Läsning blev hennes skrivarskola

Anna Schulze, violinist, debuterar med en novellsamling i höst.

Debbie Macomber lärde sig också skriva genom att läsa böcker:

"Shortly after David grew so ill, I shared my dream of writing novels with Wayne, and he encouraged me to pursue this goal. My first step was to rent a typewriter, which I set up on the kitchen table. At mealtimes I shuffled it to the countertop. I vividly remember the first day I rolled a piece of paper into that typewriter. I was a writer! I so wanted to take the stories that were rolling around in my head and place them on paper. At the time I didn't know another writer in the world. Then I stared at that blank piece of paper, and nothing happened. How long I sat and stared at the blank page I can't tell you, but I can describe what was going on inside me. I panicked. I hadn't a clue how to write. While in school I'd never gotten good grades in English (or any other subject for that matter). I was terrified. What made me think I could possibly sell a book? What made me think anyone would pay hard-earned cash to buy anything that I'd written? I felt overwhelmed. I didn't even know how to get started.What happened next was quite possibly the wisest thing I could have done. I picked up four romance novels that I loved. I’d read each one countless times, and I never tired of the plot or the characters. I wanted to understand what in those stories drew me back again and again, what made me love those books so much. This was vital to me in order to put it into any story I created.I dissected those books. I broke them down chapter by chapter, scene by scene, sentence by sentence. In the process I learned about plotting and pacing, chapter openings and chapter endings. As I made copious notes, I came to understand the methods of revealing characterization and the importance of timing in storytelling.Once I'd completed my analysis, I was confident enough to begin my own novel. That was almost twenty-six years ago, and I still give this advice to beginning writers. Dissect the books you love, study and read, but far more importantly, write. A writer writes.

77 pocketböcker under en madrass

Författaren Jeanette Winterson växte upp i ett pingstkyrkligt arbetarhem där inga böcker utom Bibeln fick finnas. Därför vet hon att man får plats med 77 normalstora pocketböcker under en vanlig bäddmadrass i standarstorlek. Hon smugglade nämligen in böcker till sitt rum.Källa: SvB 19/02

Skriv hos Elin!

VÄLKOMNA TILL FÖRFATTAREN ELIN WÄGNERS HEM LILLA BJÄRKA!
Här kan du/ni finna inspiration och ro att skriva. Kanske i Elins arbetsrum, kanske på solverandan eller i stora rummet med sina blå väggar och silvertak. Boendet är som på vandrarhem med självhushåll. För mindre kurser eller mindre grupper som vill träffas och ägna några dagar åt skrivande passar Lilla Bjärka utmärkt. Lilla Bjärka ligger i Berg - en liten by 3 mil norr om Växjö.För mer information och bokning, kontakta Susanne Schlecker, Berg Fiskaregård, 360 30 Lammhult. Tel: 0472-72056

Ellen Mattson

"Ellen Mattson säger att det passar henne bäst att titta in i väggen när hon skriver, eftersom hon då går in i en annan verklighet. Vilket hon förstärker genom att använda öronproppar. Där sätter hon sig vid niotiden på morgnarna och skriver ungefär till klockan ett. Alltid för hand, lutad med pennan över ett papper. Det handlar både om ljudet och om den fysiska känslan. Att inte hindras av datorns tangentbord och skärm. Hon säger att hon skriver intuitivt, på känsla och inte har någon teoretisk underbyggnad. ´Jag vet aldrig vad det ska bli när jag börjar, sedan på kvällen läser jag kanske någonting som jag inte visste att jag visste att jag kunde skriva., inte viste att jag visste. Överraskningsmomentet är viktigt, utan det tror jag att jag skulle vara helt uttråkad.´”Artikel om GP:s litteraturpristagare 2003: Ellen Mattson.
Göteborgs-Posten 27/9 2003

Författares ritualer

Läs i DN om svenska författares ritualer.

