Lisa Tener

Book Writing Coach

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When You’re Having Trouble Sitting Down to Write

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hand writing color funkyOkay, writing time… I’ll just make myself a green smoothie and then…oh, maybe I should put in a load of laundry…now, I’ll just sit down and…oh, wow, it looks like it might rain. I’ll just take that bike ride first… huff,puff, puff…Now I’ll just sit down to write and…oh, the phone. Better get it. It could be Oprah wondering how my book is coming along…Okay, that was a huge time waste, but now to get down to wr…Doorbell?Are you kidding me?
Much of the time, the difficulty in sitting down to write comes from the pressure we place on ourselves to write something brilliant. Just yesterday, I had set aside time to write and found myself dwindling it away. I picked raspberries, rode my bike, meditated–all productive activities, but not writing. I whined to my husband that I hadn’t written all morning. “Just sit down for 15 minutes and write a little.”
15 minutes? I could do that. I did. It turned into over an hour. When my husband came in the room to talk with me, I told him I was on a roll and could not talk!
Here are 5 tips to help you write when you’re not feeling like it:
1. Write Crummy: Commit to writing a crummy first draft, to paraphrase Anne Lamott. Take off the pressure. You can make it amazing later when you edit.
2. Make it Brief: Write for 15 minutes as my husband suggested. You can always write more if you are on a roll.
3. Remember Your Vision: I always have writers develop a vision statement for a book or project. Read it every time you sit down to write. It will put you back in touch with your passion around the subject and help you stay motivated when you remember WHY you are writing. You can read it every morning and night, too, for extra credit and extra inspiration.
4. Be Accountable: Call a friend and say you’re gong to write for the next 20 -30 minutes. Ask your friend to hold you accountable. Ideally, this would be something you would discuss with them ahead of time to make sure they are comfortable in this role. Find someone who is both firm and supportive.
5. Recharge: If you’re tired, go for a walk in nature, meditate or take a bubble bath. Do something to refresh and replenish you, so you can come to the writing with energy.
If you are looking for a writing workshop to support you to complete a book or other writing, check out my Get Your Writing Done Program.

What Improv Can Teach You About Writing

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improv and writing
Some photos from the CTC website improv page

With something like 17 of us gathered around the stage, Chris Simpson singled me out to take a step back to enlarge the circle. I looked down at my feet. The woman to my left stood about 8 inches farther back, as did Kevin, to my right–their heels a mere inch or two from the edge. Every fiber of my being told me not to step any closer to the edge of the stage–especially with my back to the drop. I inched back a couple centimeters as a compromise.

Thus began my first lesson in trust last night in Improv 101 at the Contemporary Theater in Wakefield, RI which Chris co-teaches with Ryan Hartigan. An exercise in eye contact provided an opportunity to observe eye contact dynamics in my household later that night, providing a more intimate connection with one of my children.

I’m sure I could feel my brain developing new synapses during another exercise in three-pronged multi-tasking–an exercise so complicated, I won’t confuse you–or myself–by attempting to describe it. Suffice it to say, the fast moving exercise involved a yellow bean bag ball, colors, names, eye contact, walking and ball catching. This exercise required being present to the moment and trusting.

I took the improv class for a number of reasons, many related to writing, a few related to life. I wanted to:

  • Bring more humor into writing a business-related book
  • Bring more spontaneity to my writing, in general
  • Access my creativity in new ways–hoping that this will also bring some fresh life to my writing
  • Have fun
  • Laugh
peeking out of box
Getting ready to step outside my box!

As a business owner who works from home and mostly connects to clients and service providers by phone and e-mail, I also looked forward to interacting with people in person. Between parenting and running a busy business, my world had gotten fairly narrow compared to my single days where I tended to visit museums, watch theater regularly, dance, take tai chi classes, hike in nature, go camping, read the newspaper, read magazines, try new exotic foods, attend lectures and workshops, and interact with a variety of people at work in person. On the weekends, my kids like to stay at home, for the most part. I viewed improv as a way to expand my world a bit, and to climb out of the shrinking box that had become my life.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my life. But I felt like it had gotten predictable. I wasn’t growing in the same ways I used to. I felt like I needed new stimulation, more to draw on in order to bring creativity into my writing and my home life, as well.

