Confident Writing

4 x 4 Sources of Writing Inspiration: Group Writing Project Results

The moment has come. The mob, breathlessly anticipating the coming debacle, stand as one, imbuing the unholy event with the honor of their attention. The beast roars triumphant as, released, it leaps forward in anticipation of assured victory! The moment is now!

Yes, it's time to post the results of the 4x4 Sources Of Writing Inspiration Group Writing Project...

Before I post the links and the excerpts that meant the most to me, a few general reflections.  First off, there were 19 entries in total, including my own, one (inspired) non-entry from Robert Hruzek, and four contributions from Amy Palko at Lives Less Ordinary, giving her the space to explore in more depth the different kind of places that move her to write.

I was delighted to meet so many new readers and writers through this project, reaffirming my belief that Group Writing Projects are a great way to make new connections and weave our words together. 

I know that some of you found inspiration a slightly awkward topic to begin with and yes I know that one too: who am I to call my words inspired...but the answer still comes: who are you not to call your words inspired? (think Mariane Williamson)  And I am glad something about the challenge of a project and the generativity of the form helped you to overcome your awkwardness and find the right words.

4 x 4 sources of writing inspiration

These contributions hold so many ideas, sources, prompts, triggers to get us writing that I hesitate to draw general lessons... but sticking to the 4 x 4 idea I did come up with 16 sources that emerged from my reading of the entries:

Places (natural, open, wild, free); places (populated, full of people's stories); walking; our 5 senses; memories; imagination; working (the most basic of tasks: cutting the grass, cooking, washing dishes); people (writers, authors, bloggers, friends); books; poems; blogs; quotes; writing triggers and prompts; writing challenges and assignments (including group writing projects); things that unspire us - moving us to learn from them, to avoid them, to nurture our muse around them; knowing that it's time to say something important. 

Knowing that it's time to write.

So here we go.

Sources of Writing Inspiration: Contributions To The Group Writing Project

Here are the entries including short excerpts selected by me.  I wanted to include a flavour of these pieces as well as the links to tempt you to go and explore these wonderful blogs.

#1 Damien Riley at Postcards From the Funny Farm: 4 x 4 Ways To Foster Inspiration For Your Writing

That hillbilly country song “If mamma aint happy, aint nobody happy” is truth like a flood light for writers, especially if you’re a mamma I am sure! ;) Make sure your wife, kids, dog, salesman at the door etc. are all happy and satisfied before you sit down to attempt to write. 1. Play with your kids. 2. Sit next to your spouse and turn off your computer. 3. Talk. 4.Laugh and sing as you do the dishes (some of my best ideas have come doing the dishes).

#2 Robert at Reason4Smile: 4×4 lists of my writing inspiration

Quotes that encourage me to write... 3. “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you will not come out with anything that is original.” ~Ken Robinson. This quote encourages me to be courageous, dare to make mistakes, especially when I’m writing some thought-provoking articles.

#3 Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings: Sources Of Inspiration 4 x 4 Writing Project

Having traveled quite a bit, I can name several places that stand out in my memory as having been absolutely incredible adventures - and natural inspirations for many of the stories you read here...

By the way, some have made a comment or two about how me and weather always seem to be at odds with each other. While it’s true that many of my most inspirational moments occur due to some sort of weather-related phenomenon (three of the four listed above, for instance)… well, OK - they’re right *sigh*. Never mind.

#4 My entry: My 4x4 Sources of Writing Inspiration

Quotes That Give Fuel To My Fire-Breathing Writing Dragon... 3. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" (Oscar Wilde)

#5 Dale over at Paragraph City: 4 x 4 Chasing Dust Bunnies

Busy myself with my hands, washing dishes or shoveling snow or mowing grass. When the machine begins to run warm in one of its familiar routines, the mind can step back and do its unconscious work. A neighbor walking by waves and asks how it’s going and I plunge the shovel into the snow pile by the driveway’s edge and push against the small of my back and grin at her and say “Fine, fine. It’s a good day” and I will have things to write about.

#6 Amy Palko at Lives Less Ordinary: Imaginary Places

A look back at

those special places in children’s fiction, which evoke that part of ourselves we set aside in order to grow up.

#7 Amy Palko at Lives Less Ordinary: Virtual Places

For me blogs are like an extension of the blogger who produces them. I often feel as though I’ve been invited into their (virtual) home for a brief while, and when I leave I take with me a new way of thinking about something. Blogs don’t just offer me a great source of entertainment, but they alter my perception. So here are a few of the blogs that I know will offer that inspirational spark...

(check the post to find them - some gems!)

#8 Amy Palko at Lives Less Ordinary: Unpopulated Places

Beachcombing: There is something just so magical about strolling along the strand line, hoping for that serendipitous find. Because you never really know what you’re going to find as you work your way through the detritus washed up on the shore.  That fantastic element of beachcombing is that the connections you make between what has been washed ashore can often seem completely random, but later appear to be a part of some larger thought.

#9 Amy Palko at Lives Less Ordinary: Populated Places

Airports: I find the arrivals gates at airports incredibly emotionally charged places; all that anticipation as folk stand around waiting for their much missed loved ones to negotiate their way through customs, and finally exit through the sliding doors, pushing their overloaded trolley, expectantly glancing around for a familiar face amongst the crowd. Stories abound in places like this. If you don’t find inspiration at a busy airport, you’re just not trying!

#10 Marcia at Tumbled Words: 4 x 4 Writing Challenge - Inspiration and Writing

NaNoWriMo - Making the decision to try writing my first novel when I had only written a handful of stories. I wrote strictly by instinct - no plan. Have yet to go back and finish it, but it was the most remarkable feeling every day of those 30 days I have ever had, and each time I pick it up, the feeling returns.

#11Holly at Re:Thinking, Teaching, Writing:  4 x 4 Writing Inspirations

Working at relatively mindless, repetitive tasks helps my mind to wander. Greek cooking seems especially good for this, rolling koulouraki or stuffed grape leaves for Easter dinner, but I’ve done other things as well: working in the dish room at college, scraping catsup-soaked remains into the garbage disposal, peeling dozens and dozens of hardboiled eggs all day, or outside pulling weeds in the garden, down on hands and knees, scratching soil loose with cultivator, then ripping weeds out by their root hairs.

#12 GL at What Would Dad Say: 4 x 4

As I drive to work. Most of the topics come to me as I drive to work. Something I see must trigger something in my writing oblganta part of the brain…because more often than not, when I get to my desk, coffee in hand, I start on the blog. It never takes more than 15-30 minutes. (writing hint: make up words as you go along if you need to.)

#13 Good word editing: 4 x 4 - Farmers, Ferries, Fools, and Faithless Chihuahua Dogs: Sandwiched Between Two Walts are William and Wendell

When I’m lost for words, I can always find inspiration from the words that came before me...
On my first trip to NYC, I only had 8 hours. Still, I managed to buy a copy of Leaves of Grass from the Strand and find a bench in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge that replaced the Brooklyn Ferry Walt took. I read the poem aloud to my friends, and surprised us all by weeping toward the end. If you’re a writer, remember. It avails not–time nor place. I am with you. Just as you feel, I felt. Our words carry a bit of the eternal in them.

