Write Well Me

10 Surefire Ways to Get Started On Any Writing Project

Have trouble getting started with your writing?

Have an idea but don't know how to get it down on paper?

Struggling with that first sentence?

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10 Surefire Ways to Get Started on Any Writing Project teleclass is just what you need. We'll cover 10 methods that you can use on any writing project, fiction or nonfiction, at any point in the writing process (middles and endings, as well as beginnings).

In addition, we'll go over beginnings of various writing pieces to give you solid examples and models.

Finally, you get the mini Get Started workbook that you can use over and over for writing projects.

DATE: Tuesday, May 10
TIME: 7:00pm eastern | 6:00pm central | 5:00pm mountain | 4:00pm pacific
LENGTH: 60-75 minutes
PRICE: $19, includes live class, recorded audio, and mini Get Started workbook

What do you have to lose?

Maybe continuing to struggle and still not getting started.

So, let's get started!

Find out more and register for the 10 Surefire Ways to Get Started on Any Writing Project teleclass

Reorg

When I moved into my apartment almost a year ago, I delighted in the much smaller space.  As weird as that may seem, it's true.  It meant that everything had to meet at least one of three criteria: it had to be useful, it had to be beautiful, or I had to love it.  If it didn't meet any of those three, out it went. 

I donated, sold, gave away the things that wouldn't come with me.  (And to put all in perspective, the old, big-ass house was so big, that Chris and I had enough of almost everything to furnish two smaller residences.  In the big scheme of things, we had to buy very little once we were out on our own.

So, here I am moving into my first apartment.  Everything has a place, and if it doesn't, it gets scrutinized again.  How useful is it? How beautiful isi it? How much do I love it?

In the end, everytbing in my new home was there deliberately and intentionally. 

Now why, almost a year later, am I in this re-organization frenzy?

Part of it, is that we aren't static human beings.  We don't stay the same.  Our lives don't stay the same.  What worked before might need to be slightly - or majorly - tweaked.

That all makes sense, yes, but there's something more.  It didn't just start with one bit of re-organization; it spread and spread and spread. I think I want my environment, which is so important to me in my new life, to keep up with  me.  I'm constantly evolving and developing, and so my environment has to evolve and develop.  (But it doesn't do that on its own - it needs help - which means effort on my part.)

It started with my closet in my office.  I have a filing cabinet and a crafts cart in there (the closet serves double duty), and I had unfinished quilts stacked up on the top of the filing cabinet, which meant I couldn't use the flat surface for anything like papers or whatever.  Actually, if I think about it, it started before then, when Small Child started scrapbooking, and I unpacked a couple of boxes of my old scrapbooking stuff.  I needed to find places for these things, so in the closet they went.

Back to the quilts.... I wanted to use that hard surface of my filing cabinet, so I needed to move the quilts.  Now, I've done a pretty good job of maximizing the space already, so it's not like I just happened to have empty space lying around.  I cleaned out a drawer in my dresser (by getting rid of some clothes that I knew I wouldn't wear and consolidating contents of other drawers).  Now my quilts had their own space, and I had a usable surface in my closet.  (Now, if I can just get those unfinished quilts done, but that's another story.)

Looking at my closet, I realized it wasn't being used as efficiently as it could, so I asked M to help me make it more efficient (add shelves, whatever) when he was here (it didn't happen, but there's always a next time).

Next up was re-organizing my cabinet above the toilet that held nail polish, medicine, and band-aids.  Nail polish had taken over the place (I do live with two girls), but after my recent surgery and emergency room visit, my medicine section had grown.  And then I got a first-aid kit from M (he is a very practical man), and that needed space.  So, clean out the nail polish, make the girls store their horrid colors in their own bathroom, get rid of pollish that's old, and I now have a more usable medicine/nail polish cabinet.

Now for the current project, which I decided to take on this weekend.

During this last visit of M's, we explored my cocktail books and started experimenting with different cocktails.  While that was fun, it made me look at how my kitchen and dining room are arranged.  Some alcohol here (bigger bottles in the bottom cabinet), smaller bottles here (where they'll fit), glasses here, there, and everywhere.