I noticed at the beginning of class how some part of me wanted to be funny–to be a bit of a star. And improv’s not like that. I quickly grasped how improv is more about entering some new world of the imagination and creating something together with a bunch of other people you have learned to trust. You let go of the tiny self and become your expanded self–mind, body, spirit–all of you. Improv requires curiosity, suspending the inner critic, going with your gut, acting intuitively, impulsively at times. Improv requires you to be fully present, to let go of ego and allow the moment to reveal itself through you.

I guess my biggest surprise is the spiritual and personal growth aspects of improv. I went to improve my writing but I see already that improv is going to make its mark on my spiritual life, family, personality and present moments.

What activities have had a profound or interesting impact on your writing? What were some of the insights they brought into your writing and your life?

October is the Month for Writers Conferences and Book Festivals!

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I love writers conferences–both presenting and attending workshops. Perhaps my favorite aspect of writers conferences is the opportunity for new input into one’s writing:

  • An essayist may show you a new way of seeing something about your writing.
  • Or a poet may teach you a nifty trick to get your creative juices flowing.
  • Or you may learn some editing tools that make your writing better.

There’s also, of course, the sense of community–just being around other people who love writing, who love words. I often find myself especially inspired after the evening readings–staying up late to write some more.

Writers conferences also offer a time to step away from all the responsibilities of everyday life to completely focus on writing. That focus can also be powerful.

If you’re thinking about a writers conference, October is a perfect month:

Here is a sampling of writers conferences and book festivals coming up in October:

Oct. 17-19, 2014 – Digital Authors 2.0 and Self-Publishing Conference, sponsored by West Coast Writers Conferences. Los Angeles Valley College, Van Nuys, CA

whistlerOct. 17-19, 2014 – Whistler Readers and Writers Festival, Whistler, BC

Oct. 19-24, 2014 – Salt Cay Writers Retreat, Salt Cay, Bahamas

Oct. 25, 2014 – Boston Book Festival – free and excellent! (150 Presenters, including Doris Kearns Goodwin and Herbie Hancock on memoir)

Oct. 21-26, 2014 – The Vancouver Writers Fest, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Oct. 24-26, 2014 – Chicago Writers Conference, University Center, Chicago, IL

Oct. 24-26, 2014 – The La Jolla Writers Conference, Paradise Point Resort and Spa, San Diego, CA

And here are a few in November:

Salt Cay Writers Retreat
Salt Cay, Bahamas

Nov. 6-9, 2014 – Sanibel Island Writers Conference, Sanibel Island, FL

Nov. 15, 2014 – Baltimore Writers’ Conference, Towson, MD

Nov. 16-23, 2013 – Miami Book Fair International, Miami, FL

Know of one not listed here? Add it as a comment! Thanks.

Find Your Writing Voice: Tips for Writing Self Help Books and Memoir

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“Find your writing voice.” Maybe you’ve heard this advice before as a way to make your writing stand out and powerfully resonate for your readers. Yet, voice can be such an elusive thing—how can you uncover, discover or find your writing voice?

First, I suggest you consider both your audience and topic. What would help make the book work for your audience? With a self help book, is there anything getting in the way of your readers benefiting in the book—a problem that voice can address?

For example, since readers of The Ultimate Guide to Transforming Anger were likely to feel intimidated—and maybe even put off—by the very idea of dealing with anger, my co-authors and I went for a somewhat playful voice that engaged our readers’ creativity, to counterbalance the challenges of the subject for many readers.

However, even though your voice may vary from one book or audience to another, it’s important that your voice be authentic. Many of the authors I work with are doctors, therapists, coaches or consultants. I invite them—and you—to imagine writing or speaking to a particular client or patient. This makes it easy to tap into your natural, authentic voice—and to capture some of your personality—which will help the book resonate more deeply for readers, and give your writing a unique feel.

A third tip I offer authors is to think about the qualities that attract clients, friends and others to work with you or spend time with you. How can you play up these qualities with your writing voice?

