Are You a Pond or River Writer?
Are you a river or a pond with your writing? Do you let what you have to say flow out of you or do you keep it gathering inside of you?
A river writer lets what they have to say flow out. A pond writer keeps it to themselves.
I have a confession to make. For many years I was a pond instead of a river. I gathered all this wonderful knowledge, wisdom and insight and would not get around to writing about it.
Fears and busyness held me back. Fears and questions bombarded my mind. Will other people be critical of my writing? Will I write it right or write it perfectly enough? What if no one even bothered to read it? How can I fit writing into my busy schedule? What will I have to give up to take time to write?
I gathered my stories and thoughts into the pond. The only problem is that it wasn’t flowing out of me to anyone who could benefit from it. When it gathered in the pond, the writing stagnated. I lost the freshness of the ideas and they became stale.
In the last few years, I’ve started pouring out more. Yet I’ve still held back out of fear of not writing perfectly.
Well, I’m making a decision as of now. I’m not going to let those fears stop me anymore. I’m going to start becoming more of a river writer instead of a pond writer.
I self edit my writing carefully and believe in doing all you can to write well. However, the flip side of that is perfectionism which can keep you from getting out a good message which can help others.
If I make writing mistakes, let me know and I’ll correct them but I’m not going to let fear of mistakes hinder me.
How about you? Are you going to jump in the river with me? Are you afraid? Here’s 5 strategies to overcome those fears.
5 Tips to Overcome Your Fears of River Writing
1. Begin now. Whatever level of skill you’re at in your writing, start there. Start giving to others with your writing.
Zina, one of my students from my writing course started a blog to encourage those with handicaps. At one point, Zina expressed concern that her writing wasn’t as polished as she would like. I wrote her, “Zina, you’re having a huge impact encouraging others at the skill level you’re at so keep writing!”
Last year, Zina had 12,000 views on her blog. What if she’d let her fears stop her? So many people would have missed out.
2. Understand the principle of increase. The more you use something the more it will increase. You understand this in exercising. The more you exercise, the stronger you get. You go from strength to strength. The same is true in writing, you go from skill level to skill level. The more you write, the more you learn about how to write, the more you’ll grow as a writer.
3. Let it flow. Sit down and simply start writing. Don’t worry about whether or not you do it right. Turn off the critical side of you and let it come out. Tap into your right brain instead of your left brain and go for it. You can correct it later but for now, let it go.
4. Grow little by little. Take time to add to your writing knowledge. If you want to learn how to write or write better, take the “How to Write for Fun and Profit” writing course.
If you’ve taken the course, pull it out and review it or read another book on writing. Implement writing tips and continue to learn how to write or improve your writing.
5. Take responsibility. You have a river inside of you but it’s your responsibility to let it flow out to others. Maybe you’re busy. Most people are. That’s where the 15 minute concept came to be. Don’t wait until you have a lot of time or another season of your life. Grab that pen and take advantage of the small increments of time you have now. Let the river flow, 15 minutes at a time.
People out there need to hear what you have to say. Even if it’s an audience of one, they need what you have to give.
So, jump in the river and let it flow. Instead of a pond writer, be a river writer. Refresh others and you’ll be refreshed.
Go write now.
Share the Gift of Writing!
How about you? What fears hold you back? How do you feel when you’re in a pond instead of a river? What is your experience? Share with us in the comments below.
Image of girls by Admar at http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
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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Writing Tips – 3 Wisdom Tips to Overcome the Fear of Failure
Let’s talk for a minute about fear. Do you hesitate to write and submit a story for publication or to write a book or a blog post? Maybe you want to write a report or give a presentation or speech, but you feel uncertain about it. Do you want to learn how to write but fear you won’t do it well? Do you hesitate to venture out into a new area with your writing? Or maybe you have some other fears related to your writing.
The fear of failure and rejection can be a hindrance to moving forward with learning how to write, how to write better, or accomplishing your writing goals. Yet being willing to risk is one of the keys to growing in your writing
skills and achieving your goals. For sure, if you don’t venture out, you will not be successful. How can you overcome your fear of failure?
Here’s a story that gives us some clues. Sara Blakely is a self-made billionaire from her idea for Spanx, which became a big hit with women and even celebrities. She shared that her father asked her weekly if she had failed at anything that week. If her answer was no, he was disappointed. This is a wise father. He knew that in order to succeed, his daughter needed to be willing to fail.
Sarah shared that she experienced rejection and discouragement along her journey. However, she persisted to the point where she is now extremely accomplished. Not only is she successful herself, but she started a foundation to help women in third world countries with their entrepreneurial ideas so they too can reap the benefits of their innovations.
3 Tips to Overcome the Fear of Failure
- Fear of failure loses its power over you when you realize that as long as you learn something, you never fail without gaining something.
- Fear of failure loses its power on you once you realize there is no shame in making a mistake, only an opportunity to gain experience of what works and what doesn’t.
- Fear of failure loses its power over you when you realize that all successful people fail their way to success. One writer I know posts her rejection slips as proof that she takes action. If she didn’t submit her writing for publication, she would not get rejection notices, but then she also would not have the chance to get published.
You may not succeed when you write something, but you have a chance. For sure, if you don’t write, you guarantee failure.
How about you? Can you set a weekly goal to fail at something in your writing? What would happen if you set this as a goal? We think by shrinking back we protect ourselves, but actually, we hinder ourselves from achieving a new level of growth and experience.
I challenge you to think about something new and risky you can do with your writing this week. What do you think might happen if you did this regularly? Think of all the potential you may unleash if you run toward your goals free from the fear of failure.
What do you think? Does this make sense to you? What risks are you going to take? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net