a belief that your writing isn’t good. The belief is that only the best writers deserve to be called writers. The truth is that no writer starts out their careers at the top of their game. In fact, many of them aren’t very good at all. But they became successful by working at their craft. Most writers produce really bad first drafts (sometimes even second and third drafts). That doesn’t make them any less of a writer. Through persistent, hard work, their writing improved. So will yours. It’s the effort that counts.
“I’m afraid that once I call myself a writer, I will have to take this writing habit of mine more seriously.”

Yes, that is likely true. Calling yourself a writer means making a stronger commitment to the writing journey and becoming the best writer you can be. It means doing the things that will improve your craft. Saying “I am a writer” shows confidence in your talents, even if you don’t necessarily feel that way inside. Sometimes you have to fake it to make it. Start calling yourself a writer and see what follows.
“I was told when I was younger that writing is not a suitable, respectable or legitimate career path.”

Sadly, many writers have heard this criticism. If someone has convinced you that writing is a waste of time, you’ve got some work to do. Thanks to this brainwashing (because that’s what this is), you’ve avoided calling yourself a writer to prove to critics that you’re toeing the line. Worse, you’ve probably avoided writing at all. But deep down, that urge to write is still strong. I say, write anyway. What matters more is how you feel about writing. So the next time you take a shower, prepare dinner or lie in bed before sleeping, tell yourself “I am a writer.” Keep repeating it like an affirmation. Before long, the words will sink in

Many writers have overcome these mental obstacles to create satisfying, respectable and legitimate writing careers. Think about your own excuses for not calling yourself a writer. What’s holding you back? What can you do to change your mindset and proudly say, “I am a writer?”

Reading What You Write: Tips for Presenting Your Written Work

May 16, 2024July 24, 2024 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

There may be times when you may be invited to read your work to an audience. Whether it’s reading to visitors at a local bookstore or presenting it in class to fellow aspiring writers, the thought of reading your work aloud can be unnerving if you’re not used to it. Writers, especially, can feel uncomfortable. Because they’re used to working alone and don’t have many opportunities to read to an audience.

However, reading for an audience offers several advantages. For starters, it can help you get used to facing an audience. It takes practice to feel comfortable speaking out loud. The more you do it, the better you will sound and the more confident you’ll feel.

Reading aloud can show you the rough spots in your writing. According to the University of North Carolina Writing Center, when reading aloud your work, your brain receives information in a new way so you tend to notice details you didn’t see when you read it silently. While most of their advice pertains to research papers, I think it’s relevant for fiction writing as well.

When reading aloud, the sequence of ideas in a research paper (or scenes in a story) should make sense to readers. You might notice gaps in explanations or narratives. Words might be left out. You might see awkward sentence structure, or sentences that are too long, confusing, repetitive or convoluted. You might find that the tone isn’t quite right for your piece. For example, the humor may not be appropriate or the jokes simply fall flat.

Conversely, reading aloud can help you notice where your writing is strongest. You can tell when the story flows the way it should, and the dialogue is lively.

Conquering your fear of reading out loud

There are two types of fears when reading out loud. One is the fear of facing an audience, whether they’re strangers or people you know. (Sometimes reading for people who know can be scarier than reading to a room full of strangers.)

The second fear is the fear of sharing your work. You fear people won’t like your work. We all have an inherent desire to be liked, so any semblance of negativity can make us lose confidence in our abilities even when those abilities are topnotch. No one likes receiving negative feedback or getting criticized. But to be stronger writers, sometimes we have to take the risk of reading our work to others. How else will we know if people will enjoy what we write?

Writing experts offer a few tips for presenting your work.

* Read from a printed copy. Print out your manuscript rather than read from a computer. Seeing your work on a printed page might help you noticed errors you didn’t notice on the screen.

* Practice, practice, practice. Take a day or two to practice your reading. Note if there are any rough spots that you have difficulty getting past. Keep practicing, no matter how tired you get of reading it, so that the words flow easily. It might help to read in front of a mirror, a friend, even your pet dog.

