Time to Write

The one word that will skyrocket your creative output

If you want not only to be creative, but to get the fruits of your creative labor out into the world, there is one word that can make all the difference.

I’m indebted to an article by Yasha Wallin on the good.is blog. That article pointed out that when Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi contacted 275 creative people in order to interview them for his book, Creativity, a third of them said no.

Not because they didn’t respect him or didn’t think the study was worth doing but because they were too busy doing their own thing.

Management guru Peter Drucker answered, “….one of the secrets of productivity…is to have a VERY BIG waste paper basket to take care of ALL invitations such as yours—productivity in my experience consists of NOT doing anything that helps the work of other people but to spend all one’s time on the work the Good Lord has fitted one to do, and to do well."

Many others said pretty much the same thing, especially the ones who were into the second half of their lives.

My late friend Al Collins used to refer to the shortening of the time we have left by saying “It’s getting dark out.” We get in touch with our mortality at different ages, but as a rule of thumb I think at twenty you believe you have time for everything, at forty you believe you can still conquer new worlds, at sixty you realize you’d better do as much as you can of what you do best.

At some point we realize it’s the things that only we can do—that is, the stories only we can tell in exactly the way we tell them, or the way we can be a close friend to a few people rather than a casual friend to many, for instance—that are the best use of our precious time. That means accepting limitations as well as embracing strengths.

As you’ve guessed by now the magic word that can skyrocket your creative output is “No.”

That’s not to say we can’t help people or have to become totally obsessed with our own work but it’s all too easy to push our projects into the background, to please people, or else to take on too many projects.

I plead guilty. It wasn’t until I was in Panama for almost a month recently with very few distractions and worked on only one project that I was reminded how much more I get done that way.

Since then, I’ve started using “no” more often—to others but also to myself when I have what seems like a great new idea and want to jump right into it without stopping to consider all the other things I’m already committed to.  It has also meant abandoning, for now, a couple of projects I’d committed to, which makes me uncomfortable when others are involved but it’s still the best way forward.

When I wrote above that I was “reminded” of the need to say no, I think that’s the key—it’s not a lesson we learn only once. I, at least, seem to have a great capacity for learning these things, writing about them…and after some time suddenly realizing somehow I’ve forgotten them again. Oh well, as long as those reminders keep coming before it gets too dark out…

(The best strategies I learned--and probably will learn again!--are im my book, Focus: Use the Power of Targeted Thinking to Get More Done. It's published by Pearson and you can get it from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.)

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Are you doing something (or writing something) remarkable?

As a writer you get two chances: you can have a remarkable ife and/or you can create remarkable characters and stories in the books or screenplays you write.

Some authors do both. They have an eventful life and write books that leave a vivid impression as well: Hemingway, Shakespeare (probably, given the little we know about his real life), Dickens, Twain.

Some authors lead quiet relativelymundane lives but their writing is full of color, action, and sometimes inspiration: J. D. Salinger, Harper Lee, Margaret Mitchell, Elmore Leondard.

What brought up this topic for me was reading about a young musician named Dotan Negrin. On his piano he has a sign with the motto, “You owe it to yourself to do something remarkable with your life.” 

He bought a van, loaded his upright piano into it, and with his dog as a companion drove around the US and stopped and played for people. He started with only a $2 bill and one gallon of gas. He began his journey in New York City and in 3 hours there made $152. The trip was on!

It wasn’t smooth sailing at every stop. For instance, Boston: “I parked my car in a 2 hour spot and pushed the piano over to the 1st location. I played for 30 minutes and was told to leave by the manager of the building in front of me. With an hour and a half more to go I went to another location, got kicked out again, and then another location. By the end of the 2 hours I had probably walked a half mile and was tired. I loaded up the piano and grabbed some lunch.”

He writes about his adventures at his site: http://www.PianoAcrossAmerica.com

I think “remarkable” comes in all sizes and doesn’t require anything as dramatic as this. And, as I said at the start, as a writer you can also stay home and create a story as inspiring as his. What a wonderful advantage we have! 

