positive attitude – Almost An Author

Need Inspiration? Try these Writing Mantras

So many things can hinder our writing. Our lives are filled with distractions and competing commitments, while our inner critics whisper that our writing isn’t good enough. On top of that, we’re bombarded with advice on how to write, how to market, and how to succeed. It can be easy to get so overwhelmed or bogged down that we feel like giving up.

Please don’t!

When you’re feeling frustrated, confused, or depressed about your writing, these three short mantras can help you get back on track. Science shows that replacing unhelpful, negative thoughts with more positive truths actually works. So, give these simple truths a try.

Good enough is usually good enough.

Does your inner critic insist that every sentence you write be worthy of a prize? If so, this saying will help you move past the bondage of perfectionism. I’ve wasted hours striving to perfect every sentence in a scene only to delete the whole thing later. I wish I would have known this concept back then.

Learn from my mistakes and aim for good instead of perfect.

Most readers are more interested in a good story than stunning prose, so keep this in mind as you write. Give yourself permission to write “good enough” sentences. Focus your prose-polishing energy on the places where your words pack the most punch, like the first chapter, the first and last paragraphs of every chapter, and the final scene.

Doing something is better than doing nothing.

What does this mean? Let me expand it. Doing something—even when it’s not the ideal thing, or the perfect thing, or the thing some expert told us we must do—is better than doing nothing.

I learned this simple truth from a marketing expert who was doing a webinar for self-employed people making six- and seven-figure incomes. Even people who already enjoy that much success need to be reminded of this concept.

Why? Because most of us are afraid of failure. We stress over every decision because we’re not sure if we’re making the best choice. Unfortunately, that kind of thinking leads to becoming stalled on a project because we’re second-guessing and overanalyzing instead of doing.

Successful people don’t waste time worrying about perfection. While the rest of us are dithering about how to make the ideal choice, successful people are moving ahead because they know doing something will get them farther than not doing something.

So, stop stressing over whether your idea is the “right” thing and try it. If it doesn’t work, learn from your effort and try something else.

Everything is figureoutable.

We can become demoralized by all we don’t know how to do. Just thinking about a large project like self-publishing a book, building a website, or starting a podcast can be so intimidating that we throw up our hands in despair. I have no idea how to do this, we think. So, we give up.

In those moments, remember this mantra. Everything, including whatever big, scary problem you are facing, is figureoutable. This catchy saying comes from the book of the same name by Marie Forleo. It means exactly what is sounds like.

This reminds us that everything, no matter how complex, is figureoutable. We just need to roll up our sleeves and start figuring it out. It will take time, research, and probably some trial and error. We may need help. We may make a few mistakes along the way, but we CAN learn new skills, solve problems, and figure it out.

For more inspiration on tackling problems with confidence, read Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo.

I hope these simple mantras will inspire you to stay on course with your writing and book marketing projects. You can do it!

An engineer-turned-mystery-writer, Lisa E. Betz infuses her novels with authentic characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her debut novel, Death and a Crocodile, won several awards, including the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021). Lisa combines her love of research with her quirky imagination to bring the world of the early church to life. She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in the Livia Aemilia Mysteries. Lisa directs church dramas, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes.

Website lisaebetz.com/
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Survival Tips for the Waiting Part of Writing Tip #20 – Remember Who is in Control

During this season of uncertainty, life can often feel as if it is spiraling out of control. We can’t control the virus, we can’t control the fact that life as we once knew it may never return, we can’t control the stark division this political climate is causing, we can’t control the weird weather—seriously, fire tornados and land hurricanes?

As writers and authors—we can’t control the increasing closure of brick and mortar bookstores, we can’t control lost face-to-face opportunities to speak and promote, we can’t control the slow response time of publishers and agents, and we can’t control the ever changing landscape of the publishing industry.

But don’t lose heart. The truth is, we never really were in control. Our current global circumstances haven’t increased the things beyond our control; they’ve just made our utter lack of control more apparent. We serve a God who is not surprised by these events. He was, is, and will always be … in control.

Here are a few things we CAN do to move forward while we wait and trust in Him.

We CAN take advantage of every virtual opportunity available to further our craft and platform. Online conferences, Zoom meetings, social media events, and digital training opportunities are becoming the wave of the future. We don’t have to leave our home to take advantage of these opportunities, and who doesn’t enjoy the freedom of wearing lounge pants while participating?

We CAN use our time wisely. Many of us find ourselves with extra time on our hands these days. But it can seem like that time is wasted if we don’t treat it purposefully. Priority lists are always helpful, but long lists can seem too overwhelming. Start with three goals per day. I know if I can check off at least three boxes by bedtime, it motivates me to do more the following day. And beware of the great time parasite—too much social media.

We CAN choose to have a positive attitude. Our world is full of frustrated, scared, angry, divisive people. But we don’t have to be lumped into that group. In fact, we are called to be a light in this dark world. By using our writerly superpower—words—and combining them with love and truth we can be a force of encouragement and joy in a world that desperately needs it.

Scripture: Ephesians 5:16, Matthew 5:14, Proverbs 16:9

Fun Fact or Helpful Resource:
A great resource for online, affordable training is Serious Writer Academy. Their courses are categorized by genre and you can go at your own pace.

ANNETTE GRIFFIN BIO

Annette Marie Griffin is a award-winning writer who speaks at local women’s group meetings and women’s retreats on the topic of biblical womanhood and finding our identity in Christ. She is the Operations and Events Coordinator at a private school for special needs students and is the editor of their quarterly newsletter. She has written custom curriculum for women’s retreats and children’s church curriculum for Gateway Church in San Antonio, Texas where she served as Children’s Ministry Director and Family Program Director for over twenty years. She and her husband John have five amazing children and two adorable grands. She’s a member of Word Weavers International, ACFW, SCBWI, and serves on the Board of Directors for The Creative Writing Institute.