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How to Be Passionate

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by
Christine Kane

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Stay Passionate

I have found that it is difficult to stay passionate in this busy world. Our attention changes so frequently that we forget what it is like to focus in on one thing at a time. We forget what it is like to really love what we are doing at the moment, with a single minded attention. We forget how to be passionate.

As a writer, I get burnt out. I have to write about this over here and that over there and research thins topic and find out information and quotes about that one. I just get sick of thinking. I get sick of coming up with new ideas all the time, or regurgitating the old ones in creative ways. I just fry.

That is when I know it is time to take a break. I need a vacation. I need to center and get back to myself. When I am writing not because I am passionate but because I have to, my writing is going to suffer – guaranteed.

But how can you regain your passion? How can you get passion in the first place? Isn’t it something you just fall into or are born with? Well, no, not really. I think of passion like I think of love. True love.

How to Be Passionate

Cultivate passion.

  1. Passion is a choice – Like love, passion is not something you fall into. Yes, you can lust and you can be attracted to a person, just like you can be attracted to certain topics. But to really be ‘in love’ requires that a choice be made. A choice to move beyond “this feels good” to “I will work to make this always feel good”.
  2. Passion requires concentration – Like love, passion requires your attention. Passion will run at the slightest opportunity. It will flutter away the moment you take your eyes off it. Like a lover left alone too long, the passion will flee if left unattended or ignored. Do not get caught up in the distractions of life, the other topics you may be ‘attracted’ to, and forget your love.
  3. Passion requires feeding – Not only do you have to give your passion your regular attention, but you also have to feed it. You have to add more knowledge, growing deeper every day in your topic. Like a lover, you must learn more about them daily. See what they are thinking and feeling, and find out their needs and desires. Only then will the passion stay.
  4. Passion needs a break – This all sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? Well, it is. That is why, sometimes passion needs a break. Like a night out with friends, passion can handle some time apart, as long as it is limited. That does not mean you get to cheat on passion. No finding any other topics while you are away, okay? But you do get to give your body and brain a break and come back refreshed.
  5. Passion changes – Last but not least, passion changes. Like any relationship, nothing stays the same forever. Eventually you will focus on one area of your passion, becoming all the more involved in that. Other parts will fall away and be replaced. You passion can gradually change into something entirely different, and yet still the same. Like growing old with a mate, passion can change and be familiar, can get old and yet be no less loved.

Passion is universal. In love, in friendships, and in writing, passion is necessary to keep things vital and alive. Passionate work is the only work that will stay with you. It is the only work that you will ever really love. Others may not agree, but you know what you have written in passion is the best work you have ever done. Do not let go of that. Cling to passion and keep it lit. That is the way to keep your love for writing.

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Author’s Bio:
Christine Kane is a graduate of Communication and Journalism. She enjoys writing about life, writing, and all things web, including internet service and you’ll find her on a variety of blogs.

Thank you, Christine! Great tips for keeping passion in writing and in life.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Inspiration: Ending Writer’s Block

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by
David Showell

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Coping with Writer’s Block

For freelance writers, maintaining a healthy output of work is perhaps the most important issue, because without it the steady flow of income will soon start to dry up. However, it’s not always easy to find the inspiration that’s needed to create quality content. Writing can be a wonderful occupation, but it should be noted that it’s not like an ‘ordinary’ job – if you can’t produce the goods, you simply won’t get paid.

Most writers will freely admit that there are times when a blank screen simply refuses to be filled up with high class words, and each of them will have varying techniques to get past the block. For some, the best option is to just walk away from the computer and take a break for a little while. All good writers will be constantly on the lookout for ideas to write about, so heading out for a little walk is often a good option.

A stroll along the local high street could prove inspirational for many, thanks to the wide range of goods in the shop windows. Perhaps articles along the lines of ‘Ten Great Inventions’ or ‘The Recession in the Retail Sector’ could be created as a result. Similarly, a wander through the park may be all you need to start thinking about ‘Five of the World’s Best Bridges’ or maybe even ‘How to Cope with Hay Fever in the Summer’.

If you’re stuck for ideas and don’t wish to venture outside, another good idea is to watch a little TV for a while or perhaps to read a book or magazine. There are good ideas to be found almost anywhere, although there are times when it feels like nothing will inspire. Many writers find their finest articles are borne of ideas when they least expected them, despite the fact that most writers will tell you they rarely switch off.

Some of the more prolific pen-men and pen-women are able to produce large quantities of work with very few interruptions, although the majority of them will have all experienced that sinking feeling from time to time. In many cases, the best option is to stop trying to write anything at all, and to just let a little break restore the mind’s equilibrium. Whether you’re looking to manufacture the next great American novel or you’re looking to write a short article for a travel website, you need to spot the times when the creative juices are flowing and when they’re not.

