Time to Write

Creative? Accept your paradoxes!

Psychology Today reports "When psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi studied eminent people, he found that they held almost contradictory impulses and qualities within: 

* a desire for solitude but also a need for social stimulation;

* superior knowledge on a subject but also a childlike naivete.

These qualities seemed to fuel their ability to come up with great ideas and their ability to execute them--quite a combination. Exploring the less-prominent parts of your personality could activate the same ying-yang nature found in creative geniuses."

I think the trick is knowing which part to let out when--often the biggest problems we have is giving in to the feelings that we SHOULD be getting out there and being social when our creative impulses are hinting we need solitary time, or feeling we SHOULD get to work on practical issues when our childlike nature wants to explore some more. 

Of course, for some people the opposite may be true--I've known some creative people who get stuck in the childlike "wondering but not doing" state forever and need a kick up the backside from their underdeveloped more practical nature.

Maybe the best course is to consider whether you've been trying to suppress one part of your nature and give it a bit more room.
 

(If you'd like tips on how to be more creative and productive, get a copy of my newest book, "Creativity Now!" published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers.)

The 80 20 Experiment Day 3: the need for flexibility

 Today my theme was finishing things that were mostly done but needed that final push. I'm sure you have some projects and tasks like that, too, don't you?

One of my tasks for the day was to finish editing a video to promote some screenwriting workshops I will be doing in Las Vegas in November. I decided to go to the Apple Store to do this because I'd be able to get some help using the new version of iMovie. What I didn't realize until I got there is that my laptop was missing a key piece of software I needed--I had it on my main computer, but not on the laptop.

Another opportunity to learn that preparation is crucial! 

The other lesson is that it's always good to have a Plan B. Yet another unfinished task on my list was to upload to YouTube a bunch of video reviews of books about creativity (in hopes of also spreading the word about my book, "Creativity Now!").

I shot these videos some time ago and put them up on the www.focusquick.com site but hadn't gotten around to placing them on YouTube, where there is the possibility of wider exposure (although since they don't feature cats, people falling down, or nudity, maybe not so much...).

Anyway, since I was unable to carry out the planned task, instead I uploaded ten of these videos to YouTube with the appropriate tags,

The second task was finishing the sales page for the Sitcom Writing workshop that's one of the Las Vegas events, and that's done and has gone off to my webmaster.

The third was to finish the editing of the next episode of the podcast and I did that, too. That one had been hanging around on my to-do list for a while, which just goes to show we don't procrastinate only with things we don't enjoy, since I quite like doing podcasts.

How was your day? (You can back up and start this experiment anytime, of course)

For tomorrow I'm still in the "finish what you start" mode:

* upload the rest of my reviews to YouTube;

* finish the sales page for the screenwriting workshop sales page (to go with the sitcom one)

* finish the video I couldn't do today because of the missing software.

Feel free to set your top 20% agenda items and play along!

Screenwriting - getting started

Here's a little ( 2 minute) recap on the starting points for a screenplay and how to get to the point where you are ready to start writing. By the way, there's a whole set of free "getting started" guides at my Time To Write website. 

Kick-starting your late-night writing sessions

 Yesterday I suggested some tips for people who want to try writing their scripts early in the morning, today it's the turn of the night owls like me:

1. Clear your mind of the day's thoughts. Before you start work, take five minutes to do some deep breathing and relax (not so much that you fall asleep, though).

2. Keep the temperature on the cool side. If it's too warm, you'll feel sleepy.

3. Don't use caffeine to stay awake, it will interfere with your sleep later. A glass of cool water with a shot of fresh lemon juice will do the job more naturally.

4. Get up and stretch every thirty minutes or so. It helps you stay alert.

5. A shot of energizing music can help, too. If listening to it while actually writing is distracting, listen to one track while you're stretching.

Of course neither the lark nor the night owl should sacrifice getting enough sleep. For most people that means 7 to 8 hours a night. If that's difficult, figure out what you might be willing to give up to gain some sleep time--like an hour to TV, maybe?

(There are lots more tips for how to use your time effectively using right-brain methods, in "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done." You can get it from Amazon and other online and offline retailers, and you can get more information at www.focusquick.com)

The 80 20 Experiment - day 2: finishing what we started

For today, my 20% tasks were to write one article each to help spread the word about two of my books and to prepare my novel proposal to send to two publishers.

