All I can say is: how true, how very true. I can’t add anything. With apologies to Ann (this is a small site, very few readers, not in any SEO, no advertising, just me) I’m just reproducing it here. This is all direct quote…

1. Confidence. I’ve crafted a killer proposal to write a book based on an original, amazing idea and a unique approach. My book solves a problem lots of people have, and by writing it I’ll create bounty and blessings for all. I write a proposal oozing with wit, charm and warmth: I smugly mail it off, channeling Jack Nicholson as The Joker, “Wait’ll they get a load of me….”

2. Anxiety. Why aren’t they getting back to me? Hello? Where is everyone? Why haven’t they accepted the proposal? Wait – will they accept my proposal?! Crap! My cell was off! What if they tried to call? Is it hot in here… or is it me?

3. Elation. YES!!! I’m writing a book!

4. Fantasy. I’ll get up early every morning and go to the coffee shop, where I’ll write in the same booth in the back. I’ll wear a thoughtful expression and maintain a writerly, quiet demeanor. The staff will get to know me; and respectfully they’ll have my latte waiting and save the last scone for me. Maybe I’ll wear a beret. Maybe I can have a launch party there…

5. Self-doubt. Wait… I’m writing a BOOK? Who am I kidding? What do I know? What have I gotten into?

6. Procrastination. I have plenty of time. The manuscript due date is when… well, whenever. Ages from now. Wonder what’s happened on the last five years on “Lost”? I could watch all the episodes online now and be clued in for the finale! Also, I should call my high school friend Todd. It’s been years — wonder what he’s been up to? I think I’ll “Google Image” him…

7. Realization. Wait. The manuscript is due WHEN?

8. Bargaining. If I finish this paragraph, I’ll let myself eat the chocolate chip muffin saved from earlier. Or maybe I should eat half now so I have the energy…

9. Depression. This is horrible. I hate this. This is stupid. I’m stupid. I’m ugly. I hate writing. I have nothing new to say. I don’t want to do this. I can’t do this. I wish I were dead. Also, I wish I had another muffin.

10. Repeat steps 5-9 above, for an indeterminate period of time, in an endless, private circle of hell.

11. Annoyance. Leave me alone! Stop calling me! Stop emailing me! Stop knocking on the door! Stop asking what’s for dinner! I’m writing a book – can’t you see that?

12. Actualization. (Silence. Save for tap-tapping on keyboard.)

13. Exultation, served with a side of relief. YES! I wrote a book. I’m an author! (Phew.)

14. Consciousness. Time to market the book? Oh, right. I used to be an author. Now, I’m in sales.

Thanks Ann. Right on.

Compelling – will anyone care about your story? Is there a hook, a draw? Is there inherent emotional and intellectual appeal? What question is your story posing to the reader, and is the answer compelling enough for anyone to care?

Hero – yeah, we know we need a protagonist, blah blah blah. But is your lead character heroic? In what way? Do we empathize with what they need to do? What is at stake for her/him? What do they need to conquer, both internally and externally, to reach their goal? Why do we care about that goal? What is heroic about their ways and means of getting done what must be done in your story?

Conflict – nobody wants to read about a walk in the park. Really, they don’t. What opposes your hero’s quest? What does this conflicting force – usually a bad guy, a villain, but not always – want or need? What is at stake for him/her/it? Most importantly, how does this conflict exert the force of dramatic tension into the storyline, into each and every scene in the story?

Context – the most overlooked and taken-for-granted nuance in storytelling. What is the contextual sub-text at any given moment in your story… how is the past influencing the moment at hand?… how is the inherent conflict of the story exerting context into the moment at hand?… what forces influence the characters as they speak, take action, make decisions?… what is the thematic context of the overall story, and how does it manifest in the moment at hand? This is truly advanced stuff… master it and you’ll find yourself on a bookshelf somewhere. Context and dramatic tension – often synonymous, but not always – are what makes your scenes work.

Structure – that sound you hear is me once again beating this drum. Does your story unfold with a proper set-up? With the properly-placed and paced revelation of the hero’s new quest and need following that set-up? Has the context of the hero’s new journey, in a personal sense, been clearly established, and how does it affect what is said and done going forward? Are there shifts and surprises, valleys and peaks, both in terms of narrative exposition and dramatic tension?

Resolution – does the end of your story deliver an emotional payload to the reader? Does it makes sense? Will it linger once the final page has been turned? A killer resolution forgives the sins of softness in the story, but only if the hero is empathetic, the conceptual heart of the story rich and compelling, the thematic gift of the story penetrating, and the technical execution of the story optimized to make your ending the best it can be.

F – Figure out the cause. Take 10 minutes to think about why you feel unfocused and consider the activities that make you feel this way.

O - One thing at a time. Focus defined is the art of concentrating interest or activity on something. Distractions come in many forms.

C – Cut back. Simplify your life. Simplify commitments that don’t support your short and long-term goals.

U – Use your mind as a tool. No sleep is detrimental to our health and ability to focus. As someone who’s struggled with this in the past (and still does), the realization that my mind is a tool that I control seriously impacted my life in a positive way.

S – Say no. Learn to value and prioritize your time. Be firm. know what you want. Don’t apologize for it. Understand what’s on your plate and be conscious of what space you have available for other activities.

I got to thinking about it when a commenter on a previous post said that most people would love to write because there’s some kind of natural pull towards writing. I was also intrigued when I saw that established and well known bloggers Holly Hoffman and Jamie Harrop both started up brand new blogs last week, with subjects close to their hearts.

“Why?” He asks. Because what they were doing, the blogs they’d built, helped them discover their real voices. But they weren’t their real voices.

That’s a lot of what this blog is about. Chris continues…

Think about it for a moment. What are you speaking with before you find your voice? What are you saying and what message are you delivering? And just who are you being before you find your voice?

Before that happens your writing will be more constructed, abstracted, intellectualized. It’ll probably feel more of a struggle to get the words onto the page for the simple reason that you’re missing something fundamental.

You.

Both Holly and Jamie mentioned this very thing when explaining their need to start a new blog – that they needed to write about what they really wanted to write about, and to get a better fit by moving away from the constraints of their previous blog.

My main blogging is about business. I work to build traffic. This blog is for me. I work to put words, sentences, paragraphs, and, occasionally, poems or stories, together.