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Christy Smith comments on Find Buried Treasure In Your Outline

Christy Smith — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 02:48:21 +0000

How delightful to see you here Margie! I love that you came to visit. :)

I think it was because of my academic pursuits that I have rebelled against the outline, but it is hard to stomp my feet too hard when it just makes sense. :) I agree that it is a great way to get the little hamster rolling. I just read something similar in Steven Pressfield's new book Do the Work as well. He doesn't make the process seems scary (which I think is another reason writer's don't want to do it).

Outlining definitely does give a sense of control. For those of us who like being in control, it's a comforting feeling. I'll be outlining future novels from here on out because I just think it will make my writing stronger. I can worry less about where the story is going, and more about the details of the story itself.

Margie Clayman (@margieclayman) comments on Find Buried Treasure In Your Outline

Margie Clayman (@margieclayman) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:37:09 +0000

Hi there Christy,

So happy to see a defense of the outline. All through my academic career, and now in my professional life, I outline everything. Not only that, but I tend to outline with pen and paper, not on the computer. For some reason it seems to flow better that way.

I always tried to tell people who had writer's block that outlining was a great way to get the little hamster rolling. You start with your main point, and then you outline how you can make other people believe that point. Then, how are you going to support each of those points? It makes the whole process of writing, which can be very squishy and blobby, quite linear and seemingly controllable.

I love your writing voice, too :) Sorry it's taken me this long to come over here!

Christy Smith comments on What Else Do You Do Besides Write?

Christy Smith — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 01:14:35 +0000

It was lovely to see this comment from you Melissa, because I know how much energy you put into your work- so I am sure you are always looking for ways to fill up that well! I like that you brought up the physical ways where we can draw that energy (like yoga, going for a walk, etc.). I don't pursue physical aspects as much as I should, and I feel like adding that to the mental nourishment would add a whole new dimension to my creativity.

Booknapped- I love it! That's one I need to remember. ;)

Melissa Dinwiddie comments on What Else Do You Do Besides Write?

Melissa Dinwiddie — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:08:28 +0000

This is SO TRUE, Christy! Julia Cameron refers to "filling the well" in her book, The Artists Way. Our creative selves are like plants: we need to be watered and fertilized, or we get stunted, dried out, wilted...

Your reading binge sounds like exactly what you needed. (Oh, how I love getting booknapped by a good novel! I have to be very careful about when I get started, because often nothing else will get done until the last page is read!) Going on a walk, doing yoga, making art, making music -- these are all ways I feed myself, and fill my writing well. (It's amazing how many writing ideas I get while on a walk!)

You're right that what's critical is to figure out what works for you, and then make sure to schedule it into your life . Regularly.

Sometimes easier said than done, but if you want to write (or do anything creative), there's just no getting around the need to fill that well!

Christy Smith comments on Just Because You Can Use That Word In A Sentence Doesn’t Make You Smart

Christy Smith — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 16:06:38 +0000

Hi Julia! I agonize over my word choice if I let myself, so I really have to watch that. A blog post that should take an hour turns into several hours just because I re-read it a million times to tweak words/phrases here or there. I'm definitely working on the happy medium. I'm so glad you decided to comment and enjoyed the post. I'm looking forward to chatting with you again!

Julia comments on Just Because You Can Use That Word In A Sentence Doesn’t Make You Smart

Julia — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:42:08 +0000

This is a great post, and funny! I think about this a lot because, almost without fail, I fall on one side or another with word choice. I tend to (over)think everything I write, especially blog, so sometimes I challenge myself to just hit the enter button and try not to care! (however, since I'm new to your site, it took me FOREVER to write this comment :)

Christy Smith comments on Stop Hating On Yourself: Build Your Compliment File

Christy Smith — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 04:35:16 +0000

Thanks for stopping by Miss Peregrin! Being able to gracefully accept compliments is something I think most of us struggle with, and it's one of those things that I think is a GREAT thing to work on. :)

Miss Peregrin comments on Stop Hating On Yourself: Build Your Compliment File

Miss Peregrin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:01:44 +0000

This sounds like such a lovely idea! I am also very guilty of not "just taking the compliment". I think I've gotten a lot better over time, but I still have trouble accepting compliments.

Christy Smith comments on What Gets Your Creative Toes Tappin'?

Christy Smith — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 19:31:08 +0000

It's nice to hear that I'm not the only one that bounces between music selections depending on my mood. :) I LOVED techno when I was younger, that's a genre that I should definitely check into again. I looked Sarah Brightman up on YouTube- awesome! Thanks for stopping by and commenting Rachael.

Rachael Acklin comments on What Gets Your Creative Toes Tappin'?

Rachael Acklin — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 19:18:24 +0000

Depending on what stuckness I'm experiencing, I listen to dance / R&B / techno to lift me up, or Beethoven if I'm feeling kind of emo, or Sarah Brightman if I need something to sing along with really loudly.

:) Great post, Christy!