Top
10 Tips to Complete a Creative Writing Project Without Losing
Your Creativity
by
Ginger Blanchette
Have
you ever started a creative writing project with great excitement,
only to have your interest dwindle as the process, itself,
interfered with your creativity? How do you keep the momentum
going and continue to enjoy the creative process?
Follow these
tips for high creativity, fun and success!
1.
Create a writing environment that inspires you.
Create a place in your home or outdoors that calls you to
write. Consider light, color, sound, scent, taste, writing
materials.
2.
Follow The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron.
I highly recommend this book. It keeps you focused, observant,
playful, and creative - and it keeps you believing in yourself
as a writer!
3.
Choose your writing project in a joyful way.
When choosing a writing project, come from your heart - not
your head. Be playful. Be creative about how you choose your
project.
4.
Make a creative representation of the project’s ideal
end.
Draw, paint - use a creative medium other than writing to
represent the completed project. Consider, especially, how
you will feel when it’s done. Put your model in a prominent
place. Use this to trigger the desired feeling, before the
completion - every day!
5.
Make a timeline with celebration points.
Make it visually appealing. Have a step-by-step outline and
celebrate creatively as you complete each step.
6.
Create an R&D Team for your project.
Contact a number of your friends, colleagues, and readers.
Invite them to join your R&D Team. Send them snippets
of what you write, questions you have about the process, or
anything else you want input on - on a regular basis. Their
input will keep you going.
7.
Keep Creating & Editing times separate.
If you edit while you write, the process can become boring.
Clearly block a specific amount of time for editing into your
schedule. Don’t let it interfere with your creative
writing time!
8.
If blocked, shake things up!
Do something fun, unusual, active! Get your mind somewhere
else and move your body. Your creative side will work in your
subconscious while you’re at play. Read the tips in
The Artist’s Way. There are also many resources on the
internet for handling writers’ block. Check some of
these links: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_block.html
http://www.sff.net/people/LisaRC/
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/block.html
9.
Have a Fan Club.
Critics and editors are fine, but have a few friends or family
members who you can ask to cheer you on or cheer you up, no
matter what you write. Hire a Creativity Coach to keep you
focused and to be an unbiased supporter of your creative success!
10.
Celebrate in a big way!
When you reach the big finish, give it a big finish! Do something
you’ve always wanted to do, but have never done before.
Make the finish so memorable that you’ll be eager to
begin your next creative writing project!
----------------------------
Ginger Blanchette is a Life and Business
Coach who supports her clients to share their crwww.lanterncoach.comeativity.
She works with professionals and business people who are ready
to complete big projects involving writing and/or public speaking
and to be recognized for what they do! Contact her at for
a free sample coaching session.
HOW TO SET YOUR FREELANCE RATES - A GUIDE FOR FREELANCERS & CONSULTANTSThere are many factors which business owners must consider on a daily basis as it relates to the running of their business. Things such as how to find good help, where to acquire supplies and how much to pay one’s employees are all pertinent matters which must be addressed. There are a few ways to go about figuring out your rates when it comes to how much to charge the customers.
Apr
01
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
MARKETING PLANS : A Collection of Articles for How to Outline and Write a Marketing Plan for Freelancers Starting a Home Business or a Small BusinessA solid, well-prepared marketing strategy is the foundation of success in business. The freelancer or any type of business owner must become informed on the development of an effective marketing plan. The following links will focus on marketing plan articles for the freelancer to have a successful business.
Mar
20
Category: Getting Started - Self Promotion - Marketing | Trackback | No Comments »
BUSINESS PLANS: Business Plan Examples, Samples, Templates, Software and ToolsIn any type of the business including those people that perform freelance work, the proper tools are necessary to become a success. The following links consist of selected online tools for the freelancer to develop an effective business plan.
Mar
18
Category: Getting Started - Freelancing & Self Employment - Lists - Freelance Resources | Trackback | No Comments »
MAR
03
FREELANCING AND FINDING WORK AT HOME JOBSThe difficulty lies not in the fact that there aren’t plenty of work at home jobs available but rather in the fact that genuine, quality, money-earning work at home jobs are all mixed up with work at home scams. This makes finding a work at home job that’s legitimate a not-so-easy task for people who are just breaking in to the freelancing business. But don’t worry; once you learn the lingo and know the basics, finding a work at home job gets a lot easier!
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
Mar
16
BUSINESS PLANS : A Collection of Articles for How to Outline and Write a Business Plan for Freelancers Starting a Small Business
Business plans are necessary in all types of businesses … and this also includes freelancers. Writing an effective business plan will help you plan out the success of your future business. Factors such as customer base, profit potential, as well as many other factors will be placed in this document. The business plan will help you, the freelancer, think through every aspect of your future successful business. We found the following business plan articles to be very helpful and we hope that you will find them to be useful too.
