8 Benefits of a Daily Writing Habit
I’m celebrating achieving my writing goals for another month of writing every single day as a result of participating in an online daily writing challenge for twenty months since January, 2014. I’ve discovered some benefits from dragging, pulling and pushing myself to meet this challenge.
Eight Benefits of a Daily Writing Habit
1. Stronger. As I force myself to overcome the emotional resistance and obstacles, my self-discipline is strengthened. I feel stronger.
2. Self-Discipline. The self-discipline of consistency enables and benefits me in other areas of my life.
3. Capture Moments. I capture beneficial insights, anecdotes, journal entries and stories that otherwise would be lost.
4. Book material. Consistent themes emerge that will eventually be three or four books so I’m making progress in writing my books.
5. Legacy. Stories are written to pass down a legacy to my children and grandchildren and creates potential material for articles, magazines etc.
6. Reflection. I get to process my day and gain insight from situations. We don’t get much time for reflection in our demanding and busy lives. Writing forces and gives time to mine the treasures of the day.
7. Better Writer. I’m growing as a writer. Practicing writing strategies in my daily writing refines my writing skills.
8. Satisfaction. My eyes are more open, my ears more attuned and my mind more alert to the gems in everyday life so I find more purpose and fulfillment in life.
Writing daily is not an easy habit to develop but it has a great deal of benefits and it’s worth it!
If you’d like to grow in your productivity and overcome some of your writing fears, come join this writing support group. Also, check out my book on Amazon kindle, “From Stuck to Success: Conquer Your Fears and Achieve Your Writing Dreams.”
If you would like to learn to write or learn to write better or write your story, check out my writing course,“How to Write for Fun and Profit.”
Discover the benefits of writing for yourself.
Go write now.
Enjoy the gift of writing!
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Writing Tip ~ Find Your Fresh Voice
Are you finding freedom in expressing your voice, your unique writing style?
I think it’s important to celebrate little as well as big achievements in our lives. So yesterday I bought flowers and basked in the glow of achievement.
With joy, I celebrated a couple of speaking opportunity that came my way for “Write Your Story NOW” and I celebrated completing my monthly writing goals as part of the 500 word a day writing challenge group. Once again for the month of September I wrote, Every. Single. Day.
When I gazed at the flower selection to make my choice, these pink and white mums captured my attention. They reminded me of when my Colombian daughter, Rosita, graduated from high school.
She had two outfits she debated on for her senior party. One of them I preferred and wanted her to wear. However, she liked the pink and white one better.
“Which one do you like mom?” She asked me in a tone that told me she wanted to please me.
“I like this one,” I pointed to the other one, “but I want you to choose which one you like better. This is your party and I want you to feel good in what you wear.”
When she chose the other one, I was mildly disappointed she didn’t chose the one I favored. However, she had a sense of freedom and she looked so cute and fresh in her pink and white outfit, my feelings quickly changed to delight.
I’m in a season in my life where I no longer want to please everyone else and fit into a mold. I’ve been fighting to allow myself to nurture my more creative self while meeting business expectations. Not easy.
The flowers remind me that it’s okay for me too to be who I want to be and to wear what I want and to be the voice in the writing world that I want to be.
My voice may not please everyone and may not fit in a mold but like my daughter in her pink and white, my contribution can be delightful, fresh and free.
Maybe you can relate to some of this about finding your unique voice. I would love to support you in discovering your voice and expressing it well. You can also learn how to write or learn creative writing strategies in the “How to Write for Fun and Profit” writing course.
To overcome your fears about expressing your voice, you’ll find tips, encouragement and strategies in this book,”From Stuck to Success: Conquer Your Fears and Achieve Your Writing Dreams.“
Sometimes you have to break out of the mold of what your family or culture likes and find a new path. Discover your unique voice. Be free to express it and share it with us. The world needs to hear what you have to say.
Go Write now.
Enjoy the Gift of Writing!
3 Writing Tips ~ Having Fun With Fire
What do you see in the flames?
