Do rituals get you to a writing, or otherwise productive, frame of mind? You’re not alone. Today’s post looks at the quirky ways some famous writers began their books. How they faced their blank page and ‘got into’ a writing rhythm to get the job done.
A little book of bigtime author secrets
After reading a book I bought years ago at a fundraising table in the foyer of the YWCA on Hornby, I began to share some of my own quirky starters and writing sparks. The book, which is still in my library, is called “Secret Lives of Great Authors.” It’s a fun, gossipy read. It was more thrilling to me than People Magazine of the day. Fittingly, I was there for the Y pool, where other local writers I knew also swam between drafts of their work to balance all our hours at a desk.
After you conquer the “Blank Page” our next practical focus is how to actually begin a written piece –with impact. “Call me Ishmael”. Well, still Helena here sharing the journey of applying writing skills to sorting out the last, hopefully long, act of my life. But you know that’s how Herman Melville drew us into … Read more
Ta·bu·la ra·sa. A Latin term for the idea that humans are born as a “blank or clean slate” with no innate knowledge. We learn from life experience as we grow. Plausible?
Well, as writers do, I checked with Merriam-Webster and found a nuanced alternate definition. Their tabula rasa meant “smooth or erased tablet”. Still, it refers to the mind in its original state before outside influences. Do you believe there is a uniform original state that is blank for each of us as we enter this world?
Is there a totally blank page in writing, and in life?
Deadlines: Are they a pressure or a productivity assist for you?
In the last post, we defined deadlines and agreed on their value. They help us get things done. I always tell people to give creatives, in particular, a deadline. Where their mind goes without one will be the stuff of a future post. Today, we explore the dark sides of deadlines, and there are many.
Ways to work with deadlines
I tackle deadline stress and success through the lens of my greatest body of experience – 40 years of writing for the communications and public relations needs of clients in varied industries and work settings. It yielded a great deal of observation that has been useful.
Like many folks, I can often have more clarity and certainty in my work life than navigating even my ‘pro-level’ personal phases.
Let’s explore the accepted definitions of “Deadline”
What Is a Deadline, Really?
Traditionally, a deadline is defined as a time or date by which something must be completed. But the origin of the term is much darker. It came from American Civil War prisons, where a “dead line” marked the boundary prisoners could not cross without being shot. From literal life-or-death consequences, it evolved into something more psychological—yet still stressful—applied to the world of publishing, journalism, and the arts.
Today, a deadline is a finish line. A marker of commitment. A line in the sand between “someday” and “done.”
On Living Life in General: The thing I’ve done and the persona I’ve lived for the greatest portion of my life, other than being a human 24/7, has been as a writer in the service of education, marketing and support to individuals and organisations in the business or general community. So, as I live out … Read more
158th Canada Day celebrations abound in the land. From Vancouver, on one of the 3 oceans that border the country, I listen to the radio coverage by our official national broadcaster, CBC. The rest of the country is beyond my southern exposure patio door. Drapes are drawn to keep my space cooler and protected from … Read more
If the Fast food drive-through window was an innovation borrowed from the banking industry, why shouldn’t I find solutions to my stuckness in life from a muscle-bound man who became a larger-than-life success in spheres of business and motivation? Today: Our portfolio now does $200M/yr between 10 companies. The largest doing $100M/yr the smallest doing … Read more
Posts of ideas and memories to share appear here as they roll in, with the most recent posted at the top. Enjoy. Feel free to comment (with kindness) or share your memory of any post that might spark for you. —Our websites are moving to Canadian hosting. Bear with us as the local company and … Read more
In my desire to tell the whole story, I am telling none of it. “Cooked in the squat,” as legendary salesman and motivational speaker Zig Zigler said. The analogy, as I heard it long ago on cassette tape while driving to business meetings, was about a mixture formed with all the ingredients. The lumps of … Read more
Well, as writers do, I checked with Merriam-Webster and found a nuanced alternate definition. Their ta
Traditionally, a deadline is defined as a time or date by which something must be completed. But the origin of the term is much darker. It came from American Civil War prisons, where a “dead line” marked the boundary prisoners could not cross without being shot. From literal life-or-death consequences, it evolved into something more psychological—yet still stressful—applied to the world of publishing, journalism, and the arts.