Our Six-Week Journey… Let’s look at how far we’ve come

Step-by-step Creation

with our writing group

Week 1: STaRT with why and Who You NEed to be?

The importance of starting with WHY and WHO you need to be to bring this book forth cannot be underestimated. When you slow down and take your time on this, you will make bigger gains later. Even if you think you have already done this before. Even if you think you don't need to do it again. Spending the time now will give your future self a beautiful gift that will help you to start writing your book, keep writing, and finally complete it and publish it.

  • Write your ideas down for projects and writing. Use a table or other form of organization.

  • As multi-passionate creators, we can sometimes become lost in the frenzy of all of our ideas. If this happens, ask yourself, "What is most important to me right now?"

  • If you are feeling downtrodden with critical thoughts around writing, ask yourself what works for you? Maybe a spiritual pep-talk or a compassionate practice such as the ones we have learned on our journey together. Go back to your writing exercises, particularly your WHY and WHO you need to be in order to engage with the writing process.

  • Try listening to music while you write. Sometimes I like silence, sometimes, I enjoy other music without lyrics or Vivaldi's Four Seasons. You can also go to the Spotify app or website as there are lots of pre-created playlists.

  • Sometimes doing something else creative, like doodling, drawing, or painting, can not only jump-start your creativity for writing but also help you see your writing through a different lens which is often just the boost we need to move forward.

  • It's difficult to be creative when you are in threat mode, so when you feel yourself throttling up to threat, notice that and check in with your breathing to throttle down into your soothing system. Being present with what you need at the moment with some soothing breathing or a guided visualization can be very helpful. This is not to ignore the threat — this is to regulate your system so that you can pause, feel and move forward in your valued direction.

  • We started our daily writing practice by working on our writing exercises — a low-risk way to begin. Begin your daily writing practice. A small amount of time that feels good to you! (5, 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes, whatever feels best). Experiment with time of day, amount of time, where you write, and notice how you feel when you change these variables.

  • Who do you need to be to write, revise, and complete this book? Create your I AM Personal Commitment Statement.

Week 2

Our theme this week was Setting Intentions. As with any skill that we build, when we talk about intentions for our writing practice, we need to think about Before - During - and After. We are setting ourselves up for a soothing (or potentially soothing) experience as best we can by creating the mental and physical space to do our best work. As with starting with your WHY, I promise you - by spending the time now you will be giving your future self a beautiful gift that will help you at every stage during the book writing process.

  • Remember... everyone struggles with challenging thoughts at times which then throttle up our threat system and create real bodily sensations that feel uncomfortable and create imagery that we would naturally like to avoid.

  • It's not our fault that we were born with this “tricky” brain that enables us to so vividly imagine and ruminate on difficult thoughts. It’s “tricky” because it is doing something to keep us “safe” and that it is supposed to do from an evolutionary perspective, but now in these current times — and especially when you are embarking on something important like writing a book — it just keeps us stuck. That’s a little “tricky.”

  • But ... we can un-hook from these thoughts (they are just thoughts, not real physical danger) by engaging our soothing system with compassionate practices, creating a place of pause and safeness for us, where we can then turn towards our WHY and our valued path of writing the book.

  • Think about your physical writing space and your mental writing space. We need to consider both. For the physical, your space or spaces should be places where you feel you will be creative (i.e., don’t pick the place where you do your bills if that is a stressor for you and you associate lack of creativity with that space). Set yourself up for success by having everything ready to go in your writing space BEFORE you write. Sometimes that will mean setting your space up the night before. If you know you want to have a cozy warm drink in the morning with your writing practice like coffee or tea, put out everything you need for the morning the night before.

  • Consider using a habit tracker for your writing practice.

  • Stack your soothing habits that already work with the new one of building your writing practice.

  • Ask yourself this question: What am I doing and where am I when I receive the most inspiration or have the most useable and workable ideas? Let’s do more of these things.

  • Set the mental and physical stage Before - During - and After your writing practice. What would make this practice soothing?

  • Before: What would give your body and heart and mind a cue that you are entering into the sacred container of your writing practice?

  • During: What do you need to hear or say in this writing practice today?

