New Favorite Pens

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

(This is an unpaid recommendation. I just like these pens for writing.)

          A friend recommended Uni-Ball click gel pens to me at a magazine meeting. She had one so I tried it and loved it. First, it is extremely lightweight—great if you like to write by hand for any extended time like filling a notebook a month. Second, the nibs come in various sizes so I can write boldly when I’m being creative and more precisely when editing or writing lists, notes, and checks. Third, the ink dries very quickly so few smudges. And fourth, it also comes in a super ink so prevents check fraud as it can’t be washed off.

I like strong bold lines when I write creatively. I like blue ink (although also comes in black, red, and purple).

Due to its light weight, I’m not getting a painful writer’s callous on my middle finger any longer. Hooray!

Another Uni-Ball pen I like is the bold AIR which writes at any angle. It comes in blue, black, and red. I use the blue ones to write in my books—marginalia and underlining. Again, light weight. Again, ink dries quickly. Reminds me of a precise eyeliner. Doesn’t bleed through to the next page in books so far. (However, it does in my notebooks so I don’t use them there.) It’s perfect for making notes for future book recommendations.

All of that makes my writing life easier.

Be Fearless! Become a Professional and Successful Writer

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          My professional life has gotten very busy. I’m editing and indexing a book for publication in early spring as well as working on a book I’m co-authoring with Cheryl L. Butler, co-founder of this blog. Add to that a few other freelance projects, this blog, and my day job of editing and writing for two publications and I’m very busy indeed.

          There are so many opportunities for writers these days as an employee, a freelancer and, best of all, as your own boss!

          Whatever your dreams, be fearless!

You have to be able to write on demand to meet deadlines. Have great ideas for articles and follow through with interviews and/or finish the book you are always talking about and get it published.

Write. Rewrite. Polish. Publish. If you are a writer, those are the job requirements to make a living doing what you love.

          Practical ways to achieve your dreams:

I recommend reading:

 Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write with Confidence by William Kenower is essential for every writer. Inspiring. Motivating. Supportive. Fantastic! (Please see my reviews of this book on this blog.)

          Ensouling Language: On the Art of Nonfiction and the Writer’s Life by Stephen Harrod Buhner. Read it for the sheer beauty of his written words as well as his remarkable thoughts—a fabulous beacon for anyone on a writer’s path.

          The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield will keep writer’s block away. Whenever I’m not inspired to write, I flip it open and read a page or two then I’m raring to write again without fail. I most love his encouraging and inspiring essay “The Artist’s Life” on page 165—which I think should have been the first in his book because it’s essential for writer’s to know and believe in it.

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg will get you thinking and writing. Follow her routine of filling a spiral notebook every month. I’ve been doing this for well over a decade. I have no fear of the blank page because I face it every day in this low-key way.

          I recommend writing:

          Fill a spiral notebook a month as recommended by Natalie Goldberg in her book recommended above. Upside—no fear of blank pages. It's a private way to improve your writing and capture ideas fearlessly.

Start a blog on any topic of interest so you write regularly—never missing a deadline. Gain an audience. Get feedback. Improve your writing fearlessly.

          Take a writing class. I did and besides learning more about the writing craft, I met the new owner of a local magazine there. This led to an internship, then a staff writing position, then Assistant Editor, then Editor, then Editor of two publications, then three, then four. Then all the freelance work I’ve done—and soon a published book—all because I was brave enough to go to one writing class and willing to work hard and fearlessly.

          Cheryl wrote her first book, Pregnant Women Don’t Eat Cabbage, for one hour each Saturday (all the time she could spare while raising eight children) until completed. She was brave and did some public speaking events. In the audience one night was a woman from Macmillan Publishing. A while later when the current Mighty Mommy left, this woman remembered Cheryl and recommended her to become the company’s Mighty Mommy columnist and podcaster—all because Cheryl pursued her writing dream fearlessly!
.

Amazon has certainly opened up opportunities for authors. I have several friends working on books they plan to publish through Amazon. A friend of one of these friends has published both through a traditional publisher and Amazon, and she prefers Amazon as she has full control over the cover and content and receives more of the profits. Publish fearlessly.

