External Motivation, Part III: The Role Model

Part 1: The Playlist
Part II: The Workspace

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My childhood hero was Sailor Moon. She was an irresponsible, clutzy crybaby on the outside, but on the inside she had a huge heart. She cared for her friends and family deeply, held more self confidence than I could ever hope to have, and believed that everyone was worth saving--everyone, even the bad guys. Her grades sucked--there's no delicate way of putting it--but every night she saved the world from whatever evil made itself known. She didn't win every time, but didn't let it stop her; she held an incredible amount of hope and faith in her heart. I wanted to both be her and be friends with her at the same time.

She was not only someone to look up to, but a friend when I felt like I had none. She and I go way back; she taught me to dream without hesitation, love without consequence, and fight for what I want out of life. The influence the character and the show had on me as a kid was a big factor in making me the person I am today.

In this case, I didn't consciously choose my role model. It's something I didn't even realized had happened until later, after a significant amount of thought and reflection. But often, a role model is someone we purposefully pick out; someone we see and say, "Hey, I wanna be like you!"

A role model can be a great source of motivation. Sometimes it's hard to mentally picture the person we want to be, and seeing this person who is excelling at all of the things we want to do gives us something solid to shoot for. In some cases, they can even give us adivce on how to get there!

But there's a danger in idolizing someone, be them fictional or real. We don't often see their failures, making it that much easier to ignore their faults and the reality of the life we want to live. When we see someone with the skills, talents, and attitudes that we lack, it's easy to feel discouraged with our own progress. It's easy to think that we'll never be as successful as they are.

It's also easy to lose yourself; when you're trying so hard to be like this other person, it's all too easy to drop the "like" and focus on being their twin. Instead of shooting for our own accomplishments in our own way, we try to do it just like they did. We drop our own opinions and interests and pick up the ones that made this one particular person so successful. We try to follow in their footsteps instead of forging our own path.

It's great to have someone to look up to, and knowing that they beat the odds to get where they are not only motivates us but inspires us to do the same. But you have to be careful that you use this role model to fuel your motivation, instead of letting the idea of them hinder it.


Who's your role model? Tell me in the comments!

Until later,

- Justyne

External Movitavtion, Part II: The Workspace

Part I: The Playlist

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If you are in pursuit of a creative career, you are going to--ideally--spend the majority of your time in some sort of designated workspace. (If not the majority, then at least a reasonably large chunk of it.) This is where you will write your first draft, your second, your third. It's where you will slave the night away, writing words that you won't even remember through the haze of sleep deprivation. This is where you will write your debut novel. This is where you will partake in a dozen NaNoWriMo's and draft a hundred query letters.

This place needs to be your home, be it your home-within-a-home or your home-away-from-home. As such, it has to be a place that not only motivates you, but inspires you to create great works of art.

You are in the midst of creating your work environment, so it is imperative that the end result is a place that you enjoy--I would even go so far as to say that it should be your FAVOURITE place!

There are two different categories that you should be thinking about whenc hoosing, designing, or redecorating your workspace--practicality and atmosphere.

Practicality is a no brainer--if you can't get any work done, it's not much of a workspace. It doesn't necessarily motivate you to get work done...it just prevents you from doing anything else.

As much as I want to skip to the atmosphere aspect of this week's topic, the practicality part is just too important to leave out. So for now, I'll leave you with a miniature preparation checklist to ensure that no distractions interfere with your motivation:

• Is there a TV in the room? Move. Now.
• Is your phone on? Turn it off and hide it in a drawer somewhere. DO NOT LET IT TEMPT YOU.
• Get off your bed. What are you even doing.
• Get off the couch, too.
• SIT AT A PROPER SURFACE IN A PROPER CHAIR
• Download this and this. And this.
• Prevent Scatterbrain Syndrom by making a To-Do list or setting a goal for your work time. SHOOT FOR THE STARS, CHILDREN.

Ok, great. All that boring stuff is out of the way--now comes the fun bit!

A couple years ago I made a Pinterest account, which was both a blessing and a curse. It was probably one of the worst things to ever happen to me, simply because it is hands down one of the most distracting websites I've ever had the misfortune of signing up for. (Yes, right up there with Tumblr.)

But at the same time, it's been great for inspiration. People pin writing tips and drawing tutorials, inspirational quotes and--probably my favourite part of this God forsaken website--home decor.