When I drove home tonight, I spotted flames shooting into the sky in a grass field by our local university. Out of curiosity, I went over to investigate a unusually large bonfire with students gathered around it. Turns out they had created it for an event.
As I stood there, the variety of shapes the flames created intrigued me so I snapped these photos. Each time I took a photo, the shapes changed.
My imagination took over. I see faces, men. women and maybe angels in the flames.
What do you see?
The photos I shot of the wood burning intrigues me simply because of the different shapes of the wood.
I could have simply turned left instead of right to go home but I took a moment to enrich my life with a mini adventure.
Now I’m inviting you to join in the play.
What do you see?
Maybe you don’t want to share but do take a creative moment of joy in all the interesting shapes of the flames.
What does this have to do with writing?
If you’re going to be a writer you have to be able to see and share what others don’t so they can see too.
3 Creative Writing Tips
- Look for the intrigue in every day life.
- Do something out of your routine to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
- Activate your imagination by letting your creative side out.
If you want to learn how to write, how to write better or creative writing check out this online writing course, “How to Write for Fun and Profit.” If it meets your needs, I’d love to work with you.
If you’d like more encouragement, productivity tips and strategies to overcome your writing fears, check out this book, “From Stuck to Success: Conquer Your Fears and Achieve Your Writing Dreams.”
In conclusion, ponder these questions.
- How can you break out of your routine to be open to the extraordinary?
- What do you see that intrigues you in everyday life?
- How can you share that in your writing?
When you have fun with your writing, others will too.
Enjoy the Gift of Writing!
Writing Tips From A Butterfly Painting
Do you want to attract people to you as a writer?
One way is to be unique and different in how you express yourself. I’ve discovered that doing creative activities in other areas helps me be more creative and unique in my writing.
For example, in my last watercolor class I painted a butterfly. My teacher is an accomplished artist in the master’s category. She’s made her living as a freelance artist and some of her originals designs and art work are breathtaking.
In class, we drew a simple butterfly. First of all, I traced over my teacher’s lines with tracing paper. As I did so, my mind focused on the movement of my hand and how it felt copying her lines. I broke each section down and got a feel for how the lines went together. 
Copying the masters is a good way to learn art techniques according to my sister who is a well known color pencil artist and art coach. She’s taught me that it’s a good idea to copy the masters as a learning experience.
After copying my teacher, when I went to draw my own butterfly my confidence in drawing had been strengthened. She had carefully explained her strategies, design and composition decisions.
As we painted, she shared her thinking and strategies. I listened and followed her art principles but created my own version of the butterfly. Much to my delight, my simple butterfly painting as an budding artist expressed an inspired uniqueness.
I reflected on how this applies to writing. We can learn the strategies and techniques of more advanced writers by reading their work and learning from how they write well. Then we take those principles and create something that is uniquely ours. My butterfly though imperfect and not as advanced as an experienced artist brought me satisfaction and joy. In the same way, you can enjoy implementing creative writing strategies at whatever level you’re at and find satisfaction and joy.
This is why I love to work with students sharing the online writing course, “How to Write for Fun and Profit.” You learn writing strategies that the masters use to craft their bestselling books, stories and memories. Check it out and if this is something that would fit your needs, I would love to support as you learn to write or learn to write more creatively.
Since you’re a writer, you want to get your books, stories, memories, or articles and blog posts done. A winning formula is accountability, support and encouragement to achieve your dreams and you’ll find it in the “From Stuck to Success Community.” You don’t have to be stuck to join, you simply need a desire and commitment to achieve your writing dreams.
If you want encouragement, productivity tips and strategies to overcome your fears, Check out the book I wrote to encourage you, “From Stuck to Success:Conquer Your Fears and Achieve Your Writing Dreams.” “From Stuck to Success:Conquer Your Fears and Achieve Your Writing Dreams.”
I encourage you to nurture your creative side in whatever way you can. You’ll find 5 Tips to Nurture Your Creative Side by clicking here.
