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Tuesday Tips: The Mindset of a Beginner

9/7/2017

Years ago, I read this super cute little book called “Just Say Om!: Your Life’s Journey.” It was mainly a book on various meditations, and it also had some great advice I’d never thought of before: the idea of always being a beginner.

At first I though, how silly. Beginners aren’t good at what they do. Why would I want to stay a beginner? But it’s about keeping the positive attitude beginners have. The excitement to learn. The willingness to take risks, to fail, and to try again.

If it still doesn't make sense, try thinking of it this way: it can be dangerous to think of yourself as an expert.

If you're "an expert" you're less likely to check your work over, or seek new information. You're limiting yourself to learning. I used to eat up every piece of writing info I could find. Whenever I saw a writing tip post, I would click. But after a while, I though, meh, I've seen them all already. Why keep looking? So I stopped for a bit, until it hit me that I might be missing out by thinking I know it all. Now, I also had somewhat of a bad habit of dinking around on the internet instead of writing, so clicking off those writing websites wasn't always a bad idea. But you know what I mean.

Experts can easily become overconfident, which can lead to bad writing. This is why they say you can't get away with an "exception to the rules" product until you're a huge success. I've seen some hugely popular traditionally published books that, when looked at critically, are terrible. If those were self-published, everyone would know how terrible they really are.

Once you're huge, you can get away with anything. You almost don't have to try anymore. Meanwhile, beginners are bringing all sorts of genius ideas to life, because they do have to try.

Now imagine how huge the already-successful author would be if they continued forward with a beginner's mindset.

I'm not saying you should always feel doubtful and never enjoy a confident day. Just feel a little better about your doubtful days, because it's part of learning. Stay excited about learning.

Also, I was super surprised to look up "Just Say Om!" and see it only has five reviews on Amazon. I haven't read it since I was a teenager, but I'd still recommend it.

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Wednesday Word: Introversion

9/7/2017

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Honest time: People exhaust me.

But hey you know what else does?
Dancing, singing, hiking, riding my tiny quad, snowboarding, writing, exercising, and pretty much anything involving physical or mental exertion. Doesn't mean I don't like any of those things. I'm exhausted after a day at the fair, but you know I had the best time ever.

Everyone always thinks "people exhaust me" means "I hate people." And I'll admit, that has come out of my mouth before. But that's not due to my introversion, it only happens when everyone around me is being a jerk.

Anyway... Introverts and extroverts aren't just shy or outgoing people. It's about energy. Introverts lose energy from being around people, and recharge by being alone. Extroverts somehow work the other way, which literally makes no sense at all to me.

I've seen a lot of posts out there explaining what introverts are all about, which is great. I really do think it's important for everyone to understand us.

But, what I don't understand in the slightest is how extroverts work. Being around other people is energizing for you? Really? That's great and all, but how? I'm not trying to be funny, I genuinely don't get it.

Everyone's a little of both, but if you're not sure which you are, ask yourself if you feel recharged after socializing, or tired and in need of some quiet time. Too many people oversimplify introverts as just "shy."

I don't know if most writers really are introverted, or if that's just a stereotype, but it's a stereotype I definitely fit into. I'm not at all ashamed to admit it. I'm a straight-up stereotypical introvert. There is power in being alone. Solitude cultivates creativity.

Also, special announcement! The Mansion's Twins will be FREE starting tomorrow, September 8th! And Dawn's Acapella is FREE all the time! Get your free books, and have some introvert time reading them!

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Tuesday Tips: Finding Time

9/5/2017

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Read a lot. Write a lot. Be persistent. But, sometimes, as badly as we want to achieve our authoring dreams, and as hard as we try to "make time," life gets in the way. So, how do we find time to live by our three golden rules?

Organize your work

When I first started blogging, I had trouble finding time to post once a week. Looking back, the issue wasn't time at all, it was direction. My old blog had no focus on what I was writing. Did I want to share my writing process? Promote my books? Give tips? Put my random thoughts out there for the world to see? I wasn't sure, and each week was either something totally new and unrelated to the previous week, or dull, short, and boring in an attempt for continuity.

Once I reorganized into three categories, everything flowed easier, and I found I could (almost) easily post three times a week.

If it's too difficult to fit reading and writing into the same day (or maybe your also trying to edit, or even promote a book you already have published), prioritize your days. One day for reading, another for writing or editing, etc. If you need longer chunks of time, that's fine too. Maybe take a week to focus on reading--that's about long enough to finish a book. Then take the next week to focus on your writing, while you think of what you'd like to read next.

Set a schedule

Of course it's easier to get writing done on a day off of work. At the same time, our days "off" aren't always relaxing. We often end up with long to-do lists, and our writing gets abandoned. It's important to put at least one writing item high on your to-do list. Scheduling blogs is always an item on my to-do lists, and so is either writing, editing, or reading. Notice the "or." If I put all of those items on my list, it can be overwhelming and I'll find myself more likely to stare into space.

Use work days

Sometimes it's hard to fit writing in during a busy work week. I can often take a half hour right after I get off work to focus on writing, but not always. But I did start using my lunch break to read. It's far more restoring than browsing the internet or trying to make small talk with your co-workers. At least, it is for this introvert.

Eliminate distractions

How long are you on the internet every day? How long do you need to be? We all need to check our emails and take care of things, but after a point things like Facebook can end up sucking you into a vortex. Pay attention to how long you spend there, and try to transfer some of that time to writing. You're still on your computer, your writing is waiting for you!

Don't "make" time, use waiting time

We hear it so often: if it's important to you, you'll make time! But what does that even mean? How do I "make" time? I've already blogged about forever running out of it! The best advice I've heard is to use the time we spend waiting. Got something in the oven? Pick up your book. Waiting in line? Book. You're ready to go, but no one else is? BOOK. There are lots of moments throughout the day where all we're really doing is waiting. I try to leave my work in progress up on my computer, so when those dead moments come, I can take advantage of them.

It's not about having hours to focus on your work. It's about taking advantage of minutes. Now go take advantage!

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