I’ve asked some of my clients to share how they found—and continue to access—their unique writing voice.

7 Authors Share Their Tips to Find Your Writing Voice

kimber-signingKimber Simpkins, Author of the Nautilus Award-Winning Book, Full: How one woman found yoga, eased her inner hunger, and started loving herself (pub date March 2015 with New Harbinger Publications) offers this tip:
“Green full, a memoirLight, Red Light, Green Light: Read tons of books, find authors whose voices are similar to yours, then stop reading while you write! In writing my book, I took a long sabbatical from reading other writers’ work in order to turn the volume up on my own unique voice.
Many years of devoted reading and absorbing other writers’ styles paid off well for me: I found two writers whose voices had similarities to my own, and I took a great deal of reassurance in the fact that they were published authors, which meant that my voice was likely publishable too.  While analyzing their voices, I noticed where my voice differed from theirs with its own distinctive tone and style.
When I felt during the writing process that my voice had gone into hiding, I would read a few paragraphs of their writing and a few paragraphs of my own, like tossing little breadcrumbs out to lure it back in into the light where I could follow it again.  Just in the last few months, I found that I’m ready to curl up on the couch and read books similar to my own again… green light!”

author nora hall

Nora Hall shares, “Finding my voice for Survive Your Husband’s Retirement came surprisingly easily. As I wrote, I pictured myself talking to a woman with a retired husband—a woman I had interviewed—and hearing her pain, surprise and even laughter at the irony of the situations. I merely parroted the emotions of the women I interviewed as I wrote their stories. book cover

My next project is documenting the Retirement Shock almost everyone faces when retiring. That is going to require a voice I have not yet identified, but I expect, again, to incorporate the voices of those I interview.”

Harrine Freeman, authorHarrine Freeman, CEO and owner of H.E. Freeman Enterprises and author of How to Get Out of Debt: Get an A Credit Rating for Free, provides a way to find your natural voice and to use it to deal with negative comments:

how to get out of debt“Speak from your heart. When you speak from your heart you will connect with others. Speak the truth. The truth may not be liked but it is respected. You may get some negative comments but it is a great feeling to know that you were honest and showed integrity.”

wendy-howardWendy Howard, Author of the hot-off-the-presses book, The 7 Business Angels You Need to Meet, offers this advice:

“Someone once said to me, ‘Imagine you’re talking to someone you’ve just met in the pub while passing the time of day. What are the conversations you have over a glass of wine or a pint of beer?’
“Also, before you begin to write, go for a walk and take in the wonder of nature and the world around you. It’s even better with a four-legged companion as walking my dog opens up my creative exploring mind as I often wonder how he sees the world from his dog-perspective when we’re out,  because every blade of grass is interesting and needs sniffing, every cat is a fluffy animal to be chased, and every squirrel up a tree is exciting – in fact, everything is always new and exciting. That’s how you want the chapters in your book to be.”

author susan rizzo vincentbook cover dreas dreamSusan Rizzo Vincent, author of Dreas’ Dream: An Unfinished Dance, shares, “Reading my pieces out loud (in private) and pretending I was talking to a good friend on the phone helped me to find my voice. I tried to imagine what would hold my friend’s attention – and also make my friend feel as though I was confiding  in her.

Bruce Dow, MD is a psychiatrist. Like many of the doctors and therapists I work with, his writing exhibited a fairly academic quality—fine for academics but not ideal for a more general audience, in his case, people suffering from PTSD nightmares.

In writing Dream Therapy for PTSD: The Proven System for Ending Your Nightmares and Recovering from Trauma, Bruce had to overcome the academic voice and get back in touch with the voice of the English Major he’d been in his college days–only now more mature and experienced.

Bruce Dow, MDBruce said, “Before I became a writer, I was a scientist and then a clinician. In writing a scientific or clinical article, you make a tightly reasoned argument to support a claim. You describe observations that justify a conclusion or clinical treatment.

“In writing about my patients for the general public, I had to become a story teller, helping the reader imagine and relate to some people I know very well. I had to bring each person to life for the reader.