Don’t simply go through life, nurture your creative side and enjoy life!
Go Write NOW!
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Writing Tip: Let the Child in You Out to Play
Today, I had a lot to do. I walked by my watercolors. My heart longed to stop and enjoy them. Most of the time I walk on because it takes time to get everything out and then put it away. Because of other demands with my work, those creative urges get repressed and leave an an unfulfilled longing.
However, today I decided to apply the 15 minute principle. I pulled out my little travel case of watercolors and sat down and began to play with them. I have taken drawing and watercolor classes before but set those on the shelf for years. Recently, I started going to a watercolor class again.
My grandsons inspire me with their simply joy in creating art and they don’t care what it looks like. “Look what I did!” They exclaim as they eagerly point to their paintings.
I decided to let myself be a child again and simply be creative and capture the joy I see in them. I had learned other more formal methods to make everything look good but somehow that approach also hindered me because it took so much time.
So I imitated my grandsons and simply sat down and did a watercolor sketch and then wet into wet paint. I’m sharing it here to say, “Look what I did!”
After I finished in about 15 minutes, I felt renewed and refreshed and my business tasks seemed lighter and more doable. Then I decided to write about it and I feel more inspired and creative in my writing too.
I encourage you to experiment with other creative activities and hobbies to give you a fresh approach to your work and your writing.
This is a fabulous productivity tip to motivate yourself and to get your writing done.
Come be a kid again and learn how to write or learn how to write better. Check out “How to Write for Fun and Profit” and play and learn with me.
A proverb that inspires me to pursue the desires of my heart says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12
Be a kid again. Pursue the desires of your heart and don’t be afraid to share with us your creative endeavors even if they’re childlike. The important thing is to do them!
For additional insights, read 5 Tips to Nourish Your Creative Side and Let Play Support Your Work.
What do you like to do to nurture your creative side and how does that help you with your writing? Share with us in the comments below.
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How to Write: Have Fun Creating Word Pictures
Do you enjoy word pictures? Does it stimulate your creativity to create them with your writing?
I love to read good word pictures and I enjoy crafting them. Here’s one I created the other day. I had fun with it so I thought I’d share it with you and see if it would inspire you to create your own.
My sister and I sat in the lovely outdoor setting of the Carlsbad Inn in southern California gazing at the flowers and enjoying lively music from the sixties.
Suddenly, a woman with grey hair who looked to be about seventy-five, rounded the corner. Her bright pink shirt covered her protruding tummy as she swayed from side to side to the music. She walked/danced in rhythm with the beat as she made her way to her family gathered on the lawn under the umbrella. The look of joy on her face captivated me and drew me to her charm.
Age gave her freedom. She no longer felt she had to had to hold in her stomach in or worry about six pack abs. She was free to move, free to express and share the joy of life in a charming dance.
Could you see the woman and get the sense of freedom and energy here? How much more interesting than saying, “We enjoyed watching a seventy-five year old woman dancing.”
She taught my sister and I a lesson that day as well. Continue with the joy of living into old age.
As you read this, think about what can you do to create word pictures? If you want to learn how, study the craft of creative writing and learn the insider writing strategies. As always, you can learn how to do this when you sign up for “How to Write for Fun and Profit” writing course.
If you implement this writing tip, you will capture your readers attention and keep them engaged with your writing and your message.
Take some time now if you can. Pull out your paintbrush (pen) and paint a word picture. If you do, share it with us in the comments below so we can enjoy it too!
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How to Write–3 Tips to Make Your Writing Magnetic
When you write, are you enthusiastic about what you share? Do you use word pictures to describe things in an appealing way to your readers? Do you know how to write in a way that engages your reader and enthralls them with your writing?
Last spring, a friend called me, “I have to go to a meeting at this lovely resort, the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, on top of Petit Jean mountain. The drive is scenic and it seemed like something you’d enjoy. I have an extra bed in the room, and wondered if you would like to go along?”
“Well, yes–sounds wonderful.”
