We moved house recently, not a totally unknown occurrence for us as we have nomadic tendencies, but we’d lived in the house for almost six years, which is pretty much a record for us.
The new place is only about 5 km and a couple of bays further up the coast, so I know the general area, and still use most of the same facilities, shopping etc. Because of this, there have been one or two occasions when I’ve got into the car and switched into autopilot mode, only to find myself taking a route back to the old house. Habits are powerful things!
Autopilot mode is useful and we use it in most aspects of our life. When we first learn to do something, like driving, we have to go through each individual movement, possibly even muttering instructions to ourselves as we do. However, once we’ve learned the sequence of movements and practiced them, dozens or possibly hundreds of times, the knowledge moves into a different area of our brain, and we don't think through each individual component or movement.
Habits of themselves aren’t good or bad, they are a part of our learning and development. When you get dressed tomorrow, look at what foot you put into your pants or socks first, and then the following day use the opposite foot first. It’s hard to break the habit because it’s something we do without thinking, but if we had to think through every movement or task we do, we’d be overwhelmed.
The writing work ethic is an interesting one. Some writers wait for the muse to attack, while others write every day.
My day job is non-fiction writing, and if I’ve learned anything it’s that waiting for the muse to attack doesn’t work. It may seem like a very ‘writerly’ thing to say, but in practise it means we’re not going to finish. The only way to finish a book is to write.
It’s certainly not the easiest thing in the world, especially when the sun is shining, but the bottom line is: writers write.
I speak from the experience of both sides. I’ve had periods when I’ve made myself sit down every day and write, and periods that, for various reasons, I haven’t been able to, or not felt like writing.
What I do know, is that when you sit down to write on a regular basis, magic happens.
Now to practice the art of habit and follow the advice of Mary Heaton Vorse.
‘The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.’
Showing posts with label Practise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Practise. Show all posts
11 April 2014
12 July 2012
Self-discovered Learning
Most of my non-fiction writing and work is in the Learning and Development area. In a recent article I came across this quote.
'The only kind of learning which significantly influences behaviour is self-discovered learning - truth that has been assimilated in experience.' Carl Rogers.
Self-discovered learning isn't necessarily learning something on your own, it's the discovered element that is important. For example, you're giving a presentation and want the audience to remember an important statistic. It's pointless giving it to them. Make them work for it. Let them discover the information themselves. It will remain with them for longer than you telling them, even if prefaced with the words - this is very important.
So how does this relate to writing?
I've blogged a number of times about the benefits of writing groups, and a couple of years ago I had an experience of self-discovered learning through the writing group.
At one meeting several of the group pointed out a number of places where I was 'walking the dog'. If you've never heard of the phrase it basically means that you over-describe an everyday action, like making a sandwich or getting ready for work in the morning. It's something that can be left out, or covered in a sentence.
I knew all about 'walking the dog', I could see it in other writing, but that night it was as if someone had just removed a blindfold. I looked at the extract and suddenly saw it in my own writing. How could I have missed it before!
I was walking the dog.
It was an interesting learning experience, and I'm now aware of 'walking the dog' in a way I wasn't before.
Self-discovered learning - truth understood in experience.
'The only kind of learning which significantly influences behaviour is self-discovered learning - truth that has been assimilated in experience.' Carl Rogers.
Self-discovered learning isn't necessarily learning something on your own, it's the discovered element that is important. For example, you're giving a presentation and want the audience to remember an important statistic. It's pointless giving it to them. Make them work for it. Let them discover the information themselves. It will remain with them for longer than you telling them, even if prefaced with the words - this is very important.
So how does this relate to writing?
I've blogged a number of times about the benefits of writing groups, and a couple of years ago I had an experience of self-discovered learning through the writing group.
At one meeting several of the group pointed out a number of places where I was 'walking the dog'. If you've never heard of the phrase it basically means that you over-describe an everyday action, like making a sandwich or getting ready for work in the morning. It's something that can be left out, or covered in a sentence.
I knew all about 'walking the dog', I could see it in other writing, but that night it was as if someone had just removed a blindfold. I looked at the extract and suddenly saw it in my own writing. How could I have missed it before!
I was walking the dog.
It was an interesting learning experience, and I'm now aware of 'walking the dog' in a way I wasn't before.
Self-discovered learning - truth understood in experience.
25 June 2012
A Professional Writer...
A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit - Richard Bach.