* Pretend you’re someone else reading your work. This might seem tough to do, but some writers swear by this technique. Imagine you are someone else who is given the task of reading your work out loud, like a news anchor or your favorite actor. Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes can make you feel less self-conscious about facing an audience.

Tips for reading to a group

When it comes time to read for your audience, remember to do the following:

*Project your voice so everyone in the room can hear you. This is especially true if there is no microphone available. Speak clearly and enunciate your words. Avoid mumbling.

* Don’t rush through to the end. When you’re nervous about speaking to strangers, it’s easy to fall into the habit of speeding up when you need to slow down. People need and want to hear you, and they can’t do that if you’re racing ahead like you’re running in the Kentucky Derby.

* When you’re reading from your manuscript, be sure to look up often and make eye contact with your audience. It might help to focus on two or three friendlier faces, those who give nonverbal cues like smiling and nodding, so you know they’re paying attention.

Reading aloud is an often overlooked skill, but one that you can master and add to your skill set early in your writing career. When you finally publish your work, you’ll have the confidence to read your work with pride.

Create Your One-Word Intention for 2023

January 5, 2023 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Many people greet the New Year with a glass of bubbly and one or two resolutions they aim to achieve. Once the champagne is consumed, what happens to the resolutions – if they’ve made them at all? Most people give up on them within the first few days – even though they have 365 days to work on those resolutions.

If you’re never been into making New Year’s resolutions or you don’t take them seriously enough to keep them, I’d like to offer you an alternative – the one-word intention. Or if you prefer, the one-word theme.

The concept is simple. Think of the year ahead. Is there some overarching issue that you’re dappling with? Is there some aspect of your personality that you’d like to improve? Do the activities you have planned for the year reflect a certain common theme? That is where your one-word intention can give you focus.

Before I share with you my own one-word intention for 2023, here are a few examples.

If you’re making several changes in your life, such as moving to a new city to start a new job, your one word might be Transition or Change.
If you want to develop more trust in your relationships or within yourself, your word for the year might be Trust or Relationships
If you would like to spend more quality time with loved ones, your one word might be Family.
If you’re focused on creating a healthier lifestyle (and who doesn’t after the holidays), your word might be Health or Wellness
If the year ahead is filled with workshops and classes, getting an advanced degree or attending conferences, your word might be Education or Knowledge.
If you want to begin a regular writing practice or start on that novel you keep telling people you want to write, your one word might be Consistency or Persistence or Imagination.

You get the idea.

What difference can one word make, you might ask? After all, it is only one word.

Don’t overlook the emotional significance or power that one word can have on your psyche. Think of it as a mantra. You can repeat it inside your head whenever you face a particular situation. For example, if your mind keeps wandering or you begin to feel scattered and unfocused, you might use the one-word to bring back your focus.

Every word in the English language carries energy. Words can either bring you down or build you up. In this case with your one-word intention or theme, you are building your life for the New Year. Let your word of the year guide you to become the person you want to be. Making that one-word intention is a lot easier than making New Year’s resolutions, and you don’t have to feel guilty if you forget your one word. There’s no additional work or action involved on your part. It’s more of a mindfulness about the year ahead. The important thing is to keep the word positive, so it gives you positive energy.

So what is my one-word intention?

Restructure.

That word came to my mind as I grapple with the different areas of my life that I’d like to change. I’m not talking about a major overhaul, just tweaks here and there. Everything from my living environment to my personal health and wellbeing to my finances, the organizations I support and the publications I write for.

I know the word restructure may have negative connotations for some people, but for me, it’s about rebuilding stronger foundations. It’s about changing out the old for the new. It’s about making a fresh start and rethinking how to do things better, more efficiently to get better results. Isn’t that what the New Year is about – making a fresh start?

So what is your one-word intention for 2023?

How to Make Friends with Your Inner Writing Critic

April 27, 2021 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving yourself and see what happens.” Louise Hay

Writers and creative types are known for being sensitive to criticism. But that’s assuming the criticism is directed from outside sources. But what happens if the criticism is coming from within yourself?