Elmore Leonards 10 tips

1. Never open a book with weather (typ "Det var en regnig och blåsig dag")

2. Avoid prologues (undvik prologer)

3. Never use a word other than ´say ´to carry a dialogue (undvik ´menade han´ ´påminde hon´etc, skriv bara "sade" eller "sa")

4. Never use an adverb to modify the word ´said ´("sade han ilsket"...)

5. Keep your exclamation points under control (snåla med utropstecken).

6. Never use the words ´suddenly´ or ´all hell broke loose´

7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly (har du väl börjat skriva i dialekt blir det svårt att sluta och du tröttar ut läsaren)

8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.

9. Don´t go into great detail describing places and things (typ undvik inredningskatalogtextet)

10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

Mer utförligt kan du läsa här.

Johannas tips: Skriv ennovell där du följer hans råd. Sen skriver du en där du bryter mot dem alla . Slutligen bestämmer du själv vilken stil du trivs bäst med. Du är författaren, du har vetorätt när det gäller dina texter.

Artiklar om skrivandets hantverk

Mycket läsvärda artiklar. Läs tex Beginners Four Faults. Artikelförfattaren ger ofta pedagogiska, klarsynta exempel. Nästan lika läsvärt som Stephen Kings bok om skrivande.

Läckra skrivböcker

"Aldrig mer ett vanligt anteckningsblock"

Mats Wahl

Författaren Mats Wahl har en intressant och generös hemsida. Här kan du bl a ladda ner textutdrag.

GP:s författarskola

Göteborgs-Posten ger en sommarkurs i författeri.

Att skriva är som att skiva salami

"Years ago a time management expert named Edwin Bliss told me that the biggest mistake we make with a big project is to make it too daunting. He says the key is to break big projects down into manageable segments. It's a little big like cutting a big old ugly hunk of salami into appetizing slices. That's what you need to do with your writing time and or else will avoid it like the plague. I used Bliss' brilliant little strategy to trick myself into writing each day. For the first six months I told myself I was only going to write for 15 minutes a day. Fifteen minutes was my personal salami slice, and it was never hard to manage. Over time it became easier so I extended the fifteen minutes to thirty and then sixty and then to about two and half hours on each day of weekend. Sometimes I write even longer than that but I never plan on more. On weekdays I aim for an hour. There's something else that I found is helpful if your time is limited. Set a goal of pages to accomplish during your writing block. It pushes you to that amount. And if they aren't great, you can edit them later. "
Karen White i "How to write a book when you have no time"

Skrivarcirkeldokusåpa

En skrivarcirkelmedlem wallraffar och beskriver cirkelns regelbundna träffar, dess medlemmar, textkritiken etc. Engelspråkig.

300 sidor på 3 månader?

Om jag skriver 1200 ord om dagen motsvarar det 3 boksidor. 120.000 ord blir trehundra sidor. Alltså en hel roman. Det blir tre månader. Det finns de som skriver ihop en bok på så kort tid.

Uppvärmning

Skriv i sju minuter utifrån varje bild. Använd gärna timer eller äggklocka. Skriv utan uppehåll, acceptera varje infall, hur ologiskt den än kan kännas. Strunta i grammatik och stavning.

Artiklar om skrivande

Läs artiklar om skrivande på Fictionfactor.

Roald Dahls skrivstuga

Gör ett virtuellt besök i Roald Dahls skrivstuga .

Vad författare har gemensamt

Amerikansk litterär agent beskriver här 7 komponenter som "hennes" författare delar:

"Having worked with a number of successful authors for a number of years, I’ve had the opportunity to observe what they all have in common. These habits are what make them truly professional. If you don’t have these habits, think about cultivating them. They won’t fail you."

Kommentarer på fester

Underhållande brittisk författare beskriver här okunniga kommentarer om författarskap.

Skriv en roman på ett år!

" The acclaimed novelist Louise Doughty here introduces a unique new column teaching the art of fiction"

Cowriting- författarsamarbete

Jennifer Lindsay
Sara Borg
Emma Vall
Serien om Familjen kring La Stella
Bob Mayer och Jenny Crusie

Skriv en bok på 28 dagar!

Skrivhjälp på nätet

Harlequinförfattare ger skrivtips - "it has so much terrific information about writing that you should look there even if you have no intention of writing romantic fiction" säger engelska chicklitförfattaren Kate Harrison om denna hemsida.
Stephanie Bonds artiklar om skrivande
BBC ger skrivarkurser .