  • After: What can you do to acknowledge your writing practice today? Give yourself the gift of some re-entry buffer time before jumping into your next to-do or appointment.

  • Think about what your Before - During - After writing plan will look like. Try some things out —experiment— and notice what feels good, what changes you notice, etc.

  • Think about what your daily schedule looks like. How can you stack habits that support you? Find a time for your writing where there won't be other pulls on your time and energy.

  • Aim to have 4-5 writing days per week.

  • Start reading The Alchemist.

Week 3

writing process tree.jpg

Our focus this week was creating the book plan. Your book plan will become your best friend! It gives you the structure within which you can then be fluid and improvise when you want or need to. It creates a supportive net so you can do your high-wire act without worry. It provides the target to move towards even if you change your direction slightly. I know I just through a whole bunch of metaphors out there, but they are all valid. Use the one that best serves you.

  • I was taking a walk the other day and found myself standing in awe of this magnificent oak tree. I noticed it’s trunk and how sturdy it was and knew that the root system must be extensive to support such a tree. I noticed the branches intertwining in some places and the leaves and the acorns, some still on the tree and others already on the ground ready for new life. And I realized this tree was a metaphor for the writing process as I see it.

  • This is the image I had in my mind (more or less).
    If this imagery is helpful to you— use it! See your message rooted in your why, your dharma, your daily habits, your writing practice, knowing your people, your intentions, your identity, self-compassion, self-exploration, and self-development. Know that there will be difficult times in the process but these roots become stronger when they are tested and so will your message and your book because of it.

  • Dive into your Book Map/Plan/Blueprint! Take it slow. Remember your key questions:

  • What's my main message that I want my readers to take away from my book?

  • What are the big ideas I need to include to support that message? (You may end up calling out some sub-ideas within the big ideas at this point and that is okay -- just note them as sub-ideas within the big idea.)

  • As I look at my big ideas, is there anything missing?

  • At each place of pause, if I am uncertain about where to go next, I will ask myself, "What else?"

  • When you think you are done, look at the big ideas from a macro view and ask yourself, "Do all of these big ideas support my main message? If yes, ask yourself, "is there anything I am missing?" If no, put them aside in another document -- perhaps these belong in your next book or blog post.

Week 4

Our theme this week was all about acknowledging the fears, blocks, and resistances that come up as you are engaging in this writing process. In addition, we also continued to work on creating our book plans.

  • Remember that while there are many universal truths that people share in books, no one has shared these truths with your voice and your perspective.

  • Your voice is unique and that is what will create resonance with your audience AND with yourself.

  • Go back to the writing exercises when you need to. They are a net and a support for you. We do these to acknowledge and comfort our present self and soothe our future self when times get difficult.

  • Write the book that only you can write… and also the book that has already been written.

Week 5

In week 5 we delved more into themes, features, headings, subheadings and continued our discussions around universal truths and our unique voice.

  • There are lots of ways to integrate your themes into your manuscript. They can be implicit or explicit. They can be integrated through overt features or through your narrative. As with everything related to your book (including length), content is queen. What does your content tell you?

  • Features are particularly useful in creative non-fiction if you find that you have content that you want to incorporate into every chapter/essay/story or many of them. Maybe you have practical tips or exercises you want to incorporate. Look at Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for an example of this. It is a memoir, but she also incorporates two features in all of most of the chapters: a recipe feature (contributed by her then college-age daughter) and a scientific feature (contributed by her husband).

  • Headings and subheadings are extremely useful in creative non-fiction. They are helpful markers for you and for your reader to know where you are in the context of your “story” and they also create transition without a lot of exposition.

  • Try using haikus as a compassionate jump start for your voice and your creativity. No matter what structure I put on your haikus in our haiku challenge, you will notice that every single one was different. We all had the same universal truth and even the same words that needed to appear in three short lines, and yet, still, all of our voices came through. This is just like writing a book.

Week 6

Alchemy is a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination. So alchemy is... the writing process.

  • You have made significant progress over the past six weeks. Look how far you have come. The writing process is JUST LIKE LIFE. Every day is different, so judging yourself on past experiences is futile, just as comparing yourself to others is futile.