How do you deal with the fact that you are your own worst critic? How do you respond when your worst critic – your internal one — rears its ugly head?

That internal critic judges everything that you do, from your thoughts and actions to how you talk to people and the clothes you wear to the words you write. According to Good Therapy blog, self-criticism is the act of pointing out a person’s flaws.

Some experts believe that self-criticism can healthy because it can help you increase self-awareness and personal growth. If taken too far, however, it can be self-defeating, causing you to abandon projects before they get off the ground or missing deadlines. While occasional moments of self-doubt is normal, it’s the excessive stretches of self-criticism that can be harmful to your mental health.

Your worst critic can manifest in your writing life in a number of ways:

* Procrastination – putting off starting a writing project or assignment
* Not meeting deadlines
* Never finishing a writing project or constantly re-writing a piece
* Reluctance to show your work to anyone else because you don’t think it’s good enough

It might help to recognize that we are all born with internal voices, and in fact, we have two of them, writes executive coach Svetlana Whitener in Forbes. There’s the cheerleader who recognizes your writing strengths and encourages you to reach your goals. The curmudgeon is an unhappy character; he’s never satisfied with anything that anyone does. No one can ever please him.

If we’re all born with these two types of internal voices, then it’s safe to say that we can choose which one of them to listen to – and it’s no contest. Give me the cheerleader any day.

To minimize the impact of self-criticism, it’s helpful to cultivate self-awareness. This allows you to look at yourself fairly and objectively. Self-awareness can help you reshape your thinking, and shift it from negative to positive. Rather than disregard the internal critic’s commentary, it might be wise to take their remarks for what they’re worth. See if there’s anything of value in those comments that you can use to your advantage. That’s just one approach to dealing with your own worst critic.

“The inner critic isn’t an enemy,” writes Yong Kang Chan, author of The Disbelief Habit: How to Use Doubt to Make Peace with Your Inner Critic. “Our reaction to self-criticism is more important than the self-criticism itself. Paying attention to our reactions is very important because the only thing we have control over is how we react.”

If you are your own worst critic, it might be time to make peace with it. Rather than silence it completely, there are some things you can do to put it to good use. In most cases, it’s a matter of rethinking how you view your internal critic and its place in your writing life.

1. Practice mindfulness and self-awareness. Cultivating better self-awareness can help you remain objective as you review your writing. You can readily accept yourself as a whole writer whose work may be flawed at times, but is still worthy of being shared and accepted.

2. Practice self-kindness and compassion. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Self-criticism is common. Most of us have feelings of doubt at times. Berating yourself for your faults is counterproductive. Acknowledging them while still appreciating your writing self is far more advantageous.

3. Work with a writing buddy, mentor or coach. They may be able to point out your writing strengths as well as the areas you need to improve on. They may be able to see your writing more objectively than you can. As Stephen King writes, “Writers are often the worst judges of what they have written.” So get another viewpoint or two and listen to their feedback.

4. Know yourself as a writer. This phase takes self-awareness a step further. As writers (or any creative type), it’s helpful to understand what kind of writer you want to be, and what kind of writer you are right now. That means understanding your strengths and knowing what skills you need to develop. Then – and most important – take the time to develop those skills.

5. Stop comparing yourself to others. When you and your internal writing critic compares you to other writers, it’s difficult to live up to those comparisons because it’s not a level playing field. Their level of writing experience may be different than yours. Perhaps they started writing at an earlier age. Comparing where you are now to someone else who has already gone through that phase is unfair to you, and unfair to them.

6. Turn negative self-critiques into a positive learning tool. Even the most negative self-criticism holds elements of truth. It’s up to you to listen carefully for them. Healthy self-criticism can help you spot flaws in your work and prompt you to improve your writing. Sometimes the feedback isn’t so harsh at all, but the voice of the internal critic may be so loud and insistent that it camouflages the critique behind the noise.