How true this is. There are things I've tried and given up very quickly, coming to the conclusion it wasn't for me. Obviously I wasn't that compelled by the activity in the first place. The writing equivalent are those who say 'Someday I'll write a book', or people who have three or four first chapters sitting on their hard drive and never progress them.
To be good at anything you have to work at it. With the Olympics coming up I will no doubt marvel at the speed people can run, and how graceful and talented the gymnasts are etc. I'll daydream how it would be to do those things, and push away the thought of the hours of practice and training required.
Writing is just the same. To be any good at it we need to write, and keep on writing through the rejections, competitions not won, and manuscripts returned with (possibly) a compliments slip.
I look at some of my earlier writing and shudder. How could I have thought it was so great? Today I can see where it's weak, the places I told the story rather than showing, the clunky dialogue and - well you get the picture.
Some of them had a good idea at their heart, and those I've taken and worked on and improved. A couple of them have since been published.
I am just as certain that in a few years I'll look back at the things I write today and will see how they can be improved. That's the nature of the business. We have to give ourselves permission not to be the greatest when we first start, but also not give up on ourselves, and keep on learning and practising.
How true this is. There are things I've tried and given up very quickly, coming to the conclusion it wasn't for me. Obviously I wasn't that compelled by the activity in the first place. The writing equivalent are those who say 'Someday I'll write a book', or people who have three or four first chapters sitting on their hard drive and never progress them.
To be good at anything you have to work at it. With the Olympics coming up I will no doubt marvel at the speed people can run, and how graceful and talented the gymnasts are etc. I'll daydream how it would be to do those things, and push away the thought of the hours of practice and training required.
Writing is just the same. To be any good at it we need to write, and keep on writing through the rejections, competitions not won, and manuscripts returned with (possibly) a compliments slip.
I look at some of my earlier writing and shudder. How could I have thought it was so great? Today I can see where it's weak, the places I told the story rather than showing, the clunky dialogue and - well you get the picture.
Some of them had a good idea at their heart, and those I've taken and worked on and improved. A couple of them have since been published.
I am just as certain that in a few years I'll look back at the things I write today and will see how they can be improved. That's the nature of the business. We have to give ourselves permission not to be the greatest when we first start, but also not give up on ourselves, and keep on learning and practising.
23 April 2012
Skateboarding Lessons
Most days I try to go for a walk or a run. As I live close to the sea my walks often take me to one of my local beaches. Along the length of one beach is a wide grassed area where there is a children's play park with swings, climbing frames and slides. Next to that is a skateboard area. Most days this is full of older children and teenagers on skateboards, bikes and scooters, and I'm often amazed at the tricks and manoeuvres they're able to perform. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at how good they are, because they're there most days, and spend hours practising the jumps and manoeuvres.
Sometimes they don't get up enough speed for the ramp or miss a jump. They pick up their skateboard, and do it again. Each missed jump teaches them something new about speed and distance and angles.
Why is it then we feel such a failure when we don't get placed in a writing competition, or receive a rejection from an editor or publisher, or read something we've written and think it's rubbish?
It takes a lot of hours of practising our craft to improve our writing skills. Each time something comes back from an editor or publisher we should look for a way to improve it, especially if we're fortunate enough to receive some feedback with the rejection. We might not get skinned knees like the skateboarders, but dealing with rejection is hard. We all know we should be objective about it, but that's difficult when you're reading the letter or scrawled comments on a slip of paper.
Ultimately, unless we want to give up, we have to handle the rejection (chocolate often helps!), and get on with practising our craft by more writing, more editing, and learning from each experience. Time now to do that.
Sometimes they don't get up enough speed for the ramp or miss a jump. They pick up their skateboard, and do it again. Each missed jump teaches them something new about speed and distance and angles.
Why is it then we feel such a failure when we don't get placed in a writing competition, or receive a rejection from an editor or publisher, or read something we've written and think it's rubbish?
It takes a lot of hours of practising our craft to improve our writing skills. Each time something comes back from an editor or publisher we should look for a way to improve it, especially if we're fortunate enough to receive some feedback with the rejection. We might not get skinned knees like the skateboarders, but dealing with rejection is hard. We all know we should be objective about it, but that's difficult when you're reading the letter or scrawled comments on a slip of paper.
Ultimately, unless we want to give up, we have to handle the rejection (chocolate often helps!), and get on with practising our craft by more writing, more editing, and learning from each experience. Time now to do that.
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