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Befriend Your Body To Release Pain, Increase Creativity and Feel Great While Writing

Today’s article is a guest post by Ashley Josephine, a friend who is passionate about empowering busy women to embrace wellness through the practice of yoga and mindfulness. We talked about the need for writers to have a good physical practice in order to stay healthy, and Ashley wrote this article to offer us strategies for wellness at work.
It’s surprising how hard it can be for writers to actually start writing. Despite the fact we say we love to write, when it comes to completing projects, our self-discipline tends to fly out the window and excuses abound.
The act of writing can actually be quite painful – physically, emotionally and mentally. It’s only healthy to exercise our creative minds for so long before burnout becomes inevitable and it’s shockingly easy to become lost in fantastical realms that we forget exist solely in our heads.
As with all professions, the stresses we experience as writers need to be addressed to ensure a healthy, productive and efficient writing session and career. This three-part series outlines movement-based exercises and stretches that will help open your mind (and body) to new ideas and relieve the pain and tension common to many writers, novice and professional alike.
Watch the video demonstration of the following yoga practice.

Yoga for Mental Clarity

When you’re feeling burnt out, stuck, or all wrapped up in one plot line that you can’t seem to escape, try taking a break to restore mental clarity. The following exercises will help clear the cobwebs up above.
Forward Fold:
This pose will help stretch your low back and hamstrings, plus turn your world upside down. Enjoy the rush of blood to your head and surrender to gravity’s pull to feel relief and clear-headedness, allowing all your frustrations to roll of your shoulders.
Sunflower:
From a forward fold, wrap your hands onto your opposite elbows and make large circles with your torso, coming all the way up through standing and moving back down again. After a few circles in one direction, switch sides. This exercise will force you to use your abs, stretch the obliques and hamstrings plus raise the heart rate to get your blood moving. Go at your own pace to get back into the swing of things and out of a confusing rut.
Alternate Nostril Breathing:
When you allow one side of your brain to dominate for too long, you start to lose touch with the better qualities of your other half. Alternate nostril breathing is the perfect cure to balancing out your left- and right-brain tendencies.
Start sitting in a comfortable seated position and place your right hand on your thigh. Raise your left hand up toward your nose and close off your left nostril with your left thumb. Inhale through the right nostril, hold the breath, then close off the right nostril with the left ring finger, release the thumb and exhale through the left nostril. Pause at the end of the exhale, then inhale through the left nostril, cover the left nostril with the thumb again and release the left ring finger from the right nostril to exhale. Continue in this pattern until you feel a sense of calm restored throughout.
Legs up the Wall:

Legs up the wall is surprisingly relaxing

This relaxing pose is quite simple and performed exactly as it sounds. Taking weight out the feet and legs relieves and reverses the typical gravitational pull, giving your legs a rest from supporting your weight all day long. Reversing your blood flow by going upside down can lower your heart rate and help you relax according to the Mayo Clinic.
Start by scooting your rear end as close to the wall as possible and then place your legs on the wall. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and enjoy relaxing without worry.
Practice Suggestion:
Start your day with this practice or take a break with some or all of these poses when you’re feeling confused, lost, overwhelmed or stressed out.
The next two parts of this series will be published here.
Ashley Josephine has been studying yoga for 5 years and currently lives and teaches in Wichita Falls, TX. A writer, traveler and a whole lot of other things, Ashley believes wholeheartedly in experiences and is passionate about empowering women to embrace wellness with yoga and mindfulness based practices.
Sign up on Ashley’s yoga web site if you’re a woman working through life’s daily stresses who’s ready to enjoy life more. You’ll get worldly wisdom, yoga, meditation and other free resources delivered straight to your inbox.
Other places to connect with Ashley:
Ashley on Facebook
Ashley on Twitter
Leave a comment below to share relaxation and/or movement practices that work for you when you’re in need of creative reinvigoration.

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A Good Life Is Possible with a Power Tribe

Big dreams need a big container and big support. I’d always appreciated Jonathan’s heartfelt and smart writing at his blog. I resonated with his message at Tribal Author. So when he launched the Good Life Project and announced the application process for his business incubator, I went for it.
I was accepted and eagerly prepared to change my life for the better. Reflecting on our year together, I can say that I got so much from my time with this group. I have made a lot of changes and have a lot more to make. I am excited about my good life and about making both my life and the lives of those around me better.
I’d like to publicly thank my GLP peers and share their work with you here. Enjoy this brief tour of my mastermind group!

