Two Combo Sneak Punches for Writers

The combinations I propose are far simpler than you see in the photo. But I learned how effective they are when I set out to put on more speed.

1) Energy and confidence breed energy and confidence
You get one result if you approach your work timidly, whenever you find enough nerve in the day. In that spirit, you approach the Muse as if she's doing your lowly self a favor by planting a peck on your cheek with, say, 200 or 500 words. The words themselves, when they come, will be shaky and doubt-filled and sorry to be there.

You get an entirely different result if you approach your work boldly at the same time every day--whatever frigging mood you're in. Headache? Heartbreak? You still get to work. And not only do you get to work, but you also work in bigger, braver chunks: 1K-1.5K words or more. This grows easier as you go, for energy and confidence do give birth to more of the same. Your work is now racing, not creeping along. You have a stronger sense of the big picture. And entire scenes you'd never imagined come fully born to you.

Personal application: My previous writing speed has always been slow and tortuous: up to 2 years to finish a short novel of 40K words. Typically, I wrote 500 words a day--at scattered times--and a first draft might take half a year. This morning, I finished the first draft of my WIP in less than seven weeks, writing first thing daily.  And I swear by every word I wrote above.

2) Every book requires its own M/O
In a lifetime of longhand writing, I've used everything from legal pads to spiral-bound notebooks to hardcover journals to index cards to classic Moleskine notebooks...For budgetary reasons, I'd turned to Amazon Basic's excellent Moleskine facsimile. And these served me fine for the WIP...until I came to a critical point involving a new p.o.v. I wanted a different cover color to give a boost every day. But the Amazon notebook comes only in black.

Solution: I mounted cerise-colored index cards to the front cover. Crude and cheap, yes, but it worked, getting me daily back into the mood.

However, I had two longish sections to go, each with a major twist or surprise. And I felt my energy lagging just a little.

Solution: I returned to Moleskine, ordering two notebooks for the final sections: one in blue and one in white. And I'm here to tell you, the color tricks worked and the writing took off.

Let no trick be beneath you if it helps get the books in your head to the page with more efficiency and speed.

My Broadway Debut

A bit later in my life I've had the good luck to go Broadway.

Now, Broadway can be anywhere and mine happens to be in Seattle. It can also be in almost any venue: from writing to acting to singing to driving a limo.

Broadway's where to become a great star you'd better damned well act like one from the moment your feet hit the ground. And my true debut on Broadway came about in an unusual way and in an unusual place I will call simply The Store.

Compared to The Store, any other job I've had has been at best Off-Broadway. And more than a few were Off-Off. But the lines in The Store are huge...the energy is dazzling...and the stakes are as high as the profits. On my first work day--after a pleasant, low-key orientation--I got the message loud and clear: I needed to learn quickly and was expected to work on my own within a week. I needed to move quickly and constantly strive to do more. The first two rites of passage were the three month and nine-month reviews.

I went home exhausted but with a solid checklist. Lessons that can apply to any form of Broadway

1) You are you what you pretend to be--so behave like a star to become one.
2) Move, speak and act calmly and decisively, no matter how flustered you feel.
3) Put a positive spin on everything. You don't feel exhausted, you're 'getting your legs'. You don't feel confused, you're working it out.
4) Never blame your age or inexperience for any shortcomings or slip-ups.
5) Over and over, with gusto, repeat these words: It's