#14 Shari at Blog About It with 4 x 4 sources of writing inspiration

Permission to mess up: When I know it’s okay to write badly, then I can get beyond the voice that says Don’t even try. 1.When it’s only a first draft and there’s time to revise 2. Writing in my journal knowing no one will ever see it 3. When I can’t think of anything productive to write and I have to begin the action of writing 4. When I’m taking notes collecting information, my thoughts and ideas

#15 Shelly at This Eclectic Life: Sources of Inspiration in Four Part Harmony

Lost in a crowd. I’m a people watcher; a voyeur. In a casino, I’m not gambling, I’m watching the gamblers and “living” through their eyes. I’ve been known to follow people around just to watch their expressions and listen to their voices. On a crowded city street, I’m that maniac who is looking you right in the eye. I’m not a stalker, really! My storytelling is peopled with folks I have seen in real life. It’s “character study.”

#16 Glenn at My Little Piece Of The Internet: 4×4 Group Writing Project

Four books (of many) which made me want to be a writer: 2. No Country For Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy: Proof that great writing does not have to be obfuscated by grandiose language, complex syntax, or even commas. I loved the movie, I loved the book, but it was the style which had the greatest impact on me.

#17 Bob Loch at Backyard Conversations: My 4x4 Assignment

Sounds... I am in awe of the sounds that accompany an early morning fishing trip. The splash of the boat in the water as the ripples spread across the glass surface and thump an old tire against the dock. There is the hum of a small 5 horsepower Johnson motor propelling you to that secluded spot that is cradled between a wooded shoreline and brown thicket of reeds. The red wing black birds call out as your reel wines, finishing with a plop of your bobber in the water a few feet away.

#18 Catherine at Sharp Words:  4×4 inspirations for writing

Random thoughts while driving. Three times a week, most weeks, I spend about two hours driving through some beautiful countryside to my official office, and then another two hours home again. Although the driving bores me, and I have to listen to the radio or CDs while I drive to keep me alert enough, I’ve found that my imagination goes off on its own little trip. Sometimes I wish I had a voice recorder to keep track of the stories that write themselves in my head! Things I see (particularly the changing of the seasons) or hear on the radio are also good catalysts, especially for short stories and poems.

I hope you all enjoy exploring these posts and learning something about the sources of our inspiration to write.

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Thanks and Credits

There was a small prize for this competition, drawn randomly from the entries.  The Writer's Block goes to Catherine at Sharp Words.

Thanks again to Valeria Maltoni The Conversation Agent for inspiring me to take a tag and turn it into a group writing project - Valeria, I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing where your words and this conversation have gone...

The opening quote is from Robert Hruzek's non-entry (#19): What Inspires me?

No group writing project this month, but if you'd like to add your words to the Confident Writing mix send in your one line answer to the question: what does powerful writing mean to you? More details here.

Photo Credit: Bitzi's Photostream on Flickr

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Inspiration From Fire Breathing Writing Dragons

It's the last day of March, bringing to a close our exploration of writing inspiration.  Thanks to everyone who's contributed to the discussion, helping me and others to get a better idea of what inspiration means. 

What inspires us, and what extinguishes our writing flame.

I've pulled together some of the most intriguing and thoughtful comments on the inspiration theme - I'm sorry there's not room to highlight them all, but please rest assured each and every comment helps to inspire and motivate me to keep writing here. 

Special thanks go to those bloggers who picked up the ball and explored the theme of inspiration on their own blogs and in relation to their own writing purpose.  I've highlighted three: on inspiration and aloha, on the brain and inspiration, and inspired business writing. 

Of course there's another bundle of posts still to be featured that were written in response to the 4 * 4 sources of writing inspiration group writing project - they'll follow on in a few days so I can do justice to the entries. 

Comments on What's The Opposite of Inspire?

I think of inspire as a person, situation, or object that affects a person's thoughts by increasing creative thoughts and energy. So the opposite would be to reduce creative thought - either to reduce thinking or distract thought.

Distract.  A simple distraction, put to sleep, fear, etc. - the opposite of inspire.

Brad K

A word, environment or attitude can hinder creative thought by discouraging it to flourish. I am learning to give voice to the "uninspired" so that I can push it out of the way and get on with it

Karen Swim

When I'm inspired I'm motivated, so the opposite would be... demotivated....So for the 'd' words, I'd go with dispirit ... dampen ... discourage ... dishearten ... deter ... derail ... = creativity killer.

How depressing.

So let's end with all things inspired ... illumination ... revelation ... discovery ... exploration ... imagination ... visualization ...

Cat Morley

On Inspiration As The Theme for March

Though a visual artist first, I have a love of writing. Blogging has been a great breakthrough for me in that I can combine both. Repeat daily!

Kris Cahill

(I just had to include Kris's comment to encourage you to go and visit her electrifying blog!)

Comments on How To Become A Writing Dragon

To know what a dragon really looks like, all I need do is look up into the reflective vistas my words create.
Amy Palko

Telling a deep personal truth in an authentic, captivating way (Dragon way) may be different for women (especially those raised to be nice and good and to support others... opening one's mouth to let the flame out.
Kare Anderson

Inspired Reactions On Other Blogs

As I said, I love it when you pick up ideas here and explore and develop them on your own blogs.  Here are three reactions to the theme of inspiration:

So What Is This Stupid Box In Your Head? by Cath Lawson

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create. Albert Einstein.

Don’t use the excuse that the time or place just isn’t right. You can use your imagination effectively no matter where you are, however bad things seem.

As Joanna Young, pointed out, in a recent article, WH Murray wrote his most inspirational work whilst he was in a Prisoner of War Camp. I can’t imagine that he was living in ideal conditions and it wasn’t the prisoner of war camp he was writing about, it was the mountains in Scotland. He didn’t need to be there to capture the most vivid and haunting descriptions in his writing. He simply used his imagination. And you can too.

Inspiration is in spirit: thus inspiration is aloha by Rosa Say at Managing With Aloha Coaching

“Inspiration” is when we can say we are ‘in-spirit’ and have the respect for each other which helps us be better. Thus to me, Inspiration is Aloha.

The Brain On Inspiration by Robyn McMaster at Brain Based Biz

I think was my favourite response.  Robyn McMaster writing on the wild side with a picture, a poem and a quote that adds rocket fuel to my concept of inspiration - and fuels my inspiration to write.

Ideas must work through the brains and arms of men [and women], or they are no better than dreams. Ralph Waldo Emerson

What was your biggest take away on the theme of inspiration this month?  Has the conversation changed the way you think about what inspires you to write?

To follow the answers, or to to tune in to future conversations on topics like writing with inspiration, intention, power... you can now subscribe to the comment feed.  The feed's tied to all posts, which means you'll never miss part of the conversation.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Photo Credit: Oldtasty on Flickr

How Intention Adds Fuel To The Writing Fire

Intention is what allows me to write.  I guess you could call it my underlying inspiration.  What lights the touchpaper of my words.