First meeting in NYC

 
Linda Buchner  is one of those people you call a giver. She gave so much love and support to me. In her work as the co-founder of the non-profit Minddrive she’s on continual give. MindDrive is an extracurricular program where students at risk work throughout the year to build electric cars. They’ve got a IndieGoGo campaign that ends this week, so pop over and be part of this amazing project.
Karen Wright is one of Canada’s top executive coaches. Last year she published her book, The Complete Executive, a must-have for busy people trying to live a good life. A few of the things Karen said to me last year profoundly impacted me and changed me for the better. Pick up your copy of The Complete Executive. 
Jennifer Boykin has more sass and wisdom than she can ever express, but thankfully she’s doing her best to inspire mid-life women at Life After Tampons. She’s about to launch a gift for subscribers, so get over there now and join the movement.
Kristoffer Carter says that everyone asks him ‘what are you on?’ Last year, he answered that question in his multi-media manifesto. It’s been inspiring people to see and live in new ways; if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, head over to This Epic Life to pick it up.
Eric Michael Pearson is a celebrity photographer and videographer and all-around sweetheart. I worked with Eric to shoot some footage of me that will appear later this year. Check out his celebrity photos here.
Ashley Josephine is a writer and yoga teacher who’s bringing her passion for health and sanity to readers at her new blog Ashley Josephine. Take part in her Do Nothing Challenge here.
Angela Devlen is on a mission to help hospitals and emergency care providers get the skills and resources they need to thrive under pressure. She is a speaker and consultant, and also spearheads a thriving non-profit, Mahila, devoted to addressing the health and hygiene needs of women and girls in disaster zones. Be part of this inspiring mission.
Kelly Newsome  Kelly’s cool, wise and heartfelt work helped me through some tough moments last year. I can see why her business. Higher Ground Yoga, is successful in guiding extremely busy female executives to stay sane and healthy. Kelly’s email Love Notes continue to inspire me – get yours here.
Gathering in Mexico for our final circle

Karen Friend Smith and her husband are on a mission to help people eat well so they can feel well and do good in the world. The Kitchen Skinny has made a huge difference in my lifestyle. Lots of free goodies and insights for your kitchen are available here.
Chris Stepien We nicknamed Chris the Gentle Giant because he’s a sweet and strong force in the world. A chiropractor and trainer with a vision to make fitness and health a soulful practice, Chris gave so much to GLP members, as he does at his clinic in New Jersey, Barefoot Rehab.
Max Fram-Schwatrz is a young genius just out of university who landed a job in Silicon valley immediately. Being part of Max’s emergence into the work world taught all of us the value of beginner’s mind and how to boldly go into the world with a hope and a dream and lots of energy.
Margy Stratton is a force for bookish good in Milwaukee, programming speakers at Lynden Sculpture Gardens and pioneering reading programs at her soon-to-be launched Milwaukee Reads.
Last but of course not least is our fearless leader Jonathan Fields. I got so much support from him. He helped me clarify and focus. He knows business and appreciates the creative spirit. he guided me to make choices that honored both my CEO and my artist.
Special thanks to GLP faculty: Charlie Gilkey, Susan Piver and Emiliya for their generous teachings.
I’m grateful that I made this leap and got this kind of support. It was a financial leap and a leap that called me forth in many ways, both big and small. It was worth every penny and every quaking moment.
What leaps are you taking this year toward your own good life? Who are the people that surround and support you?
I’d love to hear what you consider a good life and who contributes to that. Consider your own blog post on this subject and share the link in a comment below, or just post some thoughts below.

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Three Steps to Liberate Your Creative Genius

Three steps to liberate your creative genius, whether you are a writer, an artist, a photographer, a multi-lingual rabbit…
Liberate your creative genius with 3 easy and fun steps
Willing to try it? I’m doing it and it feels so great I wanted to share these three easy steps with others. It’s more fun to be a creative genius with others, so don’t hoard this message! Share with friends and others you know who need a nudge.
What are you doing this week to liberate your creativity? Share in a comment below.

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What’s Fun for You?

Practically every client I work with – no matter what they come to coaching for – wants to have more fun.

“What’s fun for you?” I ask.

This question is always met with the response, “I don’t know!”

So I give the assignment I’ve written about in a previous article about fun as a means to success. I invite my clients to list 50 fun things.

A friend and colleague tried to do this, but got stuck. She realized that the word ‘fun’ wasn’t right, and that the notion of ‘joy’ was better for her. She didn’t like the concept of fun as something that happened on an episodic basis, and that she wanted joy in every moment.