Nya affirmationer

Dessa har jag plitat ihop:

Jag skriver helt o k och jag skriver varje dag för det får mig att må bra.
När jag skriver kommer jag i kontakt med mitt sanna jag.
Jag är författare i själ och botten och därför har jag rätt att skriva.
Jag tar min längtan på allvar och vårdar den genom att skriva en stund varje dag.
Mina berättelser berör människor.
Mitt skrivande får näring ut min kreativa källa.
Att skriva är lika nödvändigt för mig som att andas.
Att skriva gör mig mer harmonisk och jag klarar dagen bättre.
Jag mår bra av att skriva ner berättelserna jag bär inom mig.
Att skriva är sensuellt, roligt och helande.

Affirmationer för författare

Fritt översatt från Suzanne Mcminn:

Jag älskar att skriva. Skriva är roligt!
Jag skriver med passion, entusiasm och massor av energi!
Ord och bilder fyller mig och hamnar på pappret.
Skrivandet gör mig hel.
Min kreativita källa är outsinlig.
Jag blir bara bättre och bättre som författare.
Jag är på gång nu och jag är organiserad och kommer att nå mitt mål.
Idéerna bara kommer till mig.

Här är ett citat av henne, à propos detta att se till att få tid att skriva:
"Fall in love with your story. You´ll never want to leave it"

Lär av ditt skrivande

"Writing fiction is a fire that burns inside of you, and burns you from the inside out. It sears away the lies you tell yourself, it sears away the masks you hide behind, and in the end it refines you the way fire refines gold. What you put into your writing you get back a hundred-fold. Your characters teach you how to live, how to love, sometimes how to say goodbye.
When you write honestly, you give a gift to yourself that will change your life for the better."

Holly Lisle

Jacqui Lofthouse - Englands bästa författarcoach?

Jag kan verkligen rekommendera denna engelska författarcoach. Hon är bra. Pröva hennes program "30.000 words in 30 days"

Här är några citat från henne:

"I began to sketch out times in my calendar to write. I used to colour it purple and on the pages I’d write ‘Sacred Writing Time’. But you know what? If somebody asked me out for coffee, I’d think ‘oh, I can just shift my writing time’ – and you know what? I didn’t. I just didn’t write at all.
But somehow, somewhere along the line, I got to see that if I didn’t make writing a priority in my life again, then pretty soon I wouldn’t be able to call myself a writer any more.

" so many writers – whether of fiction or non-fiction – become blocked because they can’t see the wood for the trees. But you know, nobody ever said you had to see the whole wood before you started your walk, right? "

Just tell the damned story

"Writing a book is an endurance contest, and a war fought against yourself, because writing is beastly hard work which one would just as soon not do. It's also a job, however, and if you want to get paid, you have to work. Life is cruel that way."
"Keep at it! The one talent that's indispensable to a writer is persistence. You must write the book, else there is no book. It will not finish itself. Do not try to commit art. Just tell the damned story."
Författare Tom Clancy i Writes Digest 1/2001

Författare tipsar

Författare bjuder på skrivtips i Amelia 15/06.
Mari Jungstedt, deckarförfattare:
"- Skriv, bara skriv. Förlagen brukar säga att du måste ha något att berätta innan du sätter dig att skriva. Det behöver du absolut inte!
-Var öppen - det är en del av den kreativa processen att vara öppen. En människa kanske knackar på och vill komma in i berättelsen.
- Om du får skrivkramp - gör research! Om jag kör fast ringer jag ett koll-samtal till någon polis eller åklagare om någon detalj jag undrar över. Eller läser ett kapitel jag skrivit och jobbar vidare därifrån.
- Lugna dig. Ha inte för stora krav! Och var inte rädd. Mycket händer när du väl sätter igång. Det leder alltid till någonting."

