Lecture LESSON AND ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 9TH, 2016
- Thread starter Sunny Irene Roth
- Start date
Response to week 2 assignment:
- When I sit down to write, my mind goes in all directions. Eric Maisel talks about building rituals to help reset your mind, and I used to do this. It works well. I’ve gotten away from it since we’ve moved.
- For me, the thing that works is lighting a candle and using my diffuser with essential oils. Turning off my internet is helpful because I have less distractions. If I check in on email or social networks before I write, I get drawn into conversations that distract me. I love the idea of one project at a time. I think this would help me to get in the rhythm of edits.
- When I haven’t taken care of myself emotionally, self-pity sets in. That is a warning sign of my depression. I don’t always indulge in self-pity, but when I do it can last for days.
- I recently indulged in self-pity because of the great fortune of one of my critique partners. But instead of letting it take hold, I used it to set goals for myself to further my career. Once I put in writing what I need to do to be successful, I was able to send her an honest congratulatory email wishing her the best.
- When I was younger, I embraced change. Now, not so much. I’ve grown more cautious with age, but I try to force myself out of my comfort zone periodically. An example is attending a retreat where I know no one. I’m an introvert by nature and being around new people is difficult for me. However, I’m researching the agents who will be in attendance and I have the posts from the speakers and agents to get a sense of calm before I go. In addition, I’m taking a major step. I bought the domain for juliacampbell.com as a pseudonym for my women’s fiction. I have been thinking about doing this for several years, but I let caution control me. I feel great about this decision. I want to keep my anneparent.com website for non-fiction.
- My commitment to myself this week is to focus on my edits and my blog. I’m taking a class on Wordpress through Savvy with Pat Haggerty to get more comfortable with my website and make some changes to it. These are all things within my control this week. What is not in control is the progress of the house.
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This lesson was so needed for me.
1. I do tend to sit down to write and then pop back up realizing I needed to do something that I did not get done. This is exhausting as I can spend an hour doing a hundred things and manage to do nothing.
2. I'm going to unplug my internet when I write and stop multitasking.
3. I've never really thought about this before, but after reading Anne's post, I realize I do spend way too much time in this deplorable state. I will be writing gratitude statements in my daytimer, so I don't get stuck in this rut.
4. Yes, I'm going to be more aware of my negative thoughts and use my gratitude journal.
5. Boy, this one hit the bull eye with me. I am such an introvert that I really have to work to come out of my closet. And over the years, I have noticed that I shrink back from change. I absolutely detest change. But as I did when I was younger, I'm going to get myself out there and look at change as a blessing.
6. My daughter's diabetes, which has been a real challenge for me and something that I found myself defining happiness by. If she had a good day, then I could be happy if she didn't- I was miserable.
I'm also not able to control what people do, and I need to stop feeling as though I could have prevented bad choices.
Just managing my emotions and way of thinking is enough for me to take on.
1. I do tend to sit down to write and then pop back up realizing I needed to do something that I did not get done. This is exhausting as I can spend an hour doing a hundred things and manage to do nothing.
2. I'm going to unplug my internet when I write and stop multitasking.
3. I've never really thought about this before, but after reading Anne's post, I realize I do spend way too much time in this deplorable state. I will be writing gratitude statements in my daytimer, so I don't get stuck in this rut.
4. Yes, I'm going to be more aware of my negative thoughts and use my gratitude journal.
5. Boy, this one hit the bull eye with me. I am such an introvert that I really have to work to come out of my closet. And over the years, I have noticed that I shrink back from change. I absolutely detest change. But as I did when I was younger, I'm going to get myself out there and look at change as a blessing.
6. My daughter's diabetes, which has been a real challenge for me and something that I found myself defining happiness by. If she had a good day, then I could be happy if she didn't- I was miserable.
I'm also not able to control what people do, and I need to stop feeling as though I could have prevented bad choices.
Just managing my emotions and way of thinking is enough for me to take on.
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This lesson was so needed for me.
1. I do tend to sit down to write and then pop back up realizing I needed to do something that I did not get done. This is exhausting as I can spend an hour doing a hundred things and manage to do nothing. Oh, this happens Caren. It is super-frustrating. But one way of handing this that I use is to write down what I need to do, finish my writing and then do it. That way you will get your writing done AND you will get what you need done. See if that works for you. It works like a charm for me.