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Author’s Bio:David Showell is a UK-based writer who works for a car hire company. He specialises in deals for tourists who are visiting the island of Sardinia.

 

Thank you, David. Insights that keep ideas flowing are always welcome.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

A Thinker’s Workaround to Conquering Writer’s Block

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Start with the Big Picture or with the Details

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In my work with writers, being frozen at the blank screen seems to be the most common concern. We call it “writer’s block,” but it’s really “thinker’s block” — we can think of what we want to say. The worst is when we have an idea, but can’t think of how to get started.

To conquer writer’s block, start with how you arrange your thoughts.

Do you go from big picture to the details or do you use the details to build your big picture? Pick the one that’s you and then use it to work around to a new idea.

Starting with the Big Picture

Top-down thinkers think in big chunks. We don’t do well just writing to fill a page. Try this to defeat that white screen.

  • Start with a plan. Use a mindmap or a graphic organizer. It might be three stacked boxes that you organize like a menu –Appetizer — Entree — Dessert.
  • Fill in the main concept — the entree — first. Decide what you want to say. Write your concept in one sentence. Then record the main points you want to include about that concept. Look over what you have, give it some order, but don’t write yet.
  • Pick one compelling detail from the above step. Make that detail the appetizer. Decide how you’ll highlight that detail in the introduction. Will you describe the detail or tell a story about it? Use the detail to give readers a reason to read.
  • For dessert, think of how you will sum up what you’ve said. Will you circle back to how you started? Will you call readers to action? Will you repeat the main points of the article? The goal for the conclusion is reader satisfaction.

Finish off the blank screen like a three-course meal.

Building from the Detail

Bottom up thinkers build thought by thought. If you’re the kind who finds it easier to write an outline after the article is done, try this instead.

  • Relax. Reflect. Think of your concept and choose one detail. Start writing about it. Write for at least 10 minutes. Write longer if you can. Then print out what you’ve written.
  • Read over what you’ve got, group together details about the same idea. Describe each group of details with a sentence.
  • Choose one compelling detail that you find attention-getting. Write an introduction around that detail to get readers to want to keep reading.
  • Weave the most meaningful details of the piece together to make the main content. Then feature one detail — you might repeat the one you used to introduce the piece — by using it to ask a final question or make a final statement that will stay with readers long after they finish reading.

A writer’s goal is a thought that moves readers in some way.

We get there through our own process.

Do you go top-down, bottom-up, or do you have a way in of your own?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you think Liz can help with a problem you’re having with your writing, check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Related
Why Dave Barry and Liz Don’t Get Writer’s Block
Don’t Hunt IDEAS — Be an Idea Magnet
10 Ways to Start a Blog Post — 01-29-07

How to Write Ideas that Lift Themselves Off the Page — Every Time!

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Even the Humblest Star Still Shines

Shine!

A writer makes meaning by giving thoughts structure and expression. Whether we write to inform, entertain, or inspire, we hope our message will leave the page or the screen to be received in a reader’s mind. It’s no easy thing to connect simple words in ways that have life and meaning. It can seem that we’re at the mercy of an unfriendly muse who is stingy with ideas and generous writer’s block. That’s just not so.

Writing isn’t the luck of ideas. It’s work. It’s also knowing how to access ideas.

A photographer knows that the best light will offer the opportunity to shoot the fabulous picture. A composer knows that the right sort of silence will allow him or her to hear music no one’s heard before. In the same way, writers know that making room to think makes masterful writing is easier.

We write best when we have room to think long, deep thoughts.

Self conscious and selfish ideas need small spaces to thrive. Stressed and cranky tones and sloppy logical fall away when we give ourselves room to think. Our minds can’t hold fear and think long and deep and wide at the same time.

Thinking long thoughts is like deep breathing or stretching with a yawn. In a writerly way, it’s a shot of oxygen to our creativity.

Put on music on to write or sit with the sounds outside your window. In some way give myself room to listen. Wait for the words and ideas to fill the space where you are.

Listen for a rhythm. Thoughts will start occuring. Listen until they do. When they do, the words come on their own. Those words will sneak past your internal editor.

Think those long, deep, and wide thoughts. Then write with abandon. Now that you can see what you’re thinking, take away all of the words your readers don’t need. You’ll know when you feel the ideas lifting themselves up — they’re the ideas that you want to read over again because they say something right and well.

Notes lifting off the page from sxc.hu

Whether you’re writing a blog post, a business plan, or love letter to your worst critic, if you want your words resonate — to lift themselves off the page — give yourself the space and oxygen.

Do you think that time and space when you write make a difference in how your writing is received?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

image: sxc.hu

Conversation as a Cure for Writer's Block

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Talker’s Block? I Don’t Think So

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Imagine this. We’re friends, sitting on my balcony, enjoying the sunsetsailboats on the horizon across Lake Michigan. (It might take a minute to get the image, especially since the aforementioned balcony doesn’t exist.) We’re drinking our favorite beverage and discussing what’s new, what’s news, and what’s interesting recent history.