(If you'd like a little boost to your remarkable creativity, get my book, Creativity Now, published by Pearson and available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller. It helps you get into the creative mindset, generate ideas, and turn those ideas into action. Plus its colorful and fun to read. Possibly even remarkable.)

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Does your novel or script contain these lines? Oh oh.

A few lines I won't miss if I never have to hear them again in a movie or read them in a novel:

"All right, I admit I was there that night! But I didn't kill him/her! He/she was already dead!"

"I'd never hurt him/her! I love him/her!"

"Say, how many years have we known each other now?"

"I had the strangest dream last night!" (Followed by long description of dream.)

"Do you remember the time....?" (Followed by recounting of childhood incident designed to fill in back story but actually taking us totally out of the flow of the story).

"I've let you down...you and the kids. But I swear I'll make it up to you."

"It's not what it looks like!"

Feel free to nominate some of your own in the comments!

How to write faster and finish what you start (the 80% solution)

Do you think somebody who is writing a novel or a screenplay is helped or hurt by being a perfectionist? 

It may sound like an admirable quality--striving for perfection--but all too often it means the person never finishes writing his book or her screenplay because it will never be perfect.

Some perfectionists give up in the middle because they can tell their project will not live up to their high expectations.

A powerful solution came up in an article by writer Denise Gosnell, who said she learned it from a coach named Dan Sulliven.

In a nutshell, the idea is to get quickly to the point where you are 80% satisfied. Don't keep going back and trying to get everything right; instead, forge ahead and acknowledge that there will still be work to be done when the first draft is finished.

If you're a very strict perfectionist you may have to set the bar lower--say to 70%--in order to be able to let go of the impulse to revise repeatedly as you go along.

Once you've done that, evaluate what improvements are needed. Make those to the same level of satisfaction. For instance, let's say you realize you need to make your protagonist more likeable. You make some changes in that direction. When you think you are most of the way (80%) there, stop and go on to the next thing that needs to be changed.

Then repeat the process once more. By that point it's likely that you're as close as you're going to get to making the project as good as you can get it on your own. That will be the time to have it read by a trusted friend or colleague who you know gives constructive and honest feedback (more than one, if possible). 

If they come up with issues you feel are on target, repeat the process once more, maybe twice. Then send the project out into the marketplace...even though it still won't be perfect.

(Friendly guidance from idea through to the still slightly imperfect finish is what you'll find in my book, Your Writing Coach, published by Nicholas Brealey. You can get it right now from Amazon or your other favorite book seller.)

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A tail, er, tale of perseverance and success

How big a role does perseverence play in the success of artists and writers? In a newsletter from ArtYouGrewUpWith.com, I found this example, a cartoonist named Rupert Fawcett who has done very well with his cartoons about parenthood as well as his more recent "Off the Leash," about people and the dogs who own them. This is what he revealed about how he got started:

I became a professional cartoonist almost by accident when in 1989 whilstdoodling I drew a little bald man in braces and carpet slippers and named him Fred.

After receiving over 80 rejection letters I was finally offered a place in Midweek, a free magazine given away at London tube stations. This was soon followed by my first book deal and a contract for Fredgreeting cards. These proved very popular and within a short period of time were to be seen all overthe place. A range of Fred merchandise followed with a steady succession of books. The cartoons also appeared in the Mail On Sunday for four years.

When my children were small I created a new character, Daddy, which was based on my own experiences of parenthood. Three Daddy books, a greeting card range and merchandise followed.

My most recent creation is Off The Leash, which is a series of cartoon strips about dogs! It's now got a global audience thanks to the likes of Facebook and a beautifiul book release later this year.

The bit that caught my attention was the 80 rejection letters and then the placement of his strip in a giveaway magazine.

How many of us would have given up after 60 rejection letters, or 40, or 20, or even ten?

How many might have scoffed at having their work displayed in a give-away magazine rather than a "real" one?

I don't know, I only know of those who would have done that, none would have gone on to have his success. 

Below is one of Fawcett's cartoons. ArtYouGrewUpWith.com is selling limited edition prints of some of his work: 

(One key to success is using your time effectively. For some friendly guidance and right-brain methods, see my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," published by Pearson and available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller now.)