Be fearless! That’s what it takes to be a professional and successful writer!

Deadline: Nine Pages a Day

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

                             

              I gave up filling a notebook a month in June. I thought it would give me more time to work on my other writing projects, but I just proved to myself again that it is not more time I need, but more deadlines.

              Deadlines and pressure are my driving forces to write. If I have a deadline, I don't miss it. Projects just for fun or on spec don’t create enough pressure although I enjoy finding out what I have to say. I need deadlines.

              Since no editor or publication is waiting for my projects, I need to write for more disciplined deadlines. Word counts do not work for me, but page counts do. I write about three pages a day in my notebook to fill one each month—this keeps me unafraid of the blank page and exploring ideas.

              I’ve now given myself a nine-pages-a-day deadline—three to fill a notebook a month and six on other projects. These can be handwritten or on the computer as my muse demands.

              Cheryl and I are discussing working on a project together so I’m adding that to my list. I finished a short story. I’m working on my book (90% completed), my screenplay, essays, and another short story.

              These nine pages are in addition to my monthly articles and essays for the magazines as well as my editing responsibilities.

              I’m a writer/editor. All of my working time and some of my spare time should be spent writing and editing. It’s what I do. It’s who I am. But it’s not enough. This nine-pages-a-day deadline is the only way I’m going to accomplish my project goals.

             

             

My Screenplay Update

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I’ve had a full week preparing for deadline for the magazines, preparing for company, entertaining company, and welcoming a new puppy. I was so busy, I didn’t even think of this week’s post until 11:04 PM Sunday. (With a midnight deadline looming, I don’t have time to waste.)

          I also had a huge week working on my screenplay. I was inspired by the TV show This is Us when Sly Stallone was encouraging one of the characters, coincidently named Kate, to follow her dream to become a singer even though she was in her late 30s. He told her not to listen to other people who said she wouldn’t make it. Nobody believed that he could write the screenplay for Rocky in three days, but he did.

          I had never heard that before. He wrote a great screenplay in three days. I’m guessing he had been thinking about it for some time, but he wrote it in only three days.

          I’m not shooting to write mine in three days, but I want it done by the end of this year. So I worked on it among all the other things I had to accomplish this week.

          Along the way, I came up with an excellent tangent project that should make the screenplay a more enticing project.

          I wrote all this down in my monthly notebook. I know I harp on this, but filling a notebook a month enriches my writing. The empty space allows my thoughts to wander and wonder—and come up with brilliant and creative ideas.

          You meet your muse on the page. I’m not the first to say that, but it’s the truth.

          If you are serious about being a writer, you have to write. If you don’t have assignments or a book or other project that you are working on diligently, then pick up a notebook and fill it in a month. See what you have to say. You will be pleased and surprised as well as following your dream.

A Writer's Voice & Vehicle

From Kate’s Writing Crate…  

            

         

     

Writers need two big things to succeed—a voice and a vehicle.

You will find your voice by writing often. There is no other way. Some people find it earlier than others, but you have to put in the time and effort to see what you have to say and how you say it—not what you think other people want to hear. Believe in yourself!

Vehicles can only be chosen by trial and error. Just because you want to write a novel or a play doesn’t mean you can, but you have to try to find out. Take classes. Read writing books. Whatever it takes to get you writing what you want. Be prepared, you may succeed or fail. Be open, another type of writing might be your vehicle—and you may have more than one.

Filling a notebook a month is a great way to find your voice and your vehicle. Look back and see what ideas you have for projects? Are you good at capturing details? Creating characters? Dialogue? Plotting? Organization? Research? Are you funny? Good at turning a phrase? Do you like interviewing people and working with quotes?

Try writing a short story, essay, article, or book review. As shorter vehicles, you can assess quickly if any of them feels right for you.

Feeling ambitious? Go for a novel, play, screenplay, or non-fiction book. This is all about you so write what you want.

Do not throw away anything you write. It might not appeal to you now, but maybe it will later. You never know.