I love that perspective, and for me the word fun and joy are fairly interchangeable. I ask clients to write down 50 things because after the first 10 big fun items – vacation, special events, unusual activities – you’re going to have to dig deep into the mundane to find fun. And fun and joy should be found in our work, our parenting and our free time.
I did a spread in my journal of what’s fun for me now. It’s not 50 items, but when I put ‘looking at dogs’ I realized how much joy and fun this simple, easy-to-experience thing brings me.

I’m still learning how to best show my art, which is also fun.

What about you? What’s fun for you now? 

Fun is more fun when shared…don’t hoard this fun inspiration! Send to friends or share below.

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Today, start living your epic life

What does it mean to have an epic life?
When I hear the word ‘epic’, I think in a gigantic scale. I think of epic movies and novels with masses and masses of people like Schindler’s List or Braveheart. I think of herculean and miraculous acts like Moses parting the red sea.
But ‘epic’ doesn’t have to mean big. Epic can be deep and authentic. These descriptions come closer to what culture catalyst Kristoffer Carter is sharing on his site This Epic Life.
Kristoffer is one of those rare people who has figured out how to have a successful career, how to love his family well, and how to honor the musician he has always been. Even more than that, he somehow has enough energy to acknowledge, love and challenge every single person he meets.
Luckily, Kristoffer isn’t stingy with his juju. He is the first to let you in on his secret: green drinks and meditation.
Before you head for the juicer or the meditation cushion, let me tell you that’s not the method. What we feed ourselves and how we tune in on a daily basis is important, but it’s deeper than that.

Living according to your non-negotiables

Kristoffer believes that we can each live our own epic lives, not according to what would look impressive on a billboard or resume. Not according to what others think is epic, but according to what is right and true for us.
People always ask Kristoffer ‘What are you on?” He laughs and talks about the green drinks and the meditation. But soon he realized he had more to say about what it means to live an integrated life.
I coached Kristoffer this year to help him pull his work together in a way he could share. In his multi-media manifesto, he invites us to get clear on our non-negotiables, the pieces in our lives that when brought together, add up to our own epic life.
In my coaching, I call this values work, and it’s powerful stuff. But KC takes it one step further to bring these values into a lens statement. When you combine your values into a statement, or mantra you can live by, that’s powerful stuff. This becomes the lens through which you see and experience everything.

Start enjoying your epic life

Today Kristoffer launches his multi-media manifesto. I’m celebrating him and all the work he did to pull this project across the finish line – in itself an epic feat.
But it’s not just about Kristoffer Carter achieving his big goal of the year. It’s about all of us finding the way to live and thrive as the creative dynamos we are. Not because we’re prima donnas needing to have life our way. Because the world needs fulfilled, creative people working to make this a better place for all of us.
Together, if we’re all living our values and honoring our non-negotiables, we all get to enjoy this epic life. Kristoffer is living proof that no part of ourselves – not our brilliant work selves, not our kooky creative selves and not the part of us that loves our families – no part gets left behind.
Get your copy of Kristoffer’s manifesto – for free – today. And start enjoying your epic life now.

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Three Vital Pieces for Creative Success

Last week I wrote about the internal challenges that threaten our creative output. I’m not going to dwell here on the internal challenges; those obstacles are better dealt with in conversation with a therapist or coach.
We all need consistent patience and compassion to keep going when the emotions rise up and threaten to derail us from writing our book or blog. But you can do it.
I have found the following three things are vital in managing the emotions that accompany writing or any creative work.
1. A physical practice. Walking, running, dancing, yoga, tennis, weight lifting— whatever you do, do it regularly. Being in your body and using exercise as a way to get out of your head and work things through will help keep you grounded and sane.
2. Support from your creative tribe. Being around others who are also working on their creative projects is vital to staying on track. Ideally you will have a community of people working in your medium, but it’s also helpful to be around artists working in other forms. Conversations with other creative types will fuel you and help you process the emotions that surface.
3. A clear sense of your motivation. Without clarity on why you are working on a project, you won’t have the stamina to stick it out through tough times. Knowing your motivation for finishing will give you more stick-to-itiveness than you can imagine.
The clients I work with who have these three pieces struggle much less than those who don’t. The work of writing is already difficult enough; make it easier by ensuring you have these three vital pieces.
What helps you navigate the challenges between you and the finish line?
This post is excerpted from Cross the Finish Line: Five Steps to Leap Over the Hurdles to Completion. This and other guides for being a creative superhero are available at Original Impulse through November 30th, 2012. After that, they’re gone. Poof!

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The Hidden Gift at the Finish Line of Your Creative Projects

Are you one of those people who can’t seem to finish your creative projects? Books, blog posts, art pieces…no matter what you try, the finish line remains an elusive land you can’t seem to access.

