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In my last newsletter, I discussed the importance of not undervaluing your work successes. Perfectionists tend to ignore or devalue all accomplishments other than “the big score,” which is a very demoralizing and demotivating mindset.) But it’s also important to recognize your “character successes,” and I list some types of those below. I decided to […]
Recognizing and Valuing Your Successes. Part II: Character and Moral Successes
December 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Nice Note! Student and Coaching Client Finishes Novel
December 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
A nice year-end missive from a student and coaching client: “I actually, with little fanfare, have finished my novel (the one I was working on in your Savvy Authors class). It didn’t take as much writing as I feared; it is about 75K words now. It may need a bit more, during editing, but not […]
My Most-Read Posts from 2013
December 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
My most-read posts from 2013, in case you’ve missed any of them. Why, in Writing, Process Trumps Product, And Why You Shouldn’t Worry About The Quality of Your Work This is Called Situational Perfectionism Why You Shouldn’t Wait for Ideal Conditions to Start Your Project What to Do If You are Stuck in the Middle […]
Thank you AmEx OpenForum…
December 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
…for including this blog on a list of The 10 Small Business Bloggers to Follow in 2014! Repost This Article
Terrible Article in Salon Romanticizes “The Suffering Artist”
December 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
It actually promotes self-loathing as a productivity strategy! My comment: Sorry, this is the kind of grandiose macho posturing bunk that holds many writers back. Writing, absent perfectionism, is not that hard. And true self-loathing (as opposed to facile expressions of it) is far more likely to lead to a block than anything. There are […]
Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler vs. the Authors Guild and Old School Publishing
December 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment
If you want a super introduction to the benefits of indie publishing, especially over traditional publishing, read Joe Konrath’s Newbie’s Guide to Publishing blog (and the book derived therefrom and Konrath and Barry Eisler’s Be the Monkey (both available via Amazon). They were early visionaries and vocal proponents of indie publishing who helped liberate countless […]
By Popular Demand: Billy on Parquet
December 13, 2013 By 1 Comment
He’s not so easy to photograph as he’s a wiggler. Also, he’s not the most facially expressive of dogs–it’s all in the eyes and body language. But here’s a pic. Oh, and we’ve had him two months and 0 “accidents” in the house. OLD DOGS RULE. Repost This Article
Wise Words From John Scalzi About Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Your Legacy
December 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Related to my prior post on why you should take an expansive view of success, here are some wise words from science fiction author John Scalzi, one of my favorite bloggers. Inspired by the recent death of British SF writer Colin Wilson, he writes on why you should just do your work and not worry […]
How to Measure Your 2013 Successes so as to have a Happier, More Productive 2014 (Part I)
December 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment
As you evaluate your progress over the past year–or as your family attempts to evaluates it for you–one thing to keep in mind is that perfectionism often confuses success with failure. It basically recognizes just one kind of success, where you: (a) finish a monumental project, (b) do a spectacular job at it, and (c) […]
“Weight Loss for Writers” Class Premiers Online Jan 6
December 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I’ve been waiting to teach this for years, and am so excited! We’re going to get healthier and write more. Description follows. Space limited, so register now. Lots of writers struggle with their weight, but has it ever occurred to you that weight gain has a lot in common with that other common writer’s malady, […]
Be Sure to Check the “Preapproved Payments” Page on Your PayPal Account Every So Often…
December 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
…and to cancel those preapprovals no longer needed. I just found that I’ve been paying $10/month to elance.com. Unlike more honest, forthright companies, they don’t send account statements, so it’s easy to forget you’ve subscribed and are paying. I haven’t used elance probably in a year, so this was wasted money. Repost This Article
Situational Perfectionism in Sex
December 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The Times’s Joyce Wadler recounts how the high cost of Viagra and other “performance enhancing” drugs is putting her under pressure to be better at sex. “I’m a sexually confident woman, but the cost of these pills was giving me performance anxiety. I knew it was supposed to be about love and connection, but when […]
Why, in Writing, Process Trumps Product, And Why You Shouldn’t Worry About The Quality of Your Work
November 21, 2013 By 5 Comments
Everyone’s obsessed with quality, but the way to achieve it is not to focus on it. That’s because: 1) Quality is an Emergent Property An emergent property is one that’s intrinsic to a system, and that arises organically as that system operates. Think of relationships: if you try to force them, they wither and die. […]
On the Topic of Not Waiting for Ideal Conditions to Get Started
November 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Here’s a gent who, having lost a lot of his vision in old age, continues to paint amazing things **using Microsoft Paint.** Very inspiring – and you won’t believe what he can do. Repost This Article
A Great Day for Mushrooms, and Alliteration
November 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Woke up to find it’s raining again, for the upteenth time this fall. At first, I had my normal reaction, “Aw, crap.” But this time I quickly corrected myself, “All right! More mushrooms!” Michigan is apparently great for mushrooms. Maybe today, Monday, I will make manifest a marvelous Michigan morel. Repost This Article
