On the other hand, one of the teachings I received from seeing this movie is to never give up.  Not only was that the unveiled message of the movie, albeit contrived and poorly delivered though there were some interesting techniques, but the very act of experiencing this screenplay in movie format was further confirmation to keep on writing.  Writing skill is a personal achievement.  If we were floored and overwhelmed by the excellence of everything we saw and read, I wonder if there would be sufficient incentive to write.  For me, experiencing writing that does not meet my expectations provides motivation to keep on keeping on writing.

I don't seek out what I consider to be "under par" writing.  But, life happens.  And, I like to take advantage of it when it does.

By the way, I am not mentioning the name of the movie since, while there are some movies many people agree are poorly written, this blog post is not a movie review.  It is a commentary on writing for writers and wannabe writers.

So, keep on… keeping on writing.

I think one of the reasons this is happening is because I don't care if it gets published.  Don't get me wrong.  I'd love to get it published.  But, I'm writing it because it's fun and it's filling an emotional need as well.

I know people who set out to get published and they do achieve it.  But, without the inherent desire to write, the achievement of publication is not meaningful.

Then there are people who set out to be published and don't get published.  Some stop writing because all they wanted was to be published.  Others love words and keep writing.

I have coached both kinds of writers.  By far the most enjoyable to coach are the ones who love to write.  Where writing is like breathing.  But, I have also seen people "grow" into their writing.  And so, I never discourage writers or wannabe writers who have other reasons to write.

You may not know what kind of writer you are.  Freewriting often gives the clue.  If you haven't done it, why not start now?

I have done numerous coaching sessions with wannabe writers who have decided that it is worth it to them to address their fear.  Other times they feel they cannot live well with themselves if they do not face their fear.

It is a courageous act to step up to the "writing plate" when the fear is so intense that it has gotten in the way for a very long time, frequently years.  I admire those wannabe writers and have been very gratified to be their writing coach and see them ever so slowly put themsleves in front of their computers and let whatever happens happen.

As I've said many times, the key to writing well is to freewrite.  I am not the originator of this idea, but I am a strong supporter of it.  How can it be otherwise when I've seen person after person grow into being the writer they have wanated to be?

Susan Jeffers has said it well in the title of her book,Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway (r).  The entire book is devoted to that topic which applies in all areas of life.  My footnote to that is…. and you will be pleasantly gratified with your writing life.

So, what does all this clutter cleaning have to do with my writing?  Well, I was doing my daily journal writing and the topic was about cleaning up clutter and about not knowing what to write about.  And then I heard my own inner critical voice chastizing me for not knowing what I wanted to write about.  And, hearing that voice told me that I needed to write about that critical voice.  How I hate the tone of that voice!

Now, as I write, I find the power of that voice diminishing.  I know it has a place in my writing life.  It alerts me to what I need to concentrate on.  How I wish it would be gentler.  But, critical voices cannot, by their nature, do that.

So,what I learn over and over is to focus on what the inner critical voice wants to tell me that's of value for me, and bypass the unpleasant… sometimes even horrific… style it uses to talk to me.

Today, it was clear to me that my inner critical voice wanted me to let my readers know that it does not mean to harm us writers, but rather to alert us to something we need to pay attention to.

What is your inner critical voice alerting you to today?  What is it that you can take from the inner critical voice without being defeated by its tone?

There is power in numbers.  Especially in small numbers.  And, especially when the intention of all members is to support and encourage their fellow writers.

One of the valuable aspects of the group is the feedback each person gives to each fellow writer.  Typically, each writer is impressed at how they have touched another person's life.  Also, they find that they can see their growth as a writer through the feedback of others.

It is not impossible to write in isolation.  But, it is unlikely that it is as much fun.  I'm not saying solitary writing cannot be fun.  But, the qualities that others bring to the writer cannot be found in solitary writing.

Increasingly, fun as a central principle for writing successfully has been growing in my awareness over time.  Writing successfully, by the way, means simply writing.

I invite you to create your own writing coaching group or join an already exisiting one, or work with a coach to help you form a writing coaching group.  If you are not in a group already why not see how you benefit from participating?

I'm not perfect.  And never will be.  And that is what makes me a whole human being.  There's always something of value in what we consider "bad" writing.  Sometimes it's as simple as seeing that after "bad" writing comes "good" writing.  "good" according to us, the writer.