“Now, as I read over my manuscript after many revisions, I can see it taking on more of a relaxed conversational tone. The reader and I are out for a stroll through the woods, and I am telling a story about my patient.”

I especially love the image Bruce provides when discussing voice—a good example of what he’s learned to do so well!

martha rhodes author

One author’s search for voice especially stands out for me. Martha Rhodes came to my Bring Your Book to Life® Book-Writing Program several years ago. Despite her subject’s difficult nature (depression), she managed to have us laughing from the very first time she shared her writing. Clearly, humor was part of her voice from the start. Her observation of detail was superb as well. Yet, what seemed to be missing from the first few pieces she read was an intimate sense of the author.

I sensed that Martha needed to ease into that. She wrote  a layer at a time. After the first draft, she could return to earlier chapters and provide more of a sense of the inner landscape she traversed. It worked. Her book, 3,000 Pulses Later: A Memoir of Surviving Depression Without Medication, is in its third printing. There are almost 3,000 copies circulating throughout the world. It has been cited in The New York Times, Psychology Today, and on all social media channels.

3,000 Pulses Later_FINAL COVER FRONT_RepriintI asked Martha to share her advice on finding one’s voice. Martha said, “Since I’d never written a book before, much less a deeply personal memoir, finding my voice was almost a mystery to me. I didn’t even know I had one, or was supposed to have one. However, I admired Mary Karr’s and Jeannette Walls’ work as memoirists and relished how their voices resonated for me as a reader, so I shamelessly strove to emulate the familiarity, authenticity, and cinematic qualities they so beautifully conveyed. They became my virtual mentors.

“Once I hit my own creative stride during the second draft, I noticed that every time I meditated before sitting down at my computer to write, my heart felt more open. The scenes, dialogue and narrative flowed much more freely. Whenever I’d hit a dry spell and meditation didn’t seem to cut it, I’d have a mental conversation with my muse and enlisted Lisa’s ‘Writing in the Zone’ methodology. Then I’d step away, detach myself mentally and emotionally, knowing that my voice would re-emerge stronger and clearer. It always did.”

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Interested in exploring your writing voice? Here are three more posts where writers share their tips for: blogging, fiction and nonfiction writing.

How to Launch a Website…Your Ideas Needed

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book writing coach lisa tenerWhile I spent much of this glorious summer with family–walking the beach and watching my sons swim and play tennis– the brilliant Rachel C. Vane was redesigning my website (and she did a beautiful job). Although the new site is mostly up (do you like the updated look?), we’re still fixing, tweaking, adding testimonials, etc.

When complete, this will call for a celebration and website launch and I’m hoping my community–you–will be part of it, but I’m still trying to figure out what “it” is.

I’m thinking some prizes–free books, free self-study courses, maybe a free teleseminar…what do you think? What would be a fun way to launch this baby and share the–ta da–spruced up website with friends who might benefit from the blog posts on writing books and book proposals, growing platform, getting published (and getting their questions answered on the blog)?  What’s a fun way to share some of the other free resources on the site with those who can benefit?

I think we’ll run the whole thing through the affiliate program (sure, sign up to be an affiliate now–why wait?), so we can offer you gifts and bonuses for spreading the word. But this is all still a bit vague.

IMG_2659
Here are some of the prizes for ideas and for scavenger hunt winners.

So, help me, please. Any fun ideas you can share for launching the new website? We’ll start the giveaway now. If you come up with one of the first 5 great ideas we use to launch the souped-up site, you’ll win a package of book-writing prizes: books, one of my favorite writing pens, a bookmark, a journal.

PS We’re still fixing some issues, tweaking the site and will be adding a ton of testimonials, but I wanted to ask for your ideas now, before the site is ready for launch…So, share away and don’t be afraid to get a little crazy. We’re in brainstorming mode where no idea is too “out there” and anything may spark another brilliant idea.

prizes
Here’s what Lorraine won for her great ideas: a journal, my favorite pen, a zen dog sculpture, a wise owl, a handmade Tanner Glass fridge magnet and Erik Qualman’s book on social media.