7. Understand that you are not alone in self-criticism. Everyone has internal critics. Even highly successful published authors suffer periods of self-doubt and self-criticism. If other writers have experienced those inner critics and found ways to work with their feedback to get published, you can too.

8. Recognize that first drafts, even second and third drafts, are never perfect. They’re messy and they’re usually junk. Self-criticism during these initial phases is meaningless. It only prevents you from completing the hard work you know you need to do to finish it. Even through the messiness on the page, you can find reasons to be optimistic about the manuscript’s outcome.

Before you berate yourself the next time you make a mistake, slow down and take notice of your thoughts. Is there a nugget of truth in what your inner critic is telling you? Can you turn it into something positive?

Self-criticism is a part of the writing life. Since internal critics are part of yourself, maybe it’s time to call a truce and make friends with them.

What Are the ‘Silver Linings’ of Your Writing Life in 2020?

December 28, 2020 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Check out the new weekly writing prompt in the sidebar menu.

“Every cloud has a silver lining.” You might have heard that proverb at one time or another. It means that there’s something good or hopeful to be found in every bad situation.

Dictionary.com has its own definition: “A sign of hope or a positive aspect in an otherwise negative situation.”

The year 2020 has shown us an overabundance of negative situations, from a pandemic of a highly contagious and dangerous disease and social isolation from loved ones to social injustice, civic unrest and political and economic uncertainty. It’s been a difficult year, but somehow we’ve made it to the end with the hope that 2021 will be better. It has to be better, right? We can only go up from here.

Yet despite the turmoil in our world, there is reason to hope. There are silver linings in the year that was. It’s called “counting your blessings.” We all have them if we look close enough.

So what silver linings have I noticed in my world? For one thing, I was highly productive with my writing projects.

* Consistent blogging. I recommitted to my blog, posting stories at least once a week, sometimes two. With this renewed commitment, I am now considering expanding my offerings to include a weekly writing prompt, white papers and e-books.

* Experimentation with writing styles. Without clients to write for, I’ve used my free time to experiment with different writing styles, most notably e-books and novellas. At 30,000 to 50,000 words, novellas are shorter than novels and tend to have only one plot line, but they are longer than short stories.

* Reading challenge. I kept up with my reading challenge throughout the year. Reading provided the needed escape from the darkest moments of the year.

* Professional development. I took advantage of discounted webinars, online workshops and virtual conferences that were offered, which I would not have participated in otherwise. I studied everything from building a freelance business to content marketing and writing holiday romances.

* New technologies. Like many people, I participated in more online meetings than ever before which meant learning new technologies, such as Zoom and Google Duo.

* Expanded offerings. I completed and posted a white paper on my website and plan to do another one in 2021. I also have two e-books in the works.

* Networking. I launched an email networking campaign to one group of contacts to search for new clients. The second phase of that campaign will begin in the New Year.

A writer’s work is never done and it goes beyond just writing stories. There’s the business of running a writing business and all that it entails – accounting, networking, marketing, etc. Despite it all, I feel hopeful and optimistic about the future.

I realize that in the midst of darkness, there is light too, like a rainbow after a storm. We must all learn to adapt to this new reality of ours, because frankly, it’s not going away anytime soon and our lives will be changed. Things won’t be the same as they used to be, even though we may wish them to be “back to normal.” Each of us will have to redefine what that new normal means for us, and more important, what it looks like for us.

So how has your writing life changed – for better or for worse – because of the upheavals of 2020? What are the silver linings in your year?

Four Ways to Elevate Your Writing Habit Into a Writing Practice

August 11, 2020 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

I’ve written previously about how aspiring writers can create a regular writing practice. Yet, the term “writing practice” might be confusing for many people. “Isn’t that the same as a writing habit?” you might ask.

No, they are not quite the same. Let me explain as best as I can.

A habit is any activity that is done at roughly the same time every day, like brushing your teeth after every meal or kicking off your shoes when you enter the front door. Habits are more about time and place – where you do that activity, at what time of day, and how often. Some habits, like nail biting, are done so routinely (like during scary movies or intense sporting events) that you don’t even think about what you are doing or why. It becomes mindless.