Martina Haag, krönikör och författare:
"- Sätt dig och skriv! Bestäm till exempel att du ska skriva mellan kl 8-10 och gå inte därifrån. Kommer du inte på nåt, skriv om det.
- Gör en stor skylt ovanför datorn: ´Jag håller på med en bok. Ibland går det upp och ibland går det ner.´
- Tänk också att du skriver till en enda person. Annars blir det väldigt allmänt. Jag skriver till min syster, som är min innehållsredaktör.
- Var så ärlig du bara törs, skriv så sant du kan. Det är då folk känner igen sig."

Om att skriva kapitel

Diana Gabaldon och andra om att skriva kapitel:

Rule # 1 is that you don't actually have to have chapters at all. I don't. Or rather, I do, but I don't write them. I write the story--in pieces, because that's the approach that works best for me--and arrange all the pieces in a pleasing and/or sensible fashion. Then I take out anything that looks like it's unnecessary, whether that's a word, a line, a paragraph, a page, or a scene (this is the phase of work that I call "Slash-and-burn." It doesn't have anything to do with making chapters; it just clears out the undergrowth).
Then I go through the text, decide where chapter breaks should be, and think up the chapter titles (which is one of the most entertaining parts of writing the book, since at that point, the work is all done). But making chapters is just about the very last thing I do to a book before I send it to my editor.
Now, people who write in a more linear (i.e., "organized" ) fashion may find it easier or more appealing actually to write in chapters.
Barbara Rogan, who writes excellent mysteries, suspense (Suspicion, published by Simon and Schuster) novels, and straight literary novels, is one of these admirable people.

She says:
"What I don't like about mysteries is that you do have to plan so tightly. It's good discipline, I guess, like writing sonnets for poets, but I miss the freedom of straight novel writing. My method with mysteries (actually, it applies to other novels as well) is to plot the whole thing loosely, then work on it chapter by chapter. Before writing each chapter, I write down a list of goals: e.g. advance the relationship between A & B, advance this characterization and that subplot, reveal a secret, etc. Then I make a list of possible scenes that would achieve these goals; and then I write the chapter scene by scene. Works for me, in part by breaking the work down into managable bits, allowing me to just slog along without thinking how much lies ahead."

Beth Shope, an epic-fantasy writer says:
"Everyone writes differently--some don't decide where to begin and end chapters until the book is finished. Others, like myself, write within the framework of chapters, each having their own shape and goal, which in turn affect how the chapter ends. When I begin a chapter, I have a general notion (usually) of what that chapter needs to accomplish in terms of plot and character development (though often enough I end up with surprises ). Then I write along and when I can see that the chapter has accomplished what it needs to, then I know to end it. (Hopefully gracefully rather than abruptly.) Some end as cliff-hangers, some end quietly, but I like to end any chapter with the feeling that the bow has been tied on that particular package. The nature of the bow is determined by the shape of the chapter--i.e. whether some aspect of the plot has been brought to a temporary conclusion, in which case the bow has a quiet, neat feel to it; or whether it's been left open-ended, and thus the 'bow' may be nothing more than a pair of loose ends dangling in the breeze, tempting the reader to turn the page to find the resolution. At any rate, it doesn't matter how long or short the chapter is, as long as it accomplishes something."

If these approaches work for you, more power to you. I couldn't do it that way to save my life, but fortunately, nobody insists that I do.
See, one important thing that nobody ever seems to mention when talking about writing is this: Once the book is printed and bound, nobody can tell how you wrote it. Did you work with an outline? Did you write it backwards? Did you work on it every day, or once a week? NOBODY CAN TELL. All they can see is that here's a book, period.
Which means that you can do it any dang way you want. Anything that lets you get words on the page is the Right Way to write.

"Is There a Right Way to Write?" intervju med Diana Gabaldon, samt hennes allmänna råd till författare. Artikel i Aftonbladet.

Värm upp

Författarkortleken - ett annat suveränt hjälpmedel för att få igång fantasin. Skapat av Ann Westermark. Kan köpas på Adlibris

101 ursäkter

101 ursäkter för att slippa skriva.

ordmätare

Hur långt har du kommit i ditt projekt? Ladda ner denna ordmätare.

