Motivating Ourselves - Just Try!

by Marilyn Hilton

"The aim, if reached or not, makes great the life." -Robert Browning

In a writers' workshop a few years ago, the leader asked us to stand up and twist around as far as we could, and then note how far we had turned. Then we did it again, but this time before we twisted we chose a spot farther than we'd reached the first time. You know what? The second time, everyone reached their farther point. The difference was that for the second time, we set a goal and were motivated to reach it.

Chances are, many of us have set goals for 2013. Now here we are, nearing the end of January, and we may be having trouble reaching those goals--or we're wondering how to go about reaching them. 

A few years ago I read a story about Beverly Cleary that inspired me to try new things. When Beverly Cleary was a young girl, she entered an essay contest because her mother had always encouraged her to try new things. She won the contest, and learned from that experience always to try, regardless of the certainty of the outcome.

After reading that, I adopted the "Just Try" method for doing many things that seemed impossible to accomplish. And it worked! I found that just trying frees me from the paralysis of fear and self-doubt; it allows me to explore, to play with ideas and directions, and to go beyond what makes me feel comfortable. "Just Try" includes the possibility--and acceptance--of failure and looking foolish, thereby dissolving their power over me. I've danced more, sketched more, sung more, traveled more, written more, explored more, experienced more--accomplished more--than I would have by wishing or dreaming about it.

Here are 4 simple steps for trying anything:

1. Write down what you want to try.
2. Imagine yourself doing it. What does that look like? How will you feel?
3. Imagine yourself accomplishing it. What does that look like? What rewards come with it? How will you feel?
4. Try doing it. You don't have to do it perfectly or be the best at it, or even finish it--you just have to try doing it.

You'll find that whether or not #3 comes true, you will have done #2--which has its own rewards and is a lot further than #1.

I asked our turbo monkeys for their motivation tips, and here's what they told me:

Amy:
If I get a really devastating rejection or something equally demoralizing, I stew on it for a while then send out a bunch of new subs.

Sarah:
I sometimes just tell folks that I've had a bad day and need encouragement. Other times, I'll go back and read something good that I've written to remind myself that I CAN write. But I think the biggest solution is, like Amy, to do something. Most of the time, that means I keep writing.

Hazel:
- Make a schedule for each (working!!) day and meet those goals ... ticking off is my best motivation
- Have a treat at the end, or to work towards. For me it's usually the next writing retreat/conference.
- Always have chocolate on hand.
- Read other folks' blogs and a good book - both morale boosters.

Hazel's tips for illustrators:
- Visit an art gallery or museum to feed the soul.
- Create a fun project that is totally personal to you, that you don't care if anyone ever sees, and forget about impressing people.
- Try a new medium, or sign up for an art or craft class that you have never tried before.
- Check out bios of your fav major illustrators and be inspired by the journey we are all on.

Kristen:
I set a small goal I know I can reach and once I reach it I set a bigger goal and build from there. 

Ellen:
When I'm down I think. I mostly go back inside my book and think about new scenes that might make the story better. I also like to wander the bookstore and read new releases. Sometime I put my nose into the pages because new books smell delicious, and I dream about smelling the pages of my own published work!

Craig:
Normally I'm a pretty buoyant soul, which might have come from my bike racing days of climbing up an impossible mountain, only to find....another mountain. When I get hammered down, I dream about extreme success...not just monetarily. I dream of romance and love, a fun car, a horse named Rowie, admiration from my mentors, firmer abs and possibly the ability to sing and play the guitar like Brad Paisley. I believe you gravitate towards your dreams, and the endorphins that are released when you dream a great thing is addicting, and your entire body will naturally gravitate to capture that feeling again. And often without knowing it, you will find a way to overcome the thing that brought you down, or hurt your feelings, or made you sad. So I dream of happiness...I don't sing that Julie Andrews song but it's sort of the same thing--"I simply remember my favorite things."

Now it's your turn: What do you do to motivate or inspire yourself?

Halfway There: NaNoUhOh

Okay, who’s written 25,000 words already for NaNoWriMo?

Show of hands? Anyone? 

Me neither. 

But do not despair!

Today I offer you proof that no matter how far behind you are, there is hope!

I was talking with a writer friend about how I'd begun to doubt my chances of reaching 50,000 words by November 30th and she told me about Marissa Meyer. Marissa wrote the first three books in the Lunar Chronicles (the first novel in the series, Cinder, was released in January of 2012) during NaNoWriMo. Not three separate NaNoWriMos, ONE NaNoWriMo. Thirty days, 150,000 words.

That’s 5,000 words a day, people. I’ve still got time to write a book and a half!

Oh, heck, I might as well try for 10,000 words a day!

Author Rachel Aaron explains how she does just that in this guest post on SFWA’s website.

Totally doable, right?

Kiersten White wrote Paranormalcy in three weeks and Mind Games (out in February 2013) in nine days.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, in less than three weeks.

Agatha Christie wrote her first detective novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles in two weeks.

According to Robert Louis Stevenson’s stepson, the author wrote Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in three days.

John Boyne wrote The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in two and a half days.

Even if you haven’t written a single word, you can still “win” NaNoWriMo! At this point, all you have to do is write 3,333.33 words per day!

And you only have to keep up that pace for two weeks! As opposed to month after month like Dame Barbara Cartland who holds the Guinness World Record for the most novels written in a year. Want to guess how many she wrote?

TWENTY-THREE!

Dame Barbara. She wrote 723 novels during her lifetime. 
And looked fabulous while doing it.

Okay, so maybe you’re not one of those people who can whip out a rough draft in two weeks or even a month. But how will you know unless you try? That’s what NaNoWriMo is about for me this year. Going for it. Putting my writing first for an entire month and just seeing what happens.

So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got 2,417 more words to go today...

Courage, Strength Welcome Here

Greetings, monkeys—turbo and otherwise! Marilyn here. One of my favorite sayings is, “Be strong and courageous.” Whenever I feel discouraged, that message picks me up, gives me a cold drink, and nudges me forward. Writers and artists need strength and courage from time to time. When you're low, here are a few ways to find them.

Be strong in listening to your muse. I don’t mean to wait for the muse in order to create, because you know as well as I that if we did, very little would get done. What I mean is that we all get our inspiration from somewhere, and it’s up to us to find where it lives. It might be a type of music, or gorgeous writing or painting at a level you want to be creating. Perhaps meditation, candlelight, a particular scent, being in nature, or yoga is your muse. Your children, your romantic relationship, or your faith might open the channel to your creative self. When it does, spend some time with it. The muse is always speaking, but do we always listen?

Be strong in saying No, and courageous in saying Yes. When we know what we do and don't want, it’s easier to say No kindly and without apology. Clearing your schedule, your assignment list, and your life of tasks that aren’t a good fit allows two things: (1) others who are better-suited and -abled get the opportunity to say Yes to them, and (2) you have the space to say Yes to those things that are the best fit.

Why Slog When You Can Collage?

Not long ago I had a conversation with a writer friend (I’m looking at you, Heather Petty) about the book I’m currently revising. Okay, mostly it was me despairing about my ongoing revisions and her listening patiently. And then she said this:

“If you are slogging through the writing, it will read like slog. You need to find the fun again.”

A few weeks later I stumbled across a post on author Jennifer Crusie's blog in which she described using collage to brainstorm her books.  

     As a costume designer, part of my process included creating a concept board (also known as a mood board, inspiration board or design board)- a collage of images and fabrics that could be used to communicate my design ideas/concept to the rest of the production team.