Word of the Day Club
The daily meetings have been fantastic! I’m finding that having the accountability of showing up each day and doing serious creative work has changed the way I feel about myself.
It’s not that I don’t feel good about myself. It’s not that I don’t trust myself. It’s not any of those things. It’s simply that the connection with the other writers inspires me to do better. There’s something about the collegial comfort of sharing a zoom screen and doing an exercise that helps each of us individually. Yet, we’re doing it together, and that is powerful!
The Word of the Day Book
In my forthcoming book, I will introduce the time management part of the Practice. First, imagine the ideal writing day that you would like to have. Then before bed, you reflect upon what you accomplished. What you actually do reveals the seriousness or lack thereof with which you take your writing career.
For example, before leading the writing club every day, I thought I took myself seriously, but I soon realized that there was a sort of hidden despair that made me procrastinate instead of going at my new story 110%. Now that I saw how this lack of belief in my work was slowing me down, I’m budgeting my time better! In addition, the nightly assessment allows me to see what I’ve done well and where I could improve.
Catch Yourself Doing Something Right
Neil Fiore, whose book The Now Habit I have been raving about in these pages, offers the idea that instead of berating yourself for doing something wrong, look for events where you are doing well: catch yourself doing something right. For example, instead of beating yourself up for eating something unhealthy, notice that you wrote for a half hour. Acknowledge the success, and you’ll find that the food is less enticing than earning another “gold star.” Now go back and do it again, all day long. It takes a lot of repetition to create a new habit, but what can be more important to our long-term health than having a good relationship with ourselves?
Never Ask Why, Ask What Can I Do Now?
Another way to become more productive is to never ask why. You know, why didn’t you do this or why didn’t you do that? No. The replacement thought is, “What can I do now?” Changing your inner conversation is one of the keys to growth. It’s the single most important thing you can do to improve your life. Keep a notebook and write down any negative thing you say to yourself, and immediately rewrite it in a positive way. For example, instead of demanding, “Why did you spill that milk?” Instead, ask, “What can you do to clean it up?” The promise of a possible win will aid and assist you to keep striving.
Word of the Day Webinar
Tune into my upcoming Word of the Day Webinar on Wednesday, February 1. Email me if you’d like to attend or if you have any questions.
Here’s to your writing success,
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
