How do You Develop a Daily Writing Habit? Try Journaling!

Journaling is one of the best ways to develop a daily habit of writing.  Journaling can have positive impact on your life now and for reflection in the future. It is a good way to look back at your life and see how you have grown emotionally. You can reflect on the blessings and challenges that life has thrown in your path.

I journal almost daily and it has had an amazing impact on my stress level. By writing my fears, hopes and gratitudes, I gain a better perspective on my life.  Expressing my thoughts on paper, allows me to uncover my deepest feelings. When I begin writing I can feel myself relax and soon the challenges seem smaller. Sometimes I cry the entire time I write and other times I laugh. Whatever emotion journaling evokes, you will feel a sense of wellbeing when you are finished. 

We recently had a comment from one of our readers that she never intended to write a book, but her daily habit of journaling evolved into a book. I have several little books that will result from my journal. They may ultimately not be for the public, but they will be in a book format.

If you have trouble thinking of topics to write in your journal you should check out The Reflective Writer. Judy Stone-Goldman always writes a reflective post and then gives a writing prompt. I often use her prompts to get me started.

What do you write in your journal?

What writing prompts do you use?

What tips would you have for someone that is just beginning to journal?

What benefits have you seen from journaling?

How to Use Mind Mapping to Outline A Book

When I wrote my first book I used index cards. I wrote one element or idea on each card; such as, a topic, question, quotation, or a reference. Once I had all of my cards written, I sorted them into stacks of related topics. Within each stack, the cards were sorted into a logical order. Each stack eventually was a chapter in the book. Sometimes it was helpful to tack them on a bulletin board so that I could see them easily.   

A linear outline is often used listing the main topics with relevant information under each topic. From there you can form the paragraphs. The main topics could be the chapters in your books. This is more challenging for me since I am very visual and I don’t always see an immediate relationship to my ideas. I prefer to start with the cards and then move to a linear outline.

I recently came across mind mapping.  (The Mind Mapping expression is a registered trademark of Buzan Centres.) I have used the technique for several posts and a book that I am currently working on. A mind map is a perfect tool for a visual learner like me. I was using a form of mind mapping when I organized my cards on a bulletin board. It is easier to connect ideas and see what doesn’t fit or what should be moved to a new area. The more detail you include the easier it will be when compile your final document. The more you planning and research you do before you write the faster you will complete your book.

Diagram via flickr

Studies have shown that people don’t think in a linear manner. Thoughts often pop into our head and we jump from topic to topic. Mapping your thoughts will help you pull them together in an organized manner while cultivating your creativity. You can put all of your ideas down without worrying about how they fit together. Writing your ideas down in this way will lead you to think of unrelated ideas that may fit in another area.

Mind mapping is a fast way to create material because you write key words and ideas so when you sit down to write your ideas will already be organized. If you are organizing a lot of material for your book, mind mapping will make it easier to see your ideas and how they fit together. If you are suffering from writers block, mind mapping will stimulate creativity through brainstorming. Mind mapping is an effective way to start, organize and finish your book.

Windows has a free and premium version of mind mapping software. Of course you can find a more expensive version if you find it helpful. I have created my own mind map on paper or a dry erase board. 

How do you outline and organize your material for your book? Do you start with an outline or do you have another method?

How to Get into the Flow of Writing

photo via flickr

Yesterday I was playing a game of racquetball and I was completely focused. My timing was perfect, I anticipated the ball, my shots were perfect. I realized I was in a state of flow. The concept of flow was defined by Mihály Csikszentmihalyi in his book, Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience. A flow experience is when you are totally absorbed and focused on an activity.   

When you are in flow, time flies by and you are totally immersed in the process. You are not aware of anything else around you. It is a powerful and fulfilling experience. Athletes call this being in the zone. Runners may call it runner’s high. A flow activity requires active participation such as writing, cleaning your home, working on a hobby, reading, or even engaging in a great conversation. Passive activities such as watching a sporting event or TV will not give you a flow experience. You will know when you have a flow experience because you will be totally in the moment with no thoughts of the past or future. Have you ever experienced flow when you write?

Why do you want to achieve flow when you write?

~It will enable you to have control over your concentration.

~You will focus your attention at will rather than attending to all of the incoming information that comes to you.

~You will develop your best skills.

~You can achieve your goals with more ease.

~The more you are in a flow state the happier and more productive you will feel.   

~The more you understand about the flow process the better you will be able to avoid procrastination.

So how do you get into flow?

• You need to have clearly defined goals. This will help direct your attention to a purposeful outcome.
• You need to have balance between your skills and challenges. You don’t want a task  that is too easy or you will be bored. On the other hand, if the task is too hard you may feel frustrated.  
• Avoid multitasking. It is impossible to get immersed in an activity if you are not totally focused on it. 
•  Set aside a time to do non-productive tasks. Activities such as  reading your e-mail, tweeting and making phone calls should be done at a defined time. These tasks can easily distract you from your activity. 
• Limit environmental distractions. Before you start to work, clean your desk, make sure you have the equipment you need, adjust the temperature and make sure the noise level is optimal for you to work. 
• What is your goal? Make sure you have broken the goal into achievable parts. If you are writing a book your goal may to write a chapter. You may want to modify your goals if you see they are too hard or not challenging enough. 
• Adjust your goals as your skills increase. If you want to continue to experience flow   you must adjust your goals to your increased skill level so you will always have an optimal challenge.
• Avoid engaging in mindless tasks such as TV. Mindless activities are usually passive and decrease flow experiences.