I decided I could clean out one cabinet (it's always cabinets, isn't it?) in the buffet that currently stores vases.  I mean, really.... how many vases does one need at one time?  I'm thinking I don't need 17 all at once.  I'll take them out of the cabinet, move them to an unused shelf in the girls' linen closet, move the taller liquor bottles in there.  Then, I'll move the beautiful tea pots to the shelf down below (so they can still be seen), and put the various glasses on that shelf.

While I was planning all this, I had an idea for the food shelves that have never been perfect.  I have all my spices jammed into a cabinet, and if you try to get anything out, several fall out.  I won't do a spice rack on the counter because of visual clutter, so there they've stayed.  Last night, I had the brilliant idea of a spice rack on the inside of the cabinet door, and you've never seen me get to Target so quick.

So, by the end of today, I hope to have a cool, efficient set-up for cocktails, annoying spices moved, better use of my food cabinet.

Will there be sometihng next in the Reorg saga?  No clue.  But I do know that it's not just making my space more efficient or making it work better or more useful or whatever.  It's making it more me.

The Year of Hell Part 2

After I wrote the Year of Hell Part 1 post, I counted the bullet points that made up the Year of Hell.  17.  No wonder it's the Year of Hell. 

17.  That's a staggering number of things and situations to deal with in a relatively short period of time. AND I've remembered others that should be on the list, but got forgotten.  Oh, and stuff gets added in real time (as opposed to remembering past things), hence, the Year of Hell Part 1 1/2.

So what in the world could the Year of Hell Part 2 be about?  Isn't Part 1 bad enough?  Yes, and that's why the Part 2.  (And where I really deviate from the Voyager episode.)

The Year of Hell Part 1 has been made bearable (some days barely; other days there are instances of pure joy) by the following:

• Intense, love-filled, conscious, and intentional relationships.  I could list each and every one of them here, and that would help outnumber the 17 bullet points in Part 1.
• I can actually - and do frequently - think about what I'm grateful for, and I'm a VERY lucky girl to have the types of relationships in my life that I do - from romantic partner to BFF to dear friends to daughters.
• I BE in the world.  I try to give everything my intentional focus, instead of multi-tasking.  Now, there are times that I multi-task, but I'm conscious of those.  But when I'm working or spending time with my loved ones, THAT is my focus.  It can take a lot of energy to focus and be intentional - at times - but it is so the way I want to be.
• I've formed some new friendships where the other person and I were willing to jump in with both feet and explore our new relationships.  That's rare, and I so celebrate the courage, openness, and love from these new friends.
• My relationship with my daughters is better than ever.  I constantly find myself amazed at the maturity and intelligence.  Teen Child, in particular, has a mature, complex way of understanding the world, meaning she gets life concepts that I bet many adults can't grasp. I actually get to have real, meaningful conversations with them.
• I've created a warm, rich, loving, energy-filled, sacred environment.  I frequently sit on my couch, look around, and almost pinch myself at my good fortune to have created (I will absolutely take credit for this - I'm proud of it!) and live in this space.
• I've become more open to other ways of being in the world, and I have finally - for the first time in my life - embraced the real Dawn.  She had been hiding for a long time (for good reason), and she's finally safe enough to show herself.
• I've written some short stories and even a poem I'm proud of.  While I would love to spend more time writing, I'm proud of what I have accomplished, especially given the Year of Hell Part 1.
• Despite pressure from individuals (one of the things that should have been added to the other 17 bullet points but was forgotten), I have kept my boundaries intact in order to keep myself safe.
• I have incredible, amazing, deeply fulfilling, creative relationships with my clients.  I adore each and every one of them, and I feel honored and blessed that they have let me into their lives and their businesses so deeply.
• My workstyle has shifted.  Some of it's due to a new organizational system, and maybe that was all that was needed, but my productivity, creativity, and efficiency have shot through the roof.
• I'm teaching the Writing Essentials Program, and I have a class filled with four amazing women who take the courageous step to work on their writing, give everything they have to this class, are eager to learn, and constantly amaze me with their enthusiasm and level of work.  I would teach three of these at once if I had classes full of people like these four women.
• I get to travel.  Yes, most of it is to visit my beloved, and I see some amazing places.  And I get to travel for and with my clients, and that feels like yummy dessert.
• I've asked for help, especially after my surgery.  While it's still VERY hard for me to do, I'm proud that I've taken that one baby step.
• There are some amazing possibilities out there; the sky is the limit. I don't feel boxed in or trapped - by anything.  There are programs I can develop, classes I can teach, products I can create, work opportunities....
• I'm in a constant state of exploration - relationships, spirituality, work, writing, possibilities.  Again, the sky is the limit.
• And a tangible win.  During my last trip, I had a voice mail from my gynocologist when the plane landed for my connection in Denver.  "Call me," the message said.  Knowing that I was going to be absolutely unavailable once I got on my connecting flight, I left a return message imploring my doctor to call before my next flight took off or after it landed.  Within fifteen minutes I had a call.  "How are you?" he asked.  "Uh, I don't know.  *You* tell me how I am."  "You're fine," he said. So the other travellers in the Denver airport were treated to the sight of a woman sobbing in the middle of the concourse.  When I called M to tell him the news, he said, "Finally, a win.  I forgot what one of those looks like."