UPDATE: Wow, thanks for the great ideas Lorraine. I’ve added an image of some of the prizes both for launch ideas and the scavenger hunt I’m now planning thanks to Lorraine Giordano (see her ideas in the comments of this post). Prizes shown include bookmarks, journals, handmade Tanner Glass fridge magnets, an “I love YA” totebag, handmade wood pencil holder, my favorite Pentel Energel Pens (blue and purple), The Midlife Woman’s Journal by Bonnie Leonard (limited edition), An Artist Talks to God by Sam Bennett, What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube by Erik Qualman and more.

Write and Do Good: The San Francisco Writing for Change Writers Conference

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Michael LarsenLisa: What’s the purpose of the San Francisco Writing for Change Conference?

Mike: The theme of the conference is “Changing the World One Book at a Time.” The right book will change the world. We are besieged with huge domestic and international problems urgently in need of solutions. Government and business can’t provide them, so they have to come from the bottom up.
Writers are essential for providing the ideas, guidance, and inspiration we need, and they have instant access to however many of the three billion people on the Web read English. The world desperately needs all of the skill, creativity and perseverance writers can bring to the challenge. The Conference is limited to only 100 writers who come from around the country and abroad.

Lisa: What an exciting vision. Having worked in the nonprofit sector–and run a nonprofit for 10 years–I would have loved to have had the opportunity to attend this conference all those years ago! Writing was a big part of our work–since the written word was one of the main ways we reached and inspired people. Who should attend the Writing for Change Conference?

Mike: Fiction and nonfiction writers who want to use their writing to help bring about the personal, social, economic, political, and environmental changes we need in our communities, our country and the world.

Lisa: What’s the advantage of attending this conference over other more general writers conferences?

Mike: Like other writers conferences, the Change Conference has panels of authors, agents, editors and marketing people. Attendees can pitch their books to agents and editors. At the Change Conference, they receive more than 40 pages of handouts and can also receive free editorial and publicity consultations. The Change Conference costs less than most conferences.

Lisa: I noticed that–it’s a true bargain.

Mike: The presenters spend most of their speaking time giving attendees practical advice. Attendees can also call me any time after the conference if they have questions. The speakers and program are at www.sfwritingforchangeworldwide.org.
As far as we know, it’s the only writers conference that focuses on writing for change. Considering the urgency of our problems, it may be the most needed writers conference in the world.
Lisa: What’s your advice for writers attending the Conference–any tips for them to get the most of their experience?
Mike: 1. Be clear about your literary and financial goals: what you want to write and how you want it published.
2. Be prepared to absorb of lot of state-of-the-art information you need to give your work maximum impact.
3. Work on your pitch, up to 30 seconds of concise answers to two questions: why the book and why you.

Lisa:  How does the Writing for Change Writers Conference make a difference for attendees?

Michael Larsen and Elizabeth PomadaMike: The Conference is in its sixth year because feedback from attendees assures us that it’s very helpful in:
• Providing information they need
• Enabling them to network with agents and editors they can contact when their proposal or manuscript for a novel is ready
• Creating lasting relationships with other writers
• Inspiring writers to pursue their mission
Having worked in publishing in New York, been an agent for more than forty years, writing or coauthoring eleven books, and being the co-director of the San Francisco Writers Conference—now in its twelfth year, I know that writers have the same questions and challenges. This jam-packed day is the most effective way to help them at the least cost.

In 2008, Cami Walker met her agent, Rita Rosenkranz, and her editor, Katie McHigh, who bought her book 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life. The next year, 29 Gifts made the New York Times extended bestseller list.

Lisa: I love fairy tale endings like that–especially when it’s about making a difference. Thanks, Mike. Having been part of last year’s San Francisco Writers Conference, I can attest to what a standout conference you, Elizabeth and all the volunteers put together–in terms of inspiration, a thrilling experience and the practical information one picks up. I’m sure Writing for Change will be the same–and even more targeted for those focused on providing solutions and creating change. Readers can check out the San Francisco Writing for Change Conference and feel free to ask questions of Mike as a comment below.

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