I’ve done all of those, but I confess that the accountability part of the 80 20 strategy really helped. I left the preparation of the novel proposal until very late in the day. If it weren’t for the embarrassment of having to admit on this blog that I’d already failed on Day Two, I might well have rationalized leaving this until tomorrow.

I think that brings up a useful point: when you decide who to be accountable to, be sure it’s someone to whom you’d hate to admit failure–not somebody who is likely to say, “Oh well, it doesn’t really matter, you can always do it tomorrow.”

If you’re joining me in this experiment, how did your day two go?

I’ve heard from another person who is joining in, and his main 20% activity is writing articles to go on his web site, to build up the amount of good content on it (which helps with search engine rankings).

My weight-loss participant reports that she has chosen walking as her exercise of choice and immediately was confronted with a rainy day on which it would have been easy to stay indoors. However, if you live in the UK, it’s best not to choose any activity that you can’t do in the rain! However, she persisted and took her walk and got “only mildly soaked.” Well done!

My three 20% tasks for tomorrow are all in the category of finishing things that are almost done so they can get out into the world:

• finish the copy for the sales page for the sitcom workshop I’m teaching in Las Vegas in November
• finish the editing of a video that will promote the screenwriting workshop I’m teaching in Las Vegas in November
• finish the editing of the next Screenwriting Success podcast

Hmm, this delaying the final 20% of a task appears to be something of  bad habit with me. Another 80 /20 pattern! Of course the 80% that’s done is useless until the final 20% is done as well.

If that resonates with you, perhaps you can identify three things on which you’ve made a good start and that you now will finish. Or you may want to focus on something else (go back to the first 80 20 post a couple of days ago to review the likely arenas in which you'll find your top 20% activities).

If you care to, please share your experience in the comments section here or directly to me at [email protected]

Writers' Random Word Stimulator

 Need a little random stimluation to get your brain going with ideas? 

Try "The brainstormer," a random word combiner that spins and gives you three words to try to combine. 

Here are three of my spins:

Madness/   tribal/   knight

Conflict with a god/   Transylvannian/  temple

Loss of a loved one/  hellish/  cannon

I can imagine it would have come in handy when I was writing for an HBO comedy sketch show. Especially the hellish loss of a loved one involving a cannon.

There's also in iPhone app version (not free).

(For 100 ways to be more creative, see my latest book, "Creativity Now!" published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers.)

Applying the 80 20 Principle - First full day

 This is the chronicle of one week attempting to follow the 80/20 Principle–the idea that if you identify the 20% of what you do that has the greatest value and consistently act on that, your results will multiply exponentially. The previous post looked at the kinds of tasks that usually comprise that 20%. I set my own first three 20% tasks and invited you to identify three of yours.. Now read on–and join in, you can start anytime.

DAY ONE

It’s now the end of day one and I did achieve my three 20% goals and am happy to report that my meeting with the publisher ended in an agreement that there will be a second, expanded edition of  “Your Writing Coach” published next year. I also now have a deal for another book to be published in 2011.

The meeting with the film funding agency was also useful but there the time frame for applying for funds, getting the verdict, and getting the money (if the application is one of the 25% that succeed) is a year. So while that still look promising, it’s a long-range potential payoff.

The final task was identifying two possible publishers for my novel, and I’ve selected those now.

Of course it was easy to stick to at least the first two 20% tasks because they were meetings with definite times attached. The bigger challenge will come on days—like tomorrow—when it’s all free-form.

I’ve had emails from several people who are joining in but didn’t want to be named.

One is using the 80/20% to move toward her desired weight and said her first task was to clear all the junk food out of her cabinets so as to get rid of temptation.

Another is setting the goal of learning how to set up a WordPress blog and he is starting his day with 30 minutes of online tutorials to gain confidence that he can do this himself.

If you are joining me in this experiment, how did  your first day go?

Tomorrow’s challenge

For tomorrow’s challenge I’m using the principle of building on something that has already been successful. To that end, my three 20% tasks are:

• Write one article that supports my book, “Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done,” to use for article marketing. (In case you are not familiar with article marketing, the idea is that you write articles related to one of your products or services and submit them to online distribution sites like www.ezinearticles.com. There, people can download the articles to use on their own websites or blogs, but they agree to also run the brief bio box that you compose, that includes a link to your web site or blog or sales page. It takes a while of writing such articles consistently before you see an effect but it has been a successful marketing strategy for quite a few people.]

