This came home to me as  I read a recent magazine put out by Writer's Digest.  It's a yearbook on novel writing.  Yet, there are many things in there that apply to nonfiction as well.

As regards writer's block, the author of the article interviewed three writers and himself.  While this is a small number, what was meaningful was that each of the authors had a distinctively different way to deal with writer's block.  The only consistency was that all faced writer's block.  Therefore, even from the small sample we can conclude that writer's block will occur if you write.  Writer's block is probably the most frequent complaint of writers and wannabe writers.   It's not something to be afraid of or to dread.  Rather, it is something you can become better at dealing with the more you pay attention to yourself and what works for you.

There are no quick fixes, but there are solutions.  As many as there are people who write.

But, what caught my attention was a Writer's Digest issue (I keep the ones I like, and work hard to not become a hoarder) called "Writer's Yearbook 2007."  I remember that when I bought it I had been drawn to the article "101 Best Websites for Writers."  And, here I was on the plane reading a variety of articles but being captured once again by this same article.

Having resources to jog your creativity is essential for the writer.  We may write alone, but we are not hermits.  In fact, in some ways we're pretty social people.  In further fact, writing is a communicative activity.  While it's fun to write for ourselves, often we have some kind of audience in mind… even if we need to suppress the need to please that audience as we let our creativity flourish.

"101 Website for Writers" is an incredible resource in part because of the diversity of topics covered.  Even if you have nothing that you're interested in learning about, I challenge you to read this article and not come up with some site of remarkable interest and value to you.

This time around, I've made up my mind to check out the sites that interest me, bookmark them and visit them at least from time to time to keep the writing inspiration that leads to writing perspiration alive.

Again, I challenge you to do the same if you're ready.

Remember, as a writer, or wannabe writer, what's important is to keep writing.

I have diligently been writing in my journal every single day for at least a year.   That is, I have never missed a day.  In the past, I have skipped days, and likely I will again.  However, it is clear to me that I have a fairly strong journal writing habit by now.  Habits and any creative activity are important (see Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life).

I have developed a pretty good three-day blog writing habit.  And, it is what I want to keep going.  Yet, I know as well that it is important to be forgiving of myself when I do not make my goal.

As I've discussed at other times, punishment has been shown to be effective in developing avoidance behaviors, but not in producing creativity.  Creativity needs not only habit, but nurturing and flow (see Csikszentmihalyi's Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (P.S.).

So, for today, I have forgiven myself for missing yesterday and will continue to work towards my three-day blog goal.

And you?  What writing goals do you need to let yourself forgive yourself for today… or in the past?

It is, however, not essential to start out with those attributes… at least not consciously.  Rather, there needs to be something inside you that says, "I need to write."  Patience and dedication can, and in my experience, often does develop out of the positive experiences that come from the writing process.  I have seen this in my own work as well as when I coach writers and wannabe writers.

If anyone would have told me eons ago that daily journal writing would become the source of relaxation, nurturnace, expressiveness, inspiration, creativity, and even of sustenance, I would not have believed it.

Over time I learned that though I did not want to write on a particular day(s),  still,  once I did it, I was happy I did.  And, over time I became more dedicated to my journal as well as  to other writings, and more patient with whatever came onto the page.

I have written two novels, an ebook, numerous articles, a self published book, in addition to my daily journal.  I have increasingly learned to value whatever writing I do.

Valuing what our patience and dedication produces (but not requiring it to be there to start), without the rampage of the inner critical voice I discussed in a recent post is the core of a gratifying writing life.

This week I did some shredding of papers that have long accumulated.  Not only did it feel really gratifying, but I found a new area of my writing opened up.

Clearly, then, my clutter had interfered with my writing productivity and creativity.  This experience has added an important element to what I now think is important to the writing process.  Namely, clear the clutter.  And, by the way, I wasn't even aware of how much paper clutter I had till it was gone.

Let me say one more thing about de-cluttering.  I just shredded all the back up information related to my PhD dissertation. It was not as difficult to do as I thought it would be.  I had held out that information for years thinking I would revisit it.  At last I decided there was nothing I would gain from revisiting it.  As I was shredding I began to feel  incredibly relieved .  When I finished  shredding, I knew a burden had been lifted from me.

I feel as if psychological space has been cleared to be filled by new experiences.  I am eager to see what they are.  So, I heartily recommend looking around and noticing what clutter is in your life.  Perhaps clutter that you had so taken for granted that you didn't notice it was there.  And, begin to make a dent in it as way to create psychological space for your writing life.