So, while I can't say, "See?  The Year of Hell isn't quite so bad" - because no matter what, it was and is hard, I'm grateful for my life. And, in case anyone is wondering, I'd prefer Part 2 to Part 1.  Just sayin'.

And here's to many more wins.

The Year of Hell Part 1 1/2

Just when I thought I could be done with the Year of Hell Part 1.... Much like the actual Voyager episode - things keep getting worse.

Not only did I miss some points that should have been part of the list, but then we've gotten some new ones....

M's brother-in-law, already spiralling down with Parkinson's and paranoia issues, now is in renal failure.  That was Wednesday's news.

And then today's news that my grandmother died.  While it was expected since she had decided two weeks ago to not live, it was still some of the hardest words I've ever heard.  And now the person who was the closest thing I had to a mother is gone.  Forever. Yes, I know she'll live forever in my heart and all that blah blah blah that people say to make the surviving feel better, but she's still gone.

While the Year of Hell Part 2 is still valid (you'll understand when I can bear to post it), the Year of Hell Part 1 (or 1 1/2) is still very much in play.

The Year of Hell Part 1

My beloved adores Star Trek, so some of our conversations turn to Star Trek for important and necessary metaphors. The last few months (more on that in Part 1 below) have been just short of (and sometimes right in line with) horrific. 

Yet, we go on.  We have to; there seems to be no other choice but to go forward in the original direction. (Yes, I realize there *is* a choice, but that's another post for another time.)

In order to go on, we normalize the situation.  We make the bed, brush our teeth, cook dinner, work, go to the grocery store.... Occasionally we might try to do "normal," fun things like write, go shopping, go to the movies, read a book.

And then we think life is fine.... "Hey, I just went to the movies!"

But it's not.  It's the Year of Hell.

Star Trek Voyager had a two-part episode called "The Year of Hell." Because of life in the last few months, M made sure we watched it last time I visited.  While this post doesn't follow the format of the Voyager episodes (sorry, Star Trek fans), it is a great metaphor.

In the episode, the crew of Voyager have to survive - and survive - and survive against seemingly unsurmountable odds (and it doesn't help that time keeps shifting, and they're put in worse situations than before).