I never had a true appreciation for home decor until I found Pinterest. Bedrooms and kitchens, reading nooks and dining rooms, dens and....home offices.

The atmosphere aspect of your workspace is the most fun, the most expensive, and the trickiest. You need a workspace that is functional--organized in just the right way, with everything you need to be productive. It needs to be pretty--you're going to spend a lot of time there, so you need to want to spend a lot of time there. If it's boring or dull or ugly, you'll want to stay as far away as possible. But if it's bright and it's interesting, you'll want to spend as much time there as you can.

All the while, it can't be too distracting, because...well, you have to work sometime.

So find a space in your home, be it in your bedroom or elsewhere, and turn it into your Dream Job. Find a nice desk, as big or as small as you need, and a comfy chair. Set up your computer, or typewriter, or good 'ol fashioned pencil and notepad. Stick up a calendar with deadlines and To-Do lists, add some pretty lights and inspirational posters.

And for the love of your sanity, make sure you keep it clean.

Until later,

- Justyne

~~

Part III: The Role Model

External Motivation, Part I: The Playlist

Every morning, I optimistically set my alarm for 7 AM. Two alarms, in fact. I have been doing this for months, but I could probably count the amount of times I actually got out of bed at 7 on one hand. Sure, I was awake; I was just scrolling through social media feeds instead of doing literally anything productive at all.

My point is that sometimes (or all the time) we need a swift kick in the ass to get going. And that's okay! 

Inner motivation is infinitely more effective than outer motivation--doing something because you want to and because it falls in line with your values is a lot easier than doing it because someone else thinks you should. Even then, though, it's not always enough. Everyone falls into a slump sometimes, and the longer you mope around in the slump the harder it is to pull yourself out.

External motivation gives you that kick in the ass I mentioned earlier--it doesn't work forever, but it has the potential to work just long enough to get you the momentum you need to keep going. As long as that inner motivation exists somewhere, dormant in some dusty old corner of your mind, that little kick as the power to do a lot of good.

The good thing about this kick in the ass is that it's really not that hard to find; you can easily pull yourself away from Facebook and find it on your phone, motivating you to get out of bed. (The dealbreaker being, of course, that you want to get out of bed in the first place.) Once you're up and being the productive member of society you want to be, it's a lot easier to keep going. It's just the starting that sucks, is all.

One of my favourite methods of external motivation is music. Every few months I make a new playlist, filled with songs that I currently love and ones that really make me want to be all that I can be. I make new ones so often because my taste in music is constantly changing--songs that I was obsessed with a couple of months ago aren't quite as awesome to me anymore, and I've probably discovered a good handful of new ones to replace the old. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a different genre, a different tempo, or just something different.

But for now, these are what I've got:

- Brave by Sarah Bareilles

- Fight Song by Rachel Platten

- Something More by Sugarland

- Trip the Light by Alicia Lemke

- Praan by Garry Schyman
(Side note: If you're never seen the Where the Hell is Matt videos, watch them. Like, right now.)

- Anything by Hedley

- Best Day of My Life by American Authors

It's important that my motivational playlist is a lot different from my "Dance It Out" playlist, and yours should be, too! (All my Dance It Out playlist makes me want to do is...well, dance. And that doesn't always prove to be the most useful thing when your ideal productive state entails sitting for long periods of time.)

What are some songs that motivate you to start getting work done? Share them in the comments; I'm always looking for more!

Until later,

- Justyne

~~

Part II: The Workspace
Part III: The Role Model

How to Be a Writer: A 10-Step Guide, By Me (A Writer)

STEP 1: Read a lot. All the time, in fact. Read the classics, read the modern. Read the popular and the unpopular, the good and the terrible. Read what you love, and take note of what you hate and why you hate it. But don't turn reading into a chore--if you don't enjoy reading, you certainly won't enjoy writing.

STEP 2: Dream. Dream big, dream small, dream far and wide. Dream at night, while you sleep and before you drift off. Dream of the impossible and make it so. Create fantasies and goals. Dream your dreams and write them down.

STEP 3: Make a list. Turn your dreams into something tangible. Cross them off. Not next year--today. As soon as you can.

STEP 4: Look for inspiration everywhere. Bookmark quotes you love and pin things on Pinterest. Take pictures of amazing sights. Take mental notes of the people and conversations around you.