By intention I do not mean plans, goals or aims to write X number of words a day or complete a book by August.  No by intention I mean my purpose in writing. 

The truth I want to tell.  The connection I want to establish. The difference I want to make.

Intention needs to work its way into the discussion on inspiration not just because I said I would, but because intention helps me whenever I get stuck with my writing - and I believe it will help you too. 

Because intention:

Breaks through writer's block.  Focus on the positive intention rather than the act of writing and the words will start to flow.

Changes your state.  Think about writing to inspire, to amuse, to challenge, to create and your state will change accordingly: to inspired, amused, challenging, creative.  The words will quickly follow.

Connects with your unconscious mind.  Focus on your positive intention and then get out of your own way.  Drop the obsessing with the act of writing or the choice of a particular word.  Your unconscious mind will provide precisely the words you're looking for.

Gives your words power.  I can't quite explain this one except to say when you write with strong, positive intention your words have a different quality: to move people, to spill spirits, to change things.

Intention was one of the possible themes for this month.  I could easily write about intention for 31 days, and here I am trying to squash it all into one post.  Sorry. 

Because there's more I want to add.  I want to share these words from three very different writers talking about the significance of intention.

It All Begins With Intention

Intention is what we wish to accomplish with our writing.  Call it the writer's soul.  We can write to affirm and to celebrate, or we can write to debunk and destroy; the choice is ours. 

Nobody can make us write what we don't want to write.  We get to keep intention.

Writing is related to character.  If your values are sound, your writing will be sound.  It all begins with intention.

William Zinsser: On Writing Well

Write With Intention: Ho'ohana, To Work Intentionally

To “work hard” is to be who you are meant to be, reaching in deep and grabbing hold of all the possibility within you. To work for something you want, is to love being who you are capable of being.

To ho‘ohana is to work intentionally, purposefully, and passionately and in work that is all about you. To ho‘ohana is to have resolve and determination, and to seek mastery with personal efforts of your own deliberate, thoughtful choice.

Rosa Say: Ho'ohana: Love Your Work

Substitute "write" for "work" and you have the essence of writing with intention.

A Story About Writing and Intention

Listen to this story: a poet once visited the court of a king who ruled in Arab lands yet knew no Arabic or Turkish.  The poet brought a beautiful eulogy to the king, but it was written, of course, in Arabic.  When he recited the poem, however, the king nodded at all the right places; laughed where he was supposed to; looked sad or amazed or contemplative at just the right moments.  After the poet left, the king's courtiers were worried.  Had the king known Arabic all along?  If so, they could be trouble for all the sarcastic asides they'd spoken to each other over the years in Arabic.  They bribed the king's favourite slave to find out.

One day, when the king was in a good mood, his servant asked him straight out - did he know Arabic?  If not, how did he know how to respond to the poet?

'Of course I don't know Arabic', said the king. 'But I knew what the poet's purpose was.  His purpose wasn't the poem, it was to impress, amuse and entertain me.  I understood him, so I didn't need to understand the poem.'

From Chapter 37: Outward Creative Power, The Sufi Book of Life by Neil Douglas-Klotz

I'm with Zinsser.  It all begins with intention.

This is what I mean when I talk about fire-breathing writing dragons.  This is what lights my writing fire.  This is what inspires me to write.

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This piece is a contribution to a month long conversation on writing and inspiration.  Please subscribe to the feed if you'd like to get future articles.  There are three ways you can subscribe: by RSS feed, direct to your inbox, or a weekly digest.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

99 Reasons To Read The Sufi Book Of Life - my review of the book on Joyful Jubilant Learning

Photo Credit: Young_Einstein on Flickr

Are You Inspired To Be An Authority?

I have to confess: I don't normally put the words "inspiration" and "authority" together. 

I'm a natural resister of authority.  I'm suspicious of where it can take us.  I hear the words of Einstein in my head:

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.

Authority makes me think South Park, and pint-sized Cartman dressed as a cop, demanding that we respect his authority authoritah. (Short clip attached so you can see what I mean!)

But in the democratic world of the internet the word "authority" takes on a different meaning.  Not the kind you demand, but the kind you earn.  It's a Jeffersonian definition of the word, where:

All authority belongs to the people.

That's the kind of authority I find inspiring. 

And when I think about "authority blogging" as a goal for the next 12 months, that's what I've got in mind.  I'm coming up to the 12 months mark at Confident Writing (more on plans to celebrate that milestone coming soon) and that's got me looking back at what I've learned and achieved in the last year, and where I want to take things in the year ahead.  (Given my love of numbered lists it was kind of inevitable I'd move from there to a 12 point list of reasons why authority blogging is a model that works for me.)

12 Inspiring Reasons To Be An Authority Blogger

#1 Authority is a prompt for delight-ful writing.  Writing that will connect, engage, inspire your readers, and keep them coming back for more.  (And luckily enough delighting you is also delightful to me.)

#2 But authority is about more than words.  Words and writing are important to me, but not as important as other things like intention, purpose, respect.  The way you treat people. Whether you follow through.  Authority to me means writing, reading, learning, linking, networking, e-mailing, coaching, cajoling, noticing, inspiring, supporting... with a purpose, consistently, over time.  I'm willing to be judged on those terms.

#3 It keeps me focused on my purpose.  The aim is to establish yourself as an authority, a recognised, credible source.  That means sticking to your point, knowing your purpose, and reading, writing, linking and networking with that in mind

#4 It's a great discipline, clarifying your focus and purpose.  An authority in what?  What are you the "go to" person for?

#5 Authority also means the confidence and assurance that comes from practice.  Blogging is great writing practice.  The more confident I am, the more of an authority I can be - and the more I can inspire others to be likewise

#6 Authority blogging means creating something of value.  A blog you're proud of.  I'm proud of mine. (Are you of yours?)

#7 Authority demands clarity.  What you're about, what you want to say, what stands you out from the rest. What difference you want to make.

#8 Authority means knowing your own mind and speaking your own truth.  Yes, you want to delight your readers, but if you're just saying what you think people want to hear you'll rapidly lose your credibility.

#9 My purpose is to help people realise the power of their own words.  The more authority I have, the more people I can reach.  The more words we can set free.

#10 I'm surprised but also inspired by own ambition.  I want to be the go-to person for anyone who wants to write with greater confidence.  ("The" as in, the one and only, the one and the best, the no 1 in the world).

#11 My ambition doesn't need to thwart yours.  You can (be inspired to) be the best in your micromarket.  As Godin says, there are a million micromarkets, but each micromarket still has a best.

#12 I could be persuaded by Seth Godin that "being the best in the world is seriously underrated".