Why, why? Are you simply lazy, inept and perhaps stupid?

I doubt it.

When we consider the entire arc of the creative process, it’s easier to understand why the last part can be so difficult. Imagine a funnel, wide end open to the sky. At the top, we have the beginning phase of creating. In this wide space, we are flush with the heady, exciting sense of possibility.

Here, anything can happen: Our idea will be successful and lucrative. We love this spacious phase, where our ideas shine with intoxicating brilliance. Our abundance of ideas provides proof to us of our creative genius and allows us to dwell where we’re most happy – in the creative dream.

As we move down the funnel, the realm of possibility narrows toward the realm of reality. We begin to bring our snappy concept down to earth. We map it, sketch it, outline it and force it to live according to the laws of gravity, cost, and the dictates of its genre. As we work on our projects, we come in direct contact with our capacities: how much time, energy, resources and skills we actually have to make our idea real.

This reality check can be really uncomfortable. It can be painful to discover that we often get ideas that we don’t yet have the skills to execute. Squeezed by the dictates of our genre, we’re tempted to abandon the mission. (New, sexy ideas crowd around us at this phase.)

To make matters worse, we can also get caught in the emotional undercurrents that run below the surface. Everything that quietly prevented us from creating now shouts loud and clear. It gets more and more painful to even think about your once-beloved project.

The further into the creative process you go, the narrower the space feels, and the more you are required to deal with the emotional eddies that swirl under the surface of your creative life.

  • Fears lurk to sabotage us:I’m not good enough.
  • I don’t have anything to say, or show.
  • This has already been done, and better.
  • No one will like it.
  • I’ll be exposed as a failure.
  • If my work is bad, I am bad.

You’re not a fool for feeling these things, and you’re certainly not alone. After thirteen years of coaching myself and others through all these phases, I believe that the work of creating calls us forth in a deeply powerful and challenging way.
The only way to overcome these fears is to keep creating. If you want to know who you are and what makes you tick, take up an art form and stick with it. Staying with a project from start to finish will teach you more about yourself than years of therapy.

Can you accept that this is the nature of art-making? Can you stop bemoaning how hard it is? Can you embrace the emotional challenges of writing? If so, there are rewards.

Every project has something to teach us. What’s to learn? It’s different for everyone. You may learn something about your true limits. You may unearth some old wound that will be healed through this particular project. You may discover that the forces that have been driving you are no longer your own wishes.

Sticking with writing and finishing my novel has been the best teacher, the most challenging coach, and the biggest gift I ever gave to myself. My clients, too, have seen themselves develop alongside their commitment to their art. If we don’t finish our projects, we lose the valuable insight that each project has for us.

Next week, I’ll share three vital pieces that have helped my clients and students stay with their projects. In the meantime, what have you gained from your completed creative projects? Share with us in a comment below.

This post is excerpted from Cross the Finish Line: Five Steps to Leap Over the Hurdles to Completion.

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Focus Your Creativity Using Visual Methods (paper! color!)

Managing our creative abundance isn’t always easy. Despite the many time and project management software available, we can still struggle to find what’s right for us, for our style and for our work.

Planning materials from my Claim Your Authority retreat

Sometimes it helps to simplify your process, or to approach your planning in a right-brained way using visual elements.
I like planning on newsprint paper, using big sheets that I don’t mind wasting or being messy with. I also plan my work on a monthly basis using one page in a notebook to focus my attention.
These methods often resonate with my clients. When my client Donna Druchunas of Sheep to Shawl told me how much success and fun she was having using visual methods to plan her projects and career, I was thrilled.
Donna sent me images of her planning and I asked if we could share a public dialogue about her process.
Here’s our conversation. See what this might spark for your own planning and creativity. (Click images to enlarge.)
Spread from Donna's journal

CM: I LOVE it! I just saw that these are in a Moleskine accordion notebook. Oo la la!
DD: Yes, I use a regular Moleskine sketchbook, too because it has more pages and I’m always worried about running out. But if I am going to a special conference or working on a specific plan, I will use an accordion notebook just for notes about that one thing.
CM: Nice. So each event has its own visual record book. How did you start doing visual business planning for yourself?
DD: I started doing a monthly theme sketch in 2011, based on something you had posted on your blog.
I make a sketch of something that represents the theme of the month, like a big $ for making money, a file cabinet for getting organized, or a clock for deadlines. Then I list the high-priority items related to that theme around the page.
Do you remember that post? I don’t recall what you said in the post, but your drawings stuck with me. I still do that every month.
CM: That’s the mindmap your plate practice. You use one piece of paper to map what you are focusing on that month. It’s an easy and quick way to see if you’re trying to do too much and if your attention is focused on your bigger agenda.
Click to enlarge