Category: Getting Started - Lists | Trackback | No Comments »
FEB
25
HOW FREELANCER WRITERS CAN DEFEAT WRITER'S BLOCKHelpful hints and tips to overcome the dreaded White Page Syndrome - There is probably nothing more dreadful and problematic for a writer than not being able to get going, being stuck on a menacingly white page. Read on for more ideas on how freelance writers can overcome Writer's Block.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
FEB
19
WAYS TO GET MORE CUSTOMER REFERRALS FOR YOUR FREELANCE BUSINESSThe amount of customer referrals will often determine how successful one’s freelance business can really be. As word spreads quickly, having customers refer others to you and your services is a wonderful way of gaining new freelance business and making more money. There are a few distinct ways to get more client referrals for your business.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
FEB
18
FREELANCE HOME OFFICE DISTRACTIONS VS DISTRACTIONS WHEN WORKING IN AN OFFICEOf course, distractions are different depending on whether you are freelancing from home or working in an office. Both kinds have their pros and cons so let’s take a look at some of the basic ones so that you can start getting a grasp on good vs. bad distraction behaviors for freelancers.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
FEB
08
WORKING FULL TIME WHILE RUNNING YOUR FREELANCE BUSINESSThe key to being able to make the transition to full time freelancing is in setting goals that allow you to focus on moving away from working full time for someone else and towards putting more hours in to your freelance business.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
FEB
06
20 WAYS TO PROMOTE YOUR FREELANCE SERVICES USING ONLINE FORUMSThere are a few distinct ways in which freelancers can market their services through forum marketing techniques.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
JAN
24
60+ UNIQUE LOCAL & OFFLINE MARKETING IDEAS FOR YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS Although online promotion is important for your freelance business, it’s crucial to remember to go back to your basics and do offline promoting as well locally, nationwide, and worldwide depending on who you are marketing to. Here are over 60 ideas to market your consulting services locally. Let Freelance work find you.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
JAN
22
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE GOOGLING INFORMATION ON YOUThis can be an issue for freelancers whose customers google them and try to find out information relating to them and their business. The following is a list of what to do when your customers are googling information on you.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
JAN
19
26 THINGS TO DO WHEN BUSINESS IS SLOW AND IN DOWNTIME MODESome freelancers are anxious to work day in and day out which may present a problem for them when business is slow. However, there are many things which freelancers can do to bide their time while waiting for new freelance work to come in. Here are 26 ideas for staying productive during your consulting business downtime.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
JAN
15
ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE TIPS FOR FREELANCERS & THE SELF EMPLOYEDThere is a casual attitude about communication that takes place online and that creates an environment in which customers sometimes don’t take your work seriously, leading to problems with projects and payments. In order to avoid those problems, you need to make sure that you are conducting all of your online work in as professional a manner as possible. Here are some tips on how to do that.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
JAN
02
TOP 150 PLACES TO TRAVEL WITH YOUR FAMILY WHEN YOU STILL NEED TO GET WORK DONEWhen you are self-employed, there is no vacation time to save up, and there is no one to cover for you when you’re away. For many that mean giving up on vacations altogether, and this is what I have been doing for awhile. Most of These All-Inclusive Family Resorts Have Kids Clubs in Which Your Child can enjoy supervised and fun activities while you and your spouse can have fun or get freelance work done. Take a look below and enjoy!
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
DEC
30
LIST OF ARTICLE SITES, BLOGS, AND INFORMATION DIRECTORIES FOR FREELANCERS, CONSULTANTS, AND THE SELF EMPLOYED Do you ever get frustrated when you can't find the information that you need about freelancing? Well, I've just compiled a list of the best article sites, blogs, and directories for freelancers, consultants, and the self employed.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
DEC
30
DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO FREELANCE OFFSITE OR ONSITE Deciding to work onsite or offsite sounds like a relatively simple decision, but it’s actually one which isn’t easy to make. Sure, when you’re lying in bed just after the alarm has gone off and you see that it’s raining outside and all you wish was that you could go back to bed for ten minutes and then do your freelance work from home, working offsite sounds ideal. But there are as many cons to the offsite work job as there are pros and you need to weigh them carefully when making the decision about whether to work onsite or offsite.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
DEC
21
IS FREELANCING RIGHT FOR YOU? Freelancing, a term introduced by Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), is when you work without being committed to an employer. With development of internet and communication technology, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of people going their own way and leaving behind the cubicles. You are reading this book, so you must be contemplating becoming a freelancer, but before you make your move there are a few things to consider.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
DEC
20
FREELANCER'S GUIDE TO TIME MANAGEMENT The most common problem that freelancers face is figuring out the balance between work and the rest of life. While there are a few freelancers out there who don’t work as much as they need to in order to pay their bills and improve their business, most freelancers have the opposite problem – they work ALL the time. And that’s why there are a great number of freelancers who “burn out” after a short (or if they’re lucky, a long) time. In order to make sure that you aren’t one of those people who “used to freelance but got burned out”, you need to set limits on how much you work. Then you need to stick to those limits.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
DEC
16
SHOULD I TURN DOWN FREELANCE PROJECTS? As freelancers, we often feel as if we have to say ‘Yes’ to every single job out there. However, we as freelancers are in a position where we can choose to say ‘No’ if we want to. Believe it or not, there are certain projects that you probably shouldn’t accept. Turning down work is probably the hardest decision you will need to make when running your business, but sometimes turning down a gig is necessary. In this article I will explain to you the details that you need to consider when you aren’t sure which route to take. Consider the following:
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
DEC
12
COOL IDEAS FOR YOUR BUSINESS CARDS As freelancers, we need to promote ourselves with business cards. How about putting yourself ahead of the rest of them by designing and printing completely unique business cards? You are about to take a look at the coolest and most innovative business cards that you have ever seen.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb
DEC
10
LIST OF FREELANCE FORUMS & MESSAGE BOARDS Looking to get together with other freelancers? Want to network? Want to ask questions about freelancing that you can’t find the answer to anywhere else? Look no further than the freelance forums that we have listed below. Feel free to let us know about forums that we have missed.
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Netscape | Onlywire | RawSugar | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb