Lorna Faith

Clean Fiction Author

051 Empower Your Creativity by Engaging The Practicing Mind with Thomas Sterner

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Do you struggle to keep your focus and be fully engaged in the present moment as you write your story? If you can relate, today’s interview with Thomas M. Sterner, bestselling author of The Practicing Mind and Fully Engaged, will be incredibly helpful.

In the intro, I share lessons learned from Warren Buffett’s tips on the 25-5 rule, that he taught his pilot Steve. Still learning how to narrow down my ‘to-do’ list to only 5 most important things!

Some helpful books I’ve read these past couple of weeks that you might find useful:

1.The Practicing Mind and Fully Engaged by Thomas M. Sterner, which will help you be engaged in the present moment and find joy in your creative process.

2.The Anti-Procrastination Habit by Steve Scott has helpful tips on how to get rid of overwhelm to help you be motivated and focussed each day.

3.Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction By Breaking the Rules by Steven James has great tips on how to add more tension to your story.

So that’s what I’ve been learning and reading. Hopefully those books are resources that are useful to you as you write your books. And as usual you know I’d love to hear from you. Please share below what you’re reading, writing or learning 😉

Watch the Video Interview

Interview Summary:

Tom Sterner, shares what he has learned on how creatives can become really aware of their thoughts and mindset as they work on their projects, in the present moment.

In telling his own story, he talks about beginning to play guitar and then piano at a young age, but he wasn’t that great at practicing.
It was the observer in him, that noticed that he never finished anything and he felt like he didn’t have the power to reach his goals.
This is what was the inspiration behind his own search to fix the problem and to learn how people can change their behavior. Tom writes about this process in his book, The Practicing Mind.

It wasn’t until he studied Eastern philosophies in college, that he learned that how to be fully engaged in the present moment with whatever project he was doing.

It’s important to focus more on the process rather than end product.

Definition of The Practicing Mind: Everything we do in life comes from practice and repetition. Practice is an intention. You are intentionally repeating a specific activity to intentionally fulfil and accomplish something. It’s very unconscious. You are doing something for a purpose. It’s non-judgemental. It only uses the goal as a rudder – and not as an indicator of what hasn’t been accomplished yet. The Practicing Mind, is completely absorbed in the process of creating, and not in the achievement of the goal.

How do you get to the point where you are fully engaged and finding joy in the present moment?

Two ways to begin thought awareness training:

1.Breath based: Find a quiet and comfortable position without any distractions. Be quiet for 10 minutes a day and just watch your body breathe and watch what your mind is doing. It’s a temptation to control your breathing, but don’t… just let yourself be still and breathe naturally.

2.Mantra based(a phrase you repeat): Again, find a quiet and comfortable position without any distractions. Say your repeated phrase over and over to help your mind focus. Example: “I am successful” or “I am peaceful”, etc.

Most people find their mind is running off on it’s own. You might think that you’re not any good at this because you can’t stop your mind from thinking. But, if you’re noticing your mind that’s a really good meditation. If you’re bringing your mind back a lot as you observe it, those are good things. That is where you start.

Judging yourself has no place in a mindfulness practice, because judging has emotion in it and it affects your confidence and your ability to focus.

To focus on the process and in the present moment there are expectations you need to let go of.
Creatives are involved in an infinite art form. Most of us have too much going on in our lives so we naturally want to feel closure on things. As writers and creatives it’s important to embrace the infinite process of what we’re doing.

We need to have goals… they help us. Studies have shown that we get more done with less time. Our experience of it is when we are in creative flow.

When you are just starting out as a writer for example, you have a feeling inside of being up against your threshold. You sense a sortof struggle to understand how to write your story.

This feeling is only an indication of where you’re at in the learning curve.

Creatives are always up against your threshold. Soon we begin to feel like we’re never improving. Pay attention to those feelings. You might interpret those feelings as being unpleasant, when really it’s just an indicator that you’re up against a new threshold in your learning curve.

In his book Fully Engaged, Tom tells the story of of the life cycle of a flower. He asks, when is a flower perfect? The truth is a flower is perfect all the time: when it’s just a seed, or a sprout or when it finally blooms.

