Creative Deadline

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I just completed another short writing project, but still have many other unfinished projects I’m working on. Why is completing creative projects so challenging? 

          In my case, it comes down to time and deadlines. I meet all professional writing deadlines, but for my projects without “real” deadlines I don’t always make enough time in my schedule.

          Also, I’m a queen of writing short pieces (under 1,500 words). I can get those done in seemingly no time as long as a deadline is looming. 

          However, I want to know what I have to say in longer formats. The only way to discover the answer is to write past my longest word count—about 10,000 words—and see where I end up.

While rereading Steven Pressfield’s essay “The Artist’s Life” on page 165 of his book The War of Art, I’m now inspired by this creative deadline:

“…Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.”

That’s a deadline I’m excited to meet.

Redesigning My Writer's Crate

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

This past weekend was devoted to an entire fall housecleaning mission--one that started at sundown Friday evening and went well into the wee hours of Monday morn!  When one of these intense decluttering, deep cleaning fetishes strike it completely consumes me, and the only way for me to survive it is to simply get into the zone and just go with it.

Although I usually have a bit of help around the house throughout the week from my 6 children that still live at home, when I'm in the midst of a full-fledged cleaning rampage like this, they know it's best to steer clear and let me have at it without any interruptions.  And because they fear for what I might ask them to do (scrubbing the fireplace tiles is not high on anyone's list in this family!) it's usually never a problem to get the house to myself for a couple of days.

As I whirred about my seemingly endless list of tasks (happily so, I might add, because believe it or not, these deep cleanings are therapeutic for me) I stopped and took a good, hard look at my sacred space that we here at this blog refer to as our "Writing Crate".

Our mission on the homepage of The Writer's Crate blog states "Live a writer’s life. Take yourself seriously. Set up a Writer’s Crate—a nook, a corner, or a room dedicated to writing filled with items that inspire you—then sit there and write every day."   We launched our blog in September of 2012--two years later, I still enjoy reading our mission on a weekly basis because it reminds me of how important it is to feed my muse and write as often as possible especially when my busy life tries to get in the way of that.

Even when I don't have the amount of time I'd like to sneak away and spill my gazillion ideas onto paper, I usually have a few minutes (make that seconds) to sit quietly in my very own corner of the world, my writer's crate, and just daydream a little bit (usually about the novels I'm going to write as soon as the last dish is cleaned or the last load of laundry is folded and put away).

It's this special sanctuary that I find comfort, inspiration, passion, and usually direction where my writing life is concerned.  But like other rooms in my home, I tend to get bored if the layout, color scheme, and overall design remain the same for too long. So as I tore about doing all that cleaning and reorganizing last weekend, I realized that my writer's crate needed a bit of freshening up.

Because I am working full-time now, my mind is even more busy than I ever thought possible, so I've really been focusing on simplifying as much in my life as I can.  With that theme in mind, I realized that my writer's crate had gotten a bit cluttered and wasn't as orderly or inspiring as it was when I first created it a couple of years ago so I decided it was definitely time to make some changes.

My First Writer's Crate

It didn't take much to redesign my precious, new writing haven.  I traded my writing armoir (my daughter scored it for her new mini art-studio) which was loaded with books, journals, sticky notes, quotes, and ongoing project lists to a smaller, simpler desk that I painted in a pale turquoise.  I keep a simple vase on it (because I love it, plain and simple) as well as a reading lamp and that's it!  I have enough room for my laptop or one of my journals and the two drawers hold my favorite pens and writing books.  

My Fresh, Simple Writer's Crate Makeover

Everything else has been placed back on my favorite bookshelves or in my little office that I use for bookkeeping and other household tasks. When I need something during a writing session, I make sure I have it available, but now that I've been writing in my new nook, I'm finding I have everything I need, just a clean and quiet space to let my thoughts flow without the dozens of distractions I used to have all around me.

It's only been a short period of time that I've been working from my revamped writer's crate, but the change in scenery and the set up of this new space has already shifted my attitude and production immensely. Not only did my entire house get a thorough cleaning and makeover, but my passion to write did as well, and once again I get excited to find those very important snippets of time to sneak off and do what I love most--get creative in my beloved and newly refreshed writer's crate.

Have you taken an inventory of your writing space lately?  If you could create the perfect writer's retreat, where in your home (or elsewhere) would it be?

Vision Boards Help Writers Keep on Writing!

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

One of the reasons I enjoy being a writer so much is because I love to visualize (don't most writers?).  No matter what I'm writing--a humorous family column, a chapter from my novel, even my grocery or to-do list--I usually have a pretty clear vision of what the outcome will be.  Well, let me clarify that a bit--I don't always have the piece written exactly as I'd like while I'm working on it, but I have always had the ability to picture the completed article as something I will be pleased with during the process of writing.

For example, last week I was working on a column I write each month for a local magazine that deals with different boutiques and shops.  After visiting this funky and very eclectic gift shop in town I couldn't wait to get started putting it all together on paper.  I rushed home to my Writer's Crate only to be deterred by my 7 kids who actually wanted me to serve them dinner!  Ah yes, my writing would have to wait until my family's needs were met.

Two days later, I finally sat down to work on my shopping column.  Frustrated just a bit that I hadn't been able to write when the details of this magical little shop were fresh in my mind I closed my eyes and imagined myself back in the store gleaning all the delightful items that were displayed so artfully throughout the shop.  I then envisioned myself capturing the essence of the store's personality from beginning to end on paper--with the final result being a completed article that I felt great about and that I hoped the store owner would enjoy.  When I get myself into this zone, I can usually create a final piece that I'm happy with.

One tool I've had fun using to help keep my writer's momentum going strong is a vision board.  If you're familiar at all with "The Law of Attraction" you may already know about vision boards. 

In the most literal sense, a vision board is a collection of images and notes attached to a board and placed somewhere that you can see it every day.  But truthfully, it's so much more!  For me, it's an inspired daily reminder of my deepest desires and is a very powerful writing tool.  When I look at the writer's vision board I created for myself it allows me to focus on my deepest writing desires--becoming a best-selling author, a syndicated columnist, author of a children's book and a regular contributor to a national woman's magazine to name a few items.  This visual reminder gets my juices flowing when I need a push to keep on writing.

Here's an example of a vision board that uses quotes for inspiration.

If you'd like some more information on how to create a powerful vision board of your own, you can download a free e-book written by Christine Kane called The Complete Guide to Vision Boards.  There are also many on-line articles available that can guide you as well.

Vision boards can be used for any area of your life that you'd like to focus on.  I  have two vision boards--one for family life and one for my writer's life.  Do you use visual tools to help feed your muse?