STEP 5: Motivate yourself. Nobody will do it for you; even if they try, they won't succeed. The best motivations are internal motivations--yourself.

STEP 6: Avoid distractions. No, you can't work with the TV on. No, checking Twitter won't take two mintues. Lock yourself away. Turn off your phone. Unplug for an hour.

STEP 7: Stop procrastinating. You're doing it. Right now.

Stop.

STEP 8: Don't get it right. Don't get it perfect. Get it down. Break it first, fix it later.

STEP 9: Yes, your writing sucks. See above. It won't suck forever.

STEP 10: Ignore everything. Just write.


Until later,

- Justyne

Lessons of NaNoWriMo 2014

November has come and gone once more, which means it's time for me to get off my butt and start blogging again. This was my fourth year participating in NaNoWriMo, and would have been my third year winning in a row...if I had won, that is. But alas, I did not.

The month started out wonderfully--I actually stayed on track for the first half of the month. I kept up the daily word count of 1,667, often doubling it, without falling behind more than a day's worth of words. For the first fifteen days, it looked like I would win without problem--and possibly, for the first time ever, before the evening of November 30th.

But unfortunately, it was not meant to be. I got sick during the second half of the month, and went a full week without writing. I went from being a day ahead to eleven thousand words behind. That, paired with a lack of motivation, the daunting idea of jumping back into it after such a prolonged break, and an unfortunate shift scheduled on the last day of the month all contributed my finishing off the month with a total of 38,508 words.

But still, that's a lot of words--words put towards a project that I was and still am excited to work on. So even with the loss, I'm satisfied with what I accomplished.

Regardless of the result of my furious November writing, I learned a lot this month, and have secured a number of tips for you current and future Wrimos for next year:

1. DO NOT FALL BEHIND. DON'T. DON'T DO IT. I'M SERIOUS. Start the month off strong--if you catch yourself leaving the last couple hundred words for your word count for the following day, slap yourself. Do your best to finish the daily word count whenever humanly possible. YOUR FUTURE SELF WILL THANK YOU.

2. DON'T STOP. If, after an hour or so of writing, you find yourself "in the zone", even after completing your daily goal, DON'T STOP. DON'T YOU DARE. Keep going! If you stop now, you'll totally forget your train of thought and your future self will hate you.

3. GET AHEAD. Already reached your goal by noon? KEEP THAT WRITING TRAIN CHUGGING. Spend the afternoon writing, too! Spend the evening writing! Write all day and get as far ahead as you can! YOUR FUTURE SELF WILL LOVE YOU.

4. STAY AHEAD. Already a few thousand words ahead of schedule? You can take a break, right? WRONG! Keep that streak going! Meet your daily word count, if nothing else! Stay ahead as long as humanly possible, so that when life intervenes--which it will--and prevents you from writing more than a couple hundred words, you won't have to scramble to catch up. YOUR FUTURE SELF WILL ABSOLUTELY ADORE YOU.

5. DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP. Am I irritated that I didn't meet my goal? Well, yeah. I was doing so well before that damned headache / cold / whatever it was came along and messed it up for me. And I broke my two year winning streak! But getting mad at myself and punishing myself won't change anything--the best I can do is keep writing until I finish, even if it's halfway through December. Just remember: YOU TRIED. You tried, and win or lose, you wrote. Don't let the arrival of December stop you--keep going.

How many of you participated in NaNoWriMo this year? Did you win? Lose? And for those of you who didn't take part, will next year mark the start of your novel?

Until later,

- Justyne

THE MASTER OUTLINE (BEDS #21)

That is the title of the document that I currently have open on my computer, caps and all.

I'm not normally one to outline before I write something. Most of the time, I find outlining boring and tedious--and sometimes even unnecessary, as the major events are often already plotted out in my head. I try to avoid it, as much as possible, and rely on my memory and my fantastic "wangin' it" skills to power through my WIP.

This WIP is different, though. There's so much going on, so many relationships and subplots and emotions running wild that no matter how hard I try, I can't keep it all straight in my head. I forget things, little tidbits of information that come up later on. I end up having to reread a good chunk of the story to find it--and more often than not that ends with me wincing at how bad the earlier stuff is.

Bottom line is, I can't possibly keep track of everything that's going on. Not mentally. So, I started to outline.