We drove up there and she was right, I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of mountain with its creeks and forests.
During our stay at the Institute, I wandered into the gift store and looked at the handcrafted glass bowls and local pottery.
I ambled over to the children’s section and glanced through the educational toys for my grandsons. An older woman in an elegant turquoise blouse approached me. “That is our children’s toys section. Our book section is around the corner. We have a lot of books on the history of the state.”
She pointed to the enclosed glass box, “We have beautiful blown glass and we also have it in jewelry. In fact take a look at this.” She held up an exquisite turquoise piece of glass jewelry on a sliver neck ring that curved into an interesting circle in the front where the pendant hung.
The beauty of the necklace captivated me, “It’s stunning.”
“Yes, this glassware is all handmade by a local artist. Each piece is a little different. We also have handmade soaps, pottery from local potters and books you don’t see everywhere. We have a lot of unusual things.”
She went on about all the store had to offer. The gift store was lovely to begin with but she greatly enhanced it with her descriptions. She wasn’t pushy. She simply engaged me. Suddenly the store and its contents seemed more valuable and precious. Her descriptions made me want to buy the gift items. In fact they were almost irresistible. I had to leave with something from this store.
How can you do the same in your writing? If you blog or you want to write a story, how can you take something ordinary and make it appealing?
When you write a blog post, devotional or inspiring story, use these tips below.
3 Tips to Make Your Writing Magnetic
1. See the beauty in the everyday things and share it. Think about how you can focus on a beautiful event, and add to its beauty and value as the store clerk did when she held up the stunning necklace. A writer friend of mine is writing a book in which she shares her experiences of love and care for her daughters as the Mother of the Bride. She writes with such warmth that enhances the beauty of the mother, daughter bond.
2. Look for the lessons to be learned from every day events. Recently, one of my students in my “How to Write for Fun and Profit” online writing course, wrote a story about what bike riding meant to her when she was young. She wove an inspiring message in her story and made an ordinary activity totally charming.
3. Use metaphors and similes to give magic your descriptions as you paint word pictures. Stimulate your creativity and come up with riveting ideas to “show” your reader what is going on rather than “tell” them.
If you don’t know how to do this, check out the “How to Write for Fun and Profit” online writing course. Even if you know how to write but you want to improve your writing skills, 
you will benefit from the course. If you’ve already taken the course, review some of the lessons and practice. Read books to stimulate your creativity and increase your knowledge how to write well
Creative writing will enhance your blog posts or stories. If you want to make money writing, you will irresistibly draw your customers to you.
Most of all, you will have fun as you learn how to write and express your creativity. Everyone wins when you learn how to write well!
Go Now ~ Enjoy the Gift of Writing!
How do you make your writing magnetic? Share with us in the comments below.
Idea photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
blown glassware photo courtesy of Winthrop Rockfeller Institute Gift Shop
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7 Writing Tips From A Famous Author–Charles Dickens
How would you like to be remembered as a writer?
Could you and your writings be honored in a public way like Charles Dickens?
In Britain, Prince Charles led a global celebration to celebrate Dickens’ 200 hundredth birthday. Read-a-thons were held all over the world to commemorate his writings. Even the internet took note. On the Google search engine, a Google doodle of characters from his novels greeted internet surfers.
What can you learn from Dickens that will improve your writing? What are you writing today that can impact your world in a positive way through your stories, articles or blog posts?
Charles Dickens was a popular English novelist in the mid eighteen hundreds. He felt compelled to address some of the social issues of the day such as poor child labor laws. Through his novel writing, he raised the level of awareness of the injustices and the unfair treatment of orphans and child laborers.
One of his most famous novels was “Oliver Twist,” about an orphan boy who suffered grave mistreatment. It was even made into a movie that impacts us today.
Dickens sought to encourage others to be more charitable by highlighting the plight of the poor. Millions have watched the movie or seen plays of “The Christmas Carol” and have been warned by Scrooge’s behavior and inspired to be more generous to those in need such as Tiny Tim and his family.
