Learning how to write fiction is hell on the eyes. Staring at a computer monitor for several hours at a time isn’t like gazing into the sun during an eclipse, but it does put heavy-duty strain on ones vision. As writers, we’d limit our ability to describe the world if we could no longer see it. So we should all take steps to keep our eyes healthy.
The general strategy for eye health is simple - Take Breaks! I’m horrible at this. I like to sink into fiction writing and stay there until exhaustion draws me out. It’s far healthier to set a timer and take a vision break once an hour. Simply get up and look at something other than MS Word.
One specific technique for strengthening the eye’s muscles and relieving the stress is called scanning. In this exercise one simply looks at various objects and allows both eyes to glide over them. Do so without staring and remember to blink. Its a great exercise to do for a couple of minutes after every hour or two of intense writing.
Goal Update:
It’s 1:03 AM, July 1 as I blog this, time to evaluate my June goals:
- Complete the editor’s revision of The Things We Crave - DONE! In fact, the final blue-lines are almost complete, too.
- Complete the outline for Sinister and send to co-writer - 50% DONE! One of the golden rules about writing is Never Start Until You Know How It Ends. I broke this rule. Fortunately, co-writer is very talented.
- Draft the first free e-book Flesh and Bone- 50% DONE. I’m excited to give you this information.
- Maintain the Gym Schedule - writing books took priority over working out. I’ll work on this one. I’m thinking of taking the 100 Push Ups Challenge. Join me?
- Keep Guitar Fingers Healthy - Guitar is so much fun it hardly seems fair to call it a goal. This one’s a given. DONE!
- Blog every day this month - Seth Godin I am not, I’m afraid. I won’t set this goal again. I like blogging, but I prefer to put up content that is highly valuable to writers and creative people rather than post for the sake of posting. If you look at the posts duing June you can pinpoint (exactly) where I burned out. Lesson learned.
New goals coming soon. Hope you join me in kicking ass!
LL
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I like Twitter. I’ve met very cool writers, some guitar players and hundreds of people who tell me I can make money by Tweeting. One very nice Tweeter recently sent me a DM to say, “If you need to know how to write your book, this is how.” The tiny URL that followed was to a web site promising to show me how to Write my Book in 14 Days.
Anyone who caught the same tweet, please read this rang about Not Writing a Novel in 14 Days.
Then follow me:
Lake Writer's Journal Fiction Writing, How to write fiction
I am so inspired by Seth Godin’s book Tribes and how its pages apply to writers. This is not a boring business text, but a Guide to Revolution. Tribes is a story about heretics and the movements, micro and macro, they drive.
Tribes Book Cover
As writers we have voices already. We are heretics not by nurture, but by design. Heresy is inherent in our DNA. What will we do with it? As Mr. Godin points out it used to be hard to publish a book. Now anyone can. All that’s left is writers who tell themselves, “No.”
Given the technological platforms at our disposal, we have an opportunity to make our work known. Opportunity is not the right word, though. Make that obligation. That’s a strong word, I know. If we believe in our work, our story, the information or message we want to share, it is true.
We are poised to change the world, this wild tribe of writers. Imagine all of us fully invested in raising our voices and cutting through the chaos. It’s going to be a colorful ride to the magical place.
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Earlier this week, I found a white Hagstrom Swede for sale on eBay. I bid, won and the new guitar arrived today.
This meant that instead of writing I spent the evening getting to know my new six-string. I’m at the point in my guitar journey where I know scale patterns by heart and can change chords automatically. I transitioned from beginner to intermediate. It’s been a rich and rewarding journey and I learned the following:
Becoming a guitar player is a lot like becoming a writer. One will never be able to compose a solo before memorizing the diatonic scale patterns. Likewise, one will never write a novel without learning how to write a complete sentence.
Guitar players must be willing to bleed upon steel strings. Writers must shed a different kind of blood. Talent, luck and the other lies have little to do with the end result. Rather, both accomplishments come about through a daily choice to put in the hours. This is how we earn our chops.
It’s worth it. Ask the kid above, or just believe me.
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As I go through my days, I keep thinking about the Dream Eaters and what a huge drag they are on CREATIVES. I have so much to say about this topic and I so want you to chase your dreams and see them fulfilled. For that reason, today I changed the blog’s tag from:
Writer-Musician Pursuing Creativity 24/7
to
Fighting Dream Eaters 24/7
This is because we’re going to battle them together. I’ll share a few tricks I’ve learned over the years. You’ll teach me a thing or two. If the journey get tough, we’ll have each other’s backs. The Dream Eaters got nothing on us, kid. When the dust clears, we’ll stand victorious. Best of all, it’ll be great fun! Just wait and see…
A Quick Goal Update:
On June 1, 2009 I committed to accomplishing a number of goals. Here’s where I stand 18 days in:
The Things We Crave - Final punch list completed. Most of hte coming weekend is reserved for hunting down typographical errors. Almost done.
Sinister - Meeting with co-writer scheduled for Saturday. Half-way done.
Flesh & Bone - Composition book full of notes. In Progress.
12 more days to go…
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