I just started working on it the other day, and it's already becoming this massive document, with history and biographies and plot points. It feels nice to have some concrete information written down in a more accessible way. But at the same time, the act of actually making the outline still feels like utter torture to me. (Cue war flashbacks to every English essay I had to write that ever involved summarizing literature....*shudders*)

So, in an effort to make this outline more bearable, I've decided not to complete it...not right away, at least. Instead, I'll write down everything as I go. I'm hoping that it will make things easier for me later, when I need to reference an obscure plot point made five chapters back that I've long since forgotten (No more scrolling through documents and skimming poorly written paragraphs to find it! Hallelujah!), without my spirit suffocating in prep work.

I'll keep you updated as to how this little plan of mine works out. (Hopefully, it'll work out fairly well.)


Until later,

- Justyne

Knowing Your Characters (BEDS #5)

How well do you know your characters?

I like to think I know mine pretty well--I will admit, though, I know some better than others. Some characters I know right off the bat, better than I know myself. I know how they would act in any given situation--what they would say, what they would do, what they'd be thinking. I can tell you about their entire growth as a person, from start to finish--how each event in the story affected them, for better or worse.

Other characters I don't know nearly as well. Other characters are harder to read--they take longer to look at, to figure out how their mind works. These are the characters I have to wrestle with--argue and fight and plead with until they give me just a glimmer of what they're like.

I mentioned, once, the problems I was having with a current WIP. It was causing me immense frustration, to the point that I just wanted to pull my hair out by the roots. (And I really really really love my hair.) I knew something was wrong with it--I just didn't know what. Even after changing the plot drastically from what it started as, I was still lost.

Why? Because I didn't know my main character.

Virtually every other character in this story was one I knew extremely well--it was just the protagonist, who was telling the story, that I was having trouble with. I didn't know who she was, really--I knew what she looked like, I knew what was supposed to happen to her, but nothing clicked as easily as it had with other characters.

Until I realized: I couldn't relate to her.

Relating to a character is extremely, extremely important--my characters have always been close to me, because in some small way, I've always been able to relate to them. I like to think that there's a part of me, of my life, in each of my stories, and most of it lies within my characters.

This character, this new protagonist, is one I've been visualizing since I was fourteen. I thought it'd be easy. I thought she's practically write the story herself.

She didn't.

It was like trying to converse with someone you have nothing in common with. It's not that I expected to relate to her situation exactly--I'm not exactly royalty--but no matter how hard I tried, no matter what angle I tilted it, I couldn't find the common ground. I couldn't find a way to relate to her, to parallel our lives.

Until suddenly, recently...I did. My life started to shift and change, my heart along with it...and, with one tiny nudge, everything clicked into place.

Having common ground with your character isn't always a necessary thing. I've written plenty of characters, at one time or another, that I had nothing in common with. But sometimes, when something isn't working...when, no matter how much you push or pull, it just won't budge...sometimes, finding common ground can help. Just starting from one simple emotion--one simple, familiar twinge of the heart--and building up around it can work wonders.


Until later,

- Justyne

Shiny Objects

Writing a book is hard. I know that. You know that. You have to know your characters better than you know yourself. You have to have a deep understanding of a fictional world that doesn't exist. You have the make the plot run smoothly, with limited holes, all while finding the right words to do it. It's not easy.

But hey, I never signed up for easy.

One of the biggest problems I have is with actually finishing something. A common trend with me is that I'll spend a couple of months on one story, then get distracted by some shiny object and abandon it indefinitely.

That shiny object is usually a new story idea.

Don't you just hate that? When your love and excitement for a current story fades, and as you're struggling to pull some minuscule amount of joy from it, something sparks. It's not a spark inspired by your current WIP, of course. That would just be too easy. No, this spark is something different, something fresh....something new.

I can't count how many times I've left a story to collect dust on my computer because my eye has been attracted to this New Idea. I've lost track of how many times this New Idea has been so GREAT, so WONDERFUL and BEAUTIFUL that it just can't wait a few more months, until I've finished what I've started.

I also can't count the amount of times this New Idea has, eventually, turned out like all of the rest: abandoned. Dismissed. Left behind with minimal chances of survival, while I pursue the new New Idea, which will most certainly be the one I finish, no doubt about it.

I know I'm not the only one who does this. (At least I certainly hope I'm not.)