I think, hope, I'm already on the right lines in terms of credibility, building strong relationships with all of you and creating a site that's of lasting value.  But I've still got a way to go in terms of impact, profile, and visibility.  And I've got some big questions in my mind about:

• the interface between a blog and other websites and pages where people can buy products and services
• the balance between personal authority and giving your readers the space to shine
• sustainable blogging - how to avoid burnout, shifting to different patterns and rhythms that you know you can sustain over time
• the balance between free and paid-for, premium content
• how to promote, market and sell through a blog without breaking rapport (or undermining authority)

And that's really why I'm going to Chicago in May.  Yes, I want to go to the US for the first time, to see Chicago, to meet my blogging inspiration, to listen to some great speakers, to network with 250 Successful and Outstanding Bloggers.

But the main reason I'm going to SOBCon08 is because I want to get the help in answering these questions.  I want to come away with an actionable plan that'll take me through the next 12 months of business blogging and beyond.

When I go I'll be taking this list of questions with me.  Packing an open mind and a desire to learn.  I'll make sure I've got the things you 'must bring' to a blogging conference (and no, it's not the fancy business card, this list focuses on the really important stuff, like a smile and a thank you).

And I'll be bringing my own inspiring definition of authority. 

Not the one where I'm demanding you respect my authoritah. But the one where I'm respecting yours.

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Do you want to be an authority blogger?  Now's your chance.

The SOBCon08 organisers are running a fantastic competition + big prize that'll help you on your way

1. $1000 budget to pay for SOBCon08 registration and travel expenses which also includes: a copy of ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett; 60 attendees will get free design and SEO consults from Network Solutions experts; a $99 lifetime hosting offer from THC; a pro account at E-Junkie; a free subscription to Blogger & Podcaster Magazine and a chance to join their new USA Today guide; a professional video interview on you and your biz for BlogTV sponsored by Fuel My Blog

2. A hour of consulting with Chris Garrett, face-to-face if possible.

3. The complete Authority Blogger online course when it launches.

4. An introduction to all of the speakers at the SOBCon event.

Full details at ChrisG's site and at Successful Blog

All you have to do is...

Write a blog post explaining why you’re the best candidate to be the next Authority Blogger. What you’ll add to the event, what you hope to learn from a personal consultancy with Chris Garrett and the wealth of great business bloggers in that weekend in Chicago. Be sure to write with authority. Tell your compelling story.

And make sure you have your post written by March 31st.

This is my contribution.

For more on authority blogging try these posts from ChrisG, the authority on authority blogging:

Why Authority Blogs Are the Hardest But Most Worthwhile

What is Authority?

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Inspiring Words That Connect Us Together

Do you love collecting quotations?  Me too.

I was gifted a quote earlier this week by Lillie Amann at A Writer's Life, An Editor's Eye.  She was passing on the words as part of a tag.  The idea is to post a quote that speaks from and to your heart, and to dedicate it to at least three other bloggers.

What a great idea. 

The quote Lillie offered was this one from James Dean:

"Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today."

I was honoured to receive this from Lillie, because she's one of my favourite bloggers, managing to combine an uplifting attitude with a totally down-to-earth no-nonsense manner (I think that might be her editor's eye).

This is a lovely one to pass on, and although it's hard to choose from so many people who are part of my blogging life, I'm dedicating these words to Robyn McMaster, Brad Shorr, Robert Hruzek, Yvonne Russell and Jeanne Dininni, bloggers who - with Lillie - have been here supporting and encouraging me for many months now, and who have helped and encouraged me to stretch with ever greater confidence.

The line I've chosen captures what I think is great and inspiring about writing and blogging online, as part of a community.  It's by Luciano de Crescenzo

"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another"

All of you who read, link, comment, stumble, twitter and generally support me are part of that embrace and I am grateful to all of you, truly.

I hope you all have a happy Easter, and if you get a spare moment don't forget to work on your entry for the 4 * 4 Sources Of Writing Inspiration Group Writing Project. 

Entries are due in by midnight on the 28th March.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

What's The Opposite Of Inspire?

When I was drafting this piece on my sources of inspiration the other day I was stuck on a word for the opposite of inspire.

I wondered aloud on Twitter and got the most fascinating set of responses.  I'm not going to quote everyone as I didn't make it clear this was for a post, but here are the answers I got:

• Bore
• School
• A head cold
• Meetings!
• Disillusion
• Expire!
• Extinguish*

* which of course fits with the dragon theme

I realised as these answers came tumbling in that we can learn as much from our idea of the opposite of something as we do the concept itself. 

Each of these opposite words illuminated my understanding of inspiration, and helped me see what it might mean to you too.

So let's see how much further we can take it.  What would your answer be?

What's the opposite of inspire?

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Inspiration From Mountain Tops

I knew I had to pay attention when I came across one of my blogging mentors, Rosa Say, from Hawaii, quoting the words of a Scottish mountaineer.  Rosa was sharing the oft-cited words of W H Murray, from his book The Scottish Himalayan Expedition - here's a short excerpt from the quote

"... the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too"

I was intrigued by this mountaineer whose words had woven another strand of connection between myself and Rosa, so I borrowed another two of his books, Mountaineering in Scotland and Undiscovered Scotland, from the library.

Mountaineering in Scotland opens in Glen Brittle, base camp for the Cuillins, on Skye.  Skye, of course, is one of my inspiring places and although I've never (yet) got to one of the peaks, I have walked from Glen Brittle up to Coire Lagan (pictured), high enough to get a sense of the awesome power of the mountains.

A few pages in and I can tell that the experience of climbing these hills is etched into Murray's bones, his consciousness.  After a swim at Loch Coruisk he writes about the experience (yes, it is a little over the top, but bear with me):

"The swim was unique in my own experience because all five senses were feasted to the full.  The sharp sting of that first dive cleared at one stroke the fogs of lethargy from the mind - at one stroke the world stood vivid.  The corrie was full of sun and the song of the burn, gay with the flash of many colours and the dance of light on the loch, fresh with the scents of blossom and an aromatic tang of plants in morning air... The ecstasy of that morning is bright after eight years."

That the experience is so vivid is important.  Murray was climbing in the 1930s, before the outbreak of war. In 1942 he was captured and taken prisoner-of-war.  He spent the next three years in POW camps.  While he was in prison he started writing Mountaineering In Scotland, on Red Cross toilet paper.  The manuscript was found, and destroyed. 

His response?  Simple.  He set about writing it again. 

The book was published after the war, in 1947.

And that's why I am sharing this story with you today (also the anniversary of Murray's birth), because there is something about that dogged determination to write that book, to share that experience, that moves me deeply.

I am still trying to work out what this word "inspiration" means to me.  But one thing's for sure. 

It's something to do with the feeling I get when I think about this man in a POW camp, dreaming of Skye, and finding the will to write.

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This piece is a contribution to a month long conversation on writing and inspiration.  Please subscribe to the feed if you'd like to get future articles.  There are three ways you can subscribe: by RSS feed, direct to your inbox, or a weekly digest.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

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W H Murray: 18 March 1913 to 19 March 1996

Wikipedia on Murray

Undiscovered Scotland feature on Murray

Books: Mountaineering in Scotland and Undiscovered Scotland

Photo Credit: Coire Lagan by Marscovista on Flickr

Welcome To Monday: It's A Beautiful Day!