 
CM: I know that you use The Right Brain Business Plan by Jennifer Lee, and you took my Journal Juju class at Two Hands Paperie in Boulder. What else inspired you to map your career this way?
DD: It was basically those two things that got me into visual planning. Before that, I’d been afraid to draw since I was a teenager. But I realized that if I am doing this for myself, it doesn’t matter if my pictures look like they were drawn by an 8 year old! As long as they are meaningful to me, it works! I find that the visual element adds emotional impact and a sense of play to getting the work done.
CM: Emotional resonance and play sound like great things to have for your work!
What’s so interesting to me is how so many people are hung up about their ability to draw. Like it’s some kind of character default. But it’s a learned skill and if you want to learn it, you can.
But what we’re talking about is simple visual notation – the drawings don’t have to be good, just communicative. It’s not about perfection but about simple depiction.
CM: Did you plan this out as a sketch on paper before or is this your first pass?
DD: I sketched it all out in pencil on the same page, so I could erase parts I changed my mind about. Once I had the elements all in place and was happy with it, I traced over the outlines with a black pen and erased the pencil marks. Then I colored everything.
CM: Nice. I should try pencil more. I never use pencil. Is there a significance for the colors for you?
DD: Because I’m afraid that my drawing skills are severely lacking, I find that adding color lets me relax and play. I feel like a little kid with a coloring book. The colors themselves are not significant. I have a lot of colored pencils and travel with just a few in my pencil case. It’s the process of coloring and the feeling I get when my drawings pop out in color that makes me happy.
CM: I love how you describe that simple pleasure. How color helps you play and relax.
What ideas or solutions came to you while sketching this out?
DD: When I write to do lists or plans, I tend to focus in on the details right away. With a visual plan, I can just focus on a theme or focus or the big picture for a longer period of time.
Donna's bigger picture

I love how this particular plan I’m working on now has four quadrants. This let me create a kind of compass for myself. I actually made two versions:

  1. one that shows how I can focus my business on my customers’ needs
  2. one that shows what I need to do to meet my own needs.

CM: I love that balance between what your customers need and what you need.
What steps do you take from here to implement these plans? Do you need to make lists of action items?
DD: I’m going to explore each of the sections on the plan in more detail but I’m not sure how yet. I am less detailed about planning and writing out action items than many people are. I tend to work on the plan until I have a clear picture in my mind of what needs to be done, and then I just plow through things for a while. If I start to feel unfocused, I go back to the plan to ground myself, and make updates if necessary.
CM: This is how I do it, too. I can only plan so much before I have to start executing. Then I go back frequently and keep refreshing the plan. I think it’s a good balance of planning and flexibility.
Thanks for sharing your process, Donna!
DD: My pleasure.
CM. Find out more about Donna’s knitting classes, tutorials and patterns at Sheep to Shawl.
What about you? What visual elements do you use to map your career or creative projects? 

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Seven Steps to Get Your Groove Back When You’ve Lost Your Writing Rhythm

You know the feeling – you’re writing regularly, feeling the flow of your unique writing impulse. You’re making headway on your project and you feel gooood.

Then life, as it is wont to do, throws a wrench in your rhythm, halting the sweet ratatatat of your keyboard. Events on a scale large and small, tragic or irritating interrupt:

  • vacation
  • honeymoon
  • illness, either yours or a loved one’s.

Once the chaos has settled, you start to hear the sound of your inspiration calling you back. You like this tune and truly want writing back.

But weeks pass and you don’t return to that project you flowed with so well before life intruded on your progress.

Despite our best intentions, life’s distractions can easily derail us from our writing.
It seems all the time we spent finding our writing rhythm and focus was a one-time investment, and we’re forced to learn the steps all over again.

But even though it may feel like it, you’re not starting from scratch. Try these seven simple steps to resume – and refresh – your writing groove.

Draw upon your past successes.
What structures, times or places helped you focus on writing? Resume your Friday afternoon writing date, return to your special writing café, and other rituals can be renewed.

When we consider what worked in the past, we will often get snagged by stories of how our plans fell apart. The inner critic loves to chime in with variations of “Remember what happened last time – it didn’t work! Why bother now?”

We lose trust in ourselves when we focus on what didn’t work. We build something sustainable when we turn a curious eye toward what will work for us.

If there are negative associations with any of those practices, what can you replace them with?

Manage your expectations.