          In the end, of course, writers need more than just voices and vehicles. They also need talent, craft, good grammar, and good fortune. However, having a strong, unique voice in a perfectly-suited vehicle will take you a long way towards success.

Will I Ever Learn?

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

         

          August was a tough month for writing. I had visitors. I went on a trip. I had my usual professional writing deadlines. However, I still managed to fill my notebook for the month.

What I didn’t have time for was counting all the words. Takes a lot of time when you wait until the end of the month instead of counting them each day. Also, it’s tiring when I put off writing three pages a day which means I then have to write eight or ten or more pages a day during the last week of the month.

Procrastination is not a good habit.

I manage to fight it well when I have to meet a paying or public consumption deadline, but filling a notebook a month is neither—just a goal I set for myself.

Some days filling the notebook is effortless. I have an idea. I jot it down and expand upon it.

Other days I don’t have any ideas so I write observations about the weather, upcoming deadlines, even To-Do Lists, but, if I keep writing, eventually something pops.

One day I got an idea. I expanded on it for a couple more days and thought I was done. But three days later as I was just scribbling, I got a huge idea to add to the one from almost a week ago. The subconscious is a beautiful thing!

If I didn’t fill a notebook a month, would I have had the first idea? Maybe. But I am positive that I would not have had the really big idea if I hadn’t pondered for days about the first one.

Filling a notebook a month takes time, but the payoff in the end is huge:

Keeps my writing muscles (brain and body) nimble;

I can face a blank page without fear;

I write faster, too;

All ideas are written down for future reference;

Even bigger/better ideas show up in this welcoming space; and

Meeting deadlines is a fabulous feeling.

Also, I love seeing full notebooks pile up on shelves in my office. They are physical proof I’m a writer since so many of my assignments fly out of my office via the internet.

I will continue meeting this goal every month. Maybe someday I will learn never to procrastinate!

Motivation by Deadline

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I’m a big believer in motivation by deadline. I have paying deadlines for the magazines I write for—both in print and online. I also have fun deadlines I assign myself—fill a notebook a month which keeps me writing almost daily and projects like Backpack Literature, a textbook by X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, which I love because it requires reading, learning, and writing. I can choose to complete a chapter a week or a month.

          Because writing is hard work, writers need to keep their skills sharp by reading, learning, and writing. I love books that combine the three.

          While browsing at a bookstore yesterday, I discovered two more books I’d like to set up as personal writing classes: The Jane Austen Writers’ Club: Inspiration and Advice from the World’s Best-Loved Novelist by Rebecca Smith and The Writer’s Devotional: 365 Inspirational Exercises, Ideas, Tips & Motivation on Writing by Amy Peters.

          I don’t know about Austen being the best-loved novelist in the world, but I do enjoy her work so I’m intrigued by The Jane Austen Writers’ Club. With chapters like “A Fine Pair of Eyes: Point of view,” In Jane Austen’s Pocket: Techniques and devices of the great author as well as “And What is Fifty Miles of Good Road? Making use of journeys (and staying at home) in your work” I believe I will have fun studying her work and incorporating her techniques into some of my work.

          I’m even more intrigued by The Writer’s Devotional. This is not a flimsy list of writing prompts, but a disciplined writing course. Mondays:  Writers on Writing; Tuesdays: Motivation—tips and tricks; Wednesdays:  Writing Class; Thursdays: Editing; Fridays: Biography; Saturdays: Books Writers Should Read; and Sundays: Writing Prompts.

          In the first week, the Writers on Writing section starts with a quote by Anais Nin then Amy Peters discusses The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Persepolis by Marjane Sattapi, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Authors discussed on other Mondays include: Anne Lamott, Lewis Carroll, Thomas Jefferson, Stephen King, George Moore, Anne Rice, John Hersey, W. D. Wetherell, Mickey Spillane, J. K. Rowling, and many more.

          Tuesdays start with a quote by a writer followed by an essay on motivation—sometimes facts and figures about a writers’ work is listed, sometimes you just need to make a decision about your work or goals, sometimes you just need to read some advice.

          Wednesdays are writing classes. Week 1—write a short bio of your best friend. Week 3—write a blog post about a recently released movie. Week 11—write a haiku about your favorite season. Week 36—record your family history of an event you did NOT attend.