Jojos metod

Här kommer min metod just nu:
Skriv 1 A4-sida vad romanen ska handla om. Det blir väldigt svepande, men kanske vissa partier blir detaljerade. Strunt samma, men en A4 sida ska det vara. Eftersom den bara är på en sida är den inte alls fullkomlig och troligen fortfarande ogenomtänkt. Men detta synopsis kommer du att bygga ut efter hand.

Sen ringar du in vissa delar som du känner för, scener som redan nu lockar dig till att skriva. "Åh vad det kliar i fingrarna efter att få skriva den där grälscenen" eller "Jag ska verkligen vräka på i den där passionerade scenen där de äntligen får en hel natt tillsammans" Skriv därefter ner de scener du ringat in, efter behag, för hand eller i dokument i datorn. Du måste alltså inte ta dem i kronologisk ordning.


Varför inte ha en anteckningsbok att skriva ner dem i, om du skulle få lust i vänthallen, på bussen eller på den allmänna toaletten? (Du ska ändå skriva ner dem sen igen, i datorn). Ta en kopia på synopsis och klistra in i anteckningsboken.

Gå på lust. Strunta i om de blir överdrivna eller ologiska. Huvudsaken är att du får dem skrivna. Det är råmanus vi pratar om nämligen, och det ska skrivas med lust, nyfikenhet, iver och stolthet (över att du är så duktig och sitter ner och verkligen gör detta nu!). Vem gör en perfekt skulptur med en gång? Först är ju även den en lerklump. Och skisser kanske har gjorts innan. Det är en av nackdelarna med författeri: det finns en massa myter om att man plötsligt skriver ner en roman, som blir perfekt med en gång, och att allt går på inspiration. Medan alla vet att musiker måste öva och öva från det där är sju år gamla och konstnärer göra skisser innan de sätter igång på allvar. Och att de sen målar över allt med svart och börjar på ny kula.

Okej. Nu när du är igång med att skriva lite scener här och var ur ditt synopsis kan du ta paus med att uträtta lite fysiskt arbete: spänn upp ett papper på väggen, t ex från en gammal tapetrulle (såna som jag har en korg full med på vinden) , eller sånt där ritpapper som finns på rulle. Billigt på IKEA t ex. Om du inte vill spänna upp den kan du rulla ihop den och lägga den under sängen eller överst på bokhyllan eller någon annan stans.
På detta papper gör du en linje med A på ena sidan och Ö i slutet. A står givetvis för berättelsens början och Ö för dess slut. Kapitel 1 vid A, sista kapitlet vid Ö.

Numrera scenerna du skriver ur synopsis och scener du inte har med i synopsis, som t ex "föds" ur de scener du redan skrivit (de från synopsis). Så vet jag att Camilla Läckberg, deckarförfattaren, jobbar. Hon börjar med ett kort sammandrag av handlingen, börjar skriva några scener därur och sen föder varje scen 2-3 nya scener, och efter hand fyller hon på i synopsis. Ge scenerna rubriker också. Sen skriver du in siffrorna på linjen på ritrullepappret/tapetrullepappret. Annars blir det trångt om du ska skriva hela rubrikerna. Dem kan du skriva på en lista efter siffrorna, som en bilaga till rullen. Då får du översikt när det gäller vilka scener som händer när. Och vilka som gapar tomma, d v s vilka du måste skriva senare.
Använd blyertspenna eftersom scenerna kanske byter plats.

Har du en hel vind kan du spänna upp en lina istället och hänga upp de skrivna, utprintade scenerna, eller bara lappar med scenernas rubriker, med hjälp av klädnypor. Eller använd post-it-lappar på en vägg. Eller gör som författaren Diane Chamberlaine, använd stora bordsytor Så kan man även arbeta om man skriver på sina memoarer/sin självbiografi. Det kan nämligen bli väldigt tråkigt att skriva allt i kronologisk ordning: "Först hände det och sen hände det och sen hände det."

Sen när du skrivit alla viktiga scener och lagt dem i den ordning som känns bäst, då lägger du dem i en hög i kronologisk ordning eller i en pärm, och sen skriver du ihop allt, från första till sista kapitlet, i ett svep, utan att tillåta dig att kritisera dig själv eller ge upp.Under denna period kan det vara en bra idé att åka hemifrån, t ex hyra en stuga under en månad, åka iväg på charterresa i två veckor och skriva dag och natt, vakta en väns hus under juli månad.