If you’ve already started a writing habit, you likely write at the same time every day. That set routine encourages consistency and helps you monitor your progress. A writing practice takes the habit a step further by creating stronger purpose, intention and focus.

I borrowed the concept of a writing practice from yoga. I felt there were similarities in the way they are both very individualized experiences. How you progress through the poses is based on a number of factors, such as your level of confidence, body type and skill level, even how you’re feeling that day. Further, yoga isn’t necessarily dependent on practicing every day, though many people do. If you only make it to one class a week, it’s still considered a yoga practice, not a yoga habit.

Like yoga, a writing practice consists of a purpose and intention, such as getting in touch with a deep emotional wound, creating better sensory descriptions, jotting notes for a non-fiction book, or experimenting with a different genre. Writing every day might make it a routine but to make it a regular practice, you need to add intention and purpose. It’s this mindfulness aspect – of being one with your creative self – that I believe is missing from most writer’s routines.

When comparing a writing habit to a writing practice, there are four characteristics that separate them.

1. Schedule – Think of all the habits you’ve developed over the years. You might go to bed at the same time every night or maybe brush your teeth every morning and every evening. A writing habit provides structure and routine. If you already have a writing habit, you probably have a set schedule for your writing, say writing for one hour starting at six a.m. every day. A writing practice is less structured, and you can choose to write whenever and wherever it is most convenient. If all you have is two hours on a Saturday morning to write, that is your writing practice.

2. Purpose – The goal of a writing habit is to encourage consistency, to make sure you write every day. When you set up a routine time and place to write, it makes it easier to stick to that schedule. In a writing practice, the goal is to create an immersive experience that challenges you in some way. For example, you might dedicate your writing practice to writing a collection of essays or learning to write a different genre. The practice not only benefits your writing, but also your personal development.

3. Intention – Some writing habits can be mindless in nature. You simply write because it appears in your appointment calendar. Or you write with no set intention for improvement or progress toward a larger goal. Like a yoga session, you might set an intention at the start of your writing session. The intention is designed to help challenge yourself, whether it’s to finish that chapter you’ve been working on or perfect your dialogue or release some pent-up emotion. Without the intention, you have no opportunity to improve your craft.

4. Focus – Writing habits tend to be more externally focused. Perhaps you set office hours and ask your family not to disturb you. People on the outside will see that you are involved in a regular writing session. On the other hand, a writing practice is more internally focused because when you write, you experience growth and progress within yourself, perhaps through greater confidence or a more observant attitude. No one on the outside may notice the difference in your attitude, but you will.

I’ve summarized the comparison in the table below.

	Habit	Practice
Schedule	Set schedule, usually same time every day	Unstructured schedule, not every day, but frequently
Purpose	Provide consistency and structure	Improve writing or create a more immersive experience
Intention	Can be mindless in nature	Mindful intention to achieve something with each session
Focus	Externally focused	Personal, internally focused

If you have a regular writing habit, that’s great news. It’s important to establish a consistent routine of writing, especially if you are a newbie writer. However, if you want to turn your writing habit into a writing practice, try adding a dose of mindful attention to your work. You’ll create a deeper, more meaningful personal connection to each writing session.

20 Literary New Year’s Resolutions for 2020

January 2, 2020 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

happy new year text — Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com

Happy New Year! Hope the year ahead is filled with exciting opportunities.

I love the start of a New Year. It’s always filled with great promise and hope, just like the start of the school year or the first day of spring. I’m eager to start new projects and try new things. I even try to make resolutions, and though I might fail to achieve them, I believe making them sets the tone for the year.

Yes, I know. Resolution is a dirty word for some people. Perhaps we should call them goals, plans or challenges. I’m always looking for the next challenge though, and I also remind myself that I have a full 365 days in which to achieve it.

So even if you don’t believe in making New Year’s Resolutions, maybe there’s some small goal you’d like to achieve in the coming year. If you can’t think of anything, never fear. I have a few ideas, all related to literary pursuits.