Dickens used vivid stories to challenge the social injustices of his day, to highlight the plight of the poor and the hardships of the working class.
This awareness of injustice and sensitivity to the poor came in part out of his own misery. When he was twelve, his father was sent to debtor’s prison and he had to go to work. He sat in a cold, dark room with rats running around, as he put labels on shoe polish cans to earn a living.
Later he drew on these experiences to create strong characters and scenes in his creative writing. He knew how to tell a story!
What can you learn from him as a writer?
7 Writing Tips From Dickens’ Writings
1. Opening sentences. He used gripping opening sentences to grab the attention of his readers. One of his openings has even become a classic line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” the first line from “The Tale of Two Cities.”
2. Powerful endings. He used cliff hangers at the end of his chapters to leave his readers hanging. In those days, chapters were released one at a time and people would line up to get the next installment because they were so eager to find out what happened next.
3. Vivid descriptions. Here’s an example. “She was dressed in rich materials – satins, and lace, and silks – all of white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table.” (Great Expectations. Ch.8.) His descriptions gave the reader ability to feel, see, smell and hear the people and scenes. Stories came alive through his descriptions.
4. Strong characters. Dickens was a master at creating characters who linger in our minds and have become a part of our culture such as Ebenezer Scrooge. “Bah, humbug” has even become part of our language.
5. Drama. He used action and dialogue in such a way that pulled the reader into the story. His novels were easily made into movies because of his mastery of dramatic techniques.
6. Social justice writing. He used the pen to confront the evils of the day and sway public opinion. He raised the level of awareness of injustice through the use of his stories.
7. Transformed his personal suffering into helping others. He used his own life experiences and misery to be able to help others in similar situations.
A friend of mine, Lucille Zimmerman said, “I believe writing should be powerful, raw, and beautiful. It should make you think, and act, and it should change you!”
Dickens’ creative writing did that and so can yours. You can learn how to write and pick up writing tips from creative writers such as Charles Dickens. You may not be as famous as Charles Dickens but in your own way, in your corner of the world, you can learn how to write in such a way to impact your arena of influence.
If you want to learn how to write or how to write better, you can also take courses such as “How to Write for Fun and Profit.” However you decide to learn, do take the time to improve your writing skills so you can write well.
Learn how to write a story. Write your stories, blog posts and articles in ways that captivate, challenge and change your readers’ lives for the better.
5 Ideas to Share Your Heart with the Gift of Writing
Have you ever wanted to give a more meaningful gift than something you buy? Are you experiencing tight finances? Have you thought about giving a gift of something that you write?
My friend and her husband had an unusual anniversary this year. As part of a special dinner they prepared and served, her four children, age 6-14 put on a skit they wrote and one of the daughters sang an original song she’d penned. The kids gave their parents the gift of writing. These gifts blessed their parents far more than anything they could have purchased.
Once a year at my writer’s club, instead of a speaker, we have a “night of sharing.” We read stories we penned that inspire us, make us laugh, and cry. For our Christmas party, we read Christmas stories & poems we wrote. We give each other the gift of our creative writing.
At our church, we have a Christmas talent show. Members put on skits or share stories they wrote or original songs. They inspire us and make us laugh. We will share with each other the gift of our writing and creativity.
Here are some ideas from my personal life. On my aunt’s 70th birthday, I wrote her a tribute. The idea came to me when my sister said, “Why do we wait until someone is dead to let them know what we appreciate about them? Why not let someone know while they are alive? My aunt wrote me and told me how much my tribute meant to her. If someone you love has died, you can still write a tribute to give to those who loved them or a poem or story in their memory.
One time, my sister gave me what she called a “praise bouquet” filled with encouraging, affirming traits she saw in me. Her gift greatly encouraged my heart. I’ve done the same for her. We encouraged each other with our gifts of writing.
One of my adopted sons is especially gifted with words and has written me letters filled with encouragement. One of my adopted daughters has written me the sweetest little love notes or thank yous. These gifts of writing bless my heart.