Have you experienced flow? How did it feel? How do you get your body ready to get into flow or in a zone for optimal productivity?

A Picture Is Worth... Well Whatever you Make It!

Have you ever wondered how to get started writing each day? Do you need a prompt just to prime the pump and get going? Have you ever thought about using a picture as a prompt? Today for this week's Our Little Books Guest Post Wednesday, we are pleased to present a great post by author Megan Bayliss who has developed a website offering writers a daily picture prompt to get them going. Every day a picture is posted at http://imaginifbusiness.blogspot.com/ where you can write whatever you want about the picture, just to get started writing. The importance is placed on achieving daily writing practice – because that is what hones the craft of writing, the daily discipline to commit to a piece of writing. Here is how a picture can help you in your daily writing.

Sometime writers become over whelmed about what to write about in their daily practice. Sometimes they become so underwhelmed that they experience writer’s block. Which ever way your writing brain swings, I use a photographic remedy to take the guess work out of daily writing practice. I use a daily photo prompt. 

A picture is worth a thousand words. Oh yeah? I just wish it would write the thousand words too! The picture doesn’t say the words; it creates the words through your understanding of the world, your finesse at reading symbolism and your ability to transplant the symbolic to the literal. 

We are surrounded by symbols and we each interpret them according to who we are and how we came to be who we are. Wedding rings, the Golden Arches, the BP logo, an elephant with its trunk up, a star sign. Our mind reads words into the symbols we see: the symbol is not the thing, it’s the words we attach to the symbol that makes the thing. A picture of a happy mother gazing at a calm baby for example will produce a chemical response in our brain and start a cognitive process off. For some, the cognitions may be warm and loving, for others it could be of repulsion or where the hell did I put my contraception. For me it would be wondering how many other things that poor parent had to do to get her baby settled enough to have a picture taken! Regardless of the cognitive process, pictures and symbols make us think. For writers, pictures and symbols make us think and write. 

I am prone to stay in my comfort zone, to write about that which I am familiar with. But, sometimes I get too anal and bored with myself. I become word constipated and just cannot pass a word on paper. I lubricate the passage of words by thinking about symbols and transferring my thinking to the word processor. 

Every morning, I look at a photo or picture provided to me by a third party and write about what I see. I use the visual prompt to self lubricate and interpret however I choose to. A picture, a photo prompt, loosens the mind, softens the eye and assists with passing symbolic interpretation. It’s a laxative and it works for me!

Megan Bayliss is an author, a trainer and animated guest speaker. A talented little Australian possum, she can ghost blog for your business blog and teach you how to use social networks to grow your message, brand or presence. Check her out on her website, Megan Bayliss http://www.imaginif.com.au, or view her different voices and genres at Writer’s Prompts Daily http://imaginifbusiness.blogspot.com/, the site she began to discipline herself into daily writing.

10 Writing Rituals That Will Help You Be More Productive

Image via flickr

If you write for a living or write a blog post for your business you probably have had times when you have trouble getting started writing. If you write for a living then your income depends on how quickly you can get started and stay focused. 

There are some people that can go to the computer and begin writing immediately. Most of us are not that focused and can be easily distracted by e-mail, twitter and phone calls.  If you are easily distracted it may take you twice as long to complete your writing assignment.  

A writer that spends time gathering information, planning, organizing and setting aside a dedicated time will be more successful than one that does not prepare. Writers that consistently produce written work most likely have a daily ritual they follow. If you want to get more writing done in a shorter period of time you might want to develop some daily rituals. Rituals will help you organize your time and space and get you started writing even when you don’t feel like sitting down in front of the computer. 

1. Set aside a specific time to write. I like to get up early when there are no distractions. Some may want to get other tasks out of the way before beginning. 
2. Free writing. When you set down to write don’t worry about punctuation just let the words flow. You can review and edit your work later. 
3. Keep a pad of paper or recorder with you. As you think of ideas during the day you can write them down or record them. When you sit down to write you will already have some ideas generated.   
4. Choose a different style of writing. Some authors like to start their writing day with a Haiku or a poem.     
5. Word of the day. Choose a word in the dictionary and write a sentence or two using the word. You can “like” the Our Little Books Facebook page and participate in the Our little Book Word of the Day. We would love for you to come up with a sentence using the Word of the Day. It is fun way to get your creativity started for the day. 
6. Write a short story or paragraph. Use the sentence you made from the word of the day and write a short story or paragraph with it. You could also find a sentence in a favorite blog post or book you are reading. 
7. Journal. Journaling for yourself is a good way to experiment with your writing style and explore some of your ideas. 
8. Ask yourself a question each day. I like to write what I am grateful for and how I plan to achieve my goals each day. Think of a thought provoking question and ask yourself the same question each day.  
9. Set up your environment the same way before you begin. Example: clean your desk, turn music on, open the blinds, etc. 
10. Repetition. Doing something in a repetitive fashion helps your brain transition into the writing process. If you do the same routine before beginning to write your brain will recognize the process and will be ready to start. You may need to go for a walk, get a cup of coffee, and organize your work space before getting started. 

What are some of the rituals you use to get started? Have you found ones that are interesting? If you have a day that you are motivated and focused think of what steps you took prior to getting started. Try doing the same routine tomorrow and see if it helps. It may take a few attempts to see what works for you.