Enjoy :-)

 

Oh, but what's this got to do with writing and inspiration?

Well the state we're in changes the way that we write.  Of course the act of writing changes our state too - it moves us through it, takes us to a different place at the end. 

But there are times when it's good to change state before you start - especially if you're writing to be read.

Lots of different ways to get there - but a burst of uplifting music isn't a bad place to start.

So go on.  It's a beautiful day - don't let it get away!

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This piece is a contribution to a month long conversation on writing and inspiration.  Please subscribe to the feed if you'd like to get future articles.  There are three ways you can subscribe: by RSS feed, direct to your inbox, or a weekly digest.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

4x4 Sources Of Writing Inspiration: Group Writing Project

I was tagged a few weeks back by Valeria Maltoni at Conversation Agent in a post she called "Revealing Yourself To Others" (gulp!)  The idea of the tag was to share some secrets about yourself, set out in a 4x4 format: four headings, each with four things.

Valeria added her own twist to this by revealing things that were about her business perspective rather than personal revelations (an approach I broadly share, especially for those of us writing business blogs). 

Her tag came with a twist and a challenge too, to see if I could turn it into a group writing project.

Well, I can't resist a challenge and I thought it might be fun to see where this one takes us. 

Like Valeria I've taken the format and applied it to what I'm working on here at the moment: the theme of writing and inspiration.

My 4 x 4 things are all about sources of writing inspiration (or its opposite),  or words and writing that have inspired me.  Have a look at them first, then I'll explain how the project will work:

My 4x4 Sources of Writing Inspiration

4 Places That Demand I Write

I have a strong sense of place - it's probably my most powerful source (and not just for writing).  The places that have worked the most magic are:

1. Skye: inspired my first book (Short Walks on Skye)

2. Arran: inspiring photos just now - the words will follow

3. Mexico: inspired my first blog (Unfolding Stories)

4. Places In Between Places: trains, ferries, bus journeys... always get the words to flow

4 Unspiring Things That Dampen My Writing Inspiration

I wasn't sure what the opposite of inspire was (more on this next week).  But I came across this shorthand form of "uninspiring" which seemed to capture the mood for me.

1. Things that are labelled as 'motivating', 'inspiring', 'inspirational'.  I resist being told what to think, do and feel.  This was my main reservation about pursuing "inspiration" as a theme for this month.

2. Seeing my words come out as cliches, knowing I'm trying too hard.  = time for a break.

3. Getting stuck in 'broadcast' mode, talking not listening - both when I do it, and when it feels like others are too

4. Language of necessity: should, have to, must

4 Quotes That Give Fuel To My Fire-Breathing Writing Dragon

1. "At the centre of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want" (Lao Tzu)

2. "It is never too late to be what you might have been" (George Eliot)

3. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" (Oscar Wilde)

4. "You were born with wings.  Why prefer to crawl through life?" (Rumi)

4 Poems That Inspire Me To Live Life On Purpose

1.  "Let's Take A Break" by Stephen Dobyns

I think I stumbled across this in a newspaper.  I cut it out and kept this verse above my civil service desk for a very long time before I made my exit to some exotic land.

"Let's take a break.  Let's exit to some exotic land
Where fat mice snooze beneath sombreros and at sundown
Owls swoop from the palm trees crying: Quien, quien?"

2. "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver

This poem saved my bacon.  I'll tell you about it... some day.  Here's the last few lines:

"Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things."

3. "Late Fragment" by Raymond Carver

Requires no explanation.  Here's the whole poem:

"And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth."

4. "Entirely" by Louis MacNeice

I keep this verse pinned up on my noticeboard.  I hope I'll get the message eventually.

"And if the world were black or white entirely
     And all the charts were plain
Instead of a mad weir of tigerish waters,
     A prism of delight and pain,
We might be surer where we wished to go
     Or again we might be merely
Bored but in the brute reality there is no
     Road that is right entirely."

4 x 4 Sources Of Writing Inspiration: Group Writing Project

I hope that gives you an idea of the format this project will follow... Here's how I think we can make it work.  To take part:

• Share 4 lots of 4 things on the theme of writing and inspiration
• You don't need to follow these headings: there are zillions of possibilities (4 blogs, 4 books, 4 authors, 4 people, 4 teachers, 4 pieces of music, 4 paintings and so on)
• But please stick to the format of 4 x 4 and the theme of writing and inspiration
• Post your contribution by 28th March (midnight, your time)
• Let me know you've written your piece, by linking to this post, leaving a comment on the post, or contacting me

I'll then publish a set of links to all the entries in early April, and, depending on how it turns out, will try and find some way to publish a compilation of the material you come up with. 

Because that is what I think might be most interesting (and yes, inspiring) about the project - the chance to learn more about each other, to find what inspires us, to learn what helps us to write, what sources we turn to, what resources we already hold.

I'm also offering a small prize (based on a random draw of entries), a book again - can't resist them.

This time it's The Writers' Block: 786 Ideas To Jump-Start Your Imagination by Jason Rekulak.  A useful resource for those times when we're running low on inspiration.

I can't think of any more 'rules' (I don't like rules, most unspiring), but should add one thing - this started life as a meme, so if you want to play your own version of 4x4 based on anything you want, please do.  That's the idea of memes after all. 

But if you want me to include the results in the final group writing project you'll need to follow the guidelines set out above.

Okay, I think that's everything.  I look forward to learning more about what inspires you to write!

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Walking Our Way Into Words

No podcast this week - I thought I'd give VoiceThread another whirl as it got such good feedback last time round. 

This one's based on a few pictures from the Union Canal in Edinburgh, just along the road from where I live, with a few thoughts about walking, reflecting and writing. 

I don't know about you, but walking, even for 20 minutes, always cracks it for me.

 

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To listen to the VoiceThread just click the arrow in the centre of the photo.  You might need to wait a moment or two depending on the speed of your connection.  It should move automatically to the next page (photo) or you can click the arrows at the bottom if you want to navigate through it yourself.

If you're a VoiceThread user don't forget you can leave a comment on the thread if you want to - spoken or typed... or leave a comment in the usual way at the bottom of this piece.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

10 Ways My Coaching Clients Inspire Me

The inspiration theme has got me thinking about my own sources of inspiration, not just what inspires me to write, but to do what I do, including my work as a writing coach. 

I get a great deal of inspiration from the people I work with and I thought this might be a good moment to explore some of the why and the how (using the structure of the numbered list to get me thinking.) 

These were the ten ways I came up with.