Lately, I feel like I've gotten better at sticking to what I start, instead of ditching it in favour of something new. I've developed a new system, which acts as follows:

STEP 1: RECORD NEW IDEA

So you have a new idea. FANTASTIC! No no no, don't start writing it. Put the word document down and step away from the laptop! There's a better way to handle this!

Take out a notebook, your journal, your phone, whatever, and write this idea down. Write down as much info as you can come up with right now; names, plot points, whatever. Use up as much paper as you want, fill up as many lines as you can. Just don't start writing any scenes, and you'll be fine.

STEP 2: SAVE NEW IDEA FOR LATER

Now you have a shiny New Idea, in physical form, in the palms of your hands. Wonderful. Now put it away.

Set the notebook down, real easy now. That's it! Store it somewhere that you'll be able to find it later. Put a post-it note or a bookmark on the page. Type it in a document and save it in a folder on your computer. Whatever works best for you--just stuff it somewhere. Out of sight, out of mind.

STEP 3: FINISH YOUR CURRENT WIP

It doesn't even have to be polished and edited. I'm not picky. Just finish the current draft. You can do it.

STEP 4: RETRIEVE NEW IDEA

So your old WIP is finished (to an extent). Lovely! Good for you! I'm proud.

Now, if you like, you can go back to your New Idea. Go on--you've earned it! Work on it for as long as you want.


I've fallen into a bit of a pattern with this. Once I finish a draft of a WIP, I switch over to a new (or old) project. Then, once I've finished a draft there, I switch back again. I feel like this keeps me from getting too sick and tired of one story--not to mention it gives me the break I need to look at my writing (somewhat) objectively.

(Saving up a bunch of ideas over time also comes in handy around November, when I need an idea to use for NaNoWriMo. The only issues I ever have then is which idea to pick from.)\


Does this system work for you, or do you have a different way of handling the dreaded New Idea? Let me know in the comments below!

Until later,

- Justyne

Distractions (Part II)

About a year ago, I wrote a blog post about distractions. 12 months later, and I'm still getting as distracted as I was then. (And I still have a Sims game open in my taskbar. Some things never change.)

Here are a few new-and-improved tips to avoid various distractions:

1. Chase everyone away

Of course, if you have sisters like mine, this isn't exactly easy. Try putting a "do not disturb" sign on your door--and lock it, if you can. Keep your phone on silent and stay away from instant messengers, like Facebook and Skype. Make sure everyone knows that your writing is important, and you need time alone to get it done. Hopefully they'll understand and leave you alone. If they don't, well...

2. Designate a special "Writing Zone"

Maybe you work best in your room, or in a library or a coffee shop. Either way, get your butt down in a chair somewhere--preferably away from the television--and get to work. This can also help you get away from certain pestering younger siblings, you insist on knocking on your door even when you specifically say not to. (I'm looking at you, Mackayla.)

3. Turn the music off--or, get some playing

Maybe you work better in complete and utter silence. Or maybe you're like me, and the quiet drives you absolutely insane. Figure out which applies to you, and create playlists that match. Maybe you like movie soundtracks, or a collection of songs that help inspire the story you're writing. Either way, cranking up that music can help block out other noises around the house that could distract you.

If you prefer to work in silence, though, finding a really quiet place to work can be hard. Try a library, if you can; if you can't, for whatever reason, I would suggest listening to some white noise or rain effects to block out the TV playing in the next room or gossiping family members upstairs.

If you just like background noise, like me, I would definitely recommend Coffitivity. It plays the hustle and bustle you would normally hear at a coffee shop or restaurant, without actually having to leave your house. (Perfect for a hermit like me!)

4. Habit helps

Back in November, I made it a habit to write 500 words when I first woke up in the morning. Personally, I find that making a habit out of writing makes it easier to focus, and harder to get distracted. If you work on a story regularly, as well, it's a lot easier to fall back into the rhythm of the plot each day, rather than going days or weeks without spending time on it.

5. Sprint, don't marathon

As I discovered during last NaNoWriMo, working in sprints inspires more productivity than trying to focus for hours on end. Ten, twenty, and even thirty minute sprints allow me to stay focused a heck of a lot easier than if I try to block out my distractions for an hour or more. Write for half an hour, do some laundry. Write for ten more minutes, clean my room. Spreading out your writing time in smaller increments throughout the day still allows you to get a lot done, while making it easier to focus and concentrate enough to actually be productive.