Part 1 of my Year of Hell

• So while I could start with truly a year ago (enduring the second year of separation while still living in the same house, trying to sell the house, moving into a new place, adjusting to a new life, helping my children adjust to a new life, new schools for both girls, new relationship), that seems so old and far away that it almost seems not real, or almost tame in comparison. This Year of Hell starts in November with the first blip in my relationship with M where I wasn't sure the "us" would survive.  The "us" did survive, but it took a lot of work and introspection.  And, in reality, it was about a week and a half.  A week and a half of pure hell (no pun intended), and we were committed to working through it - hence, why it was "only" a week and a half.
• As part of that working through it, M visited in December.  His visit ended with a trip to my ophthalmologist to check on my eyes, and I found out I had to have eye surgery - again.  After two previous surgeries, the first of which did not go well, I wasn't super excited about it.  To be more blunt, I had to constantly work to center and ground myself and to stave off depression.
• The day M got home from his trip here, he found out his mother had brain cancer, and she started treatment that day.
• December, with its frontload of holidays and my car's seeming need for big repair every December, my financial situation was not looking good.  I rallied and came up with a solution, but there were a few hours where I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me.
• And since it was December, it was the first Christmas for my girls that wasn't in the house where they had spent the majority of their lives.  Their father and I worked to make Christmas work for all of us, but there were definitely some emotions and constant vigilance to make that work.
• Oh, and I slid on the icy roads, and had to make a split-second decision about whether to hit a wooden fence or a brick pillar.  I went for the fence. (And now my poor car looks beat up.)
• By the end of the month, M's mother started to deteriorate, healthwise and mentally. 
• In January, I was planning my visit to M for two weeks, the longest we'd ever been together.  Two days after I got there, we admitted M's mother to the hospital, and we visited every day.  Her health and well-being deteriorated even more rapidly, and she died the day I was originally planning to leave.  I extended my trip, and did what I could to be of help, emotionally and in practical matters.
• Four days after I returned home, M came for my surgery.  My thinking was that I'd undergo surgery, and the weekend after, we'd be partying heartily.  (My experience after the second eye surgery was very positive - I was up and painting the bathroom within days - woo hoo!)  The immediate aftermath of the surgery was miserable - the worst nausea I've ever experienced and the anti-nausea pain medication brought it down from a 10 to 4 of nausea, not fun to be in a car driving home when nauseous.  Hence, recovery in the actual hospital took a very long time.
• And then after surgery - not only was there no partying, but there was extreme exhaustion, pain, and double vision.  The "few days" of double vision turned into weeks, and as of today, I still have double vision if I'm tired.
• Because of Dr. Guyton's original "it should only be a few days" and the worsening of the double vision after four days, I had the worst night of my life.  Extreme panic and anxiety that had me on the kitchen floor sobbing, really not sure if I was going to make it to the next day.
• I did make it to the next day, which brought muscle spasms that landed me in the ER.  M extended his visit as I was obviously in no shape to run my life. 
• Work suffered.  My productivity and energy level were well below normal.  I had to cancel (actually, I was forbidden by my client) attending my client's retreat where I would manage and help out.
• March - My annual papsmear came back abnormal, and instead of doing another one, my doctor did a culposcopy, which led him to do two biopsies.  And he wouldn't get the results for 10-14 days.  (Hello, this IS 2011.  What the heck could possibly take so long?) Let's add another wrinkle to the mix.
• My grandmother, always very healthy and vibrant, went into the hospital and had four surgeries in about eight days.  One to fix an aortic abdominal aneurism, and the other three to fix a bowel obstruction.  The surgeon removed parts of her small intestine during two of the surgeries, and the last surgery was to make sure all was well before they closed her up.
• Since then, in the last almost-two weeks, my grandmother, feeling like her life won't be what it once was, has decided she doesn't want to live. So, she's in hospice, refusing medical intervention, and waiting to die.
• During all this, M's brother-in-law suffers from Parkinson's, and his health has worsened considerably.  (What is it with all the health issues?) Along with physical deterioration, his mental facilities are going, and paranoia and dementia have ramped up.  M and his family have been providing care giving themselves, and they finally placed him in a managed care facility.  However, he's acted out, and he had to be admitted to the hospital for psych evaluation.  And it's not pleasant.

On a daily basis, I've had some of these items affecting me here and right now or, at the very least, in the background.  And it's not over.  My grandmother is still hanging on (which is making her mad), and the situation with M's brother-in-law isn't resolved yet.

Part 2 to come.

When was the last time you spent time writing - for you?

Here I am working on the Year of Writing From My Soul, and I'm slightly sheepish at just how much not-writing I've done over the last few weeks.

Do I have some good excuses? Sure I do.

But I still want to write.

How about you? Do you ache to write, but yet life seems to keep getting in the way? Or everything else seems to be much more important and is screaming, "RIGHT NOW!" and so writing takes a back seat? Do you worry that you just don't know how to get started? Or that you've lost momentum and rhythm, and you have no idea how to get it back?

What if writing were easy? What if you had this big block of time devoted to writing? What if the space appeared and gave you a big, luxurious hunk of time to just write?

I can make it that easy for you.

WHAT: Just Write! Virtual Workshop
DATE: Friday, April 8 - THIS FRIDAY!
TIME: 12:00pm - 4:00pm eastern
LOCATION: Virtual! From wherever you want to write (but try to make sure it's a quiet place, as there will be a group of us together).
PRICE: $29 - includes the four-hour workshop, handouts, and on-the-spot coaching.

To find out more and to register for a Just Write Virtual Workshop, click here.

Here's to writing - for you - and now!