10 Ways My Writing Coaching Clients Inspire Me

#1 I am lucky enough to have a number of clients who are themselves coaches, or leaders in their field, people who are interested in big ideas, pushing the boundaries of the professions they're in.  I get to learn from their learning, their ideas, their teaching and coaching as we go

#2 I have clients all over the world.  This excites me, intrigues me, inspires me - this crossing of borders, boundaries, continents - I love it

#3 However much I try to package and bundle the services I offer to make it easier to explain and promote - the beauty of coaching is that every client brings a different story, a different set of issues and requirements, which means I learn something new from every interaction

#4 Writing is important to my clients - I know it sounds obvious but learning about why their words count be it for business, to write a blog, for creativity, self-expression or a stronger sense of identity reminds me that what I do is valuable, it matters, it counts

#5 I can lose myself in the detailed work of editing, providing feedback and critiquing - maybe this is what people mean when they talk about working in a flow state 

#6 It's a buzz when I see my clients putting what they've learned into practice

# 7 Everyone's writing style is different - so getting under the skin of their words helps me learn from other people's writing, to extend my own register, to see things I could do with my own writing

#8 I know that opening up and asking for feedback can be a big thing - so each time someone does it feels like a privilege to be invited in to share their words.  I value and respect that invitation.

#9  I'm learning with a purpose.  When I'm researching something for a client whether it's detailed guidance on comma splices (not too often thankfully!) or coming up with assignments to get over blocks, to get the words to flow - I'm reading, researching, thinking, checking notes, files, books and references with a purpose, making it a most enjoyable search

#10 Their words want to be free.  And it is so much fun helping to find the way to liberate them!

How about you?  What kind of inspiration do you get from the people you coach, teach, manage, raise, encourage, write for?

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If you'd like to inspire me with your own writing project, please do contact me.  I work with people in a variety of ways including telephone coaching, coaching by e-mail, writing critiques, assignments + feedback as part of a mentoring programme - you'll find out more by clicking onto the work with me page.

This piece is a contribution to this month's inspiration theme - stay tuned for more!

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Photo Credit: Leading By Inspiration by Thiru Mirugan on Flickr

How To Become A Fire-Breathing Writing Dragon

...sometimes I think of writing (I hope this isn't too fanciful) as breathing out fire. And when I coach people it's because I want to help them breathe out that fire too.

Maybe I am being fanciful.  Maybe not.  Bear with me.

When I was mulling over the theme for this month I was also talking about breath - the breath of life that we can work, no, breathe into our writing.  We know when it's there.  And most of us can tell when it's not.

At the same time I was reading your contributions to the group writing project.  Noticing how many stories touched on the inspiration and encouragement you were gifted (or cheated of) in childhood  (more on that next week).  Amy Palko from Lives Less Ordinary shared the story of two very different teachers who'd influenced her writing career, including the encouraging words that her headteacher had written into a book.  "Dear Amy - just remember to keep your head out of the clouds and I’m sure someday you’ll write your wonderful book."

Now this prompted another interesting conversation about head in clouds vs feet on ground and which was best for writing... but what also intrigued me was the teacher's choice of book.  It was Everyone Knows What A Dragon Looks Like.

I haven't read the book, but Amy was good enough to describe the story - and her response to it - in a follow up post.  It's about Han, a young street-sweeper, and an old, fat, balding man who claims to be a dragon - and to have the power to save the city from attack.  He's thrown out of the city on the grounds of false pretences, but the street-sweeper believes in him, and puts him up.  In return the old, fat, balding man takes a deep breath, blows away the enemies of the city, and shows Han what a dragon 'really' looks like before disappearing.

As Amy says, it's the boy's open mind that allows him to tap into this power:

Although Han was unable to see the true form of the dragon, he was willing to believe that there was more to the little old man than his appearance suggested. In that sense, he was open to an alteration of perception; he was open to the possibility of a life less ordinary.

And of course this is a frame of mind that isn't just useful for writing...

But I was also struck by the hidden power of the old, fat, balding man and his eventual decision, his choice, to use it. 

To become a fire-breathing dragon.

Fire-Breathing Writing Dragons

The old man reminded me of so many people (myself included at times) who are afraid of their own power - to speak out, to make a difference, to tell it the way it is, to free our words, to find our own voice, to toot sweetly, to realize the power of our words.

The story made me think about the blinkers we look through and the labels we apply.  Most of us are even better at labelling ourselves than we are at defining other people.  Limiting our sense of what's possible.

"Oh, but I'm not a writer" I hear people say.  What does that matter?  Neither am I.  It's what you write, what you say, what you do with your power that counts.  I know a lot of professional writers who know how to turn a trick - but not how to breathe fire.

I guess this is what inspiration means for me.  It's the invitation, the challenge, the spark that gives me fire-breathing powers.  That makes me feel like I'm breathing in, deep, and breathing out, hard.  Telling a truth, sharing something essential, using my power.  And the writing that comes from that place, well it does have the power to change things, even if it's just changing me. (And sometimes changing ourselves is more than enough.)

We don't need to wait for permission to do this. Hope that someone will come along who has faith, who believes in us, who'll spot our hidden potential. 

We just need to know our own power.  The ability to breathe out fire.

And then decide to use it.

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This piece is a contribution to a month long exploration of inspiration and writing.  If you enjoyed the post, maybe you'd give it a Stumble?  Thanks :-)

Please help yourself to the (free) feed if you'd like to follow the rest of the series.

Other material that might be of interest:

When You Can't Find Your Voice

Authentic Writing: The Courage To Hear Yourself Sing (free e-book - pdf download)

Toot Sweetly: Create Your Distinction by Rosa Say writing at Joyful Jubilant Learning

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Photo Credit for Bejing Dragon: Oldtasty at Flickr

21 Inspiring Stories: Group Writing Project Results

Writing has allowed me to express my deepest thoughts, sorrows and joys without censure or fear of recrimination. Pen and paper beckon me and as I unite them, I am still awed by the power and passion they produce.

Karen Swim

I have just finished reading the contributions to My Love Affair With Writing, the group writing project I ran here last month, and I too was awed by the power and the passion of the words you produce. 

There were 21 entries in total, listed below along with a short extract from each contribution.  I have lifted the words that 'spoke' the most to me from your piece - I am sorry if it's not the words that you would have chosen, but I guess that's part of the writing and reading cycle...

I took the piece that 'spoke' the most to me, that moved me the most, as my criterion for selecting the winning entry.  (The prize is a copy of Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down The Bones.)

My choice was "My Love Affair" by Karen Swim at Words For Hire.  This is a beautifully written, deeply personal piece and I know it represented a stretch and a leap for Karen to publish it online. For me this represents what is good and precious about blogging - creating the space and the encouragement for people to share their words and spill their spirits.  Thank you Karen, for sharing your words with us.

Learning From Writing

I have learned a lot from running this project: some new insights into the lives of old blogging friends, meeting new readers, discovering new blogs, learning what's important to you about writing.  There were some fascinating themes that emerged for me:

• the importance of reading - especially the books we read as children
• the influence of teachers and parents on our writing dreams and ambitions
• how writing runs like a thread, a current, through many phases of our lives
• pleasure in the business of writing and writing for business
• delight in helping others to craft, shape and transform their words
• enjoying the physical act of writing
• how blogging so often gets our words to flow

I wonder what will be the strongest learning points, the most important ideas, the sources of inspiration that you draw from these pieces? 