You’re speaking about how you see the world. I hear a thought you share, and it prompts one of my own. You listen and elaborate on what you meant. I sip my wine and then I say,

“Um, I have nothing to say. I’m suffering talker’s block.”

I don’t think so.

Conversation as a Cure for Writer’s Block

Ever heard anyone say that they have talker’s block? Sure everyone has moments when we have nothing to say or no comeback, but do we get brainlessly blank when we’re talking to our friends? Do we sit around watching the Superbowl, listening to a debate, or seeing someone Twitter on a new iPhone . . . then find ourselves without word one? No, of course not.

Conversation is a participation sport that has only one team. In a conversation, people share ideas in a relational, flexible way. Whether they’re “Oh yeah, I know what you mean!” discussions or “You’re totally missing the point!” debates, conversations work the same. Conversations have three key elements in common that work in this way.

  1. We put an idea or observation out there. That thought might come with some explanation, but it’s not a one-way communication. The trading nature of conversation limits how detailed and supported an idea can be.

  2. Someone responds. Folks interrupt with emotion, add information, or completely disagree. Whatever the response, it changes the substance and direction of the original thought. An additional point of view always does.

  3. We reply to the response. No matter our intent when we first spoke, the the response calls for an answer of its own.

That third point is the key. Conversation is organic and goes where the thoughts lead us. It’s the thoughts that count. It’s the meaning making that moves the conversation forward . . . or not. In most conversational journeys, someone starts the engine, but everyone owns some part of where the conversation goes. (A solo journey doesn’t mean no conversation at all. Ever think about what you would say to a friend, when he or she wasn’t there?)

When we add to a conversation, we draw from what we know, what we’ve experienced, what we imagine, and what we wonder about. We do that in response to thoughts that other folks have shared.

Here’s the bit not to miss . . . we draw from the same places — what we know, what we’ve experienced, what we imagine, and what we wonder about — when we start a conversation.

When we’re conversing with friends . . . we don’t edit our thoughts or tie them up like a presentation. We put the focus on who we’re talking to and what they’re saying, not on how they’ll be looking at us. We trust our friends to hear what we’re saying or ask when they can’t. We make room for feedback, so that we know. We respect their thoughts.

Want to how to cure writer’s block?

I just told you.

If you’re feeling blank, draw from what you know, what you’ve experienced, what you imagine, and what you wonder about. Put an idea or observation out there. Focus on who you’re talking to and leave room for feedback. In print or on the Internet, write a conversation.

I started the engine. Here’s the keys. Your turn to drive.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Want to get rid of your writer’s block forever? I’ll show you how.

Are You a Writer? 7 Traits that Writers Have in Common

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Bloggers and Writers

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Lately I’ve noticed a number of bloggers who draw a line between themselves and the word writer. I already knew a number of writers who do that as well. That word writer seems to be one that can take years to claim.

When I investigate why this is so, the answers are intangible. The idea, writer, seems to fall into a category with ideas like success. Every person is struggling to find a meaning that makes sense. It’s not about money. It’s not about volume of work. It’s about meeting a self-defined goal of becoming a writer.

Becoming a writer — that resonates with every writer I know.

People ask me how I knew I was, how I know I am, a writer.

Let’s talk about writers I know.

Are You a Writer? 7 Traits that Writers Have in Common

Naturally, if the idea of a writer is self-defined, I can’t tell you when you will feel that you can call yourself a writer. However, a few things seem to be true about all writers — from every first grader I taught how to construct a sentence to every great writer I’ve ever researched.

  1. A writer is a paradox of ego and self-doubt. We need both to keep on task and to keep in control. Knowing oneself is the only way to invest in the work and still be able to let go when it’s time to stand back and revise it.

  2. Writers often start out feeling like an imposter. The message we’re told is that the writing is strong and compelling, or well on its way, but we think the messenger could be mistaken.

  3. Writers get lost if they compare themselves and their work to other writers. The same is true if they write for approval.

  4. Even the most inexperienced writer knows when the writing is wonderful. The problem is that we have to learn how to tell when the writing is not good and how to have the courage to fix it.

  5. Writer’s block is fear, or exhaustion, or both. It can be managed if we know its source.

  6. Every writer is in a self-actualizing process. Writing is an apprenticeship. A writer is always becoming a writer.

  7. Nothing in life can prepare you to be a writer, except everything in your life.

I would say the best advice is to paraphrase Troy Worman. “Don’t wait for permission to be a writer.”

Every day I write, I learn something about myself and other people.

How do I know I’m a writer?

Try as I might to avoid it, I simply must write.

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss