I’ve Just Been Nailed

I have ideas coming out my ears. What I don’t have, in my ears or anywhere else, is the ability to see any of them though to the end.

How Not To Write has a post that pretty much nails me to the wall.

One of the hallmarks of fear is tendency to surround ourselves with more projects, more responsibilities, more stuff. Taken together, this bricolage forms a buffer to the real work that needs doing.

Ouch.

21 Ways to be Interesting

Copyblogger is tired of people telling writers that the secret to success is, “Be interesting.” Duh, no kidding. How does one do that? Here are 21 ways that Copyblogger says you can make your writing interesting.

1) Be wrong
2) Be right
3) Communicate what others can’t
4) Do something
5) Surprise people
6) Make people laugh
7) Offer them an aspirin
8) Show a (half) naked woman
9) Tell them who they are
10) Predict the future
11) Unleash your inner dork
12) Be courageous
13) Be startlingly honest
14) Be irreverent
15) Tell a good story
16) Break an important piece of news
17) Disprove the proven
18) Pick the perfect picture
19) Master the metaphor
20) Create a work of art
21) Put your readers first

Complacency or whatever

Joel Falconer has made it as a freelance writer. Looking back at his progression, he sees two things that motivated him.

First, he points to desperation: you have to feed the family.

“The best thing you can do is cultivate the motivation that is derived from this desperation and make it part of who you are. You don’t want to keep the desperation that comes with it, of course. That just leads to stress. But self-motivation is one of those key aspects of being a great freelancer.”

Second, he points to fighting off complacency:

“Don’t become complacent. Not now, not ever. Don’t get comfortable, and don’t get stagnant. Continue to challenge yourself, grow and explore new places and directions.”

Writing Rooms

The Guardian has a special on the writing rooms of various British authors. Most of the rooms look very neat and organized. One would understand how dead author’s rooms would be clean and I’m guessing most of the living authors knew the photo journalist was coming so they, no doubt, cleaned up real quick.

Do the rooms really look this clean? If so, we might have a reason for my writing ineptness. Almost makes me want to clean and take a quick photo. The royalties will come pouring in then.

Tiger Woods teaches Writing

Not really. But there is an inspiring blog post about Tiger’s recent victory in the US Open while playing with injuries to encourage your freelancing career. Lesson being:

But to succeed, you do have to have dedication and focus. And when you encounter obstacles, you make adjustments, investments, and even sacrifices. But never excuses.

Why Writer’s Fail

Many people want to be writers but few ever make it. Why is that? A few reasons.

1) You’re just not a very good writer
2) You can’t be timid if you want to make it as a writer. You’ve got to toot your own horn.
3) To succeed as a writer, you’ve got to keep good books.
4) Sometimes, you fail because life isn’t fair.

J. K. Rowling’s Commencement Speech

The author of the popular Harry Potter series recently gave a commencement speechthat is making the rounds on the internet. She points out the importance of failure in helping her find her true voice and passion to write. Good stuff.

 I have decided to talk to you about the benefits of failure. And as you stand on the threshold of what is sometimes called ‘real life’, I want to extol the crucial importance of imagination.

Free Money!

An author in Indonesia dumped over $10,000 out of an airplane over Serang, a city of impoverished people to promote his new book on marketing.

This no doubt has gotten him lots of attention, as even I have heard about it, but I wonder how many poor people in Serang are buying his book on marketing?

He publicized his first book he road a horse through the streets of Jakarta dressed as a famous Indonesian war hero. The guy’s got some drive.

Keep Going

If you only get better the more you do it, you better do it more!