For most of us, we feel impatient to get somewhere else than where we’re at right now. Tom mentions, that’s why it’s important to train your mind to enjoy the present moment so you can be fully engaged and fully enjoying your present moment.

How are habits and practice interrelated?

What we practice becomes a habit. 

Tom shares how writers can become aware of what habits we are forming and to turn undesirable habits into good habits.

When the mind is learning something new it takes all of it’s computational power. That’s why when you’re learning something new it’s so easy to stay in the present moment. The better you get at it, the more it begins to be effortless for you. The problem with habits is that there’s not a lot of conscious choice. Habits just get executed. Whatever you’re repeating – whether it’s physical or mental – is going to become a habit.

How do you separate yourself from bad habits?

“Go back to awareness training. Watch your own behavior and what your thought process is at the time. If you can understand how you want to replace that old habit with the new habit… after that it’s as simple as just being aware of when you begin to execute the old habit to switch it to the new habit. So, whenever situation A comes up, there will be a natural pull to execute the old habit and that’s where we need to train our mind to become aware of our old habit and switch to habit B – the new habit. Keep repeating the new habit, even though it might take 30 repetitions, until you change the synapsis in the brain and develop a New Normal.” Tom Sterner

As you change your old habits and begin to be aware of your thoughts and practice present moment thinking, your goals will begin to just flow towards you instead of you feeling like you’re pawing your way to get them done.

You’ll feel content and empowered because the thoughts you have are directly related to what you’re doing. When you get rid of worry, fear and other resistance, your mind goes into a ‘laser focus’ and there is nothing else you’re thinking of, but the creativity of the present moment.

You can find more details on more books and online courses – including the New Audio Book for Fully Engaged and the upcoming The Practicing Mind online course – over at www.TomSterner.com. You can also connect with Tom on Twitter or Facebook.

 

 

3 Reasons Writers Procrastinate(and how to start writing again)

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Have you ever struggled with procrastination as a writer? What if you could begin today to stop procrastinating and finish writing your book?

The good news is you can. The bad news is… it takes focus and a bunch of effort to finish.

First what does it mean to procrastinate? Dictionary.com definition: to put off or defer an action until a later time; delay. 

Basically, procrastination is putting off something that should be done now, until a later date. Which we all know is code for: when we feel like it. Problem is, sometimes the day when we feel like writing and finishing the book, never comes.

Sounds like a feeling I’m very familiar with… and it also sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Many writers I’ve talked with, have also struggled with procrastination at one time or another.

So how do each of us as writers, stop this common self-sabotaging cycle? Read on for some thoughts on some big reasons why writers procrastinate and what we can do about it…

 

3 Reasons Writers Procrastinate

You have a story you really want to tell with interesting characters and setting or you might have an inspirational or educational nonfiction book that you want to write… but somehow you’re stuck. Maybe you can’t seem to get motivated to finish writing your book.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most writers(including me) have many moments of feeling stalled or stuck as they work on their books. The reasons for procrastinating are many, but I’ll mention three below as well as three tips on getting past procrastination.

1.Worrying that your writing isn’t any good.

Most writers I know struggle with this one. Here’s something I’ve realized: Even bestselling authors struggle with writer’s doubt. All writer’s worry ask some version of this question: is my writing good enough? 

Tips on how to stop worrying about your writing:

  • Do your best to stop being so hard on yourself. Take comfort knowing that you’re not alone.  On some level all writers are worried if their writing is good enough. When you start giving yourself creative freedom(and freedom to make mistakes) you’ll be amazed at how your inspiration and motivation to begin writing your story comes back again.
  • Try to uncover the real reasons you’re not writing. Is it intimidation; is it fear of sharing your real story/emotions on the page; are you worried you’ll be rejected by family or friends once your story is out there? Whatever is holding you back, write down a list of fears or the challenges that are stopping you from realizing your dream of writing.

2.Too much mystery on what to write each day(aka… not enough planning).

I started out ‘winging it’ when I wrote my first novel and it took me years to get it written. So, I changed how I did things for book 2 in my Historical Romance series. I created an outline. It was super helpful(even though I didn’t completely stick to it). I cut my writing time in half, just because I took the time to pre-plan.

When there is too much ‘mystery’ about what you’re writing or where your story is headed(where’s it going to end?), then it’s really tough to be motivated to sit down to write each day.