• Write one article that supports my book, “Your Writing Coach.”

• Submit my “Max Hollywood” novel proposal package to the two publishers I identified today.

My weight-loss correspondent says her main task for day 2 is setting up an exercise schedule that she can actually follow (“unlike my previous spasms of gym-going,” she says).

What three tasks would best fit your 20% top value activities? Feel free to share them and any questions, comments, or suggestions either in the comments section below or directly to me via email at [email protected].

Writing for the amateur theater market

 I've had a couple of requests to give more information on writing for the amateur theater market. It's not as lucrative as writing for TV and film but if you write a play that is popular your royalties can add up over the years. When I lived in Los Angeles, I met an escapee from network television who made a good living writing these kinds of plays--but he was very prolific and had done his homework regarding what this market wants.

To give you some general guidelines, typically the plays that do well have these characteristics:

* more female roles than male roles

* medium to large size cast (8 and up)

* ensemble pieces rather than just one starring role

* nothing too depressing--happy endings preferred

Don't feel that you must conform to these, they're just guidelines.

Warning: read this entire post:

One place you can submit material is NODA, the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (UK). It was founded in 1899 and is the main representative body for amateur theater in the UK, with about 2500 member amateur/community theater groups. (You don't have to live in the UK to submit your work.)

They are open to all kinds of submissions: musical theater, dramatic plays, adaptations of classics, etc. The only category they don't handle is experimental, avant-garde type of scripts. It can be a new work or have been produced previously. It can be for a large cast or small, modern or historical, comedy or drama. They do say that musicals are the most popular and so are contemporary pieces that appeal to young people. 

Their usual deal is that they collect between 12.5 and 15% of the box office returns. They keep 30% of what they collect and you get the other 70%.

You can get more information about submitting work by emailing membership services manager Dale Freeman: [email protected]

Update: I wrote to Dale and here is his response, which I received a few minutes ago:

"Due to a wealth of recent additions and submissions, until further notice we are not accepting any more scripts into our range.

 

The response to the requesting of new works has been overwhelming and we have struggled, not only to review the many works submitted, but also  currently struggling to establish any of the new works. Until such time as we do begin to generate any income for the authors and ourselves then we will not be taking anything new into our catalogue.

 

I’m sorry I cannot be more helpful at this time Jurgen but I thank you for contacting NODA and wish you every success with your work."

OK, so we put NODA on the back burner! I 

I will be looking into more promising places that you can submit--watch this space!

(For more tips on all kinds of writing, see my site, www.TimeToWrite.com. If you're interested in screenwriting, also check out my newest site, www.ScreenWritingSuccess.com.)

How to apply the 80/20 Principle--join me in this experiment

 You may already be familiar with the 80/20 rule, also called The Pareto Principle. It says that we get 80% of our value from only 20% of what we do. So it follows that if we can figure out what that 20% is and do more of it, we will get even greater value. 

There are two challenges inherent in actually using the 80/20 rule:

* One is identifying the 20% that gives greatest value, and that includes defining "value." Income is one indicator but of course that's not the only thing we value. However, for the purposes of this experiment, we are going to use income as the measure.

* Actually DOING more of the 20%. This means overcoming the fact that often the 80% is much more enjoyable than the 20%. Sometimes the return on some of the 80% is very quick, while the payoff on some of the 20% may take longer but be much larger. It also means cutting out some of the 80% activities in order to make time for the 20%.

I have had some success implementing the 80/20 rule but have not been consistent about it. The 80/20 Experiment is to follow the basic rule for one working week to start with and monitor the obstacles, what works, what doesn't, and any results. I realize, of course, that this is a very short period in which to expect results. However, I wanted to make it manageable by using an effective method of breaking down daunting tasks into smaller chucks. 

I invite you to join me in this experiment. Today is the Planning Day, the actual first 80/20 implementation will start tomorrow. Today the task is to identify that 20% and to plan some strategies for making it easier to implement them. 

IDENTIFY THE 20%: WHERE TO LOOK

Some general areas to look for your highest financial value 20%:

* Work you have already done but have not turned into money. Creative people tend to be most excited about what they're working on now. If a project they did in the past had some rejections, it's easier to focus on the new things and avoid the negative feelings around rejection.

