It’s been a long time since I posted a blog. A long slog of 9 months in there, with contracts keeping me busy–and more than a little stressed–and just coping with a COVID-shadowed world. I know how lucky I am to be busy with work that I can do from home.
On the plus side, I finished three Hallmark-style screenplays and have finally broken through on the plot for the fourth–that has taken a looooong time. I’ve even started sending queries for the first two out to production companies. The third is still out for coverage and when I get those notes back, I’ll be in editing mode for a while. I always learn so much from my critique notes.
I hope that you’ve found ways to be creative over these last months. I knit, too, and make chemo caps and premie hats for the local hospital, and blankets for Project Linus. I’m actually working on something for myself right now that I’m really enjoying, but there is a chemo cap on the needles, too.
I’ve been collecting links to writing articles for years. Here are some of my favourites. I hope you find one or two of interest.
Wishing you a writerly autumn!
How to Discover and Protect Your Most Creative Time for Writing
About a year ago, I discovered Charlie Gilkey’s concept of a productivity heat map.
His idea is to map how productive you are throughout the day to identify your personal productivity hot spots and low points, so you can plan your tasks around those times.
When you see swaths of red, highly-productive times (Gilkey calls these “novas”), you know you’ll get more done if you schedule highly creative tasks then. http://thewritelife.com/discover-protect-creative-time/
How to Create an Easy Habit of Daily Writing Without Willpower
According to behavioral scientist, BJ Fogg, a “tiny habit” is a behavior that…
- You do at least once a day.
- It takes you less than 30 seconds to do.
- It requires little effort.
Let’s take a look at what a tiny writing habit could be. Remember, your habit needs to be ridiculously small and easy to accomplish so that you only need a minimum of activation energy (the energy to start a habit). The smaller the habit, the less energy you need to establish it.