Anyone who is reading this likely has learned how to write.  But, they have not necessarily learned how to write with energy.  Rather, they will have learned to write technically… often from a formal outline.  It's how I learned to write… right up through my PhD Dissertation, at which point I had simply had enough.

Being fed up, I began, on my own, to simply write.  Whatever came to me… At that point, there was a lot of poetry, and lyrics for songs.

It's been over 25 years.  And when I look back at my writing in those years, I see that it was technically good.  But, writing has been more fun since I have felt myself a part of the process.

Too many people who write because they believe they have to do not enjoy the process.  It doesn't have to be that way.  With skills they've already learned, they can contact the writer within and bring energy and joy to their writing, even to their focused writing.

for more on the writing process, see OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK EASILY.

In a blog post by Creative Article Marketing recently, the suggestion was made to outline in a far less formal way than we all learned in school.   In using the "outline" suggested, there is plenty of room for freewriting.

The basic "soft outline" includes:

(1) identifying the topic

(2) jotting down some specific points to refer to

There are other points mentioned as well, which apply specifically to writing articles; however, the two above points are a way to move into the writing mode, regardless of the goal.  Being in the writing mode is what's important for whatever kind of writing, whether free or focused.

Very often when I'm writing my blogs, I'm inspired by something I've read.  In this case an "outline" or even a "soft outline" is not needed.

It's gratifying to see how once there's something in front of us, whether a soft outline,or just something like an article  (or it could be a conversation we recently heard, or something we just observed, or a news item we heard), to stimulate us, the writing can flow.

And, if nothing external gets the writer in us going, there's always simply freewriting.  Just putting pen to paper, or fingers to computer.

For more on overcoming writer's block see OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK EASILY.

Recently I had said to myself that I would consider taking a writing break because I was feeling that my writing was becoming stale.  The break did not come.  I missed the idea of writing as the time came that I would typically sit down to write.  I simply could not not sit down and write. Still, the fact that I had decided to "consider" taking a writing break seemed to have provided a mental break.

In fact, I'm thinking about not writing a longer blog today as a way of taking a writing break.  Not quite a break, but I'll call it a mini break.  It's a way to not have to live up to a standard that I imposed on myself for a specific writing length.  It's a way to breathe some energy, creativity, and flexibility into my writing routine.

A writing break can come about in many ways.  It depends on the person.  What matters is that the break is experienced mentally to allow new writing possbilities to emerge.

For more on how to overcome writer's block, see OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK EASILY

Your defenses are down.  Your ego cannot emerge… easily.  You will have "gotten over yourself." (see blog post 5/02).

The writing you do may not be ready to go.  It may not be polished.  But, as long as you're not drunk, high, or in any other altered state besides exhaustion, you're allowing yourself to let your voice resonate.  You'll be too tired to copy  anyone else.  Too tired to be critical of yourself.  Too tired to even care what you write.

I've seen many writers surprised to see that they have a great deal of automatic knowing available to them in that exhausted state.  And, by being willing to write from that place, they often experience a boost in self esteem.  Since writers often experience self doubt, it's a welcome event, to experience a rise in self esteem which is accompanied by increased self confidence.

Polishing can always come later.  But, without the raw diamond, there is nothing to polish.  So if you have not already, why not let go in your most tired state and see what rewards you reap?

The goal of the notebook is to keep you, the writer or wannabe writer, in the writing game.  Even a baseball player who remains on the bench will practice in preparation for being on the field in a real game.  If you're not sure you have anything to write, you're building the data base and strengthening your muscles by keeping a writing notebook.

Clearly, a notebook is not sufficient for the writer who has to meet deadlines.  Especially for those writers, it's important to "stay fresh."  Keeping a notebook is a way to achieve this.

As part of keeping a notebook, feel free to put in pictures and other images that spark your writing spirit.  Even headlines, articles, symbols, can find their way into your notebook.

The key is to keep your mind active.

Some writers prefer to keep their journal (that's where you make sure to do your freewriting) separate from their notebook, even if their journal is in a notebook.  Each writer needs to find their style.  But, each writer needs to begin if they haven't already with at least one notebook.

So, why not go for it?

By the way, keeping a notebook makes it more difficult to discard writings you don't like.  And, this IS a good thing (see blog of 4/20).