My example of this: marketing a novel manuscript and a screenplay that have so far gone unsold and pursue projects or which I have already written proposals.

* Work that you know people want even if it's not as exciting as breaking new ground

My example: looking for people to sponsor the writing workshops that have been popular in the past

* Work that you might get from people who already know you rather than having to cultivate totally new customers

My example: canvassing producers for whom I've written scripts in the past regarding their current projects & needs

* Work that builds on a successful previous product or activity rather than one for which you are not known. This is somewhat counter-intuitive; usually our impulse is to focus on the projects that are not doing well in order to increase their success. In fact, it's easier to increase the success of something that is already successful.

My example: increase my marketing of my book "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done." This one has now been translated into 9 foreign editions and is still on the WH Smith travel outlets best-seller list, so it's the best candidate.

Want to play? If so, now identify:

* one project you have already done but not converted into income

* one project that you know people probably want

* one project you might sell to previous customers or clients

* one project that would build on a previous success

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

Implementing the 80/20 rule is a process of trial and error. Based on previous experience, though, there are a few that I believe will work:

* doing at least one 20% related task first thing every morning (yes, before checking email or at least limiting first-thing mail checking to 15 minutes, using a timer);

* chunking the tasks down as far as necessary to make them more palatable;

* focusing attention on the desired outcome rather than the process;

* being clear on at least one thing from the 80% you will eliminate (e.g., TV watching, web surfing, etc.);

* being accountable to someone else--feel free to use the "comments" section below to share your 20% tasks if you like, and track your progress with me over the next seven days. 

SPECIFICS OF THE PLAN:

* My goal for each day is to devote at least 3 hours a day to top 20% activities and to make one of those hours the first hour of my work day.  If you're participating, what is a practical amount of time you can plan to devote to your top 20% for each of the next five days? Is it possible for you to devote the first hour of your day to this?

THE PLAN FOR TOMORROW:

It's easiest to start the day with your plan already worked out. 

I'm going to experiment with spending each total of 3 hours a day on one of the types of tasks, rather than trying to address several over the course of a day.

Tomorrow's principle: 

* Focus on work you have already done but have not turned into money. (If that one doesn't fit your needs, look at the other principles or make up your own category).

My tasks for tomorrow: 

* Attend a meeting about finding funding for a project for which I've already written the proposal

* Attend a meeting with my publisher regarding a book for which I've already written a proposal

* Find two possible publishers for a novel I've already written

Which tasks will you do tomorrow?

I'll write my next post tomorrow night to report on how it went and specify the tasks for the following day. 

If you're joining me, good luck on our first day!

(For more tips on how to be more productive, see my book, "Focus: Use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers. There are free bonuses at the book's website, http://www.focusquick.com .

Writing combined books and online projects

 If you're interested in how books and online media can work together successfully, one good example is the "The 39 Clues" project. Created by John Yoo, Rachel Griffiths, and David Levithan, the project is a combination of ten books, an online game, and trading cards.

Here's how the site sets it up: "The Cahills are the most powerful family the world has ever known. 39 Clues hidden around the globe guard the family's power and it's up to YOU to find them..."

The books, cards, and online games all help reveal clues and there are prizes along the way and a grand prize of $10,000. Ten clues are contained in the books, 29 online.

The first book, "The Maze of Bones," was written by Rick Riordan and, the site says, was a number one New York Times bestseller.. The first 12 pages are available on the site. A new book comes out every three months and number nine is coming up shortly as this is written. 

Levithan told Fast Company magazine, "This structure isn't going to supplant traditional publishing, but it's going to broaden it. There are things you can do in a multi-dimensional format that you just can't do on 200 printed pieces of paper."

He added, "Kids don't make a distinction between loving the book version of this story or the online game. The perceived gap between readers and gamers are just not that big."

In the first six month they had more than 300,000 registered users, with kids coming back an average of 3 times a week. Scholastic is the company behind it, and DreamWorks has bought the movie rights.

A good model for anybody interested in developing an interactive book/online project--this one is for kids, of course, but I think a similar structure could work for adults.

(For help with any kind of writing, see my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers.)

A night at the movies

 

Hot-wiring your creative process

"Hot-Wiring Your Creative Process" reviewed by Jurgen Wolff from jurgen Wolff on Vimeo.