          Thursday are about editing. Learn how to edit your dialogue, delete all versions of “to be” from your work, when to use italics, colons, and semicolons among many other editing tips.

          Fridays are short inspiring biographies of writers like George Orwell, Stephenie Meyer, John Grisham, Marvin Neil Simon, James Baldwin, Rick Riordan, Mary Higgins Clark, and 45 others are highlighted on Fridays.

Saturdays give readers more than 52 book recommendations especially for writers.

Sundays are writing prompts which can lead to the completion of a sentence, a paragraph, or an essay if you want to spend the time.

There is also a list of resources and references in the back along with two indexes—one of literary figures and works as well as one of daily activities. The second index is very useful as it lists all the biographies of writers, books to read, editing by topic, motivations, writing on writing topics, writing classes, and writing prompts.

I like the look of The Writer’s Devotional so it will be my next motivational personal writing class. Now I just need to find the time!

My word count for the week of July 23-29 was 5,598.

Reading is Writing Vicariously

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I have filled six monthly notebooks successfully so far this year. June was in doubt as I fell far behind when visitors were here, but wrote 7,471 words on 21 pages on June 30 to meet the deadline. It wasn’t fun, but I didn’t fail.

          However, my life is a bit out of balance right now. I’m meeting all my writing deadlines—monthly notebooks, magazine assignments, and Facebook essays—although sometimes rushed, but I am not reading enough. I have completed two of the twelve books on my summer reading list. I’ve started another, but I’m a fast reader. I used to read four books a week. Now I’m lucky if it’s two.

          I have been working on a big home improvement project while also entertaining visiting friends and relatives. That does lessen the amount of time I have to read, but I guess I’m too tired to disappear into books and use my imagination to flesh out the characters. I find myself watching more movies and TV shows. This is not a terrible thing except that reading uses different parts of the brain and inspires me to write.

I need to allot more time to reading because it is writing vicariously. The words are there—the rhythm; the style; the themes; the facts or the imagination. They are not my words, but, if the writing is good, I appreciate and enjoy the words. They make me think. They invite me to meld with them. They change me. And, best of all, they inspire me.

I just read a piece where the writer (I can’t find name) noted that words were her toys and she loved playing with them. That sums it up nicely. Words, whether I read them or write them, are fun to play with—and I need to schedule a reading and a writing playdate every day.

My word count for the week of July 2-8 was 10,072.  

Tough Writing Week

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I got smug. I’ll admit it. I’ve been writing at least 1,000 words a day in my monthly notebooks since March. Things were going well. No 40 pages to fill in the last week of the month like happened in January and February. I learned my lesson and wrote steadily—until this week.

          Company that had been scheduled to visit months ahead was arriving soon. Their dog can no longer make it up the stairs so we thought we’d change the rarely-used formal dinner room into a guest room as this particular dog isn’t the only company having issues with stairs.

          Mostly my stuff was stored in there so I cleaned it out, but, of course, it took longer than I thought. Once it was emptied out, it had to be scrubbed—walls, floors, cupboards. Then a bed, side tables, bureau, bookcase, and lamps had to be relocated along with some wall art.

          Then the workmen were scheduled. The old dining room needed a new outlet for the old TV in the new bedroom so called an electrician. Then the cable guy came the day after to hook up the cable box. Plumber came after that to fix a running toilet, but found a bigger problem under the sink. Pipes replaced with PVC the next day so it’s all good, but time consuming and distracting.

          Then I had to do the usual guest prep: make the bed, put out guest towels, fresh flowers, food shopping, cleaning the rest of the house while still keeping up with regular laundry and other chores and errands.

          It was also deadline week which left me little time to write. Obviously my notebook writing is the first thing to go when I’m in a time crunch. It doesn’t pay any bills, make company’s visit more comfortable, or keep our lives going.

          It does, however, keep me happy. Calm. I’m doing what I love while also jotting down thoughts, ideas, project steps, planning, venting, or crossing off To Do List items. My notebook is a place to check in with myself. Without it, I get cranky. So I squeezed in some writing by giving up sleep, not a choice I like to make. Too much stress during deadline week is too much for me to face without a pen in my hand, notebook pages to fill, and time to do so.

