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Archive for January, 2011
Monday, January 31st, 2011
 Like many people at this time of year, I am just recovering from a bout of flu. Being ill is happily a rare occurrence for me so I had forgotten that flu has different phases. Just when you think you’re feeling better, you slide back down the ladder to feeling wiped out again!
All you can do is let go and surrender to what ‘is’.
The ‘one step forwards two steps back’ scenario combined with conscious surrender echoes something else you may recognize – the creative writing process.
Our muse does not (usually) respond to willful demands to appear and pour forth her magic through us onto the page. She cannot be forced to show her face and become our trusted creative partner.
Instead she requires an open-hearted invitation to inspire us to capture the faint sparks of potential that become the flames of our deepest writing.
She thrives on clarity of intention combined with the creative surrender that comes from trusting that greater forces are at work.
She shows up most when we learn to allow as well as to plan … and when we consciously live the full creative cycle over and over until it feels as natural as breathing.
How do we begin the process of creative surrender?
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Tags: article, book, creative, creative process, surrender, Writing
Posted in Creative Reflections, Creativity, Writing | 2 Comments »
Monday, January 31st, 2011
Julia McCutchen interviews Judy Reeves 
Every writer dreams of “getting away”, of finding a time and place where she can really focus on her writing.
But what if “away” is a state of mind and that secret, hidden retreat is as near as your sofa or kitchen table or the café around the corner? It’s called writing practice and it’s in creating such a practice that the novel or memoir or story will actually get written. Through writing practice, every day becomes a writing day.
In this interview, you’ll learn:
- How to create a daily writing practice
- Tips and techniques for finding time and creating space
- How to get started (and how to keep going)
- Why and how to use writing prompts
- What stuck looks like and how to get unstuck
- How to avoid the critic, the editor and the censor
- What the 12 essential guidelines for writers are
Judy Reeves is a writer, teacher, and writing practice provocateur who has written four books on writing including A Writer’s Book of Days and Writing Alone, Writing Together. Her work has appeared in magazines, journals, anthologies and in the spoken word compilation First Friday: Year 3. She’s also the editor of the Brown Bag Anthology, and a cofounder of the Writing Center, a nonprofit literary arts organization. In addition to leading writing practice groups, Judy holds private workshops, teaches at University of California San Diego Extension; San Diego Writers, Ink; and writing conferences internationally. She lives in San Diego, CA. Visit her online at www.judyreeveswriter.com.
Date: Thursday 3rd February Time: 16:00 GMT / 11:00 EST
Want to listen to this teleseminar interview for free but not yet an IACCW member?
Find out about how to do so and discover the other benefits of becoming a member of the International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers (IACCW) by clicking here …
Tags: author, book, creative, creative process, creative spirit, guidance, How To Make Every Day a Writing Day, inspiration, judy reeves, publication, publish, publisher, Publishing, reader, readers, writer, Writing
Posted in Events | No Comments »
Monday, January 17th, 2011
 In an ideal world, all publishers would love to publish books containing totally original ideas from writers who have entirely authentic voices.
In reality, there is truth in the saying that there is nothing completely new under the sun.
Yet most things in life are relative to your perspective. In the light of this, I see 3 levels at which writers can shine the light of originality:
1. Genuinely Innovative Ideas
Firstly, there are writers who come up with genuinely innovative ideas. They have the ability to see how a subject is developing or may be at its cutting edge with their research and development work.
If we were to investigate deeply within ancient wisdom, we may find many principles to echo the work being done today, as has often proved to be the case in recent years.
However, few of us have the aptitude, access or inclination to delve into ancient texts, understand their message and draw out aspects to be re-presented with fresh relevance for a contemporary audience.
For those who do, or for those who are able to write on the cutting-edge of information that readers today are excited to know, the credit of ‘original work’ is rightfully theirs.
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Tags: authentic, author, book, market, publisher, Publishing, writer, writer's voice
Posted in Authenticity, Creativity, Publishing, Writing | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, January 4th, 2011
 The New Year is a fabulous time to inject a fresh burst of energy into your plans for writing your book for publication.
So here are 7 tips to help you have your best writing year yet:
Identify what’s really important to you about your writing. So many people today live in the fast lane. As a result, it is easy to lose sight of what really matters.
1. Identify what’s really important to you about your writing. So many people today live in the fast lane. As a result, it is easy to lose sight of what really matters.
With your writing, being consciously connected to what is really important enables you to give yourself permission to prioritise your writing time. This means that you will get your writing done and feel more creatively satisfied as a result.
So start this year by taking time to re-connect to the source of your inspiration to write. Then write about that in your journal to refer back to in the coming months.
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Tags: action, author, book, creative process, inspiration, publication, vision, writer, Writing
Posted in Creativity, Publishing, Writing | No Comments »
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Like many people at this time of year, I am just recovering from a bout of flu. Being ill is happily a rare occurrence for me so I had forgotten that flu has different phases. Just when you think you’re feeling better, you slide back down the ladder to feeling wiped out again!