Tips on how to take the mystery out of your writing process each day:

  • Take an hour or half a day to write down a short summary of where you’re story is going. Even if you don’t write a complete outline, just having a good idea of the first three chapters and how your story will end, will be super helpful.
  • Also, before you end a writing session each day, take 5 minutes and write down a summary/description of the scene or chapter you’ll write the next day. This has been a game-changer for me. When I write out a quick summary and take a minute to visualize the next part of the story I’ll be writing, it not only helps to get clear on the story, but it also makes me excited to write!

3.Setting unrealistic expectations or goals for your writing.

When you dream of writing and publishing your book, it’s possible that you might set unrealistic expectations for your writing goals… especially when you’re first starting out.

When you focus on goals that are ‘far away’ or daily goals that are too large, it can take away any desire to write. You might even feel overwhelmed just thinking about all those words you need to write to reach your goals.

Tips on how to set do-able writing goals and expectations everyday:

  • Instead, break down your writing goals into small-ish chunks. Write only one scene a day, or only 500 words a day. Start with small goals instead of huge mountains. That way you’ll feel motivated and inspired to write.
  • Also, if you struggle to focus(like I do…) use a count down timer and focus only on writing until the 10 minute timer beeps.
  • One last tip, don’t worry about what your words or sentences look like. When you’re writing a first draft, do your best to avoid editing and just write. Really… this will save you tons of time.

So I hope these tips are helpful to you.

Procrastinating on writing, is something I’ve struggled with a lot. These are steps I’m still working through.

One way I’m learning to get past this huge ‘procrastination cycle’ is by researching(and using myself as the guinea pig… so to speak). That’s why I’ve been writing – in stealth mode – a book called Finish Your Book. My passion is to help other writers who also struggle to finish their book.

So as promised, here are the names of the randomly picked, 3 winners of Finish Your Book eBook when it’s finished): Sherryl, Brenda and Lisbeth.  I will send you a note(hopefully I have the right email address ;). Thanks so much everyone for joining in the fun, and I really hope you find the book helpful.

Do you struggle with procrastination? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments on what you do to get past procrastination to write 😉

 

 

050 Lorna Faith on Lessons Learned in Writing and Creative Growth as Interviewed By Murray Kopp

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As a writer do you sometimes get stuck in fear which creates chaos in your creativity? In this chat with my husband Murray, we talk about how gratefulness truly opens up your mind so your creativity can flow with greater ease. We also chat a little about working together as a team 😉

In the update I share about a great summer with family!

And I was happy to finish writing Longing for Love(AMulberry Island Romance Prequel).

I’m finishing the edits on this book now, but it’s now available for pre-order at iBooks, Kobo and Barnes & Noble.

I share why it can be a good idea to wait until release day to put your book on Amazon. If you want, you can read more details about pre-orders in this blogpost.

I also talked about the fun I’ve been having writing the next book in the series, Returning to Love(A Mulberry Island Book 1).

Similar themes seem to be cropping up of heartache and loss and healing and restoration in love for the main character, Abby Harper. It’s been good to write this one.

I also talk about 3 new books that are hopefully helpful as you write, self-publish and market your books:

1.Tick Tock Edits: How to Edit Your Own Writing: Ten Quick and Easy Tips to Strengthen Any Manuscript by Jacqueline Garlick. This is such a simple and concise way of explaining the editing/rewriting process that I’ve found this book a super helpful resource. Jacqueline is also a prolific fiction indie author and has a ton of great tips.

2.Mastering Amazon Ads by Brian D. Meeks. If you want to increase your book ranking on Amazon, this book explains the details on how you can do that using Amazon Ads. This is one of those books I’ll need to read through twice to really get it.

3.Book Review Banzai: The Unknown Author’s Ultimate Guide to Getting Amazon Reviews by Jason B. Ladd. Jason shares his secrets on how he was able to get a lot of reviews when he was an unknown author. Simple steps and a really helpful read especially if you’re just starting out.