2. I'm going to unplug my internet when I write and stop multitasking. This is GREAT Caren! I think you will do a lot better when you do these two things.
3. I've never really thought about this before, but after reading Anne's post, I realize I do spend way too much time in this deplorable state. I will be writing gratitude statements in my daytimer, so I don't get stuck in this rut. This is a great idea Caren. I have kept a gratitude journal now for ten years, and yes, it has really transformed my life. It will do the same for you. I do mine at the end of the day. Choose a consistent time, and write it then.
4. Yes, I'm going to be more aware of my negative thoughts and use my gratitude journal. Wonderful! And when you get negative thoughts try and focus on something positive.
5. Boy, this one hit the bull eye with me. I am such an introvert that I really have to work to come out of my closet. And over the years, I have noticed that I shrink back from change. I absolutely detest change. But as I did when I was younger, I'm going to get myself out there and look at change as a blessing. GREAT! Being open to change is a habit that we can all develop. I know it is hard for me to change too. And there are psychological reasons why this is the case. But with practise, we can indeed make changes in our lives.
6. My daughter's diabetes, which has been a real challenge for me and something that I found myself defining happiness by. If she had a good day, then I could be happy if she didn't- I was miserable. AW...I am SO sorry Caren. That is so hard. It is hard to just accept things that we cannot control. If your happiness didn't have any external expectations attached to them, that may help you a bit. Try it. If you need me to explain what I mean, let me know, and we can chat about it.
I'm also not able to control what people do, and I need to stop feeling as though I could have prevented bad choices.
Just managing my emotions and way of thinking is enough for me to take on.
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1)No, I am laser focused & ready to go! I am only using 15-20 min blocks and am well aware I have such little time. Going to writer's group every Thursday gives me a deadline and that helps.
2)N/a
3)I rarely engage in self-pity -- if I do it's for minutes. I have no use or time for it and choose to look at the positive and keep moving forward.
4)n/a
5)Sometimes? But not usually -- life is always moving and changing. I focus on the positive and going with the flow. It is unproductive to push the river. I just do my best to move forward.
6)I let go of what I can't control and focus on what I can. Where you focus is where energy comes through and you get results! For writing I focus on the actual process of sitting down and writing!
2)N/a
3)I rarely engage in self-pity -- if I do it's for minutes. I have no use or time for it and choose to look at the positive and keep moving forward.
4)n/a
5)Sometimes? But not usually -- life is always moving and changing. I focus on the positive and going with the flow. It is unproductive to push the river. I just do my best to move forward.
6)I let go of what I can't control and focus on what I can. Where you focus is where energy comes through and you get results! For writing I focus on the actual process of sitting down and writing!
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Hi there,
I am SO glad that you are focused. That is wonderful! It makes the writing life so much easier.
Letting go of control is also important. But it is hard to do. We just have to focus on what we can do to advance our career every day. One step at a time, the rest will or at least should take care of itself.
Keep up the good work!
Irene
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1. Do you find that when you are just about to sit down to write you have so many other things to do except write, such as organize files or books?I have been really bad about letting things get in the way and take over my writing time. Lately, I've been more focused and more protective about that time.
2. What steps can you take not to waste time? Can you make use of any of the tips suggested in Habit #1?
I have found that not connecting to the internet and setting a timer for each task helps.
3. Do you feel sorry for yourself once in a while? Why do you indulge in self-pity when you do?
I rarely feel sorry for myself. I get more frustrated at things more than self-pity. When I get frustrated, it's more a sense of not getting something to work right, or things eating into my writing time.
4. Can you use any of the tips to avoid self-pity in habit #2?
I can think of other ways to handle my situation. Make notes maybe, so I can come back to things and keep moving along.
5. Do you shy away from change? Why?
Not really. I used to, but I pretty much embrace it now.
6. Do you focus on things that you can control in your writing career? What are some things that you can control? What is not in your control?
I always try to focus on what I can control. When I start feeling myself worrying about things that I can't, in any part of my life, I try to take re-stock of my situation. Things I can control: sitting down and writing; studying the craft. Things I can't control: life just gets in the way sometimes and I have to readjust my schedule.
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