Planning Paralysis

"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time." - Leonard Bernstein

I love this quote. It inspires me to get off my butt and make things happen. There is never enough time to plan every detail perfectly, and if you try, you end up digging yourself into a rut. You never go anywhere because you become paralyzed by the plan.

You can't let fear of failure stop you from taking the leap (into whatever vast tub of craziness you are contemplating at that moment). I expect that you've given your idea a reasonable amount of thought (and by "reasonable" I mean using common sense- plotting world domination takes a bit more time than picking out new linens for the guest bedroom.) If you wait too long to execute, you may either a) lose momentum, or worse, b) lose the originality of the idea to someone else who came along and was willing to take the risk.

And just in case you need an extra dose of "get your mojo on" juice, check out How to Blog Like Rambo by Dan Martell. Granted Dan is talking to bloggers here, but the principles apply to anyone who wants to be the best and get noticed for what they do.

Now that we are sufficiently psyched up- what are you going to do? Plan your work, or work your plan? Mark me down for "wild success" or "failing spectacularly"- it'll be one or the other, but any movement forward is progress.

Everyone's a Critic

If you are a reality TV junkie (guilty!) you can't help but notice the proliferation of shows that are wrapped around a competition. The contestants are required to perform feats of extraordinary skill (usually in a limited amount of time) and in the end they are judged by a panel of experts. Sometimes the results are magnificent and sometimes they are horrible. Regardless, they are always entertaining.

Watching these people jumping as high as they can for that elusive pie in the sky prize has the net effect of turning me into a critic in five seconds flat. I nod enthusiastically in agreement when the judges’ critique is negative. How could the contestant not see they had gone so far off the path? When the judges and I don't agree, I am mystified. I reign supreme as the armchair judge of my living room. Then I talk to my friends, and we compare notes on our favorites and those that we can’t wait to go home.

Reality TV has turned us all into critics. And given Simon Cowell’s popularity, we kind of like our critics a bit mean.

As a writer, I get anxious about putting my words out there sometimes, because I see how pervasive this phenomenon has become. I have a hard enough time getting past my inner critic. It used to be you were like the contestants in those shows; when you were critiqued it was an expert in the field. In today's world, where everyone has an opinion on every topic (and they usually think they are right), it is a whole other ballgame.

Before you mention getting a thicker skin by the way- I have one. I know that everyone has an opinion, and not everyone is going to like me. I know that there will likely be people who strongly dislike my work given its genre (bordering on horror). And I’m okay with that, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. It is simply the way things have gone in the Web 2.0 world.

You give to get, and you aren’t always going to get what you wanted. So the best we can do is filter the good from the bad, continue to improve as we can, and do our best not to take it all too personally.

The Antidote to Procrastination

Someday is not a day of the week. - Author Unknown

I've taken this bit of wisdom to heart recently. I've spent a great deal of time evaluating and weighing my options for my future. I've made the inevitable lists, and experienced the self-doubt that I would not be able to do what I want to do. But I am driven forward by the unmistakable belief that this is my time. The waiting is over and the only thing left is action.

If and When were planted, and Nothing grew. - Proverb

I am tired of thinking about the "What if's" and the "If I only could've's". Regret is a distraction that I do not have time for, and it is empowering to think that the best is yet to come, if I only reach for it.

In my true procrastinator fashion, I have spent periods of time doing nothing, and had tremendous spurts of action that are changing my mindset from the inside out. Every time I see the result of what I've done (positive or negative) I am inspired to do more. And that is when it hit me. The way to break through procrastination is to be inspired to act.

Inspiration is around us everyday. Watching the Olympics is a great source of inspiration. You watch the athletes pursuing their dreams, and you celebrate their highs with them. Even in failure, they never stop driving towards the end goal. When you think about that single minded focus, especially if you don't have it, you feel pretty lazy.

I caught an episode of a TV series that I used to love last night. After watching it with more mature eyes, I had a million ideas race through my head for some new stories. I watch people moving in their own lives around me and I wonder where they are going and what is the most important thing in their life right now. My imagination overflows.

Eventually, when you feel that inspiration, your mind will hit critical mass, and you have no choice but to DO something with it. It drives you forward. It makes your heart sing. It is a high unlike any other.

Bring on the inspiration, and let's get it done.

Procrastination is something best put off until tomorrow. - Gerald Vaughan

Oh Sticky Notes- How I Love Thee

They infiltrated my life when I wasn't looking. I had a mental note to go through my notebook and follow-up on all the to do's that had gotten buried in other to do's. I had been diligent in my efforts to mark action items in my notes (with a checkbox next to each) but delinquent in actually completing them. I needed a better system.

Enter the sticky note. Now I could keep a running list front and center each day. I could stick to my computer screen, or off to the side of my desk so that I could add and cross off at will. It was liberating. There was a great satisfaction to realize at the end of the day I could simply peel an unfinished list off the desk, smack it to my planner, and pick up where I left off at home.