And finally...

6. Un-bookmark Tumblr

Just do it.


Do you have any more tips for avoiding distractions? Have any of these, or the tips provided in my last blog post, worked for you? Comment below and tell me!


Until later,

- Justyne

An Epiphany of Sorts

Stop checking your calendars, I realize that it's not Friday. Consider this a bonus post for not forming an angry mob and chasing me away from the internet yet. I appreciate you for putting up with my lack of blogging skills.

So buckle up, readers. This post is gonna be long.

I've been in sort of a slump lately. And by "lately," I really mean the last two or three years or so.

I've been writing less. I've been stressing lots. About The Future (dun dun dun), mostly. I realize I'm only in my first year of university, but I just haven't figured out what I want to do with my life yet. (And before you mention writing, just calm your hormones for a second. I'll get to that shortly.) Nothing in university has really caught my attention thus far. Every time I think I've figured it out--English teacher, copy editor, homeless hobo in a magical flying cardboard box--I go and change my mind. (Although I'm still hoping that magical cardboard box thing will work out, that would be pretty freaking awesome.) 

I'm also frustrated. Very frustrated. Mostly with myself.

I had a lengthy conversation with my dad on the phone last night, mostly talking about The Future (dun dun dun). The main topic of discussion was whether or not I should take the year off from university next year (see the reasons above). His main concern was that I would end up playing Sims all the time, instead of doing something productive.

I'm not saying that this isn't true. In fact, this is probably the most likely of any scenario I could possibly come up with.

But that's what really frustrates me.

When did I get so lazy? Seriously! I've always procrastinated, but never this bad. I used to write literally all the time. I used to do productive things in my free time--something that often seems like a foreign concept to me now. When did all of this change?

So I started thinking. I've spent most of today thinking, to be honest. I thought back to when I spent all of my time writing. I thought about how it felt to write--how I felt then, and how I feel now in comparison, when I'm hardly writing at all.

I still love writing. That much hasn't changed. I love writing as much as I did when I was nine years old and first started putting words to paper.

But that's not the real issue here.

So I thought about what's different. I thought about when it changed--when I stopped writing so much, and, most importantly, I thought about why.

Because that, my dear readers, is the million dollar question.

So after all these hours of thinking--in the shower, in my bed, on the couch while watching television--I think I've figured it out. My problem, you see, is that I've been thinking too "realistically."

And that is a problem that can apply to everybody--not just writers.

I was confident when I was a kid. I thought that there was nothing that I couldn't do. I was so sure that I would be published before I even graduated high school; that I would become a famous author, that everyone would read and love my writing. I was so sure that everything would work out.

I lost sight of that. I started doubting myself. I started doubting my abilities as a writer. I got too caught up in the money aspect:

"Writing isn't the easiest industry to enter." 

"You can't make a living off of it right away." 

"You need a back-up plan."

I'm not saying that these things aren't true. What I'm saying is that I got so caught up in these things--in my so-called "back-up plan"--that it became my only plan. I forgot about writing altogether.

I don't want that.

This is why I've been in a slump--why I keep changing my mind, flipping directions, unsure of every little decision I make.

Newsflash: no industry is easy to enter. No job is easy to get. There is no career on this planet in which you can walk on up and say, "I want this job" and the employer replies with, "lol okay."

It just doesn't work that way. There's work involved. There are degrees to earn, resumes to build, experience to...well, experience.

Writing is the same way.

A back-up plan is just that--a back-up plan. Something you turn to when your original plan doesn't work out. My problem is that I was so consumed with my back-up plan--with the negative "what-if's"--that I lost sight of what I truly wanted. I've been focusing all of my time and money and worries into a career that my heart's just not in. I gave up on writing; written it off as impossible before I even gave it a chance.

I can't even begin to describe how wrong that is.

I am capable. I've written a 50k+ novel in 30 days. I spent months writing a 200+ page novel when I was in the 8th grade. I had an entire freaking book series planned out when I was 9 years old. People enjoy reading my work, and I enjoy writing it. That is what truly matters.

I need to take back that confidence I had when I was a kid. I need to re-focus my attention on what I want--what I've always wanted. I need to believe that I can do this--because I can. I know I can.

And so can you.