Recently on You Tube there was a clip of a woman singing on the British version of the American TV show, American Idol.  Because of how she presented herself as well as how she dressed, her voice surprised not only the audience, but the judges as well.  And renegade Simon Cowell of American Idol was one of the judges.   The woman had no idea that her voice was as outstanding as others thought.  So, after all, who does decide what's "good."  Therefore, again, why not keep it all?  Perhaps the "bad" writing is not as "bad" as you think.  And, the "good" writing is not as "good" as you think.  But, it is true that all the writing is you, and is therefore entitled to exist.

One further point.  Looking back on old "bad" writing years later, I have often been surprised to discover gems.  Had the writing improved, or had I developed a new perspective?  The point is that by saving ALL writing you allow yourself the opportunity to harvest when the time is right.

Even in the field of exercise, it has long been believed that if there is no pain then there is no gain.  Yet, more recently, the thinking has been changing.  Gentle does it.  Push, but only until you just begin to feel discomfort… not pain.  Then, relax.

Why not apply that recently developing philosophy to writing?  In my last post I talked about having fun.  And, I said that in my experience having fun is something we, as writers, can grow into. (Unless we have it to start, and that's not typical.)  Yet, we must start somewhere.  We need to start with challenging the belief that writing need not be hard work.  Literally, that we do NOT need to "perspire."

One of the reasons I talk often about freewriting is because it is not goal directed and, therefore, does not require effort to stay on track.  Yet, it does allow for the emergence of ideas — if we keep at it.

So, when you find yourself moving towards "perspiration," you can back off and freewrite to re-energize.  Of course there are other things to do as well, but all are devoted to taking a break from the grueling process you have set in motion, often without even realizing it.

Perhaps "freewrite" and "fun" are two post-its that need to be in your writing area.  After all, what we focus on is what grows.

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

Taking a writing break is a way of maintaining emotional well being as a writer.   Just as we all need a specific amount of sleep and relaxation in our lives in order to have emotional well being (that's a pretty much agreed upon "fact."), we need to take a break from our writing to have emotional well being as a writer.   It is also a really good way to avoid burnout if you are a professional writer.

I'm not talking here about taking mini breaks during the day, but rather a longer period of time where you give your mind the opportunity to reenergize itself.

When a writing break does not come from frustration, feeling blocked, stuck or some other negative emotion, it is difficult to want to take a break.  It seems simply to be the way we're wired.  Yet, we can change our internal wiring.  But, it takes our consciousness and our belief in the importance of doing it.

Until you take a writing break it is unlikely that you will know the value of it.   If you have taken a break because you simply found that you could not write, then you may have serendipitously experienced a positive effect.   But, if you haven't, this is an activity that may well make a huge difference in your writing experience.  You can start small.  But, it is important to feel that you are pushing your comfort zone.

For more tips on how to keep yourself writing, see Overcome Writer's Block Easily.

But, this is NOT what I mean when I say that you're writing when you're not writing.  What I mean is that you're thinking.   As long as you're a thinking person, you're a writing person.

I remember that I went through a period where I simply could not write, and I worried that I would no longer be a writer.  A friend of mine who was very familiar with my writing and more importantly with my commitment to writing, urged me to not be concerned that I wasn't writing.  She said, "You will always be a writer, even if you aren't writing."   Ironically, I had someone tell me the same thing about herself  recently.  My friend's statement had a hu impact on me.  It got me through a much longer than desired dry period regarding my writing.

Not only have I been grateful to my friend, but the experience allowed me to change my view of myself as a writer.  And, it gave new meaning to "you're writing even when you're not writing."

So keep "writing."

For tips on how to overcome writer's block when you want to take pen to paper, or sit down at the computer, see Overcome Writer's Block Easily.

The dilemma is that depending on what you believe, you either will or will not write.  And, if writing is an important activity for you to engage in (according to you), and if you believe you do not have positive self esteem, writing will not happen anytime soon if you wait for positive self esteem to occur.   There is a common saying that you can't write well unless you write badly.   In this instance, keeping this saying in mind can help you take pen to paper, or your fingers to the computer.

One of the major purposes of my writing telegroup is to allow people who want to write and haven't for a long time or whohaven't done their own creative projects, to get themselves going in the context of a safe and supportive environment.  Often the participants will talk about not believing that their writing is good, or that their self esteem is really poor.

It is an extremely gratifying (I can't use too many superlatives) experience to see people grow into their true writing selves.  To hear their own writing voices.  And, to see that whether they believed they had poor self esteem, or whether they believed their writing was bad, eventually all developed as writers that they believed had both positive self esteem and good writing.

For information on how to overcome writer's block, see Overcome Writer's Block Easily.