A friend wrote something for my birthday, rolled it up, tied it with pretty ribbon, and put it in a beautiful gift box. Her gift charmed me with her creativity and effort.
Another time, I wrote a Christmas story about one of my adopted daughters and got it published in the Chicken Soup book series. Even if I had not gotten it published, the story is there for her to bring back a special memory. I also wrote a story about some childhood memories to leave a legacy for my children and in this way give them the gift of writing.
What can you give in writing as a gift?
5 Ideas to Share Your Heart with the Gift of Writing
- Stories – Write a story about a special occasion, a holiday memory like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation or a birthday or an event from an ordinary day that is worth sharing.
- Drama – Write a skit or play and perform it for a special event or create an event to share it.
- Song – Write a song and either sing it or have someone sing it for you.
- Tribute – Write a letter of encouragement or a letter to honor someone.
- Thank you – Send thank you letters on special days or holidays or for any reason to brighten up an ordinary day. Let people know you appreciate them.
Another idea is to give someone the gift of learning how to write. Do you know someone in your life who wants to learn how to write or who enjoys writing and would like to improve their writing skills? Do they have stories to share or a book they want to write? A perfect gift that would delight them is an online writing course. Consider the course I have to offer, “How to Write for Fun and Profit” with proven tips and strategies to make someone’s writing dreams come true!
However, you choose to do so, brighten someone’s day by giving them the gift of writing.
What ideas do you have? What have you done to share a gift of creative writing? Share with us in the comments below.
Letter Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Christmas gift Image: Naito8 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
How to Write: Allow Your Play To Support Your Work
When you go out to do something relaxing are you alert for ideas that would give you solutions? Are you open to ideas to help you solve a problem at home or work?
Open your eyes to see and ears to hear because ideas and solutions are everywhere. They come more freely when you give yourself a break and go do something fun!
Here’s an example from my own life. A friend invited me to go to an small artist colony here in Arkansas. Terra Studios is the home of the original
bluebird of happiness. I hesitated because of my long to do list for my work. I had just set my goals for the month for my productivity group and I felt self imposed pressure to get started on them. However, I had decided as part of my work goals to intentionally invest in creativity and fun activities. I had put it on my list of things to do so now I had to do something fun.
This decision to incorporate creativity activities as part of my goals started last summer when I stayed with my sister for a couple of months in San Diego. We had a blast going on creative adventures together. Since returning home I missed those adventures so I decided to schedule creative opportunities. I wrote my friend back and we found a day that would work for both of us.
The day we left, the sun shone bright and the trees still showed off all their beautiful fall leaves. As we drove, I soaked in the various array of colors, orange, red and yellow mingled in with some still green.
During our drive, I told my friend about my Conflict to Peace in Relationships blog. She shared a story of a conflict she had with a friend and a great idea for a blog post popped in my mind. I pulled out my blank notepad and began scribbling down notes to remember when I returned home.
When we arrived at artist colony, we thoroughly enjoyed all the creative statues, pottery and glass. As we toured the back
of the building and watched them blow the bluebird of happiness, my eye caught a pink bird of hope they created for women who had contacted cancer. Another idea came to me for direction in my writing.
Then on the way out, I stopped to read a group of plaques with inspiring sayings that motivated me in my writing. A realization came to me, I came to play but my play supported my work and gave me significant ideas. Fortunately, I was prepared and briefly wrote down all that came to me.
3 Tips to Capture Ideas
- Keep a pad and pen near you at all times.
- Take brief notes but enough so you can remember the essential details.
- Write as soon as you get home or within the next day while it’s fresh on your mind.
Have you thought about the connection between play and work? Sometimes we get so focused on work, we forget that play is an important part of work. Maybe if you realize that play can support your work whether it’s at an office or at home, you’ll take time to enjoy your life more.
What about you? Do you take time to relax and do fun things. What do you do to capture the ideas and solutions that come to you?