The Blank Page

Nothing is ever so daunting to a writer than a blank page. First you need an idea. Some writers are overcome with ideas. Other writers grasp for ideas like a child catching wayward butterflies. I remember when I was manic with Bipolar Disorder. The ideas came so fast and furious I couldn’t keep up with them all. I built four 4-inch binders crammed with ideas. It really helped during the stable and down side of my illness when the ideas were drier than tumbleweeds blowing in a desert wind.

Once you have the idea, what are you going to do with it? You have to figure out a way to expand upon it and then decide what direction you want to take it in.

Fish is an idea.

Okay, saltwater or freshwater?

We’ll decide saltwater.  Now, are we going to talk about saltwater aquariums or saltwater fishing?

How much do you know about either? How much research are you planning on doing? Who or what are going to be your expert references?

Oh, wait. My husband had saltwater aquariums for almost fifteen years. I could go to him and ask him information about saltwater fish.

His advice, “Start small. Small aquarium and small fish.”

Sounds like solid reputable information. As I turn around to ask a follow up question, my husband is ahead of me. Hands me the business card of the our friend’s local aquarium store down the street and strolls into the garage to work on his RC airplanes and helicopters.

He’ll be useless to get any answers for the next few hours so I gather notebook and pen and head to our friend’s aquarium store. Eager to get my information about how to put together a saltwater aquarium and what fish to use, I drive with ease to the store.

The familiar bell tinkles as I make my entrance into the store. I look all around at abundance of underwater sea life. There are fish, invertebrates, rock, eels, (yuck), and shrimp.

My friend recognizes me and nods hello as customers surround him.  It’s always the same in his store. He works long hours and rarely has any time to himself. Whenever I’ve been in here with my husband, there’s three to four people deep around him, all shooting questions at him. Saltwater aquariums are a popular hobby.

So, do you know where I’m going with this information about how to get ideas instead of staring at a blank page? Start with an idea. Decide where to take the idea. Look for reputable resources to help you with it and voila you’re on your way to a great blog post or article.

Now, what do I do with his darn aquarium my friend talked me into buying? My husband is going to throw a fit when I bring it into the house. But, I couldn’t resist those cute little orange clown fish as they dart in and out of their homey anemone.

Are You Tired of Hearing About Goals?

It’s all around us. You can’t open your e-mail without someone sending you something about setting a goal.

It can be losing weight.

Gaining weight.

Stop smoking.

Get a job.

Setting Blogging Goals.

Setting Parenting Goals.

Learn how to unclutter your life with these goals.

Argh!

I’m over it. Totally. Absolutely. Beyond any doubt. I’m over it.

I am bombarded on a daily basis with e-mails telling me I’m too fat, too skinny (Ha!), to unorganized, too lenient, too whatever, and I need to call a halt.

Now.

What about you? Are you tired of hearing about all the goals we must set for ourselves this year? Or are you one of the ones who is sending out messages to your followers, telling them to set goals. They must set goals. You must set goals.

Argh!

Maybe it’s because I just had a Bipolar episode recently, and I’m still sensitive and fragile from it. It was a scary episode. I heard some news that actually triggered an episode. It lasted nearly a week, and I’m still not quite over it. I haven’t gained all my mental and emotional strength back yet. I was inconsolable. Totally. And what was worse, the bad voices came back and were screaming at me that I was worthless, I had no value, I was a mistake, and I had no purpose in planning a business.  This, while I’m trying to get Your Writing Coach off the ground. 

It was devastating. And, worse? Could there really be a worse? Yes, there can. My doctor prescribed medication to get rid of the voices. I was to take it three times a day. That first day, I began having reactions to it. Not the right kind either. I had uncontrollable limb flailing. Yep, arms and legs flailing about with no control. It was about the scariest moment I’ve ever had. I had no control over what my hands, arms, and legs were going to do.

I e-mailed my psychiatrist and told him about the severe reactions and he had me stop the medication immediately. Whoa. After I stopped taking it, it was like a miracle. The reactions stopped as well.

Amazing.

So, that could be the reason I’m so sensitive to being bombarded with something over and over again.

So, I apologize to anyone I may have offended when I said I wanted you stop sending out your goal messages.

It’s not you. It’s me.

Ha. We’ve heard that line before, eh? Any relationship that went over the giant falls has had someone say that to the other person.

In this case, I think it really is me. And, please, don’t break up with me.  I still want you as a reader and you can send me anything you want and I’ll enjoy it.