I hope you will be able to find the time to read, reflect and comment on the contributions - there are some real gems here that are worth a good look.  I know 21 links is a lot to follow so you might want to bookmark this post and return  in slower time to the ones that are intriguing you the most.

Thanks to everyone who took part: your words made me laugh, smile, cry, nod with recognition, and remember why it is that I do what I do - because our words count.

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Contributions to My Love Affair With Writing

My Love Affair With Writing by Brad Shorr at Word Sell Inc:

The more I read, the more I wanted to write. And it wasn’t just the pleasure of word craft, either. I loved the clacking of the typewriter (I used my mother’s manual, olive drab Smith Corona); sipping coffee and smoking a pipe as I pondered over my words (yes, I was smoking a pipe in junior high..)

The Twists and Turns Of A Lifelong Affair by Alina Popescu at Words of a Broken Mirror:

Writing tormented me in such a way, I thought I will never find my way back to it. I missed it every moment of every day, I wanted my love affair back, my means of expression, my outlet, proper chambers for my thoughts and ideas.

My Love Affair by Karen Swim at Words For Hire:

My lover calls to me in the light of the early morning as the moon drifts higher in the sky and the smoke from nearby chimneys drifts gently into the clouds. I curl my toes in glee as I sink into his familiar warmth knowing he will always be there.

Writing, Life and Me... A Love Triangle by Marcia McLees Bogaert at Meeaugraphie:

I recognized my need to evoke emotions in others, especially those that had stuffed theirs in a sack somewhere. Blogging followed, NaNoWriMo took away any chance of escaping writing’s hold.  I can no longer go a day without fingering the keyboard. It is my connection to me, to emotions, to reason, to humanity.

The Way The Light And Shadow Falls by Damien Riley at Postcards From The Funny Farm:

I know there are many people nowadays that want to become rich and famous through blogs or other writing endeavors. They meet in back dining rooms of Denny’s and share their writing with groups that critique and supposedly “help” one another other get published. To those I would clarify that even though payment is nice: if compensation were the main reason I chose to write, I wouldn’t be doing it at all.

To me the best payment is the therapy it provides along with positive feedback. Writing and being read makes me feel “seen” and “heard.” Writing in my blog every day is like sitting with a good friend on a country front porch talking about the way the light and shadow falls on things.

On Writing by Em Dy at Pulse  (written earlier this year but submitted as a contribution):

But now I'm writing again, daily even, as what I promised myself I'd do when I started this blog. And now, the words flow continuously, one after the other. This blog is about finding the groove back.

A Reciprocal Affair by globalized at My Little Piece Of The Internet

When I write, I stretch beyond what I already know; I delve into new topics, track new trends, examine issues from different viewpoints and biases. I enter a different world, where my words and words alone represent me, where I can reach out and connect and network with people I could never meet in real life.

My Love Affair With Writing by Sandra Gail Lambert at Sandra Gail Lambert:

If this were a love affair with a woman, my friends would be having an intervention...My bookeeper friend would would want to know how much money I had been spending on making the relationship work.  Frequent computer repairs, the new computer, printer ink, postage, conferences, books, more printer ink - this would all be mentioned with increasing despair.

Intimate Details Of My Love Affair With Writing by Shamelle at Enhance Life:

A few months ago, I was a bit obsessed with what other "popular" bloggers were writing. Here I was spending a fair amount of time on my writing, but didn’t see any positive results from a numbers point of view. I tried to imitate their writing style. You know what, it didn’t work! The numbers told the same pathetic story. I suppose, a partner knows when their better half is trying to be someone, he/she is not. I gave that up and just concentrated on being me, before it led to a break up!

Why I Love To Write by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings:

The fact is, that day literally changed my life. After that, I began reading voraciously. I particularly liked science fiction, because it exercised my imagination in ways very few other genres could. I realized that speculating about what was beyond my experience was something to be cherished and valued.

My Love Affair With Writing by Deb at Three Weddings:

Words are constantly circulating in my mind, forming sentences and paragraphs and stories. I liken it to the musician who always hears the music in his head. When he sits down to the piano the music flows to his fingers and out for the world to hear.

My Love Affair With Writing by Lillie Ammann at A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye:

Throughout my life, I always dreamed of writing “someday.” Then at age 45, I suffered a stroke as a result of a chiropractic manipulation. I knew then that “someday” had arrived. It took a couple of years for me to recover sufficiently to be able to sit at a computer to type, but as soon as I could I started my first novel.

My Waltz with Words by Michele at Writing The Cyber Highway:

I smile each time we have a secret date. It’s the sneaky part that’s fun, when only we’re awake. I cherish the times I hear those whispering rivers of words that speak to my heart, stir my emotions, bring laughter, tears, and makes me think. I feel like a schoolchild, tiptoeing to the kitchen, lifting the lid off the cookie jar and taking the first bite from that scrumptious chocolate chip cookie.

5 Business Tips You Can Profit From by Cath Lawson at Catherine Lawson:

Business writing can be a fantastic way to make more sales. Whether you’re writing for your own business or copywriting for someone else, it’s one of most profitable ways to make money from words.

I expected business writing to be boring. In fact, I thought my last business had brought an end to my love affair with writing. No more writing fiction for pleasure at 4am in the morning – my whole day was dedicated to my business. But I soon discovered that business writing can be creative and it can also bring in amazing profits.

My Love Affair With Writing Began In Childhood by Amy Palko at Lives Less Ordinary:

Now, I don’t know whether it was her interest in my dreams, her faith in my ability to communicate them, or just the sheer relief that she was so unlike the teacher that had sent me to her office, but her words lit a fire in me. I started to write epics… Ok, well 5 page stories, while my classmates struggled at 2. I began to be known for my stories and my writing. It felt good. It still does.

Aloha In A Love Affair With Writing by Rosa Say at Managing With Aloha Coaching:

Aloha-filled writing is that which is a transparent view into the writer’s mana‘o – the personally felt beliefs, thoughts, and convictions borne of their values lived in their context (sense of place)

Simply said, aloha writing is ‘me, myself and I’ writing...

This is not about ego. It is about the indisputable fact that there is no one else on the planet who is exactly like you. There never was, and there never will be. Your aloha is pure you.

My Love Affair With Writing by Chris O'Byrne at Online Arts Marketing:

I love the process of communicating with someone through the written word and it often seems that I can communicate more clearly through writing. As with Natalie Goldberg, I often feel that writing can be a deeper vehicle of meditation for me than zazen. Writing helps me reach a place deep inside of me that is often hidden from other forms of meditation.

To My Muse: 10 Reasons Why I Love You by Joanna Young at Confident Writing:

I love the way you respond when I thank you for a word, a phrase, a beautiful idea.  You're like a cat being stroked, arching your back, rubbing your head against my hand, purring in delight at my thanks and your own brilliance.
And I love the way you stalk off, cat like, when I ask you to come up with some clever words.   Proud, haughty, independent, refusing to perform on demand.