Interview Highlights:

Since this was the 50th episode of the Podcast, I was wondering what to do that would be a little unique. So when Murray and Atlee(daughter) said why don’t we interview you… I agreed. I thought it might be a fun chat on creativity and working together… and it was 😉

So in this episode Murray and I have a conversation about many topics including:

*How to persevere with your writing, even when you want to quit

*About why as writers we don’t need to wait for someone(a gatekeeper like a agent or publisher) to validate us and tell us ‘you’re a write’ – and how we can choose to pick ourselves.

*How those things we struggle with can lead to our passions. I talk a little about the reason behind starting the Create A Story You Love podcast – to help new writers to be able to learn quicker and have more resources and help available to them.

*We talk about how gratefulness opens up our creativity and how fear can close it down. Murray shares here to begin your day as a couple in a grateful mindset. Do you best, to start your day positive and it will help you stay focussed and set the tone for your day.

*I mention one of my favourite books: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book really resonates with me because she shares that we don’t need someone’s permission to choose to live a creative life. If you want to write a song, a book, or produce a movie or pioneer your own land… then do it.

“Let your inspiration lead you wherever it wants to lead you. Keep in mind that for most of history people just made things, and they didn’t make such a big freaking deal out of it. We make things because we LIKE making things. And inspiration works with us, it seems, because it likes working with us…  That magical overabundance? That’s your inherent creativity, humming and stirring quietly in its deep reserve. If you’re alive you’re a creative person.” Elizabeth Gilbert

*I also mention projects I’m working on right now like a nonfiction book I’ve started working on tips on how to Finish Your Book. For those who filled out the survey, I’ll have a list of the winners in next week’s blogpost! I’ve also been mapping out ideas for a Storytellers membership site. If you want to learn more you can get updates and the 1st video lesson free go to www.thestorytellersroadmap.com.

This was a fun chat… I hope you also found it helpful 🙂

 

How do you inspire your creativity so you can go beyond fear to give yourself permission to write everyday?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

5 Rules to Increase Your Productivity Fast [Lessons Learned from Brian Tracy]

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Almost all writers I’ve talked to want to increase their productivity and by doing that to increase their income.

The whole idea of being consistently productive is something that I’ve struggled with a lot. In the past year of so, I decided I needed to learn how to do this better.

I stumbled upon ebooks and audio books by productivity, time management and success expert Brian Tracy. His simple tips and strategies have given me huge aha moments that I’ve been learning to put into practice for myself.

If you are like me and have struggled to manage your time or increase your productivity, I hope some of these quotes and tips on productivity by Brian Tracy will help you to move forward and faster toward your writing goals!

5 Rules to Increase Productivity [Lessons Learned from Brian Tracy]

We all want to feel like we’re moving toward our writing dreams in a focussed and effective way, but sometimes we just aren’t sure how to do that.

That’s exactly where I was when I first started writing and blogging. I’d say it’s really only in the past year or so, that I’ve really begun to put these productivity tips and strategies that I’ve learned from Brian Tracy into a regular practice.

In talking with many bestselling authors, one of the things they have in common is that they have learned how to be super productive and they are continually learning how to become more success minded. I’ve been inspired to learn all I can from successful authors that I respect and admire.

I hope you find the following quotes from Brian Tracy, useful and inspiring…

1.“Make a decision. Every positive change in your life begins with a clear, unequivocal decision that you are either going to do something or stop doing something. Decisiveness is one of the most important qualities of successful men and women and decisiveness is developed through practice and repetition over and over again until it becomes as natural to you as breathing in and breathing out.”

People are inefficient in the use of their time, because they haven’t yet decided to be highly productive in everything they do.

Decide today to become an expert and practice these principles over and over again until they become second nature.

“Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it whether you feel like it or not.” Brian Tracy

What decisions do you need to make to be more successful as a writer? Choose today to get started. This single act alone can change the whole direction of your life.

I’ve found that I need to connect emotionally with the reason I’m writing and that helps to make the choice to write everyday much simpler. Because when I know what I really, really want, then I am more inspired and motivated to take the action I need to get there!

2.“Develop clear goals and objectives. Fully 80% of your success comes about as the result of your being absolutely clear about what it is you are trying to accomplish. Unfortunately, probably 80% or more of failure and frustration comes to people who are vague or fuzzy about what it is they want and how to achieve it.”