We often set ourselves up to plunge back in, pens raised and charging forward with brio. We expect to spend hours at the work, producing pages and pages of scintillating prose.
But it’s more likely we’ll start slowly and ease back into our rhythm. Instead of letting your high expectations lead to disappointment, use little victories along the way to fuel more successes.

Fend off saboteurs.

If it wasn’t a major interruption but a foggy dissipation instead, what derailed you from your course? Knowing the main saboteurs can help you identify trouble when it shows up next time.

Write down all your naysaying excuses that beat you away from the keyboard. See? Once they’re exposed, they seem to carry much less weight. Keep the list handy for the next time you’re tempted to believe your saboteurs.

Start with a brief rendez-vous with your project.

This is a simple meeting to reacquaint yourself with your work. We’re talking a 15-minute ‘project assessment’. Take notes. Jot new ideas and insights.

If you are starting anew with shorter articles or blog posts, check what you had done before you took your sabbatical. Review your lists of content ideas to spark new posts.

Refresh your deadline.

Deadlines can motivate us, even self-imposed ones. Recall former deadlines. What worked? What didn’t? One of the most common mistakes we make is to be overly optimistic about how long things take.
What do you know about yourself and your pace? Use that to set a deadline that engages, not strangles you.

Keep your cards close to your chest.
Some writers find it useful to announce their intentions publicly. Others find the pressure of others’ expectations counter-productive.

I prefer a middle path. Speak your intention to your writing tribe: your writing buddies, former classmates and teachers, a coach, or your favorite writing forum.

Dial it just right.

When planning the return, people often envision something like this:
“I’ll write five days a week for two hours each day.”

What’s wrong with this picture?

We don’t operate in two-hour time periods. Saying we’ll strap into the writing chair for two hours is a guaranteed way to assure that you won’t do it at all.

Let this be easier by starting small – one or two 30-minute writing sessions per week are much easier to slip into.

Which approaches will you try to get your groove back?

Try any or all of these strategies to slowly but surely ease back into your groove. Focus on building trust, engagement and momentum for this new phase of your writing life.

Notice that these suggestions ask you to rely on yourself. Build a positive and sustainable relationship with your writing that can withstand the capricious fluctuations of life.

Set yourself up to win by choosing steps that are right for you, right for this time, right for your projects.
What has helped you return to your writing groove after losing your step?

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Why You're Not Creating Like You Want

I recently polled my Impulses subscribers, asking what was blocking their creative satisfaction.
What do you think is the biggest thing lacking in people’s lives? Guess.
That’s right. Time.
Lack of time is the #1 obstacle people believe prevents them from creating. Is this your excuse too?
An excuse, not a real obstacle? Yes and no. There’s one way that we make ourselves victims of time. Read on and see if this is you.

Curb your time optimism

It’s a wonderful thing to be an optimist. Life is good, things always work out, we’re on the right path…we like these optimistic perspectives.
But when we extend our optimism to the clock, our positive perspective backfires on us.
We believe that we can do it all, that tasks take less time than they do, and that we can catch up later. Consequently, we book our days to bursting. Our schedules are crowded. We rush to keep up with all we’ve committed ourselves and our families to.
There’s no space. No space to rest, to relax, and to allow fresh solutions and insights to float in.
I believe you can reduce your time optimism and increase your satisfaction with your creativity.

Fifteen minutes a day

Start taking back your time with fifteen minutes each day. Before the day starts, in between errands, at the end of the day – wherever – insert some sanity space into your days.
In your space, do what you want. Perhaps you nap, read, write, play, stroll or meditate.
Do not use this 15 minutes to check your email, peruse Facebook or throw in another load of laundry. This is space to dream, be, refuel and inspire yourself. Not a space to tick items off your list.

Space opening up for you

It’s not easy to slow down and do nearly nothing, even for 15 minutes. But it’s vital. In the cracks between busyness we hear our wisdom.
When we put pen to paper or take a walk, we often hear the answer to the question that’s been puzzling us. We get to know ourselves in ways that are necessary to lead an empowered, authentic life.
Experiment with inserting 15 minutes into your days in August. In this space do whatever you want, but don’t try to get anything done.
If you’re not creating how you want, be honest with yourself: is your time optimism stealing your creative satisfaction?
What would 15 minutes of space a day do for your mood and happiness?
Who’s in? This is an informal challenge, and I’d love to hear if you decide to do it. Leave a comment below and let me know you’re putting space into your life for the sake of your creative sanity.
I’m doing the Free Write Fling in August. I don’t have an agenda for my writing time. I look forward to a daily dose of space for myself, where I can lie on a blanket in the park and rest with my notebook, or prop myself up on the couch midday to pen my 15 minutes away. I look forward to this space.
We start August 1st. Ah, sweet space! Do it with us!

