Sitting at a light.
Silence, except for the tick tick tick of the left turn signal.
Nobody has uttered a word since we got in.
Four people, in their own worlds but the same car.
Driver: husband, father of seven, late fifties, balding.
Passenger #1: mom, mid-thirties, teenage daughter, alone but has a headache.
Passenger #2: husband, father of at least two, mid-forties.
Passenger #1 wonders if passenger #2 has any regrets.
Passenger #3: flustered woman, mid-forties, must remember to pick up milk and cat food on the way home.
She must have regrets too.
Stoplight
Revive Your Creativity by… Not Being Creative
I’m sure you have many plans for your creative projects this year, and maybe you’re reaching every goal successfully so far. If so, congratulations! I’m very proud of you.
If you’re not reaching them successfully yet, don’t beat yourself up. Your goal list is not set in stone and can be altered at any time, which I think is something we forget when we’re so passionate about what we want to accomplish. When our goals don’t go exactly to plan the first time, we let our defeat take over. This is especially true if we’re in a position where we’re used to them not going right—when we’ve spent years spinning our tires, balance feels like an impossibility, and we give up way too easily.
Instead of falling back into bad habits and routines that are counterproductive, here are a few tips to keep you on track:
1. Spend one week observing your life as it stands now.
If you’re feeling especially lost with how to amp up your creative projects, I’ve found the best way to improve my strategy is by spending one week observing how I spend my time. You’d be amazed at how much you learn about yourself and your habits! With your observations in front of you, you can then create a more manageable goal list, because you’ll know exactly where to cut the fat to create more time.
2. Compliment your must-dos with your want-to-dos.
We all have tasks and chores we have to do that make us want to vomit. We dread them, so we put them off, and the more we put them off, the more weighed down we feel (especially once they pile up and overwhelm us). To keep you going, use your creative projects as your reward system. For example, “When I finish the dishes, I’ll spend an hour on my manuscript/screenplay/painting/product.” I find that because I want to work on my creative projects so badly I borderline on desperate, it pushes me through the crap I could care less about, and the reward system automatically integrates more time for my creative projects into my schedule.
3. Boost your creativity by not being creative. At all.
Just before the new year, I spent the last few days of 2011 doing absolutely nothing. Nada. Zilch. It was a very surreal experience, after years of push, push, push, go, go, go. But when it came time to bite down and move forward on my creative projects again, I felt as if I had a clean slate to start from. Taking time away makes it so that when you return to your responsibilities and creative projects, you start over with a fresh perspective, and you naturally find ways to better balance out your time.
As you can see, none of these tips have anything to do with your creativity itself, but the things in your life that surround and sometimes hinder your creativity. We all want a better balance, but life’s a mess, and it’s important to accept that and keep pushing forward in whatever way works best for you. Find a way for your personal and professional obligations to compliment your creativity, and you’ll be ahead of the game in no time!
What Will You Put Off to Finish Your Screenplay?
When it comes to living a creative life, we’re in the director’s chair—so why don’t we act like it?
While most of the time it’s frustrating, I sometimes find it comical that we end up procrastinating on the things we want to accomplish the most, such as completing and marketing a screenplay. Yet, we manage to push ourselves through the things we dread—work obligations, household chores, and the expectations of others. We put off the things that will fulfill us, so much so we become drained and let every opportunity for our creative projects pass us by.
Here is where our productive procrastination skills will be put to the test. If you want to amp up your creativity this year:
1. Instead of facebook stalking while your laundry dries…
…read a book that will help you learn more about the craft of screenwriting, such as Essentials of Screenwriting by Richard Walter.
2. Instead of watching a mindless reality show to unwind…
…choose a movie that is similar in genre to the screenplay you want to write, and wind up! Keep a notebook nearby in case you think of new ideas for your own movie while you’re watching.
3. Instead of leafing through a catalogue of products you’ll never use/can’t afford…
…leaf through the screenplays of your favourite movies so you can become more fluent with structuring your own.
4. Instead of checking your e-mail every 15 seconds and replying to text messages the moment you receive them…
…turn your e-mail notifications off. Turn both your cell phone and home phone ringers off. Turn the television off. Turn the radio off. Kick everybody out. Practice the art of quiet so that the constant chatter going through your mind can subside, and you can reconnect with your creativity.
5. Instead of going to the same damn bar on the same damn night every week…
…stay home (gasp!), create a relaxed setting, and write! If you want to write a screenplay, then write a screenplay (I know, right?). You’ll have to find the time somewhere, and the easiest way to find the time is by chipping away at your social calendar and prioritizing. Setting yourself apart from the rest will be hard, but only at first. Eventually, you’ll feel so liberated, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
Look over your daily tasks: which ones must be done? Which ones can be put off until the next day? Which ones have no expiry date?
If you procrastinate on the right things, this time next year you and I (and that sister of mine) will be marketing our kick-ass screenplays!
Need a Read? My Year in Books: A Review
There is a reason you’ll probably never see a book rated one star on my list… I look up almost every book I read on goodreads before I decide whether it will get more of my attention. If something doesn’t have at least three stars on goodreads, I won’t waste my time. Keep in mind, just like goodreads, my stars don’t come in half sizes.
It was ok.
I liked it.
I REALLY liked it.
Hauntingly well done.
1. Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
If you enjoy memoirs, Augusten Burroughs is an always entertaining contemporary pillar of this genre. Running With Scissors is his fascinating account of the complex family dynamic that coloured his childhood.