Sen får manuset ligga och mogna till sig i några månader, minst två, gärna tre eller fler.
Sen sätter du dig ner och läser igenom allt. Under tiden det låg kan det hända att saker och ting har fördjupats osv. Berättelser har tendens att göra det, som vin mognar med tiden (fast det tar inte lika lång tid…) Du förstår karaktärerna ännu bättre nu och kan förändra och förbättra vissa scener. Du kanske ändrar ordningen. Skriver en ny början eller ett annat slut.

Pyssla, dutta, ändra, skriv om här och var tills du är helt nöjd.

Och glöm inte att ta regelbundna promenader. Kroppen behöver rörelse och berättelsen arbeta i den omedvetna. En del författare påstår att de egentligen skriver hela boken i skallen medan de är ute promenerar.

Snöflingemetoden

Skriv en roman med hjälp av snöflingemetoden

Bli av med skrivkrampen

Författare Karleen Bradford ger lite tips.

Råd från Jaqui Lofthouse

20 Inspirational and Motivational Tips for Creative Artists


1. Creativity is not Exclusive
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost"- Martha Graham

Creativity is not exclusive to a talented few. We are all creative and we use our creativity in different ways. The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'creative' as: "involving the use of the imagination or original ideas in order to create something". We all create things, all the time. I'm not talking about works of art, but all that we create around us: our environment, our relationships, and our physical and emotional selves. Every act we engage in is a creative act. When we face a difficult situation, we choose whether to respond positively or react negatively. Equally we can choose whether to think limiting thoughts about our ability to make art, or whether to choose self-empowerment.


2. Think Big
"Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours."- Richard Bach - 'Illusions'

In art and in life, limiting thoughts create limited outcomes. If you have an idea for a project, don't allow the largeness of that project to overwhelm you. When I first conceived of writing a novel set in the eighteenth century, I had no formal historical education; indeed my knowledge of the period was slight. I had simply seen a couple of paintings in the National Gallery that inspired me and my imagination took off from there. I took action by enrolling on a course in eighteenth century fiction. I allowed my ideas free reign.

I grew up in a new town, with little sense of history and I truly believe that if I can leap that hurdle, anyone can. It takes application and belief in oneself. There is nothing magical about it


3. Have faith in the Process
"I do not plan my fiction any more than I plan woodland walks"- John Fowles - 'The Tree'

Works of art are organic things. They do not, for the most part, appear in the artists' imagination fully formed. Look at the work of dramatist Mike Leigh. He works with actors to develop characters over time; he trusts the process of creation. The final script is not a thing that comes fully formed; it involves the actors, the improvisation. Similarly, if you have seen film footage of Picasso at work, think how he paints over his canvases, the first thing he paints soon vanishes beneath more paint; it is a wonderful example of trusting one's creative instincts.


4. Only Begin
"I have written a great many stories and I still don't know how to go about it except to write it and take my chances."- John Steinbeck

This advice is not exclusive to writers; it applies to all creative artists. Never wait for inspiration. You could be waiting a lifetime. Have courage to set down a thought on a page, daub a canvas with paint, click the shutter, and speak the lines aloud. Whatever your art form, nothing will come of nothing. When I teach writing, I often read the first line aloud of my favourite Paul Auster novel "Moon Palace" in which the entire plot of the novel that follows is revealed and I ask the question, "Do you believe this was the first paragraph he wrote?" Of course the answer is 'No'. Auster would have discovered the story in the writing and that wonderful first paragraph would come much later in the process.


5. Make a diary date
"Action is eloquence" - William Shakespeare

If you want to create, make it a priority in your life. Each week, take a look at your diary and block in time to be devoted to your craft. Think carefully about when and where you work best - first thing in the morning, late evening, in your office, a studio, a café? Once the commitment is there, honour it fully and don't be distracted by other invitations. Your creative time is important. Most of us today lead extremely busy lives and art is an easy thing to be put off until tomorrow. If you aspire to create, don't put it off.