Then the insidiousness began. I wrote separate lists, on different colored sticky notes, to organize "personal" and "work" related activities. My stickys were following me everywhere now, and a neon green tablet found its way into my coat pocket, for those "spur of the moment" sticky ideas. Sticky notes were in my books, my journals, my magazines; anywhere there was an idea or action that required my attention at a later date.

It was standing in the Target office aisle, drooling over the myriad of color, size, and sticky note options that I realized I had an obsession. But it's one that I can't help but embrace. I feel empowered with the sticky at my side. Watch out world. Who knows what will happen now that I'm organized.

The Ungettable Get

"Remember it is all about the get. We cannot make a splash if we only get the gets that everybody has already got. I need the ungettable. Got it?" - Diane Roberts in Someone Like You

I watch quite a few agents on Twitter, and I devour any post or comment on their query statistics. I find them enlightening and a bit depressing. One thing that I see commented on is related to originality (or lack thereof). That's what agents are looking for; the original idea that can spark the imagination of millions of readers. They are looking for the ungettable get.

I take this concept to heart. I want to be fresh and original. Often I think I'm original, and I realize that I'm not the only writer out there that thinks that (based on the query critiques that I see posted).

Here's a true story from my own experience. I signed up for Writer's Digest Online course a couple of years ago. (The Fundamentals of Fiction Writing in case you are curious, and I know you are...) There were perhaps ten of us in the class, all at varying stages of wanting to write, polish, or perfect our fiction technique. I had decided that I wanted to write some kind of historical fiction thriller with a dash of romance. I researched historical anomalies and after careful consideration, I decided to focus one of the main character's life long quest on the Voynich manuscript. I had never heard of the Voynich manuscript prior to researching it, and it was well down the list of "ancient mysteries" that I uncovered. I was sure I had found something fresh and original. Imagine my surprise and chagrin when another student in my class posted a response to my story telling me that HIS story was focused on the Voynich manuscript as well!

That was the first blow to my writer's ego, but it taught me a valuable lesson. I am forced to constantly ask myself the question am I truly writing that "ungettable get", or am I just tweaking a well-trodden story?

What do you think? Do you think there is such a think as an original idea in fiction anymore?

I Lost Myself in the Retweet

"I don't have anything interesting to say."
"The things I do in my life aren't that interesting."
"Nobody cares what I have to say."

If you ever happen to review my tweets on Twitter (prior to this post), you will see that I am a serial retweeter. I spread good information out to my tweeps from the many wonderful folks that I follow, and I've learned a lot. But scrolling down the page and seeing each post start with "RT @" gives me a few moments pause. Where am I in all this? Where are the things that I want to say to engage with the people who follow me? It's missing.

Almost immediately when I think about changing this, my head is filled with nonsense like the phrases at the start of this post. I hide behind those excuses. It is time for a swift kick in the arse.

If I am a writer (and in 2009 I laid claim to this status) than I should, in theory, have A LOT to say. So what's holding me back; why all the excuses? I could only draw one conclusion: I'm afraid. I'm afraid that people won't like me or what I have to say. Even worse, I am afraid that people may ignore me altogether.

But one of my writing goals (as it is for every writer) is to "Engage". This fear is doing nothing for me other than holding me back from my potential and forever keeping me in the boring status quo rut. My 2010 self has decided that it's time to put my big girl panties on. I will post more than just a RT on Twitter on a daily basis. I will find more engaging ways to use Facebook (without turning into the person who overshares- you know the one.) If I'm posting about things that are interesting and exciting to me, then at some point it will interest and excite others.

I'm going to go tweet something now.

Poetry Not Included

I've been writing for years. I feel like writing is in my blood and is something I was meant to do. I love writing short stories and realized yesterday that my novel writing options have become quite robust. I have one novel complete that I am querying agents with right now. I have a first draft manuscript, and three other works in various phases of the writing process. If anything, my weakness is that all of them are more or less in the same genre.

I was shopping for a Christmas gift today for my sister-in-law. She likes to quote poetry in her Facebook postings, and I thought that a book of poetry around motherhood would be a unique gift idea (she is expecting her first child in February). As I browsed the shelves of poets at my local bookstore, I was surprised to find that I knew many of their names. Then I felt something building inside me that said this was an opportunity to expand my own horizons.

I was excited about the possibility of what this new perspective could offer for my writing. I found a book for my sister-in-law, and picked up a book of Emily Dickinson's poems for myself. It was actually a toss up between Dickinson and Frost, but I figured either way I couldn't go wrong.

Then as I was catching up on my tweets this evening, I found a blog post on why writers should try out other genres. I've been so hesitant to branch out with my writing because I wanted to be sure I could find my name and place in my genre. But my experiences today make me think that tipping my toes in other genre pools could be exciting and enlightening. I'm looking forward to the challenge.