Write On Wednesday: My Love Affair With Writing by Becca at Becca's Byline:

Words.
Which she tapped out on the old typewriter, her fingers gaining strength as she got older, taking on more than just made up stories, words which spoke to her feelings about justice and peace and the future of this world she was growing up in.

Why I Love Writing by John Crickett at Business Opportunities and Ideas:

I love writing, I have far too many business ideas, I provide consulting to businesses, I’m a techie with lots of Internet marketing experience and experience running Internet businesses - I should be blogging about business! So now I run this blog about business opportunities, business ideas and any other business related topic that interest me. I Love it, I get to write about business topics that interest me and I’m continually learning while I do

You Know You Love Writing When You Don't Have To Keep It by Rosa Say at Talking Story:

It’s the love affair with the act of writing, and not with what I may have written. I write, and I am in love with writing, because writing helps me think, reason, and decide. It helps me make sense of things, and bring them to more clarity. Once I do, I can get on with life and move on to the next thing I’d like to think about, reason through, and decide upon or even better, create.

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The Group Writing Project was part of a month long focus on writing Leaps and Bounds.  The theme for this month is inspiration.  Please do subscribe to the feed to see where it takes us!

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Looking For Some Inspiration?

I'm still busy pulling together the results of the group writing project, so here are some links and resources that'll get you thinking, dreaming, reading and writing in the meantime.

Brad Shorr at Word Sell Inc is offering the fantastic prize of an iPod nano in his just launched group writing project.  All you have to do is write a post that's inspired by this cartoon... but you need to be quick, closing date is this Friday (7th March).

Robert Hruzek at the Middle Zone has launched this month's WILF on the subject of What I Learned From... The Law.  (No I haven't the faintest idea what I'm going to write about either!)  Submissions are due in by March 9th (with a request for submissions a bit ahead of midnight please...)

The March edition of The Calm Space has just been published, so if you're looking for something that's like a virtual day-spa for your senses you might want to pop over and explore this month's treats - on the theme of dreaming.  In my contribution I wonder What Do You Dream About Writing?  (You might be surprised at my own answer!)

Last but not least, there's a book-fest over at Joyful Jubilant Learning this month in A Love Affair With Books.  There's a review scheduled pretty much each day - here's the list of books that are coming up. I'm going to be reviewing The Sufi Book Of Life - nothing (directly) to do with writing, but lots to do with learning about life...

If you're interested in writing a review for the site there's an open invitation for readers to participate - or you can take part by reviewing a book on your own blog and tracking back to JJL.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Fire-Breathing Dragons: Inspiration Is The Theme For March

Inspiration:

1. an inspiring or animating action or influence
2. something inspired, as an idea
3. a result of inspired activity
4. a thing or person that inspires
5. theology
   1. a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul
   2. the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced
6. the drawing of air into the lungs; inhalation
7. the act of inspiring; quality or state of being inspired

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Thanks everyone for your comments and feedback on the theme for March.  The options I suggested were integrity, intention and inspiration. There were some strong arguments made for an exploration of both integrity and intention and I'm going to find ways both to work them in during March and to explore them more fully in the future. 

There was a general consensus though that inspiration would be a good topic to look at as a follow on to the energy of leaps and bounds, and to mark the change in the seasons into both spring and autumn. 

And that's what I'm going with, though it comes with an additional twist and challenge.  A couple of readers mentioned that inspiration is an over-done topic,  which can make it boring.   And of course anything over-done and boring is utterly uninspiring...

So the challenge to myself is to find ways to explore the theme of inspiration without relying on cliches, covering already well-trod ground, trying too hard to be inspiring (an immediate inspiration-killer) or losing your interest (and mine).

Fortunately a quick look at the dictionary definition revealed many different layers of meaning that might help us to look at inspiration in a non-boring way.  Thinking for example about:

• What animates us to write, and what animated writing looks, feels and sounds like
• The things, people and places that inspire us - and the things that dampen or squash that inspiration
• Writing with the aim or intention of inspiring others

But where do the fire-breathing dragons fit in?

Well the root of the word lies in the verb "to breathe".  We still see it in the dictionary definition: the drawing of air into the lungs; inhalation.  Breath has found its way into my interpretation of inspiration too:

Inspiration Writing that's inspired, that inspires you, and inspires others.  Knowing what inspires you - and what to do when it seems out of reach.  Finding inspiration in the every day. Writing with the breath of life; writing that's come from the source.

And as I mentioned in a comment here recently - on foggy days, and seeing the breath in our writing - it's how I picture the writing process.  How I think about writing when I need to fire up my intention either to write myself, or to help others to realise the power of their own words:

...sometimes I think of writing (I hope this isn't too fanciful) as breathing out fire. And when I coach people it's because I want to help them breathe out that fire too.

Last but not least, today is St David's Day, which seemed like an auspicious point to celebrate the power and spirit of fire-breathing dragons. 

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My plans for what to write about in March are still kind of... fluid... so please do chip in ideas and suggestions for things you'd like me to cover. 

I won't be running another group writing project this month though: I'm still sorting through the wonderful contributions from last month and will publish the results early next week, plus there are plenty other interesting projects out there (more on those at the beginning of the week too).  I do have an interesting tag though which I'm hoping to answer soon and will try and turn into something we can all play along with.  More on that to follow too...

Heck, if you're not already following Confident Writing via a RSS feed you might just want to subscribe so you don't miss anything!  There's an e-mail option if you'd prefer to get the posts direct to your in-box.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Photo credits: Water dragon by Chris & Lara Pawluk, Welsh dragon by What What

10 writing remedies for the post-Christmas blues

Feeling the after-effects of over-indulgence?  Before you reach for the medicine cabinet here are 10 writing remedies to see you through the post-Christmas blues:

1.    DO keep writing over the holidays  Steal a little bit of space to write your journal or update your blog.  Writing helps to clear to the head.  You’ll feel better for it.  The people around about you might thank you for it too.

2.    DON’T let words make things worse Over-generalisations, dramatic language, critical thoughts can magnify a problem.  Test and challenge the words you find yourself using.  Use your word power to find a more detailed and specific way of describing it.  Then watch the problem start to break down and dissolve.

3.    DO write your way through it  Create some private writing space where you can write the specifics of the things that are getting you down.  It’ll help you digest the experience.  Try some backwards prompts to get the words to flow:  10 minutes on “I don’t want to write about…”

4.    DO write what you’re grateful for  Find the specific words and write them down.  It’ll make you feel better.  If this seems like a challenge right now, look for the one thing in the last 24 hours that you’re most grateful for.

5.    DON’T discount the power of your own words  The excesses of consumerism can leave us feeling that everything is pointless.  Writing isn’t.  Ask yourself who your writing is affecting: your clients, customers, friends, family, peers, colleagues, readers.  Yourself.  Focus on ways you can make that impact a positive one.

6.    DO focus on what you can change  There’s always a chance to learn, to stretch, to grow.  If nothing else you can follow Confident Writing, improve your writing style and write with greater confidence

7.    DO make 2008 to start writing a blog  It’s a great way to get feedback on your writing, to experiment with new writing styles, to learn what works,