2. Room by Emma Donoghue
I didn’t love this book as much as most people who read it, but it wasnt completely without merit.
3. House Rules by Rachel Sontag
Though I cannot agree with the claim “House Rules will stand beside Running With Scissors and The Glass Castle as a memoir that cracks open the shell of a desperately dysfunctional family with impressive grace and humour,” I still gave it three stars. I felt, at times, that the author was a whining, spoiled brat with a grudge. Celebrated authors Augusten Burroughs and Jeanette Walls were both able to portray their stories with grace and humour. Sontag reeks of immaturity, bitterness and blame.
4. Butterbox Babies by Bette L. Cahill
I love just about anything historical, but that Butterbox Babies exposes some very disturbing and unflattering Canadiana, made it even more intriguing.
5. Write Your Memoir: The Soul Work of Telling Your Story by Dr. Allan G. Hunter
6. Bottle Rocket Hearts by Zoe Whittall
Well written, clean and polished. The vivid, honest characters are a testament to Zoe Whittall’s genuine talent. She made writing a first novel look easy.
7. Chastened: The Unexpected Story of My Year Without Sex by Hephzibah Anderson
The premise was promising, but with the exception of maybe one or two thought provoking sentences, this book was lacking in almost every way.
8. Inter Alia by David Seymour
A first collection of poetry by one of Canada’s talented young poets.
9. Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens
10. Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
If you’re planning on writing a novel any time soon, this is a must-read.
11. How to Find the Work You Love by Laurence G. Boldt
12. The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn
This was an indulgence of my curiosity. Considered a pioneer in the genre of “self-help” books, it was written in 1925.
13. Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss
Intersting food for thought.
14. Worlds of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for Children by William Zinsser
15. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
This was definitely one of my favourite books of the year. I don’t underestimate the amount of research and effort required to rebuild real-life characters and create believable dialogue. The Paris Wife is a captivating work of historical fiction told in the voice of Hadley, Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, as she recounts their years together.
16. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
After reading The Paris Wife, I was inspired to re-read this memoir by Hemingway. I may have enjoyed it even more second time around.
17. Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh McLeod
This was a quick, inspiring read for any creative types looking to maintain momentum. Check out Hugh’s website for more fun: http://www.gapingvoid.com/
18. The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok
This was a good read, though I did struggle with my judgments. I was slightly perplexed that the author and her sister could abandon their mother. Maybe I was just jealous because I feel more bound to my family ties. Her freedom and disconnection from her family did sound lonely though.
19. Live Through This: A Mothers Memoir of Runaway Daughters and Reclaimed Love by Debra Gwartney
20. Crush It!: Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk
Im not sure how many nonfiction books (or any for that matter) this author has read, but I felt his hot air and arrogance overshadowed his efforts. There were a few useful tidbits, but he certainly did not reinvent the wheel.
21. Bossypants by Tina Fey
Love. Tina. Fey. I had a healthy curiosity about her, and this book satisfied. There were some pleasant surprises and I respect her even more. She comes across as sharp-witted and disarmingly honest. I also enjoyed reading about how the scar on her face has shaped her life and personality.
22. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Aspergers by John Elder Robinson
Another first time author, although Robinson shares pedigree and talent with his brother, Augusten Burroughs. This was a compelling, entertaining and educational read.
23. Notes to Myself: My Struggle to Become a Person by Hugh Prather
I highly doubt this book would ever meet a publisher these days, but I got the impression it was sort of a marker of the times when it was published back in 1970.
24. A Spy in the House of Love by Anais Nin
This book may not be considered overly risque on todays standards, but when you take into consideration it was published in 1954, it reads a little more daring; a classy and dirty classic read.
25. Blue Nights by Joan Didion
I like Joan Didion, even though sometimes she sounds very pretentious. I think (hope) the pretentiousness is unintentional. With only the occassional cringe and eyeroll on my part, ultimately, I was fond of this book.
26. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Full of cliches, albeit refurbished in an intelligent and charming way, I very much enjoyed the first two thirds of this book. Unfortunately, it slightly missed the mark. However, I do commend this first time novelist for the vibrant imagery and clever prose.
Feel free to add me on goodreads to see my complete virtual bookshelf.
Plan Multiple Income Streams With This Free Workbook
I have been a big fan of Mary Jaksch for quite some time—as an avid follower of her blog Write to Done, and now as a member of the A-List Blogging Club, Mary is one of the best people to follow if you’re wanting to launch or grow an online platform—so I was surprised when I stumbled upon her blog with Barrie Davenport, A-List Blog Marketing, and discovered I wasn’t already following (I changed that quickly!).
As creatives, it’s important to create multiple income streams for ourselves to sustain our success in our chosen industry. Mary’s and Barrie’s workbook, From Passion to Profit, is the perfect workbook to begin the planning process.
It’s available in PDF form, and is only 26-pages long, so it’s a concise read for busy creatives who already have a lot on their plates. I recommend printing it out so that you can complete each exercise in the workbook as you read.
The workbook takes you through each stage of planning your multiple income streams, and by the end of the workbook, you will have a solid plan in place for one or more products. From getting to know what you’re passionate about, connecting your passion to your blog niche, right through to executing your product ideas, this workbook will help you kick things up a notch in a productive way.
The best part about this workbook? It’s free! All you have to do is like the A-List Blog Marketing facebook page, and you will be able to download the workbook immediately. It is the perfect way to plan a creative, exciting, and prosperous 2012!