In honor of the year 2020, here are 20 resolutions for the New Year. Choose one or two to pursue, then see how your life unfolds.

1. Read the dictionary or thesaurus front to back as if you were reading a novel. What better way to build your vocabulary.

2. Choose one author whose books you have wanted to read and read every book they’ve written. Select someone who has written at least five books, but no more than twelve. You still want to leave room for other author’s works.

3. Attend a writer’s conference. Immerse yourself in the culture, build your network and rub elbows with authors and editors. Find a conference that matches your genre, like romance or science fiction or screenwriting. Bring along your manuscript and have it critiqued. Attend as many of the sessions as you can handle. You’ll walk away eager to put into practice what you’ve learned.

4. Attend an author reading in your town once a month. Brownie points if you ask the author questions afterward about their craft.

5. Participate in your own reading challenge. Set a goal for the number of books you’d like to read in the next 365 days. For example, I usually set a goal of 32 books because that’s what I’ve averaged the past few years.

6. Same as number 5 above but with a twist. Each book you read is a different genre – from light-hearted romance and detective stories to cookbooks and politics. Each fiction genre opens you to a different style of writing and storytelling, while the non-fiction books can provide background information for your latest work.

7. Start a writer’s journal. Keep track of story ideas, scenes, character descriptions, the humble beginnings of a poem – you get the idea. When you’re ready to start your next story, browse through your journal and see what inspires you.

8. Finish that story, poem or essay you’ve been working on for the past few years. Pull it out from the bottom of your desk drawer and dust it off. Keep working at it until you feel satisfied that it is your best work. Bonus points if you submit it to an editor for publication.

9. Volunteer to be a literacy tutor. There are plenty of organizations that provide reading and writing tutoring to children and adults. Share your love of reading and writing with others.

10. Clear out your bookshelves. Donate the ones you no longer want to worthy organizations. Or if you have a lot of books, host your own book sale, then donate the proceeds to a worthy organization. Either way, you’ll be clearing the shelves for more books.

11. Get up half an hour early each day and use that time to write. You can easily write a couple hundred words during that time. Do that every day, and you will have one or two chapters written within a month.

12. Select a place in your town that you’ve never been to – whether it’s a university campus, a public park, a landmark or even a coffee shop. Then write about your experience. What did the place look like? What kind of people visited the place that day? How did you feel walking through the place? The experience might inspire a short story or essay.

13. Participate in a local write-in. A write-in is a day set aside where visitors can use the time and space to simply write with no interruptions. Universities, writing studios, even some libraries host write-ins. You don’t have to stay the whole day. You can spend one hour or four. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the writing process surrounded by other people who are doing the same thing. If you have trouble sticking to a daily writing schedule, attending a write-in can be just the thing to jump start your progress.

14. Write a review of a book you’ve completed or a movie you’ve just seen. For example, if you saw the film Little Women, how did it compare with other film versions? How did it compare with the novel? Even if you’ve never written a book or movie review, trying it once or twice is good practice to develop analytical skills.

15. Visit a different bookstore once a month. Even if you don’t buy anything, browse the current releases to see what is being published.

16. Visit the library once a month. Even if you don’t have a library card or borrow books, there are plenty of resources to browse through. Read the newspaper or a magazine, do some research, or bring a notebook to write with little interruption.

17. Find a writing buddy and meet with them once a month. Having someone along on your writing journey can keep you motivated.

18. Join a Meetup group of writers or book fans. If you’re working on a screenplay, for example, check your local Meetup to see if there is a group for screenwriters. Or maybe you prefer poetry or non-fiction. Whatever your passion is, find like-minded individuals to share it. If there isn’t a Meetup group that meets your interests, start one of your own.

19. Learn about a different writing style or genre. If you’re a business writer, maybe you want to transition into doing personal essays. Find a class or two about writing essays or stock up on books about that topic.