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Blogging Artists Thrive in Class

One of my favorite things is teaching people to write more easily for their blogs. Blogging well takes a lot of thought and effort. It’s easy to feel stressed by the challenges of keeping a vibrant blog alive.
It’s with both pride and sadness that I finish another round of the Blog Triage class I co-lead with Alyson Stanfield of Art Biz Coach. Our students, artists from around the world, worked hard to make their blogs a place that honors, reflects and promotes their art.
Take a look at their blogs – you may just make a new friend, fall for a piece of art, or be inspired to buff up your own blog.

Isadora Arielle, Port Townsend, Washington
Sarah Atlee, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Amadea Bailey, Los Angeles, California
Stacey-Ann Cole, Peterborough, United Kingdom
Janice Earhart, Morrison, Colorado
Frances Clements Fawcett, Port Townsend, Washington
Frances’s site crashed in the middle of class! She’s rebuilding at her website, linked here.
Robin Fingher, Perth, Australia
Suzanne Gibbs, Tustin, California
Jaime Howard, Jacksonville, Florida
Julie Johnston, Packwood, Iowa
Karen LeGault, Oakland, California
Kevan Lunney, East Brunswick, New Jersey
Vickie Martin, Decatur, Georgia
Mary Ellen Merrigan, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Barbara Parish, Hesperia, California
MJ Russell, Charlotte, Vermont
Doris Sanders, Denver, Colorado
Lynda Schlosberg, Boston, Massachusetts
Linda Steele, Victoria, Australia
Janice Tanton, Canmore, AB, Canada
Fay Terry, Pinehurst, North Carolina
Jill Thoreson, Webster City, Iowa
Janet Vanderhoof, Morgan Hill, California
Sandra Verhoog, The Hague, Netherlands
Andrea Wedell, France
Kristina Wentzell, Keene, New Hampshire
Janine Whitling, Queensland, Australia
The class is over now, but we offer a self-study version of Blog Triage that even seasoned bloggers love. Pick up your copy today.
 

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Find Your Edge – It's Further Than You Think

A few years ago, I did a crazy thing: I held the yoga pose ‘horse’ for 70 minutes. That’s right. One hour and ten minutes.
There was a lot of craziness in that situation:
I did it during a friendly yoga competition. Competition and yoga don’t belong in the same sentence, let alone the same practice. Crazy.
The prize was for a Manduka yoga mat. I didn’t need or want a yoga mat – I already had four mats at home. Crazy!
But here’s the really crazy thing: When the contest started and the pose announced, I groaned. The yoga teacher mentioned that the previous year’s record had been 28 minutes.
Here’s what I thought: “I hate that pose. I can’t even hold it for five minutes!”
Right there in that moment, I defined my edge. I had about five minutes holding a strenuous, quadriceps-burning pose. I surely wouldn’t win.
Before I go on with the story, what about you? When and how do you define your edge?

When considering the book you’re writing, what edge do you draw in your mind?
Back to the yoga story. It gets crazier.
Now, I’m strong-ish. Not athlete strong, but I do practice yoga a lot and ride my bike all the time. Still, my mind told me that I couldn’t do this.
But the evidence started piling up against my belief. We’d started with about 30 people. Soon most of them peeled off and we were down to a handful of ‘competitors’.
After 35 minutes the organizers started to get tough, raising the stakes. We were told to lift our heels and keep them lifted. Which meant holding this pose on our toes.
Okay, the four remaining crazy-yoginis took that in stride. Then they called in the tattooed, drill sergeant kind of yoga teacher. He put us through various paces. We hopped back and forth, dipped our upper bodies up and down. Yet we’re still holding this crazy pose.
Frankly, I didn’t even know why I was doing it. But I knew the longer I stood there, the more determined I was to not surrender.
Later, as I pedaled home on noodles for legs, I realized that my edge is way further than my mind thought.
Now I know this without a doubt: I am capable of WAY more than I knew possible.
And because I believe we’re all in this together, I believe YOU are capable of way more than your mind thinks.
Finally, with the spring night falling and patience all around waning, the teachers called the contest, surrendering for the three of us remaining fools who refused to surrender. Instead of awarding two yoga mats, they gave each of us one.
We are extraordinarily resilient, all of us. Yet we fool ourselves into believing that our edges are closer than we think. That we are weaker than we think.
My work as a coach is not to push you in ridiculous ways, but to remind you that you are more, can do and be more than you think. Not as a push into overdrive or straining, but as a way to access and express the infinite potential inside each of us.
But language like that can be vague and cliché. It’s our lived experiences that remind us our capacity is often way, way greater than we think.

