Ivy Keating's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-stress"
Two Minds
There are therapeutic references to people having both an emotional mind and a rational mind. The emotional mind is driven by feelings, and the rational mind acts on facts. What frame of mind is the best for reaching our goals? In many pursuits, such as writing a novel, I believe that in the beginning our emotional mind, the one driven by passion, dominates. However, the rational mind is inevitably needed to succeed.
Our logical mind may question if we have the level of expertise necessary to pursue our dreams, but it's often the emotional mind that stops us from achieving them.
I've had several people ask me, "how do you write a book?" When I ask what type of advice they're looking for, they say they had a story but didn't know where to start. My suggestion is always to write out the entire story. Let your passion drive you, and tell your best tale. When you're finished, research the writing have-tos. These are the things publishers and agents will insist on. They include such things as excellent grammar, more showing than telling, watching for point-of-view switches, and not repeating words. (At least, these were some of the big ones for me.) Basically, focus on embracing your desire and learning from your research; you need to engage both your emotional and rational mind.
I've seen new writers abandon their work because they get lost in the process. Every lofty goal has the potential to overwhelm us. Before you give up on a dream, ask yourself if it's your emotions or your rational mind pushing you to stop. Combat negative feelings such as fear and anxiety with research on what behaviors are needed to achieve success. This relatively simple trick, of changing feelings to measurable actions, may put you back on track.
Our emotional mind may spark our desire, but our rational mind can help us stay the course. Let your "two minds" work together to help you reach your goals!
Our logical mind may question if we have the level of expertise necessary to pursue our dreams, but it's often the emotional mind that stops us from achieving them.
I've had several people ask me, "how do you write a book?" When I ask what type of advice they're looking for, they say they had a story but didn't know where to start. My suggestion is always to write out the entire story. Let your passion drive you, and tell your best tale. When you're finished, research the writing have-tos. These are the things publishers and agents will insist on. They include such things as excellent grammar, more showing than telling, watching for point-of-view switches, and not repeating words. (At least, these were some of the big ones for me.) Basically, focus on embracing your desire and learning from your research; you need to engage both your emotional and rational mind.
I've seen new writers abandon their work because they get lost in the process. Every lofty goal has the potential to overwhelm us. Before you give up on a dream, ask yourself if it's your emotions or your rational mind pushing you to stop. Combat negative feelings such as fear and anxiety with research on what behaviors are needed to achieve success. This relatively simple trick, of changing feelings to measurable actions, may put you back on track.
Our emotional mind may spark our desire, but our rational mind can help us stay the course. Let your "two minds" work together to help you reach your goals!
Less Anxiety
A major cause of anxiety is feeling out of control. In psychology this relates to the concept of, 'locus of control' or what effect you believe you have on things. If you believe what you do matters, you have a stronger internal locus of control. If you believe things are out of your control, then you have a stronger external locus of control. How can this knowledge help us relax?
For every situation there are always things in our control Finding an agent or publisher for a book you've written can be very stressful. An author may think it's completely out of their control if their novel is chosen. To a degree they are right. But lets take a moment to think about some of the things this writer can still have control over. Here's a list; what agencies they contact, how many queries are sent, will they continue to edit in the meantime, and should they start their next book.
The idea that we have control over what we do, and that our choices impact our emotions and the outcomes of things, can bring relief to feeling subjected to the whims of outside forces. How we handle stress is also within our power. Do we sit with worry, or can we find ways to feel better during stressful times? There are wonderful grounding activities, breathing exercises, and distraction techniques to help us through difficult moments until we're in a stronger position to tackle a problem.
So if you're finding your anxiety soar, remember to give a boost to your internal locus of control. The more you take charge of your goals, the better you will feel. An added benefit-taking charge will lead to greater success.
For every situation there are always things in our control Finding an agent or publisher for a book you've written can be very stressful. An author may think it's completely out of their control if their novel is chosen. To a degree they are right. But lets take a moment to think about some of the things this writer can still have control over. Here's a list; what agencies they contact, how many queries are sent, will they continue to edit in the meantime, and should they start their next book.
The idea that we have control over what we do, and that our choices impact our emotions and the outcomes of things, can bring relief to feeling subjected to the whims of outside forces. How we handle stress is also within our power. Do we sit with worry, or can we find ways to feel better during stressful times? There are wonderful grounding activities, breathing exercises, and distraction techniques to help us through difficult moments until we're in a stronger position to tackle a problem.
So if you're finding your anxiety soar, remember to give a boost to your internal locus of control. The more you take charge of your goals, the better you will feel. An added benefit-taking charge will lead to greater success.
Motivation
Motivation is a powerful energy. It's a force that keeps us moving toward our goal. But what happens when major obstacles get in our way? If we're determined, we may be able to push through, however quite often we abandon our dreams. The following are 3 ways to keep motivated when things do not go as planned.
The first is to be prepared. Things often do not go smoothly. Think ahead about what you will do when something stands in your way. Finding a publisher when you're a new author is very difficult and filled with rejection. I thought to myself for every rejection I receive, I will find 2 new publishers or agents to send my work to. This helped me stay focused and motivated to constantly learn about the industry. It also gave me a concrete behavior to keep my goal alive.
The next trick to staying motivated is to take a step-by-step approach. If your goal is to write a fantasy novel and the first 20 pages took you several weeks to write, it could be easy to get overwhelmed knowing you have 200 more to go. Instead, focus on making the next 10 pages the best they can be.
The last tip is one that's often overlooked. To stay motivated, one must manage the negative feelings associated with setbacks. An easy way to lose incentive is by not coping with the negative impact of feeling pressured or defeated. To combat these emotions, consider what about the situation is still in your control. For example, I cannot make my dream agent want to represent me, but I can search for other qualified representatives that I would be proud to work with. Remember you have choices. There are many paths to success. Focus on what you can do. This will generate the needed energy to stay motivated.
Staying motivated to reach your dreams is not always easy. The strategies above can
help you stay focused and create enough positive energy to help you succeed.
The first is to be prepared. Things often do not go smoothly. Think ahead about what you will do when something stands in your way. Finding a publisher when you're a new author is very difficult and filled with rejection. I thought to myself for every rejection I receive, I will find 2 new publishers or agents to send my work to. This helped me stay focused and motivated to constantly learn about the industry. It also gave me a concrete behavior to keep my goal alive.
The next trick to staying motivated is to take a step-by-step approach. If your goal is to write a fantasy novel and the first 20 pages took you several weeks to write, it could be easy to get overwhelmed knowing you have 200 more to go. Instead, focus on making the next 10 pages the best they can be.
The last tip is one that's often overlooked. To stay motivated, one must manage the negative feelings associated with setbacks. An easy way to lose incentive is by not coping with the negative impact of feeling pressured or defeated. To combat these emotions, consider what about the situation is still in your control. For example, I cannot make my dream agent want to represent me, but I can search for other qualified representatives that I would be proud to work with. Remember you have choices. There are many paths to success. Focus on what you can do. This will generate the needed energy to stay motivated.
Staying motivated to reach your dreams is not always easy. The strategies above can
help you stay focused and create enough positive energy to help you succeed.