  • Elizabeth Gilbert had some magic words in a recent workshop — “I never promised I would write the best book ever written. I never promised I would be an amazing writer. I just promised I would write.” (paraphrased) Your job is to just write while you are writing your book.

  • Take a look at your writing process — is your “procrastination” part of the process? What many people call procrastination might actually be valuable pre-writing time in your mind. This is something I see in clients and myself in practice. When I am working on a piece I think about it for days, rolling it around in my head, letting it sit in the background. When I do sit down to write, it is easier and more productive because I have given myself this time. And when you know this, you can work it into into your timeline and your schedule, AND you can be purposeful and intentional about it. This makes a difference, is a self-compassionate act, and in the end is liberating.

  • Put writing on your to-do list.

  • Remember that the writing process is layered and complex, and sometimes you do need to journal and read before you can write for your book. (And really, it's all in service of your book.) Sometimes you need to let the molasses just ooze out. Tomorrow might be maple syrup, sweet and silky.

  • There are three paths to publishing your book: 1) traditional publishing, 2) self-publishing on your own, and 3) self-publishing with expert help. In my opinion, unless you are writing a higher education textbook, option 3 is the best bet and will give you the highest quality and best over-all experience. (We didn’t talk about this for very long, but having been in the higher education/teacher education traditional publishing corporate industry for 15 years, and then having been in the expert self-publishing sphere for almost 10 years I can talk about this for a LONG time. If you have ANY questions, hit me up!)

Writing Exercises

These little gems are not something you do once and then forget about them. You do them so that you can gain clarity now and also to set the foundation for your writing practice. You do them so that your future self can be supported no matter what comes up on the journey. These exercises provide a container, a safe-haven and secure base for the beginning your your daily writing practice. Go back to them again and again when you need them as you continue on your journey. Additionally, these exercises can be a gold mine when you enter into the marketing phase of your book and when you are writing your introduction and back cover copy for your book.

  • Writing Exercise 1: Finding Your WHY

  • Writing Exercise 2: Personal Legend (based on reading of The Alchemist)

  • Writing Exercise 3: Your Ideal Reader

  • Writing Exercise 4: Imagine Your People

  • Writing Exercise 5: Sharing Your Message

  • Writing Exercise 6: Love Letter to Your Book

  • Writing Exercise 7: Setting Intentions

  • Writing Exercise 8: Tell Me a Story

  • Writing Exercise 9: Who Do You Need to Be?

  • Writing Exercise 10: A Gift from Your Compassionate Self

  • Writing Exercise 11: A Letter from Your Distraction

Resources

  • An article about Why I Start with WHY with everyone who is writing a book or embarking on a big writing journey of some kind.

  • Here is an article about how creating a soothing ritual before you start writing it helpful. In this case, I'm talking about how writing haikus can be a gentle and compassionate bridge to your creativity Haiku: A Compassionate Bridge to Your Creativity and Your Voice. Remember that there are lots of ways to tap into your soothing system in order to bring some balance when our tricky brain is creating a loop (just like it is supposed to do from an evolutionary perspective) that isn't exactly helpful for the writing process. Soothing allows you to throttle down your threat system so that you can pause, feel, choose what to do next, and then move forward in your valued path.

  • Graciela and Sara shared that they are using habit trackers for their writing practice and that has been helpful.

  • Allison shared the Otter Voice Meeting app that has been helpful for her that transcribes your voice memos and also tags your notes with key words for easy reference later.

  • All the templates for your book plan in your weekly folder! (use what makes sense for you in this moment — hello Jam Board sticky notes!)

  • A TedTalk on using self-compassion in the face of self-criticism. That inner critic shows up strong when we are doing something outside of our comfort zone... like, maybe, writing a book or developing a consistent daily writing practice in the service of an eventual book. Imagine if you were 10% more compassionate towards yourself | Ronnie Grandell | TEDxTurku

  • An article inspired by this writing group and using your voice in a way that is unique to you: I Am Not Alone.

Practices

The guided, recorded practices listed below are from the book my husband and I co-wrote together, Freedom: How Teens Can Use Mindful Compassion to Thrive in a Chaotic World and Grow a Purpose-driven Life.