My word count for the week of June 18-24 was 6,937, but only 5,393 in my notebook.

What's in My Notebooks?

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I advocate filling a notebook a month as a great way to keep yourself writing—especially if you don’t have immediate deadlines. But even if you do have deadlines, filling the notebook keeps ideas flowing and gives you a place to vent if you are stuck.

          For about 15 years, I filled a notebook a month, but as I wrote more pieces for publication, I filled a notebook only every two or three months. I loved having a place to jot down thoughts, feelings, happenings, etc., but I wasn’t disciplined about it again until this January when I resolved to go back to filling a notebook a month.

          I started with an 80-page notebook in January—because 100 pages was too daunting—and wrote 21,598 words. I had no daily set amount of pages or word count. With a week left to finish, I had 38 pages to fill. I did it, but it wasn’t fun. I also wrote very sloppily in larger handwriting than usual.

Obviously I stayed with the 80-page notebook in February. I wrote almost every day, but still had 19 pages to fill the last week. Again, I filled it, but wasn’t as helpful because I just jammed stuff in it. Total word count was 25,574. Not being as rushed, I wrote less sloppily so more room for words.

In March, I again went with the 80-page notebook, but this time I tried to fill 2-3 pages every day. This was much more helpful to all my writing projects as I had space to think about topics, come up with ideas, and whine when writing wasn’t going well. I wrote 26,203 words.

Feeling more comfortable with my new habit, I switched to a 100-page notebook in April and wrote 35,006 words. My goal was 1,000 words a day, but I ended up averaging 1,167. I looked forward to writing in my notebook. It wasn’t a chore or a resolution anymore.

What do I write about in my notebooks?

I rage or regale about my writing projects. Work on titles for current pieces. Consider new projects. I also work on plots. Copy down quotes I love from books I’m reading. Jot down notes whenever I see an author being interviewed on TV as well as any thoughts I want to ponder—and then I ponder.

I write down observations about people, pets, nature, TV, and books as these often lead to posts for this blog or thoughts for my Editor’s Viewpoint column or my Facebook essays for the magazines or sometimes because they are funny. For example, out to dinner with three writing friends, we simultaneously stopped talking to listen to the conversation at the next table. The foursome was getting into a heated discussion about whether an evening can be enchanted or not. I don’t know how the topic came up, but it was fascinating. They got up to leave so we rushed to pay our bill so we could continue to eavesdrop in the parking lot. They were still going at it as they got in their car and left. We stood in the parking lot and laughed at ourselves for being such writers but how could we resist listening to such passion about a description of a night.

Nature gives great copy on walks or even when I look out my office window. There is a 25-foot tall trumpet vine growing up an evergreen tree. Every summer, several Ruby-throated hummingbirds visit to drink their fill of nectar from the dozens and dozens of bright orange blossoms putting on a colorful show. Then there was a black butterfly that played with our puppy for over five minutes fluttering just out of reach back and forth in the side yard. At first I was worried the puppy would hurt the butterfly, but he/she flew up and around over and over again to the pup’s delight only leaving when the adult dogs arrived to see what the commotion was all about.

I’m also very human in my notebooks. I write about my feelings, whether happy, sad, or angry, putting things into perspective.

If you give yourself space and permission, you will find yourself writing pages and pages. None of it goes to waste. Even if nothing appears in other formats (a rare thing), filling these notebooks increases your writing speed, improves your observation skills, and clarifies your thoughts.

This is why I recommend filling a notebook a month and also reading Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Her essays about the writing life and her life are engaging and full of wonder. The author of ten writing books and novels, her writing practice is filling up a notebook a month for about forty years. This book made me a much better writer because writing begets writing.

Start filling your own notebooks now!

Word count for week of April 30-May 6 was 11,034.

Following Through

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

Last week I wrote about receiving big ideas while writing routinely in my monthly notebook. I feel these ideas are rewards from my Muse for putting in the time.