I wanted to be totally honest with you about how I felt and the reasons behind it. I don’t ever want to hide having Bipolar Disorder from anyone. It’s something I live with and deal with and take medication for to control it.

Most of the time I am stable and or somewhat stable. I haven’t had such a serious episode like the one I recently had since March of last year. Pretty good track record for me.

If it weren’t for the help of my immediate support team, I wouldn’t have come out of it as quickly (yeah a week is pretty quick) and with as little damage as I did.

Keeping up with all my blogs and projects is very important to me. I try to stay at least one week ahead of my blogs so I have some leeway. I used to be two or three weeks ahead, but the holidays messed that up. I have to catch up again.

To me, blogging is very important. I need the outlet. I want to give important writing information to you, my readers. Today was supposed to be a Writing Tip, however that kind of messed up with me ranting about goals.

But, I think we can still turn it over into a tip about writing. Don’t be less than you are when it comes to your writing. Be as authentic as you can be. You have to be true to yourself, above all else. So, that’s my writing tip for you today. Find your voice, find your authentic self, and write as real as you can for the real person you are. Don’t hide from your reality. Be fair and truthful. Let the you that is most genuine shine through, always.

Image credit: markusgann / 123RF Stock Photo

Do You Think You're the Only Scared Writer Out There?

Twenty-Five Years Ago:

I was the scared writer who didn't know if I had enough talent in my little finger to try and write a book.

• I have been there with a book, not knowing if it's good enough to catch a publisher's eye.
• I've been there with a publishing contract in my hand not knowing if I should sign or what?
• I've been there when that first book was printed and I held it in my hands for the first time. Like holding your baby for the first time.
• I've been there in critique classes when another writer would tell me I "wrote it wrong" or "used wrong tense" or something else equally as humiliating. How could I be writing it wrong? Then the flood of "am I not good enough" comes again.
• I've been there during book signings when no one shows up. Once again, it hits, "Am I not good enough?"
• The marketing is scary. It means I have to talk about myself in a positive way.
• The selling is hard. How do I tell people about my book and hope they'll buy it? I'm not a salesperson.
• I've been the writer who sits in a room of other writers thinking I'm the only one who is scared.

Does this sound like you?

Raise your hands. Too scared to raise your hand? I totally understand. I've been there.

I have BEEN there.

Not anymore.

That was twenty-five years ago. I am no longer that scared little writer thinking I'm the only one in the world who feels like that.

I've written books. I've had books published. Yes, with real publishers!! Publishers who I had to submit to and wait anxiously for acceptance or rejection.

I've got a rejection pile so large you can sit on it.

Yes, I've kept every single rejection letter. 

Why? Because it means I'm working my butt off trying to get my work published. It means I'm working.

I got past the "what if I'm not good enough" and I'm writing, but I think my dialogue is flat or I can't tell which Point of View I'm in. I did research. I learned. I asked other writers. 

I wanted to join a writers' group. There wasn't a writers' association  in Florida. So, what did I do? I co-founded the Florida Writers Association. I worked hard with other people to make it the best organization in Florida. It is, too. Just ask anyone.

I created writers' groups. I created critique groups. I helped other writers. The FWA motto is "Writers Helping Writers". 

Like it?

It's my mission to help other writers. I want to provide aspiring fiction writers with the tools they can use to be the best writers than they can. I know I can do it. 

Why?

Because I've been there.

And, I did it all the while fighting a debilitating disease. Bipolar Disorder. I fought against 

• social anxiety disorder, 
• generalized anxiety disorder, 
• panic attacks, 
• PTSD, 
• and OCD. 

It never stopped me from writing. It never stopped me from succeeding. 

I did it. 

You can too.

I know, deep down in my heart, you have what it takes to be a great writer. If I can do it, anyone can. 

I wrote through hospitalizations. 

I wrote through suicide attempts. 

I wrote through depression. 

I had great writing moments during manic episodes.

I learned ways to manage the Bipolar Disorder so that I could be the best writer I knew I could. I knew it was inside. I knew I had to be the one to break out of my barriers and fight the obstacles. 

I did.

If you are a true writer, you won't let any obstacle, big or small, get in the way of writing.

I didn't. 

I can help provide you with the tools you need to be the best writer you can. 

Just write to coach@vickimtaylor.com and tell me you're ready to be the best writer you can be. We'll take it from there.

Image credit: poulcarlsen / 123RF Stock Photo