Tag Archive for writing process

Journaling and Freewriting

January 26, 2013 Uncategorized One comment
Just a few journals

Just a few journals – M E Powell

I start each day by writing in a journal. I write three pages a day – well, most days. I started writing three pages because of The Artist’s Way, a book by Julia Cameron (http://juliacameronlive.com/). She calls these “Morning Pages” but I’ve done them at all times of the day – and night – and middle of the night when I can’t sleep.

I’m lucky there’s no such thing as the Journal Police.

People often say, “How can you write three pages a day? I wouldn’t have time for that.” But I’d have to agree with Cameron: I wouldn’t have time if I didn’t.

I write fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, and poetry. My fiction and poetry appear in literary magazines and anthologies. Traditional publishers (Scholastic and soon Red Line) publish my children’s books. And my nonfiction appears in more than 70 consumer and trade markets across Canada and internationally. And I’ve won awards in all of them. On top of this I hold down a busy day-job, I’ve founded a professional association (PWAC-SK), and I’m a productive member of two writing groups and several associations.

On days when I don’t journal, I don’t accomplish half as much. Frankly, sometimes my journals contain three pages of worry. Or three pages of affirmations – even the same affirmation repeated 10 times just to make sure I get it. Sometimes I need that to get on with my writing day. Often I will try a few freewriting exercises and often I find ideas for a story, poem, or novel I’m writing, or the kernel of an idea for next time.

Over the past few years I’ve had many different kinds of journals: fancy cloth covered ones, pint-sized notebooks with pretty pictures on the cover, plain black ones, you name it.

These days writing three pages every day means I’ve been buying the cheapest, most ordinary coil notebooks I can find. The outside doesn’t matter; the act of writing is all that counts.

I love it that the word “journal” is now a verb.

Here are a few resources I like on journaling:

Writing Down the Bones – Natalie Goldberg:
http://books.google.ca/books/about/Writing_Down_the_Bones.html?id=9v5ZOh3liu0C

Other books by Natalie Goldberg: http://nataliegoldberg.com/books/

The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron
http://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Artist_s_Way.html?id=ZaC7Br7sMBMC

And just for fun – After the Artist’s Way – a blog by Janice MacLeod: http://aftertheartistsway.blogspot.ca/p/about.html

Do you journal? What’s your favorite resource? Click on the word “Comment” above to leave a comment. Let’s share our idea banks.

Getting the most out of MagNet

May 28, 2012 Books, Creative writing, Travel, Writing 4 comments

Toronto, Canada. Photo by M E Powell.

Going to a major conference to boost your business seems like a no-brainer. MagNet 2012, Canada’s Magazine Conference in Toronto, is an excellent example. Opportunities abound for savvy freelance writers who want to increase their knowledge, make business contacts, and network with colleagues from across the country.

I’m planning my third trip to MagNet, and my sixth AGM-and-conference with the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC). Each year it’s been useful and rewarding for me.

This year I thought I’d start by reviewing five ideas for getting the most out of the conference experience:

1. Prepare before you go. Read over the workshop schedule, and check your professional list-serves for issues that are percolating through the discussions. With PWAC, for example, business practice discussions coalesced into workshops on global markets in 2008, and on travel writing in 2009. These sessions weren’t on the main schedule, but they were among the most useful ones I attended.

2. Clear the decks of last-minute assignments and niggling details before you leave home. While it’s tempting to think you’re going to have time to get some writing done while you’re away, a conference schedule can be full of workshops and social events. The buzz should leave you thinking forward, not looking back.

3. Get those business cards made before you go. It’s worth it once you get there, especially at a conference like MagNet where some editors, publishers, digital producers and others mix with writers in each session.

4. Get to the workshops early. That gives you the chance to find a seat and strike up a conversation with those around you. More than one PWACer has reported sitting next to someone who later became an important contact. (Note: If the elevators break down or you can’t find the room or some other worst-case scenario makes you late: just get there. The best value for upgrading business practices can come out of the sessions themselves.)

5. Use breaks and social events to catch up with your professional colleagues and swap business tips and tricks. Standing in line for coffee or slipping out for a meal with friends and colleagues from across Canada is always enjoyable. It can also become prime time to compare workshop notes and share ideas.

One of the best things about PWAC is the camaraderie, and the generosity of other writers. PWAC conferences are always useful for tips about best-practices and valuable insights to take home — and for making new friends. (For more ideas, see my article “The Professional Writer in the Digital Age: PWAC meets MagNet 2009, Freelance 38:5, 29-33)

What are your tips for getting the most out of conferences this year? Leave a comment and let’s share thoughts about how to maximize these opportunities.

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