What’s your (perceived) and (real) edge?

Consider your own edge-pushing experiences. Times as a parent when you held your patience in the face of a screaming infant. Times as an employee or student when you over-delivered on a project or task.
Borrow from your life experiences to contribute to your power as an emerging author. When you come to your edge with your subject matter and mental fog rises up to threaten your focus and commitment, know that you have it in you to keep going. Not to force yourself, but to stay with the book until it’s done.
I wrote sixteen drafts of Chasing Sylvia Beach in the face of at least triple that number in rejections. I never would have known I had it in me to keep going, to keep improving, to keep growing myself against my edge of what’s possible.
I’m not any more badass than any of you. Seriously. I, too, want to abandon difficult things and go for the low-hanging fruit. But I’ve become addicted to the thrill of overcoming challenges and shooting for the impossible.
Your edges will look and feel different than mine. But know them, and push past them.
What edges can you push past this week?

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World Book Night Giveaway – The Things They Carried

The best part of my job as a bookseller at Capitol Hill Books was recommending books to customers. There’s no greater pleasure than sharing a life-changing title.
Through World Book Night, on April 23rd, I get to relive that pleasure.  Why April 23rd? April 23 is the UNESCO International Day of the Book, chosen in honor of Shakespeare and Cervantes, who both died on April 23 1616. (It is also the anniversary of Shakespeare’s birthday.)
Book givers – that’s me! – will pick up copies of their chosen books from a local bookstore. The mission is to distribute the books to people who might not normally be reading. I’m considering heading down to Denver’s 16th street mall to give books away to people there.
I’m in charge of giving away 20 copies of the short story collection The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. My local bookstore pickup is the Tattered Cover on Colfax.
This is one of my favorite books – the writing is crisp, powerful and engaging. The characters are both sympathetic and tragic. The themes are rich and wide. The meta-content about the nature of story and what it does for us is profound.
O’Brien is a master storyteller and while the subject matter may not at first glance appeal – men humping their packs through the horrors of the Vietnam War – this book should be on every writer’s list of must-reads.
Tonight I’ll be out and about in Denver giving away copies of this book to strangers.  If you don’t see me – because you live in another place – I recommend picking up a copy of The Things They Carried.
Have you read this book? Have you heard of World Book Night? Tell us about it in a comment below. 

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Sorting Out the Mess of a Chaotic Book Draft

This is part of the Claim Your AUTHORity series.
At one point while writing Chasing Sylvia Beach, I deleted 15,000 words of interior monologue. The book was a mess, and cutting this much was just the beginning of making order from chaos.
It was like I’d been driving with a mud-caked windshield and now it had been wiped clean. I could see the book’s plot and had clarity on how to drive forward.
Now, I advocate the freewheeling free writing method, where you riff on the story or the material in your non-fiction book. This is a good way to write past your inner critic and to just get your ideas down on paper.
But it can also lead to a mess that has you questioning your sanity.
Even outlining can make your material seem unwieldy and chaotic. You start writing about one thing and then realize you could also add this, and that and the other thing. Soon your book is a multi-tentacled monster that you have no control over.

How to sort through the chaos

First, it helps to know that at some point with every project your material will be a mess. Messiness is part of the creative process, not a sign that you’re inept and hopeless.
Organizing your work is essential. You’ll know what’s right for you when you find it. Here are some practices to try. These apply to both non-fiction (how-to, memoir) and fiction (novels or short story collections).

Break into pieces

If you’re writing on the computer, consider a series of documents (individual chapters or sections) instead of one long document. It can be very difficult to scroll through a whole book in one document while writing and editing.
When I look at the first draft of my novel from 1999, I see a handful of documents. I was hacking away at scenes as I built my way to a cohesive narrative.

See it

Tactile, visual approaches can help sort material. Seeing your work in form can help:

  • Scenes or concepts on index cards
  • Story outlined in a linear timeline
  • Mindmap of content or characters

There are many other ways to see your material. Check out this article about using index cards to manage your book’s material.

Stay calm

Here’s the scoop: your book will change and morph and grow. It will end up different than what you thought it would look like. But if you know your original impulse for the book and are aligned with your ultimate purpose for the book, you’ll sort it out.
Be sure to check out an earlier article about how to structure your book for more tips on sorting out your material.
What questions do you have about how to manage the mess that is a manuscript in process? What helps you sort out the mess of a draft? 
Download a .pdf of this article.