Comments on: Traits of the Successful Author—Discernment

By: Keep up then | Margaret Pinard, Writer

Keep up then | Margaret Pinard, Writer — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 14:33:14 +0000

[…] my eye has been caught by several blog posts dealing with creators and self-discipline. Authors and discernment. Artists and courage. I also happened upon an old magazine article dealing with how to order your […]

By: Cecilia Marie Pulliam

Cecilia Marie Pulliam — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 17:28:40 +0000

The biggest boost to my discernment was figuring out when I am the most productive with each task I have, or want, to do, particularly writing. I am at my most creative early in the morning before work and before other responsibilities drain all creativity away. I realized getting up early and spending a couple of hours writing before going to work would accomplish more than trying to do a marathon some other time.

I get up between 4:00 and 4:30 in the morning, write for two hours and still have time to exercise, shower and be at work by 8:00 am. The rest of the day is spent with other things, especially family and reading. I must read a minimum of a half hour every day, preferably more. So, the TV stays off except for movie time with the family, which of course is another way of becoming involved in a story. This has added years to my writing schedule – productive years.

Of course not everyone is creative at that time of day. My sister says she doesn’t even wake up until 7pm. That is her most productive time period. So, she does the reverse, staying up later and sleeping in later. The point is finding that schedule offering the most benefit. Your plan sounds productive and efficient for you as well. As you have said the key word is determination, persistence, discernment and maybe a touch of crazy to want to meld it all together. Which of course makes for a superb storyteller…

By: Sarah Saunders

Sarah Saunders — Sun, 23 Jun 2013 10:43:32 +0000

I hope Your mum has recovered well.

That I found this blog write now in my life is quite special, This is exactly what I need to hear/read. I have huge problems with getting my priorities right and finding time to switch off and rest. I quite often find I push my writing to the bottom of my list and sometimes go a week or more without sitting down and doing something that brings me so much joy.

I am actually going to make a list of the things that are important to me and re-work my list of priorities to mirror it. Hopefully I will see the day job move down the list a little!

Thank you for the serendipitous blog Kristen 😀

By: lythya

lythya — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:31:20 +0000

In reply to Author J K Broadwell. It's funny. I feel the same with stuff being messy, but I've heard the advice "forget the mess and WRITE!" so many times that it's making me crazy x) Sometimes being a writer can feel like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Simply choosing whether or not to clean up can leave me paralyzed. (Wow, I'd make a boring character.)

By: lythya

lythya — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:29:33 +0000

Btw this is the reason you’ve had a bunch of guest blogs, right? That only strengthens what you said about WANAS standing together 🙂 I hope your mother gets well!!

By: lythya

lythya — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:28:44 +0000

Wonderful post. Discernment is a skill anybody should hone and too few do. *Raises hand, sighing* Guilty.

By: Author J K Broadwell

Author J K Broadwell — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:02:13 +0000

Kristen-
I hope everything turns out well for your mother.
I really enjoyed this post. I’m a notorious procrastinator and am inherently lazy. As such, I’ve had to develop strategies to overcome this. For example, during my scheduled writing time, I will usually go to either the library or my office at work after hours. This (usually) allows me to stay awake and not decide to watch a little TV when I need a little break. I also struggle to effectively write when my house is a mess. I learned a long time ago that if I clean up before I start to write, I’m much more productive.
It’s a never ending battle to successfully prioritize things in life and I often wonder if I made the right decision.
Thanks for the wisdom. Keep it coming Kristen.

By: Rose

Rose — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:48:27 +0000

Trying to run a household and write; a big challenge. I bet this is something most male writers don’t struggle with! Writing is a consuming thing and will take up all the available space given. On the other hand, I once heard that I needed to give myself Permission to write, which means the other stuff gets ignored. It was actually quite freeing. Oh well, imperfection as you say, at least when it comes to the less important stuff. Thank you for this Kristen.

By: Christa Wojo (@webbella)

Christa Wojo (@webbella) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:17:46 +0000

It’s freaky that this post came at just the right time for me.

Last week I went nuts trying to maintain my business, be a good wife/sister/daughter/neighbor and keep my house somewhat in order (cannot focus in disorder). At the same time I am trying to revise my novel, but never seem to find the time (get very cranky when away from my book too long).

In an attempt to be everything to everyone, I drank too much coffee to wake-up, too much wine to wind down, couldn’t sleep, had a mild nervous breakdown when my dog got sick. I ended up too exhausted and eye-twitchingly crazed to accomplish anything. Lesson learned.

Must remember (love this!) “Making our writing a priority is vital, but it won’t fulfill us if it comes at the expense of our relationships, our health, and our peace.”

Thanks so much, Kristen.

By: maureenjenner

maureenjenner — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:52:44 +0000

May the Lord bless you both, and all your family. A sense of humour fills our lives with sunshine.