It’s important to decide what it is you really want. Once you have great clarity on what your biggest goals and dreams are, next you determine the price you’re going to have to pay to get it and then resolve to pay that price.

In most cases, in order to move toward our goals we often have to sacrifice up front. We have to give up time we’d rather use for watching our favourite TV shows or reading our favourite books. We even have to give up some of the time we’d rather spend with family or friends.

This isn’t easy. There’s been many times I’ve missed out on some favourite shows with the fam, because I’ve needed to get more writing done.

And yet, I know writing these books and eventually self-publishing more books on Amazon and other digital retailers, will in the end give me the ability to earn more income and still have the time I want to spend with my family.

A few months ago I created an infographic with a formula to accelerate your writing productivity.   I’ve learned that when we use a goal setting formula everyday, it brings us much faster toward our writing goals.

3.“Plan everyday in advance. Daily planning is absolutely essential for you to double your productivity. You should practice the six ‘P’ formula for high achievement. This formula says, ‘Prior, Proper, Planning, Prevents, Poor, Performance.’ All successful men and women take a good deal of time to plan their activities in advance. Remember the 10/90 rule which says that the first 10% of time that you spend planning your activities before you begin, will save you as much as 90% of the time necessary to perform those activities once you start work.”

I’ve discovered that something amazing happens when you write out the plans you have in your head and transfer them to paper before you begin any project.

Writing really does sharpen your thinking, stimulates your creativity and helps you to focus you much better than if you were just trying to work from what you have in your head.

You can start by making a Master list of all you want to get done in the next 5 or even the next 10 years. Then this is the list you keep referring back to as the central list to guide you in your next projects. And whenever you think of something new you want to do, write it down on your Master List.

Next, at the beginning of every month, make a list of everything you’ll need to do for that month. Then break your monthly list down into a weekly list and write down exactly when you’ll start and finish the tasks you’ve decided on for that month.

Then break that down further, and make a daily list of what you have to do each day. It’s helpful to make this list the night before. I usually make my list on Sunday evenings for the week. And I keep that notepad right beside my computer where I see it everyday.

The rule is: always work from a list. Even when something new comes in your day, write it down. Then when you cross off items one by one, it gives you more energy and tells you where you’re making progress and what you have to do the next day. Time management experts say that working from a list increases your productivity by 25%.

Once you decide on your number one task, anything else you do other than that is a waste of time. Share on X

4.“Once you have decided on your number one task, anything else that you do other than that is a relative waste of time.”

Distraction is something each of us face as writers. There’s so many things like interruptions, email, social media, that it really can stop us from really getting done what we need to get done.

If you minimize or do your best to get rid of any distractions, that will make you so much more productive.

Sometimes when you have so many things on your list that you want to get done, it’s tricky to decide which one to work on. Here’s where prior planning comes into play(refer to #3).

Before you start on any project, ask yourself “What is the most valuable use of my time right now?”

Once you’ve decided on your most important task, then anything else that comes your way is not important to you right at that moment(unless there is an emergency). If something comes your way while you are working on that most important task, kindle defer it and work on it later after you’ve finished your most important project.

5.“Your most important tasks and priorities are those that can have the most serious consequences, positive or negative, on your life or work. Focus on these above all.”

When you’ve made a decision on what your priorities and important tasks are, these have long-term rewards or consequences. When you set out in the direction of being committed to your most important project everyday, it can change your life in amazing ways for the better. It can have a huge impact.

So, it becomes important to know what your end goal is. It’s important to have a vision of your end goal, because that will motivate and energize you to do the work you need to accomplish your goal.

I’ve been learning that the greater the clarity and positive impact your goal has on your life, the faster you will get yourself in motion towards that end goal and it will be less likely that you will procrastinate when you really understand that completing that One Important Task will massively change your life for the better.

I hope after reading these quotes from Brian Tracy, that are inspired to go after your most important goal. I know I am inspired to finish the new nonfiction book I’m writing – unofficially titled – Finish Your Book.

If you are a writer who struggles with resistance and/or distractions to Finish Writing your book, would you take a minute to fill out this short(3 question) survey?

Thank you so much 😉

 

What productivity tips have you tried that you would recommend to other writers?  Please do share in the comments below, we can learn from each other 😉

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