Who knows, maybe I'm just delusional. Maybe it's the optimist in me. But no matter what I end up doing next year--taking a year off and staying at home, travelling the world, becoming a homeless hobo with a magical box (seriously, though, somebody hook me up with that)--I'll be writing. I'll be doing what I love.

So to all of you high school students out there, being pressured to choose what you want to do for the rest of your life--don't worry about it. Take your time. University will always be there, if you need it. Focus on what you love.

Because here's the secret: if you love your work, it doesn't seem like work. My dad taught me that.

(Actually, no, I knew that way before he told me on the phone last night. But he tried, I'll give him that.)

The future doesn't seem so scary now, does it?

Maybe this will inspire you. Maybe it won't. But if you only take one thing away from this post, let it be this:

It should never be, "What if I can't?" It should always, always be, "I can. And I will."

Thanks for your time, guys.

Until later,

- Justyne

Distractions

I have tried writing this blog post several times throughout the day, but I have realized that it is a slightly difficult thing to do when:

A) You have a Sims game open and taunting you from your taskbar.

B) You're going through yet another Sailor Moon phase and you're watching the fifth and final season for the first time. (This is the first time I've had a new episode since I finished the first season in Japanese in grade 9 or 10 and was introduced to several episodes that weren't dubbed into English. I'm excited. Don't judge.)

C) Your friend invite you to watch hockey with them, and despite the fact that you have no interest in hockey whatsoever, you still find yourself amusingly distracted by their screaming and yelling and discussions with other friends invited to watch said game.

D) School has been cancelled due to a blizzard (the second one this week. Welcome to Canada.), and as a result you feel inclined to use this as an excuse to do nothing.

E) You have a Sims game open and taunting you from your taskbar.

I would like to point out, however, that these are not excuses for not getting a blog post up. This is a blog post. It's up. If you would ever so kindly check your calendar, it is still Friday. (Albeit somewhat late on Friday.) So who's laughing now?

(Probably no one.)

Regardless of what they are, distractions are...well, a pain in the butt. They're at the very core of procrastination, and can easily turn a 5-minute break into a 3-hour one. This applies for all things, and not just writing. (But for our purposes, we'll focus on writing.)

Avoiding distractions are....kind of impossible. Something will always come up. Always. Don't bother trying to tell yourself that it won't, because I'm telling you that it will. That's life. That being said, a good system can help you avoid the most notorious of these distractions. (I'm looking at you, Facebook.) Things work differently for everybody, but here's just a few of the things I've picked up this past year:

1) Create a set time to write.

I'm not telling you to schedule every single minute of your day. That's just ridiculous. (And unrealistic. Have you had the pleasure of meeting Life?) I'm saying to make a point of setting aside a certain amount of time every day (or almost every day, I'm not picky) to write, and only write. It doesn't have to be the same time every day; just make sure you put in the effort to write. (I find it easier if I spend my writing time first, before doing anything else.)

This time is your Writing Time. Don't feel inclined to spend an absurd amount of time on it--I settle with a half hour. Less is better than more. When the time runs out, you can always keep going. Just don't stop before it runs out, and you'll be okay.

2) Close that freaking internet browser.

You can even block distracting websites, if you feel so inclined. (Cold Turkey is a fantastic program for PCs.) Just close your browser of choice and don't let yourself re-open it until your writing time has expired. 

3) Turn that phone off.

Or put it on silent, or hide it under your bed. Do you know how much writing time can be wasted just texting somebody? And then you think, "Oh, I'll just check Facebook quickly...Oh, gotta restock my tower (I'm referring to Tiny Tower. Fantastic game for smart phones, but not the point)...Well, now they've texted me again, I have to reply..."

See what I mean? Just hide it. It's only half an hour. I believe in you.

4) Turn on your music.

I tend to have a special playlist dedicated to each project I'm working on, full of songs that best describe the feeling of the story. Make a playlist of songs that work best for you--be them instrumental, upbeat, or super angst-y ballads.  Plug in your headphones, crank up the volume (I cannot be held liable for any loss of hearing that may occur), and....

5) Write!

Distractions are gone. Set up a timer on your phone, or on a website (I don't have any links on hand. If you don't know how to work Google, then I guess you're out of luck), and start writing until either the timer runs out or you run out of steam (whichever comes second).