6. Examine the blocks
"You can't be afraid to deal with your demons. You've got to go there to be able to write."
-- Lucinda Williams

If you continually put it off, maybe you need to understand why this is happening. It's time to connect with your own creative blocks. One of the best ways of doing this is to journal it. Buy a great notebook (I love the black leather 'Moleskine'; choose one that does it for you) and make it a place where you write about every aspect of your creativity, including your fears and what is stopping you. Is there some perceived failure in the past, a broken dream, a cruel word from a teacher or parent that made you lose confidence? Whatever it is, get it on the page. Acknowledge it, understand it. That's the first step to moving beyond it. Ask yourself, 'what is the cost to me of not acknowledging the source of my being blocked?' and 'What will be the consequence of my allowing fear to prevent me from picking up the pen/attending the audition/attempting the new canvas?'


7. Journal your Inspiration and Motivation
"If one writes about the day - what's been going on, inside and outside - it soon becomes clear that the choices are endless, and that through the choices one makes one is structuring one's world. Inventing oneself."- Nicole Ward Jouve

Use the journal for inspiration too. Make it a regular daily habit to take notes about your creative process. Keep notebooks by the bed, in your car, in your bag, in your desk. When a thought occurs, don't lose it, get it down. A journal is a great place for connecting to your personal motivators. Ask yourself 'Why' do I want to create this artwork?' If the reason you come up with is a negative one, look deeper into the positive reasons for desiring to create. Are you creating because you feel you ought to? Can you connect to a deeper, stronger personal motivating factor? Do you discover, in fact, that creating art is so linked to who you are, that if you don't do it, you feel less vibrant and alive?


8. Use Visual and Aural stimulation
"An artist is not paid for his labour but for his vision."- James MacNeill Whistler

If you feel your art is becoming stale, look outside yourself for inspiration. Rather than mining your own experience, expose yourself to new stimuli. Take time out and flick through art books or to listen to music. Make a pin-board of images that might influence your creation and mount it above your desk. If you don't 'fill the well', it will soon be empty. Part of being an artist is about being alive to the world about you. Go out and actively seek inspiration. This is what Julia Cameron calls the 'Artist's Date' taking time out each week, alone, whether at a gallery, a concert, or simply a local park. If you develop your creative sensibility, you are taking the first step towards being creative.


9. Don't make Distraction an Excuse
"After spring vacation the children went back to school, but the dog got worms. It was a little complicated at the vet's and I lost a day. By then it was Thursday; Friday is the only day I can buy the groceries, pick up new cedar chips for the gerbils, scrub the bathrooms. I waited till Monday. Still, that left me four good weeks in April to block out the novel."- Anne Tyler- from her essay 'Still just Writing'

The morning after Anne Tyler won the Pulitzer Prize in 1989, she politely dismissed an inquisitive reporter with the explanation that she was too busy writing to talk; they had interrupted her in the middle of a sentence.


10. Create all the time (even when you aren't creating)
'Work cures everything'- Henri Matisse

It is not only in the act of creating a work of art that the work is done. Most artists get their best ideas when they're not writing/painting/acting. When I was stuck with a particular narrative voice when writing my novel 'The Temple of Hymen', I simply got out of the house, went for a long walk around the campus of UEA where I was studying at the time. As I returned home, having barely contemplated the novel, having allowed my mind to wander, the opening lines of my novel came into my head. "I must begin with a warning". It was a new narrative voice. My subconscious had done the work.


11. Be informed; have compassion
"If a man is to shed the light of the sun upon other men, he must first of all have it within himself."- Romain Rolland

In order to be fully creative, it is essential to be outward looking: to be capable of empathy, to have studied one's art, to continually deepen our understanding. I remember being shocked once, when teaching a creative writing class when a student asked why I was asking the class to discuss what they liked to read; he simply could not see the relevance. A devotion to one's art, a hunger for understanding, is, I feel, essential for every creative artist.


