Writing - - Page 25

21Jan 2011 by diannagunn

Changing Your Mindset to Change Your Life

When working to achieve your goals, it's good to remember that how you think about your goals is as important as the goals themselves. I'm not just talking about Breaking Down Big Goals, I'm talking about optimism versus pessimism in a sense. Not optimism towards the world-I still have a very bleak worldview-but optimism towards yourself. I'm talking about focusing on positive reinforcement instead of negative reinforcement. Thinking 'I Can' and 'I Will' instead of 'I Can't' and 'I won't' Everybody's told you to make sure that your goals are concrete and achievable. What they haven't told you is how much your thinking can damage your progress. I'll use a very personal example. Until recently, I've always had relationship problems. I never gave any of my relationships longer than six…

17Jan 2011 by diannagunn

Prompt of the Week: Illness

Prompts, Short Fiction, Writing

Today's Prompt is: Illness My response: The halls of the Great Temple of Memories were never so quiet as on the day High Priestess Evelyn died. The songs of worship were not sung on that day, seventh day of the seventh month. The priests prayed in silence. The doors of the great temple were not opened that day. The air in the temple hung heavy over the heads of healthy priests. A young girl carried an iron kettle in one hand and a clay mug in the other. She wore black today instead of the colour of her Goddess. Today was not an ordinary day. Today was a day of mourning. She walked quietly in padded slippers down the huge halls. It was said this place was built by giants.…

14Jan 2011 by diannagunn

Breaking Down Big Goals

Editing: The Hard Part, Novels, Preparing to Submit, Workshops, Writing, Writing: The Process

This year I think most of us have big goals and high hopes. Like me, you might be planning to finish rewriting and to submit your first novella. Or you might be planning to write two first drafts and edit the first book. Or you might be planning to write a lot of short stories and send those out. You might even have books with publication dates that you're just itching to sell. On a personal front, you might be planning to quit smoking, eat healthier, learn more. You might have decided that this year you want to work on more non-writing creative projects. You might want to spend this year focusing on finishing high school and getting into university. Whatever your goals are, it's time to take a look…

09Jan 2011 by diannagunn

Writing Goals: Focusing on What You’re Doing rather than What you Should be Doing

Novels, Writing, Writing: The Process

I am always working on writing more, on devoting more time to my craft. I am not the best at self discipline. I do love my craft. I also love my friends, of which I have many, most of whom live quite a distance from me. It is very easy to get dristracted by friends or by one of a million other things. It is hard to balance school, writing, and all of my friendships. I have tried many times to create a writing schedule. I have tried to designate three or four hours of my day to writing. I have tried just saying that I would spend an hour every day writing. I have tried all kinds of things; most of them have failed. This year, instead of spending…

09Jan 2011 by diannagunn

New Year’s Goals

Novels, Writing, Writing: The Process

Today is the last day of 2010, and what a year it has been. I started the year full of hope, with many many goals. Some of these goals have been accomplished, but I will admit that the majority of these goals remain elusive. Some have changed; some projects have been abandoned; and others are just a few short steps away now. In 2011 I would like to see my dreams start taking form and shape. I would like to begin to make my future my present. Some things to think about when picking your writing goals for the new year are: ~What you accomplished last year Did you finish a book? Write a hundred poems? Blog every day? How can you take that accomplishment and build on it? For…