20. Volunteer for an organization that provides reading services to the visually impaired. Many students and seniors have difficulty reading because of their impairment. Organizations like the Blind Service Association in Chicago

need volunteers to read and record everything from textbooks to magazines, whatever is needed. Check to see if there’s a comparable organization in your area.

There you have it – 20 ideas for resolutions for literary types. Hope you see one or two that you’d like to try. You may find it opens up new opportunities in unexpected ways.

The Writer’s Guide to Overcoming Rejection

March 21, 2019 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

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Rejection is one of the most painful experiences a writer can go through. It’s also a normal part of the creative process. Because without rejection, we would have no impetus to improve our work.

At least that’s what we like to tell ourselves, right?

When rejection happens over and over again though, it can feel like a giant boulder slamming down on your head. You may grow weary of all the effort you put into your work only to have it rejected. You may wonder if a writing life is worth all the rejection, and you may begin to doubt yourself. You may even be tempted to give up on writing altogether.

But don’t give up. If you have a story to tell, you need to tell it. Keep going. Keep writing.

Whether you’ve been turned down for a job, overlooked for a promotion in your company or received a rejection notice from a publisher, rejection hurts. It will always hurt. But there are ways to deal with the lingering emotional turmoil so you can make the most of the rejection and use it to fuel your future endeavors.

So how can writers move past rejection? There are several steps you can take to not only cope with rejection, but use it to fuel your work.

1. Take a time-out. After you’ve been rejected, it might be helpful to take a time-out to re-settle yourself emotionally. Getting rejected is painful, especially if you’ve toiled for weeks, even years, on your latest masterpiece. But rather than get back to work, take a break. Do something else for a couple of days — read a book, do yoga, take a hike, work in your garden, clean house, or visit a museum. Do anything that will clear your heart and mind before getting back to work.

2. Write about your rejection. Don’t dwell on the rejection. Sometimes writing about your rejection experience can help clear your mind and body of the emotional turmoil rejection leaves behind. Write about it in your personal journal, or write a personal essay. In fact, it doesn’t have to be anything anyone else will read. But by writing about it can help heal a wound before it festers beyond repair.

3. Talk things over. If you don’t want to write about your experience, talk it over with a friend, spouse, or a colleague – someone close to you who understands your need and desire to write. Writers need to surround themselves with a strong emotional support system so they’ll always have at least one shoulder to cry on, one person to listen to your angry rants, and one person to celebrate when you accomplish your dream.

4. Don’t reply back to the rejection source. This is important. Responding in anger is counterproductive and will likely make you feel worse, writes Angela Tung in the Huffington Post. She suggests that sending an angry reply can hurt your chances of being published later on by this publication. They may not want to work with you. However, there is one exception to this piece of advice. If the editor offered some helpful tips to improve your piece, you can reply with a gracious “thank you.” If the editor took the time to provide feedback on your work, it means they liked your writing enough to give you encouragement. Take their comments to heart.

5. Work on another project. If you’re like most writers, you may have several projects going on at once. While the initial project is on hiatus, pull out another piece you’ve had on the back burner and give it another read. After time away from it, you’ll be able to look at your work with a fresh eye.

6. Review the editor’s comments. Once the emotional dust has cleared, review whatever comments you received from the editor. If they took the time to provide feedback or make suggestions, they clearly felt your piece has some redeeming value. Review your work again, this time with the editor’s comments in mind. You’ll find more often than not, their suggestions are worthwhile.

7. Get back to work. That might mean rewriting your piece or it might mean finding another publication to submit your piece to that might be a better fit. With rejection behind you, you can roll up your sleeves and get back to writing with a fresh eye and renewed energy.

8. Don’t quit. Keep working. Keep writing. Don’t let rejection deter you from your writing. Instead use it to fuel your work.

All writers experience rejection. It’s a normal part of the creative writing process. Rejection, and any feedback that comes along with it, is meant to help you become a better writer. Use it to your advantage.