12. Do it for Love, not Fame
"A writer who becomes a Star, I think, loses a little or a lot of their equilibrium... They're too concerned with divining what their massive public desires of them...They aren't writing for themselves any more."- Paul Magrs

Pesonally I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to be famous. It's a nice fantasy to imagine one's art reaching a broad audience; having that kind of influence. But to create only with fame in mind is setting ourselves up for disappointment and frustration and it is most possible that in the course of such a journey one might fall out of love with the art-form. Caught up in the desire for success and the validation of the world, we lose our passion. And if the passion goes from the art, truly, what is left? Choose to create for the joy of it, for the pleasure of immersing yourself in the process. Then you are freer to create also, for then, what have you to lose?


13. Cultivate self-love
"We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?" - Marianne Williamson - from 'A Return to Love'

Whatever it takes for you to allow yourself to cultivate self-love, do it. The idea that art has to be born from suffering is a myth. And the idea of the tortured genius is only that, an idea. If you nurture yourself - allow yourself to be all that you are capable of being - you will have more energy for clear thought and creative brilliance.


14. Move beyond your own Experience
"For God's sake write about what you don't know! For how else will you bring your imagination into play?" - Graham Swift

The idea, for writers, that you must 'write what you know' runs deep. Let's bust that myth too. Allow yourself to dream and refuse to let your dreams be limited by the circle of your own experience.


15. Develop your personal Vision
"Artists lead unglamorous daily lives of discipline and routine, but their work is full of passion. Each has a vision and feels responsibility to that vision." - Merryl Brockway

A vision is not, I feel, a 'given' for artists. I often feel that as artists we sometimes falter when our vision is unclear. Yet if we can find the discipline and the routine to our art, the vision, I believe, is something that grows. It may not be an complete vision of our life's work, but a vision of the individual creation which grows organically in the process of creating. When you devote yourself to the art, when you don't fear it, the vision comes without effort.


16. Make Mistakes
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
-- Scott Adam

Don't worry yet about the Art bit. Think about the Mistakes. Use the 'free-writing' approach, whatever your preferred art form. Pick up a pen, a paintbrush, a camera - and set a timer. The only rules are you must keep the pen moving, the brush painting, the shutter clicking - until the timer stops. In order to create something good you first have to create something bad. There's no artist out there who hasn't first created bad art. You don't have to show it to a soul.


17. Go for the Detail
"In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little, human detail can become a Leitmotiv. "- Henri Cartier Bresson

Allow yourself to get close to your subject. Take notes where possible or make sketches. Use all the five senses, if you are writing. If you are painting, or sculpting or taking photographs, look for the detail that reveals the whole. Be alert and open to metaphor, what is suggested by what you see. Think about the concept of the 'still life'. Pick up an apple and discover it afresh. What do you see in an apple that nobody else has seen before? Free-associate around a simple object. Your imagination holds the key and transforms every object into something unique.


18. "Try to be one on whom nothing is lost"
- Henry James

James' advice, I feel, stands alone


19. Cultivate Daily Habits
"Good habits are worth being fanatical about"- John Irving

Find daily habits that help you cultivate yourself and your art. Think about the components of your ideal day and work to make that day a regular reality. As an artist, doubtless, you're likely to want to include time to reflect, time to create, as well as time to give yourself excellent self-care, what we sometimes call 'extreme self care'. For many writers and artists, allowing ourselves to be creative is a part of that self-care. Think about what routine will work for you and make a daily or weekly ritual about it. And if you miss it one day, don't beat yourself up. Just get back to your desk/easel the following day/week. A body of work is built through repeated activity.


20. Get support
"This year, you are Writers"
- Sir Malcolm Bradbury to the new MA Creative Writing Group 1992

When I began studying Creative Writing under Malcolm Bradbury, I thought of myself as an amateur. Malcolm's words transformed my thinking. If he was taking me seriously as a writer, I would take myself seriously too. It's just a single example of support but a very potent one for me. I have continued to be supported over my years as a writer, by fellow writers and students. These days I continue to be a member of a writing group that gives me invaluable feedback on my work. And I have a Coach who supports me on an individual basis, encouraging me to write when life's many distractions get in the way. Whether you choose a writing group, a course or a Coach, support will make a huge difference to your productivity and self-belief as an artist.