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What are your novel's or screenplay's 3 magic words?

If you are writing a novel or screenplay, this is a simple way to make sure that it has the qualities that will attract readers and buyers. 

Lou Kunzler, who teaches the ‘writing for children’ workshop I attend, had this great suggestion: before you write anything, decide on three words that describe it in a way that will make people want to read it.

Put those words on a sticky note and put it where you can see it as you write, as a reminder that every chapter should fit that description.

For the novella I’m writing, I’d say something like “killer pursuit thriller”—it’s the story of a boy and his father on the run from people who want to kill the father.

That reminds me to make sure to keep up the pressure, to show how much is at stake, and to keep the action thrilling.

You could also choose three adjectives that don’t refer to the plot, just the writing itself, something like “funny, insightful, touching.”

If you are self-publishing you might also find the three words come in handy when you're coming up with the marketing materials for your ebook. However, when pitching or writing a query letter don't use too many adjectives but rather make sure the way you summarize or describe the project suggests those qualities. In other words, instead of writing in a letter to an agent that your book is "funny, insightful, and touching," make your description project those.

I think this strategy could extend to other kinds of goals as well. If you want to improve your health and fitness, what three words describe the result you’re after? Maybe energetic, flexible, strong, for example.

You could also apply it to the process you employ in pursuit of the goal. For you to stick to an exercise regime, for instance, what three words describe what it should be like? Maybe enjoyable, non-competitive, efficient (that is, gets results in minimum time)?

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Can an app be the next horror movie?

Can an app have the same impact as a horror movie? Neal Edelstein thinks so. He’s produced a number of traditional movies but his latest venture is a ghost story app (Apple only) called “Haunting Melissa.”

You can download the first chapter free. If you inform your social media contacts that you watched the first episode, the second one is free as well.

After that you pay, but you won’t know exactly when the next chapter will arrive. You can buy individual episodes for 99 cents or $1.99 for HD, or a “season pass” for $6.99/$14.99HD.  

The production cost just under $1 million and was written by Andrew Klaven (“True Crime”). The money came from an unidentified angel investor who is already prepared to bankroll a sequel.

Movies tend to have a big marketing budget, but “Haunting Melissa” will depend on word of mouth and mentions on social media. If it works, it could kick off a whole new format.

I’m off to download that free first chapter…

How not to make a movie (even if you have Brad Pitt)

Vanity Fair’s June issue reveals the many troubles of the film “World War Z.” They include: 

• an unfinished script at the start of production
• a budget that went out of control (ending up somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million—and as the old joke goes, that’s a pretty expensive neighborhood!)
• an ending that didn’t make sense and required re-shooting 40 minutes worth of material
• throwing away twelve minutes of already-shot battle scenes

In the article, screenwriter Damon Lindelof says after it was obvious the director’s cut didn’t work he said, “Is there material that can be written to make that stuff work better? To have it make sense? To have it have emotional stakes? And plot logic and all that?”

OK, so it didn’t make sense, the plot wasn’t logical, the story didn’t have significant emotional stakes. Hmm, you’d think somebody might have noticed that earlier in the process.

Why would you start shooting a movie before you were happy with the script?

How was it that after the production finished shooting in Malta, somebody discovered a drawer full of unpaid invoices totalling millions?

Wasn’t anybody in charge?

Answers on a postcard, please. 

The film stars Brad Pitt and is about a zombie pandemic. It could be interesting, but I suspect a film about how everything went wrong on the production could be even more interesting. 

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Three act structure in real life: Act 3

The last two posts were a cartoon look at Acts 1 and 2 of the three-act structure, which applies to a lot of films and stories as well as to our life. We finish with one man's feelings as he hits Act 3 of his life:

Want to write a book but don't know how to start? Get friendly guidance from idea through to publication from "Your Writing Coach," published by NIcholas Brealey and avaiable from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.

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3 act structure in real life : Act 2

The three-act structure of films and stories applies to real life, too. Yesterday's cartoon was a glimpse of one man's Act I, today it's Act II, which often features a reversal of some kind in the middle.

(Want friendly guidance for writing your book? Get "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.)

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