Get Motivated to Write with a DIY Writing Retreat

March 5, 2019 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

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I’ve been reading about do-it-yourself writing retreats a lot lately. I became intrigued about these retreats after reading an article on Writer Unboxed, which provided some practical insights about planning one. After further investigation, I was surprised by the number of articles about writers’ retreats. There’s even an e-book that can be purchased on Amazon.

Writing retreats, especially in exotic locations, sound like a dream. Imagine sequestering yourself for days in a quiet place to focus on your writing, with occasional breaks for meals and hiking and sleeping. Think of it as a solo getaway to inspire and motivate you. But writing is a solo activity, and sometimes you need a change of scenery to unblock yourself and perform more creatively.

If you have ever considered attending a writing retreat, you know how pricey they can be. Most writers I know don’t have hundreds or thousands of dollars to spend on a retreat. But many writers who have planned DIY retreats say you don’t have to spend a ton of money for a fancy hotel and air fare or go to exotic destinations.

Sure, it’s nice to meet other writers and attend workshops to immerse yourself in your craft. But it’s not always possible if you are short of time and money.

To plan your own writing retreat, here’s what you need:

1. Create a vision for your writing retreat. Think about your definition of a writers’ retreat. What does it mean to you? What does it look like? Where would you go? Would you confine yourself to a library for a few hours or would you spend an entire weekend at a hotel? What would you do during the retreat? Would you do only writing, or would you take short breaks to explore the neighborhood, practice yoga or read up on your craft? You are in charge of planning your retreat, so it can be anything you want it to be. If you’re unsure what a do-it-yourself writing retreat looks like, here’s one example.

2. Start small, then work up to larger retreats. If you are a busy mom with young kids, you may not have the luxury of spending a few days away to write. Consider a short-term solution, such as a morning at the public library. Offer to house sit or pet sit for friends when they go out of town, and use their home as a writing sanctuary. Other low-cost options are a hotel lobby where there may be quiet reading areas, an unused room at the local park district fieldhouse or a neighborhood community center, a hospital lounge, or a university library. Some would argue a coffee shop, but they can be fairly noisy if there is music playing.

As you do more of these on your own and as you earn more from your writing, you may decide to venture on to larger retreat experiences involving groups of people. Writing is a solo journey, and meeting with other writers can be stimulating and socially rewarding.

3. Decide if you want this to be a solo adventure or a group outing. There are advantages to both. Going solo means you are in charge of your own schedule, you don’t have to meet up with other people and you can do what you want on your own terms. Some writers have organized retreats with other writers to share the experience, swap ideas, and motivate each other. However, if you’re doing this for the first time, going solo might be the better route.

4. Pack everything you need. Obviously, bring along your pens, notebooks and your imagination. Let go of any guilt or preconceived ideas of what you think you will accomplish. Remember to bring along books to read, especially books about the writing craft that may be collecting dust on your bookshelf. Be sure to bring a battery recharger too.

5. Re-treat yourself. Once you’ve done one or two retreats, you’ll want to do them more often. It’s like eating potato chips – you can’t eat just one. Commit to a mini-retreat once a month or every other month or even once a week. A mini-retreat can be a few concentrated hours on a Saturday morning or an entire weekend at a hotel or B&B. Planning repeated retreats shows your commitment to yourself and to your craft.

Other tips:
Do-it-yourself retreats don’t have to be just for writers. They’re perfect for aspiring entrepreneurs planning their business, artists looking for inspiration from nature, or students studying for exams.

If a retreat is beyond your schedule or budget, look into write-in programs at your local library or university. These write-ins are usually free and open to the public and give you a chance to work quietly along with other writers. Snacks are usually provided so you don’t have to take a break for meals. It’s a great opportunity to engage with other writers and immerse yourself in your writing. You can stay as long as you want, whether that’s for an hour or the entire day. The one downside is that they are planned events that may not fit your schedule.

That is why planning your own do-it-yourself writing retreat is such a cool idea. Need ideas for planning one? Check out the following articles:

Create your own mini-writing retreat
Introducing the DIY writing retreat
If you build it: Do-It-Yourself Writers Retreats

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