Well receiving ideas is only the beginning. You have to follow through with them. So this past week I stopped working on my other writing projects (except filling my notebook a month) to put together my idea for a book proposal—and I did it in a week.

I didn’t sleep as much as usual. I only wrote one article as well as in my monthly notebook while I assembled the proposal. I will need to write more when it comes to finishing the book, but for the proposal I only needed to assemble and organize some of my previously written magazine essays on a multitude of topics, create a Table of Contents, and summarize the rest of the book.

I’m now letting the project sit for a week so I can look at it with fresh eyes. The anticipation is almost as much fun as putting together the proposal.

While I wait, I’m back to working on my screenplay this week because one of the other big ideas I received changed the plot. I’m still filling my notebook a month and completing other writing assignments on deadline. 

Writing begets writing so if you’re a writer, write. Fill an 80-100 page notebook a month whether you have assignments and deadlines or not. (Filling a notebook a month is the idea of Natalie Goldberg in her book Writing Down the Bones.)

 I have my paid writing and editing jobs, my screenplay, my fun writing projects, and now a book. I don’t need to fill a notebook a month to be a writer, but it keeps me motivated, improves my speed, and gives me ideas so this is one writing assignment I’m never giving up.

Word count for the week of April 2-8 was 7,178.

Reads for Writers: More Personal Writing Classes and Notebooks

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          You might think I have enough writing to do working for the magazines, freelancing, and blogging, but no. I have a lot of other writing plans and dreams. As I mentioned earlier in the year, I have set up several writing projects. Writers write!

          I have five notebooks going right now: my fill-a-notebook-a-month notebook based on Natalie Goldberg’s suggestion in Writing Down the Bones, one for exercises in Backpack Literature by Kennedy and Gioia, one for exercises in Screenplay by Russin and Downs, one for my book ideas, and a new one for the exercises in The Writer’s Workshop by Gregory L. Roper.

          The key to completing any project is a deadline. The first notebook has a built-in deadline, but the other four do not. I’ve set up weekly deadlines—a chapter a week for the three ‘personal writing class’ notebooks. To ensure that I meet my deadlines, I have a pact with Cheryl to send my word counts to her by email three days a week. She is working on a couple of projects of her own so she sends me her word counts two days a week. If we don’t receive them, we agreed to send email reminders.

          So far so good. We’re both professionals so we are meeting our deadlines.

          As for my projects, not only do I see progress by word counts, but my writing is changing. It’s becoming more detailed and specific. I’m also writing more quickly.

I wrote my most recent facebook thoughts for the magazines in seventeen minutes including rewriting. The word count was 165. I wasn’t under a tight deadline, but once I got an idea, the words just flowed through me onto the page. I credit filling a notebook a month with improving my writing speed and thought process to just get the words onto the page so I can rewrite them.

I credit becoming more detailed and specific to both Backpack Literature and The Writer’s Workshop. I highly recommend both books. While I’ve completed six chapters in Backpack Literature (I started the book over to complete all the exercises in each chapter instead of just one), I’ve only completed the first chapter of The Writer’s Workshop. I HATED the first task, but I loved the second two. They made me realize my weaknesses when it comes to describing people or anything else, but also gave me inspiration and concrete steps to improve my writing.

Details are necessary, but thoughtful, well-worded details elevate regular authors to best-selling status. In his book, Roper has excerpts from various authors throughout the ages for readers to review then imitate. While writing in each author’s style, you realize how many ways there are to describe something. It’s eye-opening.

For extra credit, I looked at the character descriptions written by some on my favorite authors. I realized I have very good reading taste, but not very good writing description skills—but I’m enjoying working on them in my five notebooks because I’m a writer.

Word count for week Feb. 5-11 was 8,105.

Word Counts for a Working Writer

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          As a working writer, I write almost every day. Deadline for the magazines lasts three days each month so I’m too busy then, otherwise I write.

          Filling a notebook a month is the best way to stay on track. Use an 80-100 page notebook as recommended by Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones. If you write about three pages every day, you’ll fill the notebook. If you don’t, then you will have a lot of pages to fill at the end of the month.