Will these get rid of every single distraction in your life? No, not really. (See items A-E mentioned above.) But I find that they help. Take the time to find what works for you.

Don't beat yourself up if you can't find time to write absolutely every day. If you have a video / powerpoint presentation and a paper due the next day that you've barely started (that may or may not have been my Wednesday situation), then please, for the love of all that is good in the world, don't worry about writing. It can wait. Believe it or not, there are some things that are more important than writing.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an open Sims game taunting me from my taskbar. Some distractions you just can't avoid.

Until later,

- Justyne

Writer's Block

Writer's Block: An illness which plagues writers across the globe, and has no definite cure. Symptoms include procrastination, staring at a blank Word document for twelve hours, and concussions induced by throwing one's head against a brick wall in frustration. 9/10 writers today suffer or have suffered from Writer's Block. (The other one is lying.)

(Come on, you guys totally saw this blog post coming. I figured I'd get it out of the way early. Although I may or may not end up writing about this again. If and when that time comes, you can blame the Writer's Block.)

I've been suffering from a particularly bad case of Writer's Block for about....well, since last semester ended, basically. I don't know whether it's the lack of motivation, lack of ideas, or just the piece I'm trying to write, but every time I sit down to work on it I'm only just barely able to crank out a few words. If I'm lucky.

So what do I do instead of writing? I play Sims for six hours. I scroll endlessly through my Tumblr dash. I do homework, for crying out loud. (Homework! Oh, how I miss the days when I chose writing over homework.)

Put simply: Writer's Block is a pain in the butt.

You'd think that after nine years of writing, I'd know how to chase it away, or at least push it back far enough that I can crank out more than a sentence a day. And yet, here I am. Staring at a blank Word document. Doing homework (homework!!). Inducing concussions by throwing my head against the brick walls of my dorm room.

Writer's Block is not fun.

I could give you the obvious pointers for Writer's Block--take a break, work on something else, go for a nice, long walk to clear your mind--but to be completely honest, I think all of those "pointers" are complete bull. They don't work for me. Heck, my "break" is turning into a semester-long hiatus from writing. These pointers are too....nice.

It's time to declare full-out war on Writer's Block.

1. Kill somebody.

Not literally. Please, for the love of God, do not go terrorizing teenagers at summer camp. Take someone in your story--or poem or whatever it is you happen to be writing--and kill them. This doesn't have to be a permanent thing--feel free to start writing this scene in a fresh document, if you like. Just kill them. Stick an ax in their head, throw them off a balcony, hire a werewolf to jump out of the bushes and mangle them to death. Anything goes. The aftermath is something that'll take chapters to cover. And who knows--it might be just what your story needs.

2. Personify Writer's Block.

Don't have a character to kill? Kill Writer's Block. Make it a character. Let's call him Wallace Blomm. (My apologies to any Wallace's or Blomm's or Wallace Blomm's out there. This is strictly business, nothing personal.)

Now kill him. Most gruesome thing you can imagine. Go watch any of the nine hundred Saw movies, those have plenty of material. (I would assume, anyway, judging from the first five minutes I saw of Saw IV.)

3. Do something completely drastic.

(Could I be more vague?) Think of the one thing you would never ever ever ever, in a million years do to your characters, or to your plot, or to the entire story as a whole. Got it? Now do it. Again, you can use a fresh document if you like. All of this stuff can be rewritten. Don't be afraid to totally change absolutely everything about your story thus far and do a complete 180 turn in a different direction.

4. Write the ending first.

I don't mean "write the ending now to stick at the end later." Start re-writing your story, starting with the ending and working your way backwards. Tell the story exclusively through flashbacks. (I've never tried this, but hey, it's something new. Maybe it'll work. Be sure to let me know if it does.)

5. Just freaking write.

I know I probably sound like a complete hypocrite saying this. (I mean, I'm doing homework instead of writing! What could I possibly know?) And this is definitely one that doesn't always work quite as well as you hope, nor is it ridiculously easy. But that's the point. It's not easy. Nothing about writing, or Writer's Block, is ever easy. If it was, we'd all be published millionaires by now. Sometimes the best, and only thing you can really do, is write. Screw Writer's Block. Power through it. Show it who's boss.

Now, if you excuse me, I have some writing to do. A certain Mr. Blomm needs an ax thrown into his skull.


Until later,

- Justyne