          In January, I had company as well as deadline. Because I wrote only a few paragraphs or a page or two each day, the last week of the month I had to fill 40 pages—which I did. My word count for that week was over 12,000 which also included a blog post and facebook thoughts for the magazines. I had to write fast to meet my monthly notebook deadline.

          Learning to write fast is essential for a working writer. Get all your thoughts down on paper as quickly as you can. This leaves you more time to rewrite, organize, make corrections, and polish your words—the real work of a professional working writer.

The initial act of writing is wild, spontaneous, exciting. When you reread what you wrote, you might not even remember some of these thoughts as they came so fast. Good. Those thoughts are what you really think without any filters. Work with them.

As I wrote in my post on 3/9/15:

 I think anyone interested in becoming a writer should read Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, and Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity by Ray Bradbury.

These books will also energize anyone who is already a writer. I often pick one of them up, flip open to a random page, read for a while then jump into writing.

           In Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury not only encourages writing, he also shares his story of becoming a writer then working hard to become a better writer. Read his work. His dedication and creativity are astounding.

He’s inspiring—hard not to be when he begins his essay “The Joy of Writing” on page 3 with:

Zest. Gusto. How rarely one hears these words used. How rarely do we see people living, or for that matter, creating by them. Yet if I were asked to name the most important items in a writer’s make-up, the things that shape his material and rush him along the road to where he wants to go, I could only warn him to look to his zest, see to his gusto.

          Bradbury notes on page 13:

In quickness is truth. The faster you blurt, the more swiftly you write, the more honest you are. In hesitation is thought. In delay comes the effort for a style, instead of leaping upon the truth which is the only style worth deadfalling or tiger-trapping.

Tiger-trapping. How exciting that makes writing sound! We are brave. Capturing truth. Following wherever our creativity leads us. Zest and gusto indeed!

Write with zest and gusto in a monthly notebook no one else will ever read. You’ll surprise yourself as well as come up with ideas for writing projects. I’ve written many essays and blog posts on thoughts I might never have discovered without scribbling in my notebooks which I take with me everywhere—like Natalie Goldberg, I carry a notebook-sized purse. Writing in public is inspiring in a different way than writing at home. Write wherever you are.

Word counts do matter. Not only in meeting specifications for projects, but quantity leads to quality. In filling these notebooks, you’ll find your voice, your rhythm, and your ability to meet deadlines no matter how short—all hallmarks of a working writer.

My word count for February 5-11 was 7,287.

2017 Writing Projects List

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

As a magazine editor and contributing writer, I have paid assignments for two magazines. As a freelance editor, I have paid projects. As a freelance writer, I have goals I’ve set for myself. I plan on writing about 410,000 words in finished pieces this year.

          Here is my current 2017 writing project list:

Magazine assignments:

(numbers will change as page counts go up or down by eight pages depending on ads)

12 Thoughts from the Editor columns, 450-500 words each

20 Q&A articles, 1,200-1,400 words each

50 articles, 800-1,200 words each

4 book columns, 500-1,000 words each

52 Facebook thoughts/book reviews, 250-500 words each

Total: about 100,000 words published

Blog:

52 posts, 250-500 words each

                                                Total: about 18,000 words

Freelance:

4 articles, 1,000-1,500                   

Total: about 4,000 words

Works-in-Progress:

Screenplay:

         Finish roughing out the plot.

Writing in proper format.

                                      Total: about 10,000 words

Book:

          Still roughing out the details.

          Notes and text, about 30,000 words

         

                                                Total: about 30,000 words

Fill 12 notebooks (80 pages each) with jottings a la Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, about 20,000 words each

                                                Total: about 240,000 words

Backpack Literature, 300-500—depends on assignments I audit

                                                Total: about 10,000 words

My planned word count total for 2017 is over 410,000, using averages. 
(Before editing and rewriting, the count will be over 500,000.)

I’ll post the actual word counts weekly to better keep me on track.

January 1-7 word count:

          Facebook    259

          Blog Posts   398 (current and future posts)

          Screenplay    75

          Book            181

          Notebook   3,403

              Total       4,316